Man, does that suit her voice/vocal range or what?
I hadn't heard that before I stumbled across it on YouTube the other day, and I have to say it blew my tiny mind. Apparently, it was done in 2016 for the soundtrack of the final season of The Good Wife, the highly acclaimed political thriller serial (on CBS) that I somehow managed to miss as well.
In any event, that may be the best "Sweet Jane" cover ever, and I say that as a) somebody who used to sing the song live with my old garage band chums The Weasels and b) has sworn by Mott the Hoople's Bowie-produced version for several decades now.
May I say again -- wow? 😎
NOPE! She sounds like she heard the song for the first time five minutes before entering the studio. And her Lou Reed impersonation is cringemaking.
ReplyDeleteSteve & Sal:
ReplyDeleteI agree with both of you. It's a lot of fun but it brings nothing new to the playing field.
I could work for a politician with an answer like that. Please pardon me for my sins! The envelope has just been slipped under the door.
I like it but ........(Can you tell I couldn't give a flying fuck about music this morning after watching the news coming out of Washington DC.)
Well maybe "Power to the People"!.
Captain Al
"A Million Workers Workin' For Nothing..." 😉
Delete"Man, does that suit her voice/vocal range or what?"
ReplyDeleteWell, yeah; but is that really a compliment?
Lou Reed, not noted for praise, in a Billboard piece said that he had heard about every cover of Sweet Jane from Mott the Hoople to Liz Phair and (I concur) that the Cowboy Junkies did him proud with their version of the song.
ReplyDeleteOne more thing - Phairs video looks poppy while the Junkies vid, shot in the shadows is close to the mood and lyrics of the original
DeleteIt's a Phair version, but I prefer Mott.
ReplyDeleteWillie Nile's cover is pretty ripping.
ReplyDeleteYes. Indeed.
DeleteBTW -- I should add that a coveted PowerPop No-Prize will be awarded to the first reader who gleans the above's relevance to the theme of Friday's Weekend Listomania.
ReplyDeleteTo her credit, Liz Phair sounds more awake than usual here. The harmonies on the last verse are nice. But, on balance, I have to agree with Sal. The MTH version is what a cover should be- especially Ralphs's soaring guitars.
ReplyDeleteIt was nice enough. I guess.
ReplyDeleteFor me, Sweet Jane is one of those songs no one can reinvent. Between the original and the Rock'n'Roll Animal version, Reed himself's got it "covered."
The Cowboy Junkies version is fantastic, and I also like the version that Jim Carroll did, but the best Sweet Jane is the one from Live in Italy, Lou’s fabulous 1983 live album.
ReplyDeleteSorry to be contrary, but I hate both Mott's version and (sorry Lou) the Cowboy Junkies version, which, pretty as it is, is somnambulant. Willie Nile's version is pretty great. Then there's this:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-nkqxK0LEQ&list=RDR-nkqxK0LEQ&start_radio=1
Lou with Soul Asylum.
You posted about this a few years ago, I believe. I even sent her the link to your post on pre-Nazified Twitter and she said she loved it.
ReplyDeleteIt suits the vocal range she has, but it sounds like she knocked out a quick cover for a TV show. I don't care for Mott's version either. The Velvet's original is still the best.
ReplyDelete