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Rants >> Rant 94

:: Today's soundtrack: The Cruxshadows "It's a Sin" ::


As most of you have probably noticed, I have a bizarre fondness for 80s new wave music. I really can't explain it other than it is the music of my youth and listening to it today makes my insides all warm and squishy. So, something I'm rather happy about is that now, new bands and musicians are creating their own versions of these songs. It's all across the spectrum of genres, too. Gwen Stefani redid "It's My Life" and Assemblage 23 covered "I Ran." Granted, not ALL of these newer versions are winners in my book, but it does expose a whole new generation to the songs I used to love.

There is an unfortunate downside to this "trend", however. Some of the time, the kids who listen to their favorite modern band cover one of these songs, they have NO IDEA that it's even a cover at all! The earliest incident I recall is when Marilyn Manson redid "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" and all of the metalheads in town were clueless. I remember hearing a specific conversation: "Dude, did you hear Manson's latest?" "Yeah, it's awesome. You know it's a cover?" "No way. Who did it first?" "Dunno. Some chick." You have no idea how hard it was NOT to collectively bitch slap them.

At the moment I will still revel in all the extra delicious redos of my favorite 80s tunes, but all the while dreading the covers of ten years from now when the new bands will be covering... the 90s. Okay, this is going to suck. I may stand alone here, but I feel that the majority of the mainstream music in that decade was plain awful. Yeah, there were one or two good ones by Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Smashing Pumkins, but that's it really. Remember that horrendous period of music from 1989 to 1991, pre-Nirvana? Shudder. We were deluged with crap like... New Kids on the Block. Then after Pearl Jam and Green Day came around, every band was trying their darndest to sound JUST like them! Oh, and let's not forget the pop crud types like, Ce Ce Peniston, Ace of Base, and Wilson Phillips!! EEEEEWWWWWW!! Let's just hope the musicians of the future let those bands lie.

While with the 80s covers I hope that today's youth will get curious and search for the original versions, I would pray for just the opposite with the covers of 90s tunes. Let us not forget the HORRORS of the Spice Girls!! The likes of them really DON'T need to be rediscovered! Let's all just carry on pretending we never knew they existed in the first place.

Alright, I've had sometime to think, and the one good thing to come of the 90s was all the weird "alternative" stuff that got out. I'm talking things like Violent Femmes and They Might Be Giants. It also allowed for lovelies like Nine Inch Nails to skyrocket. I guess when I look back on it, I immediately think of the craptacularness of 'N Sync, Hanson and Hootie and the Blowfish, and I have a sinking feeling that if songs are going to get covered by future bands that it's going to be their shit and not the good stuff. I think one version of "Run-Around",  "Hey Jealousy", and "Informer" are enough for all of mankind to have to endure until our sun implodes, thank you.

William (ready for the consequences of this rant now...)

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