BAD COVER VERSION 010: A FUNNY KIND OF YELLOW

[defrog]

Continuing our weekly coverage of cover songs through the ages, this week’s entry is a classic piece of bubblegum psychedelica from a band not really known for psychedelic music. Either way, it was their first single, and while they would go on to be institutions in the British pub-rock scene, it would end up being their only hit in the US.

THE SONG: “Pictures of Matchstick Men”

THE ORIGINAL: Status Quo

COMMENTS: It’s decent pop-psychedelic rock, but I’ve never gotten much out of the SQ version – I think it’s that lead guitar riff. It just sounds off to me.

THE COVER: Camper Van Beethoven

COMMENTS: Replace the wonky guitar riff with a violin, and it’s a big improvement. It’s an interesting choice of cover for CVB, and even more interesting that they play it relatively straight instead of turning it into a ska or polka number as they used to do to punk songs in their live shows.

WINNER: Camper  Van Beethoven by a mile. UK music fans might disagree, but I think CVB successfully pwned the song for themselves.

PRODUCTION NOTE: I was going to pit CVB against the Ozzy Osbourne/Type O Negative version of the song, but I didn’t want to waste yr time or yr bandwidth.

Next week: The Tubes vs Nina Hagen!

You make men cry,

This is dF

Comments

[bedsitter23.livejournal.com]

I like the original okay. I realize it is about the only Quo song I know, even though they have been huge in the UK for 40 years.

However, the cover is even better. I love the CVB version of it. I also rate "Key Lime Pie" one of my favorite albums ever. I like early CVB enough, and I like Cracker enough. Key Lime Pie, to me, was a high point.

[def-fr0g-42.livejournal.com]

Agreed about Key Lime Pie. I saw them in concert once when they were touring on that album, and they blew the roof off the dump. And then 10,000 Maniacs had to top that. They didn't. And they were great.

[def-fr0g-42.livejournal.com]

I should add that I know a few other Quo songs from my time in Germany. They had a couple of radio hits at the time, and they were all right. But they never really knocked me out as a band. Maybe you have to be (1) British and (2) the same age as the band to get the appeal.

[bedsitter23.livejournal.com]

I probably would know some if I bothered to look them up. Off the top of my head, my points of reference for the Quo are this song, the fact they played Knebworth 90, and "The Concept" by the Teenage Fanclub.

Oh, and this story:

http://forums.morrissey-solo.com/archive/index.php/t-50042.html

and the fact that Rick Parfitt ran off with a fan's wife, and that fan killed himself.

http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk/news/sunday/2008/03/09/status-quo-fan-whose-wife-left-him-for-rick-parfitt-commits-suicide-98487-20345188/

That should cover it.