Cover Round Up

[michelej1]

By Michael Paz, October 24, 2008, Blog Critic Magazine

http://blogcritics.org/archives/2008/10/24/073700.php

I have recently become a fan of Fleetwood Mac. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees have been rocking since the late ‘60s and are still performing. Although there have been rumors of a new 2009 album, I’ve been jonesing for some good material.

Recently, I’ve started to scour the music world for covers of Fleetwood Mac & Stevie Nicks classics. The most recent good cover came from Vampire Weekend. Their version of “Everywhere” both relives the spirit of Christine McVie but also gives it a very modern rock feel. Here are some other Fleetwood Mac & Stevie Nicks hits and misses that you can find covered.

"Landslide"
Covered by: Tori Amos
Found on: Y100 Sonic Sessions Volume 1
Hit or Miss? Hit
Tori Amos is a very emotional singer and she captures the essence of Stevie Nicks’ lyrics. She makes you forget that the Dixie Chicks have covered this song. Her pronunciation sometimes sounds funny and it is questionable if you hear Amos sing the word “erection,” but this version is stripped and passionate.

"Edge of Seventeen"
Covered by: Lindsay Lohan
Found on: A Little More Personal (Raw)
Hit or Miss? Miss
Lindsay Lohan has some singing potential, but it doesn’t show on this version. I think Lindsay needs some more drugs and despair to capture the emotion that Nicks provides. Her singing style is to airy for a song like this and her back-up band sounds a little bit too much like a generic karaoke song. I give her some credit for attempting the song and in 3 years after more drugs and partying I would like to hear her try this again.

"Dreams"
Covered by: The Corrs
Found on: Dreams: The Ultimate Corrs Collection
Hit or Miss? Miss
I will preface this review with a little bit of personal opinion. I love the idea of The Corrs with their Irish style flowing into pop music. Unfortunately it doesn’t really translate correctly into the dance inspired tune they created from the Fleetwood Mac original. The strings seem out of place. I will compliment the harmonization, but it pales in comparison to the original. If you want a good dance version, check out Deep Dish’s version since Stevie Nicks actually contributed her talents to this version.


"Gold Dust Woman"
Covered by: Hole
Found on: The Crow: City Of Angels - Original Miramax Motion Picture Soundtrack Hit or Miss? Miss
I really thought that another drugged out woman would get the passion of the song, but unfortunately she sounds drunk as she warbles through the whole song. I’ve heard versions of an obviously drugged out Stevie Nicks ace this song. The tempo is a little off in comparison to Courtney Love’s singing. The song does, though, fit perfectly into the movie that it was connected. This cover lacks innovation.

"Go Your Own Way"
Covered by: Seaweed
Found on: Clerks – Soundtrack;
Hit or Miss? Hit
The song stays faithful to the original but maintains a very ‘90s grunge sound. Seaweed successfully mixes the vocals of male and female. Some may say that the drums and the electric guitar overpower the vocals, but one has to remember how great Mick Fleetwood is as a drummer and Lindsay Buckingham is as a guitarist. This is like a big nod to the greats. If you don’t like this version, you can always try out this track on Rock Band 2.

"The Chain"
Covered by: Tantric
Found on: After We Go
Hit or Miss? Hit
I always forget that “The Chain” was on Fleetwood Mac’s Rumors album. The song is amazing with its driving drum beat counterbalanced by a very soft verse line. Tantric stays faithful to the original by maintaining that hard edge. The scraggly voice provided by Hugo Ferreria is a great touch to the song. You can actually get that Tantric is from Kentucky without even looking it up.

There are many covers out there and even full albums dedicated to Fleetwood Mac, but these songs are a taste of what to pick and what to avoid. I know there are a lot of purists out there that don’t like remakes, covers, or remixes so I understand that this may not be your cup of tea.