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Wednesday 24 May 2017

Burnt Offerings 20


This could well be the week that I finally manage to alienate the few hardy souls who have stuck with this series thus far as I serve up not only Lilly Allen but cover versions  of two stonewall classics.

Let's get Lily out the way first. I quite like Alfie a song she wrote criticizing the lazy behavious of  her little brother. Hey it includes a sample from Sandie Shaw's Puppet on a String so it can't be all bad

Lily Allen - Alfie


Watching the Detectives was the first song by Elvis Costello that I ever heard and the first one I ever purchased. To this day it remains one of my top five favourites by him
I've never heard of or heard anything else by Los Angeles band Phantom Planet although  I read that their song California became the theme song for the TV series The O.C.
This is a reasonably passable version which stays pretty close to the original

Phantom Planet - Watching the Detectives



The same can't really be said of the version of Love Will Tear Us Apart by Susanna and the Magical Orchestra.
This is the nom de plume of Norwegian singer Susanna Karolina Wallumrød and her keyboard player Morten Qvenild
A version which appeared on both Grey's Anatomy and Skins and one which may have Joy Division fans wringing their hands and quite possibly my throat

Susanna & the Magical Orchestra - Love Will Tear Us Apart

More assorted nonsense next Wednesday - if I last that long!

9 comments:

  1. The final track outs me in mind of The Swans' version

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  2. I'm a big fan of Lily Allen. She writes intelligent, articulate and often very funny lyrics which is pretty rare in the charts these days.

    I had a Phantom Planet album once. Once.

    Quite like the last one.

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  3. I like Lily too.
    Swsis Adam

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  4. While reading, I was thinking this is a dire grouping. Upon listening, not at all bad. Phantom Planet were the shit over here for a while because of "California," the OC being a big hit and Jason Schwartzman being the drummer. After he left the band, things got quiet fast.

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  5. Another thumbs up of Lily Allen...not always my cuppa, but she does seem to always have a touch of the sardonic about her lyrics.
    The only version of Love Will Tear Us Apart I can abide is the version by Swans. This version doesn't do much for me, it might not be as bad as Simple Minds' attempt some years back.

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    1. Nothing is as bad as that by Paul Young. Trust me on that viewpoint.

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  6. I enjoyed the Phantom Planet tune.

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  7. Not the Alfie that used to grace my pages, an even better one! Really like Lily Allen - a smart cookie.

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  8. Not the Alfie that used to grace my pages, an even better one! Really like Lily Allen - a smart cookie.

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