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seedarklyxeroWelcome to SeeDarkly Sunday DisCOVERies: a weekly exploration of goth, industrial, & dark alternative cover songs! Where they came from, who did them originally, and other strange trivia! On the very first entry I explained a few of the reasons why the blog exists. Three years ago, on the first year anniversary, I revealed a few of the parameters I use to select tracks and prevent repetition. I intend to continue to operate under those guidelines. In addition, I now also have a floating feature on the blog that allows for the exploration of multiple covers of a track that has been previously explored here. I also try to come up with clever (YMMV) monthly themes for fun. And, of course, every fifth Sunday in a month is devoted to Depeche Mode (for reasons described here.)
There are still many covers I can share after all this time. Some I hold in reserve, waiting for what could be considered their "perfect moment." For instance, today's blog being on Cinco de Mayo gives me an opportunity I may not have again for five years. This obscure dark rock rendition of an eighties new wave one-hit-wonder seems just right for this particular holiday, signalling "la muerte" from the airwaves south of the border.:
The Death Riders – Mexican Radio (Wall Of Voodoo)
Wall Of Voodoo released their second studio album, Call of the West in September 1982. Their first single (and the most successful of the band's career), Mexican Radio wasn't put out until early 1983. The inspiration for the song comes from the time band members spent traveling in the southwest of the United States, where broadcast AM radio from Mexican stations like XERF, XEG, and XERB would cross the border. The band actually recorded some snippets of those broadcasts to embed in the song. The track relied heavily on MTV for its general reach into popular culture, but even MTV couldn't help make the song much more than a quirky novelty hit, despite it being perhaps their most memorable (at least in America.)
In one interview, lead singer Stan Ridgway said that "...a lot of planets were aligning at that point culturally. MTV was getting going and what they called the 'new music' was making some headway into people's ears. Radio still was not playing it, but when MTV became as popular as it did, radio had to play it. And it was right about that time where the door to American culture – or actually straight radio culture – kind of opened up just a little bit, and a few people got their feet in."
The song has been covered just over a dozen times since the original's release, at least one of them by a Mexican artist.
The Death Riders is an assemblage of rock musicians made up of The Messenger, Unknown D.C, Jonny Coffin and Rob "Blasko" Nicholson (bassist for Rob Zombie, Ozzy Osbourne, et al.) They released their first and only album to date, Soundtrack For Depression, in 2005 featuring their version of Mexican Radio. Nicholson regarded the band's sound as "a barrage of everything from AFI to WHITE ZOMBIE and everything in between. Imagine Night of the Living Dead meets Satan's Sadists put to music."
Their take on the song is dark and aggressive with harshly growled vocals and far less of the "zest" of the original.
There's not much explaining why it was included as the only cover on an album declaring itself background music for depressive states; when other tracks on the album include titles like God Hates The Dirty Ones, Suffer, I'm A No One, No Mercy, and Dead Garden, well, it's a riddle.
The Cover:
The Original:
Next week:
Second Sunday Slowly where we present another dark downtempo delight... (due to some technical issues this weekend preventing this blog's completion until late, I have not actually picked it yet. I have plenty though... worry you not!)
Feel free to tell me what you think about today's cover! Comments, suggestions, discussions, etc... welcome! You do NOT need a Dreamwidth account to comment, but all comments are screened for spam prevention.
(And if, after 4 years and 210 weekly entries, you find this blog of any value, please click over to my profile and find out how you can leave us a tip if you like...)
Thanks for reading and keep exploring the darkness,
-Xero
Previous DisCOVERies
Apr 28 - Caustic – The Humpty Dance (Digital Underground)
Apr 21 - Klaus Nomi – Ding Dong (The Witch Is Dead) (The Munchkins)
Apr 14 - Discohen – Like A Virgin (Madonna)
Apr 07 - Front Line Assembly w/ Jimmy Urine – Rock Me Amadeus (Falco)
Mar 31 - Dicepeople – Strangelove (Depeche Mode)
. Directory of All Previous DisCOVERies .
There are still many covers I can share after all this time. Some I hold in reserve, waiting for what could be considered their "perfect moment." For instance, today's blog being on Cinco de Mayo gives me an opportunity I may not have again for five years. This obscure dark rock rendition of an eighties new wave one-hit-wonder seems just right for this particular holiday, signalling "la muerte" from the airwaves south of the border.:
The Death Riders – Mexican Radio (Wall Of Voodoo)
Wall Of Voodoo released their second studio album, Call of the West in September 1982. Their first single (and the most successful of the band's career), Mexican Radio wasn't put out until early 1983. The inspiration for the song comes from the time band members spent traveling in the southwest of the United States, where broadcast AM radio from Mexican stations like XERF, XEG, and XERB would cross the border. The band actually recorded some snippets of those broadcasts to embed in the song. The track relied heavily on MTV for its general reach into popular culture, but even MTV couldn't help make the song much more than a quirky novelty hit, despite it being perhaps their most memorable (at least in America.)
In one interview, lead singer Stan Ridgway said that "...a lot of planets were aligning at that point culturally. MTV was getting going and what they called the 'new music' was making some headway into people's ears. Radio still was not playing it, but when MTV became as popular as it did, radio had to play it. And it was right about that time where the door to American culture – or actually straight radio culture – kind of opened up just a little bit, and a few people got their feet in."
The song has been covered just over a dozen times since the original's release, at least one of them by a Mexican artist.
The Death Riders is an assemblage of rock musicians made up of The Messenger, Unknown D.C, Jonny Coffin and Rob "Blasko" Nicholson (bassist for Rob Zombie, Ozzy Osbourne, et al.) They released their first and only album to date, Soundtrack For Depression, in 2005 featuring their version of Mexican Radio. Nicholson regarded the band's sound as "a barrage of everything from AFI to WHITE ZOMBIE and everything in between. Imagine Night of the Living Dead meets Satan's Sadists put to music."
Their take on the song is dark and aggressive with harshly growled vocals and far less of the "zest" of the original.
There's not much explaining why it was included as the only cover on an album declaring itself background music for depressive states; when other tracks on the album include titles like God Hates The Dirty Ones, Suffer, I'm A No One, No Mercy, and Dead Garden, well, it's a riddle.
The Cover:
The Original:
Next week:
Second Sunday Slowly where we present another dark downtempo delight... (due to some technical issues this weekend preventing this blog's completion until late, I have not actually picked it yet. I have plenty though... worry you not!)
Feel free to tell me what you think about today's cover! Comments, suggestions, discussions, etc... welcome! You do NOT need a Dreamwidth account to comment, but all comments are screened for spam prevention.
(And if, after 4 years and 210 weekly entries, you find this blog of any value, please click over to my profile and find out how you can leave us a tip if you like...)
Thanks for reading and keep exploring the darkness,
-Xero
Previous DisCOVERies
Apr 28 - Caustic – The Humpty Dance (Digital Underground)
Apr 21 - Klaus Nomi – Ding Dong (The Witch Is Dead) (The Munchkins)
Apr 14 - Discohen – Like A Virgin (Madonna)
Apr 07 - Front Line Assembly w/ Jimmy Urine – Rock Me Amadeus (Falco)
Mar 31 - Dicepeople – Strangelove (Depeche Mode)
. Directory of All Previous DisCOVERies .