BAD COVER VERSION 005: THE VERSES ALL SOUND THE SAME

[defrog]

The battle between original songs and cover versions continues! One of the interesting caveats in doing a series like this is that sometimes, the “original” song is actually a cover of an obscure song from a different generation, but is good enough and different enough that it becomes the definitive version of the song. An obvious example would be Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love”.

Anyhow that’s why in this week’s episode, we have two bands squaring off with their own covers of a song that was a British music hall standard in 1910.

THE SONG: “I’m Henry VIII, I Am”

COVER VERSION 1: Herman’s Hermits

COMMENTS: The definitive version, of course. It’s a wonderfully daft song, and Herman’s Hermits were probably the only band who could have gotten away with it at the time. Fresh-faced, exaggerated Cockney accents, goofy as hell. With added Ed Sullivan and screaming teenage girls.

COVER VERSION 2: Banana Erectors

COMMENTS: Banana Erectors are a Japanese punk band who blatantly channel the Ramones, only with a helium-voiced female singer. So their interpretation is basically a Ramones-like version with Masumi Toshikawa doing a game Cockney/Japanese accent. It works brilliantly and comes off as a little less cornball.

WINNER: I’m giving this one to Banana Erectors. The HH version is good fun, and still probably the definitive interpretation, but not enough to overwhelm my bias towards Japanese punk.

Next week: Soft Cell vs Marilyn Manson! Of course!

No Sam,

This is dF