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by atombender
656 days ago
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To me, cover songs often fall flat because it sounds like the cover artist is just reading someone else's lines as opposed to having a distinct voice. For me, Cale's version sounds "lived in", if you will. He's taken the words and made them his. There's bitterness, hurt, humour, and real meaning imbued in each line. It's not elegant, it's a bit rough and raw. I think Cale is an underrated vocalist. Other cover versions like Buckley's sound technically very proficient but slick and emotionally hollow. |
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I totally agree and more so on ballards.
The hairs on my back of my neck always stand up when I hear I Keep A Close Watch (especially the M:FANS version [1], but the original Helen of Troy version is also great [2] and there's plenty of wonderful live versions).
[1] https://youtu.be/d7wBvyrao8I [2] https://youtu.be/LoggPfL3dLU