From Inside The Pod Revisited #13

Pod 32: re:Covering 6
(compiled Easter 2012 - previously unreleased)

You can consider today's post a treat. My Autumnal Covers series didn't really seem to go down as well as I had hoped, but I enjoyed it anyway. By way of heralding its demise, I decided to dust down a podcast I compiled for the old blog but never posted. It was, in fact, the very last one I did. From Inside The Pod bit the dust before I had even written any notes for it. So what you are getting today is a previously unreleased podcast with brand new notes and artwork.

Turns out I recently posted one of the tracks in the Autumnal Covers series (the Melys one), but I'm not going to let that dissuade me from sharing it. And there's the obligatory Cardiacs track too.


1. Drugstore - Sugar Sugar [1995, b-side of Fader]
original by The Archies
Now here's a band I always liked. Drugstore seemed to revive the sound of the Velvet Underground and had the tunes to match. Isabel Monteiro's lazy delivery even seemed to emulate Lou Reed. Sugar Sugar was a hit for The Archies, a made-up band who were presented purely in cartoon form. The original Gorillaz, perhaps. Then again, maybe not...

2. Smashing Pumpkins - Never Let Me Down Again [1993, BBC Evening Session]
original by Depeche Mode
Ever wondered where Billy Corgan ever lost that long mop of hair he sported back in the Smashing Pumpkins' early days? I'll tell you where it is. It got stuck up his arse when he tried to pull his head out of it one night. I do find him ridiculously irritating, yet the first two or three Pumpkins albums were just pure class. As were Depeche Mode from the late 80s to mid-90s. Never Let Me Down originally opened 1987's brilliant 'Music For The Masses' album and remains one of the band's best tracks. Corgan and his cohorts offer a more downbeat take on it, but it's still a worthy version.

3. Melys - Girls On Film [2004, Peel Session]
original by Duran Duran
As I mentioned a couple months ago: "I absolutely fucking hate Duran Duran." So that's quite enough about them. As for Melys: "Melys have featured on these fair pages a couple of times before, but are always worthy of another mention. The Welsh wonders once did a version of Girls On Film for a John Peel session in 2004. It was their eighth and final session for the great man who passed away later that year. Quite frankly, Duran Duran are not fit to lick Melys' boots. So there!"

4. Stephenhero - A Forest [2008, Spring 08 EP]
original by The Cure
Stephenhero is the solo project of Kitchens Of Distinction frontman Patrick Fitzgerald. He's released a series of EPs and free tracks through his website. One of those tracks was his ghostly cover of The Cure's A Forest, one of my top five fave Cure songs. Wonderful, this.

5. Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy - California Über Alles [1992, Hypocrisy Is The Greatest Luxury]
original by Dead Kennedys
An updated version of the Dead Kennedy's classic from Michael Franti's overtly political (and brilliant) Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy. As sadly short-lived as they were, they did release one of my fave albums of the 90s 'Hypocrisy Is The Greatest Luxury'. As for the Dead Kennedys - one of the greatest and most important bands that ever existed. I maintain that if you don't like them, there's something wrong with you. Very wrong...

6. 2 Nice Girls - Sweet Jane (With Affection) [1989, 2 Nice Girls]
originals by the Velvet Underground and Joan Armatrading
Both the Velvet Underground and Joan Armatrading have featured within these pages before. The former in particular have been a long-time fave of mine. I know bugger all about 2 Nice Girls other than what their Wiki page tells us. There were four of them and they described themselves as "dyke rock". They released just two albums and an EP; this clever intertwining of Lou Reed's evergreen Sweet Jane and Joan's Love And Affection featured on their debut.

7. Plastic Bertrand - Sha La La La Lee [1978, AN 1]
original by Small Faces
Poor Plastic Bertrand, he really did try. One massive worldwide hit with Ça Plane Pour Moi, then almost total obscurity until a stint at representing Luxembourg at the Eurovision Song Contest brought failure. Nowadays he's viewed as little more than a novelty. Probably still makes a bob or two from royalties of that song though. The Small Faces however - different kettle of fish. One of the best bands to come out of the 60s, and in Steve Marriot one of rock's finest voices. Sha-La-La-La-Lee was the band's third single and the first of their 8 top ten hits.

8. Cardiacs - Suzannah's Still Alive [1990, single from Shangri-La - A Tribute to The Kinks]
original by Dave Davies
Dave Davies was always overshadowed by his brother Ray in the Kinks. He did attempt to record a solo album but it never got beyond a couple of singles, one of which was Suzannah's Still Alive. It's almost as if it was written for Cardiacs; it sounds like it could be a Tim Smith composition. As it is, it's the only cover Cardiacs ever recorded. Here's the glorious video:



9. Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine - Hit [1993, b-side of Lean On Me, I Won't Fall Over]
original by the Sugarcubes
Björk's take on an accidental pregnancy was the Sugarcubes' only hit single. Funny that, huh? Do you think they knew it was going to be when they titled it? Carter beat it to a pulp as they tended to do with most songs they covered. While not their finest moment, it is quintessentially Carter and that's never a bad thing in my book. (Oh, and check the original's vid out - Björk is just adorable...)

10. Catherine Wheel - Spirit Of Radio [1996, Like Cats & Dogs]
original by Rush
You'll know from my early posts on Is This The Life? that I'm not afraid to share my guilty pleasures with you. Well, in my teens, when I discovered metal and classic rock, I adored Rush's Spirit Of Radio. Still do, if I'm being honest. Later, when I was heavily into indie, I loved Catherine Wheel. Still do, if I'm being honest. Here, that pairing comes together. OK, so I'm not convinced it's as amazing as its constituent parts, but it's a fun way to end nonetheless.


Soundtrack:

• Pod 32: re:Covering 6