Beck covers

June 19, 2009 4:32 AM

Beck intends to record cover versions of selected albums in a day, unrehearsed, with guest musicians and then to release them on his website. Pitchfork announced it yesterday here. The first song is Sunday Morning.
posted by tawny (48 comments total)

Let me know when he gets around to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
posted by Faint of Butt at 4:33 AM on June 19 [1 favorite]

Participants included . . . Giovanni Ribisi

My dream of having songs featuring the entire cast of Saving Private Ryan on my mp3 player gets one step closer to realization!
posted by ND¢ at 4:38 AM on June 19 [2 favorites]

Is this the Scientologist All-Stars?
posted by From Bklyn at 4:39 AM on June 19 [4 favorites]

Even Beck can't ruin a great song like "Sunday Morning".
posted by Faze at 4:41 AM on June 19 [2 favorites]

Fascinating idea and a decent cover of a Velvet Underground classic.

I saw They Might Be Giants on tour over a decade ago. They did this thing where they would bring a radio up on stage, flip through the stations, find a song and immediately launch into a cover of that song, regardless of whether they knew all the music or the words. Out here, they covered "We Are The World" with dubious success, but it was still great fun. That said, part of the fun of that was that it was an extemporaneous performance. It would have been a dreadful cover had it been recorded - played live and instantly, it was great fun.

Based on "Sunday Morning," it seems like they are going for a certain amount of polish, which they really should if they're going to be releasing the songs. Once its recorded, its hard to capture the magic of inspired improvisation - unless you're Miles Davis, that is.
posted by Joey Michaels at 4:45 AM on June 19 [2 favorites]

I like this idea. I hope he does "How soon is now?" with Björk.
posted by Captaintripps at 4:56 AM on June 19

Word has it that a version of Sonic Youth's EVOL is also on the cards, possibly to be released as part of a forthcoming SY "Art Box".
posted by anagrama at 4:57 AM on June 19

Ahh, Joey, you're making me nostalgic! More info: Spin the Dial.
posted by SpiffyRob at 4:58 AM on June 19 [2 favorites]

I always thought that Beck owed a lot to Lou Reed for the "deadpan singing" kind of thing, so I'm really loving this.
posted by King Bee at 5:02 AM on June 19

Participants included . . . Giovanni Ribisi

Isn't Beck married to his sister?
posted by jonp72 at 5:09 AM on June 19

There seems to be some sort of 'school project' filter applied to the video.
posted by tawny at 5:13 AM on June 19 [4 favorites]

Dammit I was really hoping this was the Sugar Ray song.

I might be kidding
posted by Potomac Avenue at 5:13 AM on June 19 [1 favorite]

So, he's doing the Velvet Underground, eh? Just goes to show, great (hive) minds think alike*.

*OK, it's a confusing thread, and it's at Music Talk, which hardly anybody reads, so, long story short: the big MeFi Music Challenge underway next month (July) is: everybody's covering songs from The Velvet Underground & Nico. Provisional title: The Velcro Undergrad with Miko. Y'all stay tuned.

...and BTW, you folks been checking out the Leonard Cohen Hallelujah covers that are piling up over there, right? Yeah, I know you have. I was just checking.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:14 AM on June 19 [1 favorite]

For this first edition, after lengthy deliberation and coming close to covering Digital Underground's Sex Packets...

Oh my god. We were THIS close to perfection.
posted by orville sash at 5:22 AM on June 19 [7 favorites]

Can't help thinking that this would have been better if they had chosen to cover something less iconic.
posted by carter at 5:27 AM on June 19

Well, things can always be better...
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:44 AM on June 19

Beck's a dick and a whackjob, but he's a very talented dick and whackjob.
posted by Optamystic at 5:54 AM on June 19 [1 favorite]

I always thought that Beck owed a lot to Lou Reed for the "deadpan singing" kind of thing, so I'm really loving this.

Hell, Lou Reed was just doing his heroiny best to sound like Dylan.
posted by NoMich at 6:21 AM on June 19

Hell, Lou Reed was just doing his heroiny best to sound like Dylan.

...But with enunciation!
posted by King Bee at 6:25 AM on June 19

Optamystic - hilarious link. an excellent read. and even if Beck is a dick (and that article pretty much convinced me of that hands down -- he's a very insecure dick), I like that he is doing this even though I'm not likely to listen to them.
posted by bluesky43 at 6:26 AM on June 19

Hell, Lou Reed was just doing his heroiny best to sound like Dylan.

Too true.
posted by Dr-Baa at 6:43 AM on June 19

I dunno, the best part of the original of this for me is Lou's twee delivery and the circusy band. This version kinda just plods along.
posted by spicynuts at 6:44 AM on June 19

Yo Lo Tengo has been doing this live for years on WFMU...
posted by srboisvert at 6:57 AM on June 19 [2 favorites]

This is pretty good, but an Mp3 download would have been better, Beck.
posted by orme at 6:58 AM on June 19

i like how the keyboard player played the wrong chord on the 2nd verse - "want to know"
posted by pyramid termite at 7:13 AM on June 19

Yo Lo Tengo has been doing this live for years on WFMU...

As discussed on the Blue.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:22 AM on June 19

Dammit I was really hoping this was the Sugar Ray song.

See whereas I was really hoping it was actually going to be "Easy Like Sunday Morning".
posted by penduluum at 7:39 AM on June 19

Hell, Lou Reed was just doing his heroiny best to sound like Dylan.

only with dion's phrasing - really, i hear as much dion as dylan in his singing
posted by pyramid termite at 7:42 AM on June 19

Dammit I was really hoping this was the Sugar Ray song.

See whereas I was really hoping it was actually going to be "Easy Like Sunday Morning".

I was thinking of No Doubt, myself.

You came in with the breeeeeeeeeeeze...
posted by owtytrof at 7:45 AM on June 19

Now, I don't expect a lot from Metafilter, but are you really hating on Beck?
posted by flatluigi at 8:21 AM on June 19

Hell, I was expecting Sunday Morning by the Chemical Brothers... That could have been interesting.
posted by Ghidorah at 8:28 AM on June 19

yeah, missing something... some spark just doesn't seem to be there for me, especially in the chorus parts.
posted by edgeways at 8:50 AM on June 19

nthing the Yo La Tengo on WFMU comments: really, I don't think this idea gets much better than Yo La Tengo Is Murdering the Classics
posted by dubold at 9:04 AM on June 19

I like. That is a fine cover. My favorite version of the tune is the one on Live at Max's Kansas City; I always thought the Banana version was too, oh, I'm not sure, studied or something. Strangely, although this version was if anything more studied, I liked it a lot.
posted by mwhybark at 9:13 AM on June 19

I was hoping for this one. I'm not a Beck fan.
posted by applemeat at 9:19 AM on June 19

I'm going to reserve judgement until he covers GG Allin.
posted by ob at 9:44 AM on June 19 [1 favorite]

Let me know when Chick Corea gets involved.
posted by box at 9:46 AM on June 19

Do you think he will record anything from L. Ron's Mission Earth album?
posted by dhalgren at 10:25 AM on June 19

Isn't Beck married to his sister?

Yes.
posted by dhartung at 10:34 AM on June 19

I really loved this, but then I'm easy when it comes to Lou Reed. And Beck.
posted by heyho at 10:58 AM on June 19

So is there any way I can download this track?
posted by King Bee at 11:35 AM on June 19

Beck's a dick and a whackjob, but he's a very talented dick and whackjob.

I know it was a planned radio interview, but I got a slightly different vibe from their KCRW session (which is awesome anyway). They paint it like Beck is just sort of serious and a little insecure, and The Lips loosened him up some.

Not that I'd actually care if Beck was a dick. I already forgive him for being a Scientologist.
posted by cmoj at 11:52 AM on June 19

Not bad, not bad. If anybody needs an audio file, I got you covered.
posted by ktoad at 12:54 PM on June 19

Isn't Beck married to his sister?

Ew. Scientology is really weird.
posted by erniepan at 9:48 AM on June 20

erniepan - the "his" refers to Giovanni Ribisi.
posted by King Bee at 10:22 AM on June 20

I really loved this, but then I'm easy when it comes to Lou Reed. And Beck.

Is there a specific day of the week you would say you were easy like?
posted by penduluum at 1:41 PM on June 20

i stole lionel ritchie's appointment calendar and all the sundays are blank
posted by pyramid termite at 2:00 PM on June 20

Beck's a dick and a whackjob, but he's a very talented dick and whackjob.

The Flaming Lips sounded infinitely more dickish in that piece.
posted by juiceCake at 11:43 PM on June 30