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seedarklyxeroWelcome to another edition of my weekly goth/industrial music feature,
SeeDarkly Sunday DisCOVERies!
Click here for the rundown on what this is all about.
As I promised last month, the third Sunday of the month will be devoted to a cover strictly from before Y2K; my Third Sunday Throwback:
The Jesus And Mary Chain - Who Do You Love
Sometimes songs are lyrically dark and foreboding but the music they are set against are anything but. This has been true for a long time. For example, take Bo Diddley's Who Do You Love? recorded in 1956, his fifth single released before his first full album. The late rhythm and blues artist, (born Ellas Otha Bates,) wrote lyrics invoking imagery of hoodoo mysticism, no doubt familiar to him from his upbringing in Louisiana. With barbed wire, a skull, snakes, a whip, a tombstone, a graveyard, and the fact he "don't mind dyin'" at 22, lyrically the song would be pretty grim if not for the infectious hook, rockabilly style, and uptempo pace. The song has been covered by over fifty artists through the years, and was most recently popularized by George Thorogood in the late 70's. However, it wasn't until the late 80's that one post-punk band would find the inspiration to appropriately darken the music to match the tone of the lyrics.
The Jesus and Mary Chain released their cover of Diddley's classic in 1987 as a b-side exclusive to their 12" vinyl single of April Skies. (As if to give additional tribute to the song's author, on a gatefold dual-disc of the 7" single, they included what might be considered a companion piece to the track, Bo Diddley Is Jesus.) Roughly a year or two later the cover was included on the movie soundtrack of Earth Girls Are Easy where it was featured during the late portion of a campy but bizarre black & white dream sequence. It also appears on their b-sides compilation album, Barbed Wire Kisses (the title perhaps another nod to Diddley.)
The cover drops the tempo to a dark drone and with the Reid brothers' signature vocal quality it becomes a sweetly spooky mood piece and a sensual gothic dance number. It's quite a transformation from the original.
The Cover:
The Original:
Next week: Hard and Heavy. And Fast.
Comments, suggestions, discussions, etc... welcome!
I'll be spinning in Northampton one week from this Tuesday! Check my schedule for details on that event and other future events as well. If you like some of the tracks here, be sure to request them when you see me in the booth! ^_^
Explore the darkness,
-Xero
Previous DisCOVERies
June 14 - Ghxst - Dragula (Rob Zombie)
June 07 - Absurd Minds - Let The Music Play (Shannon)
May 31 - Axxon - Dangerous (Depeche Mode)
May 24 - Black Boots - This Shit Will Fuck You Up (Combichrist)
May 17 - Siouxsie & the Banshees - The Passenger (Iggy Pop)
Directory of All DisCOVERies
SeeDarkly Sunday DisCOVERies!
Click here for the rundown on what this is all about.
As I promised last month, the third Sunday of the month will be devoted to a cover strictly from before Y2K; my Third Sunday Throwback:
The Jesus And Mary Chain - Who Do You Love
Sometimes songs are lyrically dark and foreboding but the music they are set against are anything but. This has been true for a long time. For example, take Bo Diddley's Who Do You Love? recorded in 1956, his fifth single released before his first full album. The late rhythm and blues artist, (born Ellas Otha Bates,) wrote lyrics invoking imagery of hoodoo mysticism, no doubt familiar to him from his upbringing in Louisiana. With barbed wire, a skull, snakes, a whip, a tombstone, a graveyard, and the fact he "don't mind dyin'" at 22, lyrically the song would be pretty grim if not for the infectious hook, rockabilly style, and uptempo pace. The song has been covered by over fifty artists through the years, and was most recently popularized by George Thorogood in the late 70's. However, it wasn't until the late 80's that one post-punk band would find the inspiration to appropriately darken the music to match the tone of the lyrics.
The Jesus and Mary Chain released their cover of Diddley's classic in 1987 as a b-side exclusive to their 12" vinyl single of April Skies. (As if to give additional tribute to the song's author, on a gatefold dual-disc of the 7" single, they included what might be considered a companion piece to the track, Bo Diddley Is Jesus.) Roughly a year or two later the cover was included on the movie soundtrack of Earth Girls Are Easy where it was featured during the late portion of a campy but bizarre black & white dream sequence. It also appears on their b-sides compilation album, Barbed Wire Kisses (the title perhaps another nod to Diddley.)
The cover drops the tempo to a dark drone and with the Reid brothers' signature vocal quality it becomes a sweetly spooky mood piece and a sensual gothic dance number. It's quite a transformation from the original.
The Cover:
The Original:
Next week: Hard and Heavy. And Fast.
Comments, suggestions, discussions, etc... welcome!
I'll be spinning in Northampton one week from this Tuesday! Check my schedule for details on that event and other future events as well. If you like some of the tracks here, be sure to request them when you see me in the booth! ^_^
Explore the darkness,
-Xero
Previous DisCOVERies
June 14 - Ghxst - Dragula (Rob Zombie)
June 07 - Absurd Minds - Let The Music Play (Shannon)
May 31 - Axxon - Dangerous (Depeche Mode)
May 24 - Black Boots - This Shit Will Fuck You Up (Combichrist)
May 17 - Siouxsie & the Banshees - The Passenger (Iggy Pop)
Directory of All DisCOVERies