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seedarklyxeroWelcome to SeeDarkly Sunday DisCOVERies:
a weekly exploration of goth, industrial, & dark alternative cover songs!
First time here? Click here for details from first entry.
This week our featured Third Sunday Throwback (featuring a cover from the 20th century) is not specifically related to X-mas, but it might be considered a "stocking stuffer" of sorts. In this year when we've lost so many music makers and dreamers of dreams, it's also my ersatz tribute to the memory of Gene Wilder, if only for his role in the film from which this song originates:
Cibo Matto - The Candy Man (Aubrey Woods)
The summer of 1971 saw the theatrical release of the now classic and unquestionably beloved film, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, based on the 1964 children's book by Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The film, developed as a musical, adapted many of the lyrics for most of its songs directly from the book. However the first song featured in the film, The Candy Man, authored by composer Leslie Bricusse and songwriter Anthony Newley, was not actually derived from the book at all. Even Bill the candy shop owner, a character portrayed by Aubrey Woods who sings the song in the opening scene, is also not from the book. While there was not much in the way of quality films to compete on its opening weekend and it was given significantly positive praise by the top reviewers of the time, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory did not do well at the box office, at least not until attaining cult status and being re-released for its 25th anniversary in 1996. The Candy Man, however, was almost immediately popularized in 1972 when Sammi Davis Jr. covered it as a jazzy pop hit. It logged a few weeks at the top of the Billboard charts despite the fact that Davis admittedly hated the song. Recently, vocals from his version were sampled to allow Barry Manilow to fabricate a duet with him on Manilow's 2014 album, My Dream Duets.
Cibo Matto is an alternative trip-hop duo of Japanese women based in New York, whose band name is Italian for "Crazy Food." As it happens, most of their early work reflects a manifestation of that name; the entirety of their first album, Viva! La Woman, is a veritable buffet of food-related songs. Released in January 1996, it includes their cover of The Candy Man among the dessert items on the menu of its track list (which includes Birthday Cake, White Pepper Ice Cream, and Sugar Water.)
All mention of the film's titular character are removed from their version (as is true of the Davis Jr. cover) though whether that was an artistic choice or a copyright issue stemming from Dahl's I.P. is unclear.
The original rendition of the track as sung by Aubrey Woods is every bit as saccharine as one imagines the contents of Wonka's factory. Cibo Mato, on the other hand, offer a sensually tasty, near erotic, somewhat groovy, Eastern-influenced down-tempo dance treat and "wrap it in a sigh.":
The Cover:
The Original:
Next week:
It's X-mas day and our jingles won't jangle... but they'll damn well stomp for this industrial cover of a classic carol.
Comments, suggestions, discussions, etc... welcome! (You do NOT need a Dreamwidth account to comment, but all comments are screened for spam prevention.)
I'll be spinning one last time this year in western Massachusetts on the night before New Years Eve. Check my schedule for details if you might be in the area and available to join. ^_^
Explore the darkness,
-Xero
Previous DisCOVERies
Dec 11 - St. Anthony Jones - Shoulder To The Wheel (:Wumpscut: remix)(Bel Canto)
Dec 04 - Accessory - Folsom Prison Blues (Johnny Cash)
Nov 27 - Crytek- Bullet (Covenant)
Nov 20 - Rusty Egan – The Twilight Zone (Marius Constant)
Nov 13 - Cindergarden - Everybody Knows (Leonard Cohen)
Directory of All Previous DisCOVERies
a weekly exploration of goth, industrial, & dark alternative cover songs!
First time here? Click here for details from first entry.
This week our featured Third Sunday Throwback (featuring a cover from the 20th century) is not specifically related to X-mas, but it might be considered a "stocking stuffer" of sorts. In this year when we've lost so many music makers and dreamers of dreams, it's also my ersatz tribute to the memory of Gene Wilder, if only for his role in the film from which this song originates:
Cibo Matto - The Candy Man (Aubrey Woods)
The summer of 1971 saw the theatrical release of the now classic and unquestionably beloved film, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, based on the 1964 children's book by Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The film, developed as a musical, adapted many of the lyrics for most of its songs directly from the book. However the first song featured in the film, The Candy Man, authored by composer Leslie Bricusse and songwriter Anthony Newley, was not actually derived from the book at all. Even Bill the candy shop owner, a character portrayed by Aubrey Woods who sings the song in the opening scene, is also not from the book. While there was not much in the way of quality films to compete on its opening weekend and it was given significantly positive praise by the top reviewers of the time, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory did not do well at the box office, at least not until attaining cult status and being re-released for its 25th anniversary in 1996. The Candy Man, however, was almost immediately popularized in 1972 when Sammi Davis Jr. covered it as a jazzy pop hit. It logged a few weeks at the top of the Billboard charts despite the fact that Davis admittedly hated the song. Recently, vocals from his version were sampled to allow Barry Manilow to fabricate a duet with him on Manilow's 2014 album, My Dream Duets.
Cibo Matto is an alternative trip-hop duo of Japanese women based in New York, whose band name is Italian for "Crazy Food." As it happens, most of their early work reflects a manifestation of that name; the entirety of their first album, Viva! La Woman, is a veritable buffet of food-related songs. Released in January 1996, it includes their cover of The Candy Man among the dessert items on the menu of its track list (which includes Birthday Cake, White Pepper Ice Cream, and Sugar Water.)
All mention of the film's titular character are removed from their version (as is true of the Davis Jr. cover) though whether that was an artistic choice or a copyright issue stemming from Dahl's I.P. is unclear.
The original rendition of the track as sung by Aubrey Woods is every bit as saccharine as one imagines the contents of Wonka's factory. Cibo Mato, on the other hand, offer a sensually tasty, near erotic, somewhat groovy, Eastern-influenced down-tempo dance treat and "wrap it in a sigh.":
The Cover:
The Original:
Next week:
It's X-mas day and our jingles won't jangle... but they'll damn well stomp for this industrial cover of a classic carol.
Comments, suggestions, discussions, etc... welcome! (You do NOT need a Dreamwidth account to comment, but all comments are screened for spam prevention.)
I'll be spinning one last time this year in western Massachusetts on the night before New Years Eve. Check my schedule for details if you might be in the area and available to join. ^_^
Explore the darkness,
-Xero
Previous DisCOVERies
Dec 11 - St. Anthony Jones - Shoulder To The Wheel (:Wumpscut: remix)(Bel Canto)
Dec 04 - Accessory - Folsom Prison Blues (Johnny Cash)
Nov 27 - Crytek- Bullet (Covenant)
Nov 20 - Rusty Egan – The Twilight Zone (Marius Constant)
Nov 13 - Cindergarden - Everybody Knows (Leonard Cohen)
Directory of All Previous DisCOVERies