Covered Road

My all-time favorite artist fits any occasion: The Beatles. The challenge is to find Beatles songs which haven't been played to death. One of the ways I make their music fresh is with cover versions. I collect covers of Beatles songs. Whenever I go yard sale-ing, and I find a carton of LPs, I scan track lists for Beatles titles.

1. "A Hard Day's Night" John Bayliss (in the style of Bach)
2. "I Call Your Name" The Mamas & Papas
3. "Two of Us" Aimee Mann & Michael Penn
4. "I Will" Tony Furtado & Alison Krauss
5. "The Ballad of John & Yoko" The Persuasions
6. "The Miser/Taxman" The Deighton Family
7. "Here Comes The Sun" Nina Simone
8. "I'll Be On My Way" Johnny Society
9. "Don't Let Me Down" Paul Weller
10. "Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me & My Monkey" Kristen Hersh
11. "Why Don't We Do It In The Road?" Lydia Lunch
12. "Tomorrow Never Knows" Five O'Clock Shadow
13. "Happiness Is A Warm Gun" World Party
14. "Girl" Tiny Tim with Brave Combo
15. "All I've Got To Do" Toxic Audio
16. "We Can Work It Out" Stevie Wonder
17. "Day Tripper" [live] Otis Redding with the Mar-Keys and Booker T. & The MGs
18. "I've Got A Feeling" [live] Pearl Jam
19. "With a Little Help From My Friends" [live] Joe Cocker
20. "Being for The Benefit of Mr. Kite" Les Miserables Brass Band

92: Missing Summer

I based the cover photo on one of my favorite photos of the E Street Band, circa 1980, on Central Park South. I Photoshopped Max Weinberg out of the group and inserted a photo of myself in a tuxedo between Clarence Clemons and Roy Bittan.

I named the CD "Missing Summer" because it was recorded in the fall of 2003, near the end of a six-month period where my future wife and I were on a break.

1/You Wreck Me TOM PETTY
2/Couldn't I Just Tell You TODD RUNDGREN
3/Any Major Dude Will Tell You - A fun cover of the Steely Dan song by WILCO.
4/Barrytown STEELY DAN
5/The Night Is Still Young - One of those new songs added to a greatest hits collection because a>the label can push it as a single to radio to promote the album, and b> it's an incentive for true fans to re-buy music they already own. In this case, it's one of two songs added to one of the best-selling greatest hits collections ever, from BILLY JOEL.
6/It's Different For Girls(Live in London 9/02) JOE JACKSON BAND
7/Into Your Arms THE LEMONHEADS
8/Red Dragon Tattoo FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE
9/Heart & Soul HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS
10/Workin' On The Highway BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (Live at Giants Stadium 8/19/85)
11/Maybellene CHUCK BERRY
12/Run Through The Jungle CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL
13/I Feel You DEPECHE MODE
14/Going To California LED ZEPPELIN
15/Can't Find My Way Home BLIND FAITH
16/Try Not To Breathe R.E.M.
17/Beercan BECK
18/Losing Lisa BEN FOLDS
19/Where Do They Make Balloons? THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS (sung by DANNY WEINKAUF)
20/H.W.C. LIZ PHAIR

91: Life During Wartime

I found the super-hi-res photo of Liz Phair as a free download on her official Web site. I had the Iraq war and the Patriot Act on the brain at the time, hence the title, and Liz's Army rucksack fit the theme.

1. YOU'RE MY BEST FRIEND | QUEEN
2. STEP INSIDE LOVE | KATE PIERSON & JOHNNY SOCIETY From a fascinating collection of Lennon/McCartney covers, but NOT Beatle songs, but songs John and Paul gave away to other artists.
3. A MAGAZINE CALLED SUNSET | From an EP available for free download at the offical WILCO Web site.
4. JUST ANOTHER | PETE YORN
5. HUMPTY DUMPTY | AIMEE MANN
6. IT LOOKS LIKE YOU | EVAN DANDO
7. PEG | STEELY DAN
8. STARFISH AND COFFEE | PRINCE
9. BOMBS AWAY | THE POLICE
10. LIFE DURING WARTIME | TALKING HEADS Live at the Pantages Theater, Hollywood; December 1983
11. KING OF BIRDS | R.E.M.
12. DRAGONFLY | THE THORNS
13. I'M GONNA MAKE YOU LOVE ME | THE JAYHAWKS
14. THE COMMON KISS | JOHN WESLEY HARDING
15. OUR LOVE | RHETT MILLER
16. ROCK ME | LIZ PHAIR
17. BYE BYE LOVE | THE CARS
18. AWKWARD AGE | JOE JACKSON BAND
19. MAKING PLANS FOR NIGEL | XTC
20. JANE SAYS | JANE'S ADDICTION (LIVE)
21. FIGHT THE POWER | Yes, it's a cover of the Public Enemy song by BARENAKED LADIES

Mix 89: Antipodean

The cover is a still from the best movie ever, L.A. Confidential, with my head pasted onto Guy Pearce's body. Not even Russell Crowe as "Bud" White can hold me back!

The title "Antipodean" celebrates not only the nationality of Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce, but the purpose of the CD- my wife was travelling to Australia for a wedding!

1. Batman theme - I like the Style Council and Spandau Ballet, so I bought a CD from The Jam, but I could never get into them.
2. (Don't Go Back To) Rockville - A cover of one of my favorite R.E.M. songs, a B-side from 10,000 Maniacs.
3. Gone - A saw John Hiatt live and acoustic at the South Shore Music Circus the previous summer.
4. True Fine Love - Steve Miller Band
5. Dream a Little Dream - The Mamas and the Papas
6. Electrical Storm - A U2 song I found for free on the Internet, but I never heard it again anywhere. Totally dropped off the face of the earth.
7. Remedy - The Black Crowes
8. Badlands - Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, live at Arizona State University, 11/5/1980
9. The Bitch Is Back - Elton John
10. Hanging on the Telephone - Blondie
11. Need You Tonight - INXS
12. The Magnificent Seven - The Clash
13. "45" - I saw Elvis Costello & The Impostors on the tour to support this CD When I Was Cruel, 6/14/2002.
14. Faces & Names - I saw Dave Pirner on tour to support this CD 8/5/2002.
15. Annie Waits - I saw Ben Folds on tour to support this CD in the summer of 2002.
16. Centerfold - J. Geils Band
17. Everything In The World - Squeeze
18. Lift Me Up - Jeff Lynne
19. South City Midnight Lady - "Goddamnit, The Doobie Brothers broke up! When did that happen?"
20. One Sweet World (live 1993) - Dave Matthews Band

Mix 90: Ably Backed

I don't listen to this mix often, mainly because I made it for my then-girlfriend, shortly before we broke up. The good news is, we reunited six months later and are now married, but this mix, while perfectly OK, reminds me of a lousy period in our relationship.

The cover is an elaborate inside joke. My wife and I often quote our favorite movies, and I often get the quote mostly correct while my wife gets every quote exactly right. This scene from the movie Singles was the first time I ever caught her in a misquote.

1. Overture/It's A Boy - I included this Who song because it had been in a Claritin commercial recently.
2. It's Oh So Quiet - Bjork
3. Too Much Passion - The Smithereens
4. Waiting for Somebody - Paul Westerberg
5. Go All The Way - The Raspberries
6. Oh Sherrie - Steve Perry
7. Lovely Rita - The Beatles
8. Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me and My Monkey - I found this Kristen Hersh cover of the Beatles song on one of those free CDs they include with your purchase of UNCUT magazine.
9. Can't Cry Anymore - Sheryl Crow
10. Take The Money and Run - For some reason, the "whoo hoo" at the opening of this Steve Miller Band song always made my wife laugh.
11. The World (and all it's problems) - John Wesley Harding
12. Brown-Eyed Handsome Man - Chuck Berry
13. Jungle Boogie - Kool & The Gang
14. Cat Handcuffs - Steve Martin
15. All-Star - Smash Mouth
16. Stay Up Late - Talking Heads
17. Fa Fa - Guster
18. Where You Get Love - Matthew Sweet
19. Uptight (Everything's Alright) - This Stevie Wonder classic had been recently featured on Six Feet Under.
20. Outta Site Outta Mind - A live version of the Wilco song from a "Live At The Hard Rock Cafe" collection.
21. Swan Swan H - A live and unplugged performance by R.E.M., and possibly the worst mix-ending song ever!