Has anyone else been disappointed with all the cover songs being released as singles lately. Fattburger released yet another Santana cover as their recent single. The Urban Knights will release a cover as the first single from their new CD, and today I found out that Candy Dulfer is also releasing a cover version as her next single. I love this genre, and I feel that these artists are talented enough in their own compositions. Too many cover versions waters down the genre in my opinion...what do you think ??? By the way..."other" music I've been listening to... some of the later releases by the British pop band Talk Talk. They became really jazzy and experimental towards the end of their career. Also a new band Elbow from the UK, and the new Radiohead CD. Bye =)

------------------
Robert McLain

hello newbie!
saw radiohead in Mountain View last night - brilliant!
As far as covers, two things:
1. easy airplay (that description is very broad)
2. pure laziness, which pretty much sums up the entire new Fattburger CD.

My opinion....

Covers are really nothing new in any music form, we even have had country covers of r7b tunes so that much of it is no big deal. But I agree with the Count if you do not give it a twist of your own. When I saw that Fattburger was going to do another Santana cover, I was not dissapointed that they did it, only by the way they did it. They could have done something really special with an extended version of the tune using all band members not just that rather weak guitar solo.

BTW Tony enjoyed your cover of the M Jackson tune on the second cd, but still prefer the orginal tunes "4th Avenue" and "Never Never Land". Hey when does the new Windell come out?

Since the primary criteria for evaluating music tests is familiarity in order to get airplay artists are really encouraged to record covers. They test better over a longer period of time because they are automatically familiar. A lot of songs chart and then drop off the face of the earth in a few months because other songs outperform them on a music test, and the songs that usually outperform them are vocals and covers. The more longevity a song has, the more visibility the artist has so covers are very effective in maintaing airplay, especially when it is time to move the song into a library category. As someone said in a trade mag: "Smooth Jazz Radio loves a cover". Most of the major market stations are moving twoard 4-5 crossover vocals and 2 covers an hour so with the amount of available slots for original music declining youll hear/see more covers. And more Tribute CDs. So pleeease..if an artist you like puts out a CD that is not cover intensive or vocal intensive it means someone in their camp really went out on a limb so support them, buy it, turn other people on to it etc. Street buzz sells more product than radio to people under 25. It's time to take their lead because if there is a demand the supply will begin to exist.

I was encouraged to do a cover on my CD by a few folks who consult with B.A. - they said, hey - do a Michael Jackson over, make it funky. This is what radio said: "Nice tune, too funky for our tastes." Although, Art Good did play that track on JazzTrax, I will only put covers of tunes that I enjoy - not for radio reference. We canned the whole Dido idea, because you can't make a great thing better - and I (as well as many other Fatt artists) need to rise above the 'easy' occasion and create some wild music.
The next Windle CD is slated for December, maybe Feb -

Covers are alright if:
1. They are done well, and in the artists own way, ie: with a twist and not cheesy or a total rehash of what's already been done with the song

AND

2. If the song was a really good one to begin with and merits being re-done, period!

I'm with Tony....don't be lazy people, do something original and different ( Tony, are you kidding me, your Michael Jackson re-make, too funky? Hello....who are these people, anyhow?)

------------------
Anita Bonita

Well I just bought the "Casino Lights'99" DVD and there are 2 covers in particular that were done tastefully and with a funky twist. "Always There" and "Westchester Lady"!! Good Lawd, talk about groove!!! I recommend it highly! Chuck Loeb did a nice version of "Rock With You". Shakatak does a couple of nice covers too of "Lovely Day" and "Low Down". If done right, I don't mind.

Ah David, you mentioned Shakatak....I love their music, man! How cool is that?

------------------
Anita Bonita

I know that covers have been around for ages, and I don't dispute their seeming popularity among casual fans, and especially with music directors. It's unfortunate for the musician who spends months producing a new album with maybe 12 tracks on it...one cover and 11 originals...and the record company selects the cover song as the one they ride on. When I heard that keyboardist Brian Simpson was involved in a new "supergroup" called Rhythm Logic, I was very interested because I love his style, and his compositions. Then I bought the album and saw that they cover 3 very well known songs (2 of which are classics...I.G.Y. by Donald ***en and Fantasy by E.W.F.) and I was a bit let down. There was so much more that could have come from the talents involved in this album. I rarely listen to that album anymore and opt for Mr. Simpson's solo recordings instead. But a complete opposite was Jeff Kashiwa's recent album "Another Door Opens". This is a great album that seems to get better every time I listen...and not a cover song among them. Three cheers for great original songwriting!!! Yeah! Again...I don't hate covers, but when I go to the supermarket and I hear "How Deep is Your Love" by Chris Standring...I just wish that other people listening would know how talented he really is in his own songs.

------------------
Robert McLain

If not for covers, it's possible I might never have heard of Maynard Ferguson, the one artist more so than any other responsible for my falling in love with jazz.
In 1977, he released covers of Gonna Fly Now and the theme from Star Wars. I hadn't even seen Star Wars, but I loved what he did with that music, and several others. Between Maynard's and Jay Chattaway's arrangements, covers didn't sound like covers so much as almost entirely new tunes.
There are some covers that don't do that. Fattburger's "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" comes to mind. Don't get me wrong; I like it, but it sounds too much like Tears for Fears to be taken seriously.

------------------
Woody
jazzwriter23@yahoo.com