Tag Archives: Cover

Video Clip of The Week: “Aquarius/Let The Sun Shine In” By Tragedy


If you get 20 seconds into this week’s awesome Video Clip and suspect that you may be watching an outtake from This is Spinal Tap, you are not to blame. The tristate area band Tragedy started out as a heavy metal tribute to the Bee Gees, but they have now expanded their repertoire to include a wider variety of classic pop acts, and that’s just good news for everyone. Today we feature the video for Tragedy’s metalized performance of “Aquarius/Let The Sun Shine In,” a song from the legendary Broadway musical Hair, which was popularized in a 1969 single release by The 5th Dimension. Wikipedia confirms that this song, which is actually a medley of two songs from the play,  was one of the most popular songs of 1969 worldwide, but the lyrical message of “Aquarius” — about welcoming an age of love, light, and humanity — is more important at this moment than maybe ever before in our lifetimes.

Visually, this video is a straight-up, fully stylized band performance intercut with a few thematically appropriate cosmic visual effects and a brief modern dance interlude featuring a pair of blonde babes, to keep it very theatrical and visually engaging throughout. And as much as I wish that the drummer would put on a shirt, I respect the fact that he is fully immersed in his art. Aurally, Tragedy stay faithful to the song’s original arrangement while rocking hard enough to crack a skull. Even the most devoted head bangers will give the horns up on this one.

“Aquarius/Let The Sun Shine In” is part of the just-release album Tragedy Goes to the Movies, featuring metal-injected takes on music from cinema classics such as Grease, 007 Skyfall, Hair, and Star Wars: Return of The Jedi, which can be procured at This Link.  The Tragedy Goes To The Movies World Tour kicked off on February 22nd, 2019, for stops in the UK, Belgium, France, Netherlands, Germany and all across the US. Consult the Google for tour dates! Enjoy!

Tragedy Band

Video Clip of The Week: PIG & Sasha Grey, “That’s The Way (I Like It)”

As Bill Hader’s beloved SNL character, nightlife expert Stefon would say, “This Week’s Video Clip has Everything!” Porn Stars and Industrial Music Legends covering what is inarguably among the most iconic songs of the Disco Era is what you get when PIG (aka Raymond Watts) and Sasha Grey deliver their grind-worthy rendition of KC and the Sunshine Band’s “That’s The Way (I Like It).” Babe, oh babe, this clip is all kinds of dark, campy fun. Continue reading Video Clip of The Week: PIG & Sasha Grey, “That’s The Way (I Like It)”

Video Clip of The Week: Knifight Cover David Bowie’s “Breaking Glass”

 

When it comes to a band covering even the most obscure songs by legendary artists, there are two schools of thought. One believes that the cover should take artistic license so as to “stand out” from the original, while the other prefers a faithful, respectful interpretation that bears close resemblance to the version everyone already knows and loves. I tend to fall into the latter category, which is why I do not enjoy seeing Bob Dylan in concert.

Austin heavy post-punk band Knifight get so many things right with their take on a classic, yet not widely known song from David Bowie’s Low album. This cover of “Breaking Glass” is a unique track not included on their forthcoming album, V. So, there’s that as well.

Visually, the band made the right choice to go with mostly abstract, pixelated/kaleidoscopic designs with a few film stills thrown in for balance. Aurally, the instrumental arrangement gets the feel of Carlos Alamar’s guitar and Brian Eno’s mini-moog as close to perfect as you’d want them to be while still allowing Knifight to insert its own identity into the track. But What I love so much about singer John Gable’s vocal performance on this clip is how it really showcases the profound influence that 60s pop icon-turned-avant-garde recluse Scott Walker had on the development of Bowie’s own vocal style. Whether that was intentional or not, Gable really nailed it.

V will be available February 10th, 2015 on LP, CD and download via KnifightMusic. Enjoy!

Knifight Band

Generation X Release Debut Album

On This Date, March 17th in 1978: Generation X, featuring lead vocalist Billy Idol, released its self-titled debut album, which contained the single, “Ready Steady Go” and featured the songs  “Wild Youth, ” “Wild Dub,”  “Your Generation” and  a cover of John Lennon’s “Gimme Some Truth” – all of which got loads of airplay on Rodney Bingenheimer’s weekly, Sunday evening show, Rodney On The Roq on radio station KROQ in Los Angeles. Generation X is still one of my favorite albums of  that era.

Thanks to The P5 Blogspot For The Tip!