Okay, so this entry has at least one foot in the "cheap and easy entry" category, but seeing as my more legitimate posting seems to have fallen behind somewhat over recent weeks this seems like a good entry to put together to get myself back into a blog writing mindset.
With two of my more eclectic musical interests being mash ups and cover versions, it's hard not to notice which musicians and songs occur again and again in both of these fields. For example, in the world of mash ups, the acapella version of Eminem's Without Me has been used so much that it's now become almost unusable (the fact that it seems to fit over almost any other song has also put off those who wish to produce something that will be seen as skilled and credible). Without Me is an extreme example; there are other songs and artists that crop up again and again in both cover versions and mash ups that always sound fresh and original, or at least demonstrate the craft that went into the original version. And the song that comes to my mind as a prime example of this before any other is Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit.
Smells Like Teen Spirit is a song that is ingrained into the zeitgeist of the mid-1990s. Whether you love the song, loathe it, or couldn't be more indifferent, it's hard not to see it as part of the soundtrack of (at the very least Western) culture and society of the time when it was released. And it endures, and has endured, through its Louie Louie inspired guitar riff, Kurt Cobain's indecipherable lyrics and the general aura that it seems to ignite around it. Even the music video has become a cultural reference point. Smells Like Teen Spirit has become a musical meme.
So, here's some of my favourite versions of the song, both mash ups and covers. Neither definitive nor exhaustive, and almost certainly incomplete, as I doubt very much that SLTS is likely to go away any time soon.
1. Dsico That No-Talent Hack's cover version
2. DJ Lobsterdust - NirGaga (mashed with Pokerface by Lady Gaga)
3. 2 Many DJ's - Smells Like Booty (mashed with Bootylicious by Destiny's Child)
4. The Ukulele Orchestra Of Great Britain's cover version
5. The Moog Cookbook's cover version
6. Paul Anka's cover version
7. Weird Al Yankovic - Smells Like Nirvana
8. Patti Smith's cover version
9. The Flying Pickets' cover version
10. And finally, more for comedy value than musical excellence, this is teh fuhnehz
So yeah, enjoy. And if anyone knows any other decent versions/mashes of SLTS, let me know.
1 comment:
New entry at number 11:
Smells Like Rockin' Robin
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