Today, I'll revisit that old Between The Covers series, where I discuss song originals and their covers by other artists.
Ozzy the madman (left) hoists his little guitar wiz-kid Randy to higher notes
Let's kick things off with a really weird one, a song I only recently stumbled upon as I went down yet another Youtube rabbit hole. By that, I mean the cover of a song, not the original. The song is Mr. Crowley, which first appeared on Ozzy Osbourne's debut solo album, Blizzard of Ozz, back in 1980. I was pretty crazy about that album and listened to it plenty. I'll talk about the original by Ozzy first.
The lyrics tell us the story of the real-life Aleister Crowley, the English occultist who practised black magic back in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Ozzy's interest in the man sparked the idea for the song, and within its lyrics, we learn as much about Crowley's personality as his strange obsessions.
Mr. Crowley, the song, begins with an eerie keyboard intro reminiscent of Phantom of the Opera-type music. The sound emulates the massive pipe organs used in theatres and churches back in the day. Things heavy up with bashing drums, thudding bass, and thick crunchy guitar chords... and Ozzy's distinctive vocal wail. The keyboards continue to add atmospheric accents here and there.
That first guitar solo.... well, it's now considered one of the greatest in all of metal history. Highly innovative and shredding, it's but one of two instrumental breaks... a bit later, we get a slower, more melodic bit that shifts into further fretboard mayhem that becomes the song's outro. Praise late great Randy Rhoads for his guitar wizardry.
The subject matter, dark magic, was perfect for the heavy metal treatment, and between Ozzy's singing style, his dark evocative lyrics, and his all-star band, Mr. Crowley comes out a near-masterpiece. Certainly among my favourites by the Ozz-man.
Fast forward the time machine to 1995, when The Cardigans, a Swedish pop-rock band, released their own version of Mr. Crowley on their album Carnival. Their rendition is something entirely different. It is completely acapella singing - no instruments, very light and soft. And yet there is a slightly sombre and ominous feeling under the surface. This rendition is beautifully sung, so I give credit for The Cardigans making this a well-done cover. I doubt, though, that if this was the one and only version of the song, there would ever have been any buzz around it. Ozzy's original packs far more power and darkness into the song, giving the creepy story the edge it needs.
Next, let's go to The Nile Song, written and performed by Pink Floyd. It was released on the More movie soundtrack in 1969. Early Floyd was far less refined, but did evoke a mood within the song's weirdness. The lyrics are interesting and probably symbolic of something... something I don't quite get, but the music speaks loud and clear. Gritty guitar chords build a wall of sound against the pummeling drums and splashing cymbals. To be honest, it's not among my favourite Floyd songs. Their music usually has meaning on some level, but I was left out in the cold by these nebulous words. Whatever.
A fave band of mine, Voivod, tackled The Nile Song on their 1993 album The Outer Limits. The crisp playing style and recording makes this more of a pleasure to listen to, and singer Snake delivers less noise via his Quebecois-accented English. I enjoy the guitar far more on this version of the song, not far off note-wise, but played with more metal technique and virtuosity. Though it's still not a great song as it was written, I'd give Voivod props for making it a more interesting sonic delivery.
Canadian rockers April Wine take a stab at a prog classic by King Crimson
Then on to another oldie, 21st Century Schizoid Man, by another early British progressive rock band, King Crimson. The song first appeared on the album In the Court of the Crimson King in 1969. I've never been much of a fan of these guys, but this is one of their few compositions that I can enjoy once in a while. The saxophone is a bit strange and even jarring in a "modern" rock setting, but it works well here... sometimes doubling the melody of another instrument. Schizoid Man is a lumbering beast that occasionally takes off into excursions of speedy riffs and solos, time signatures be damned. All over the place, certainly not for everyone.
And the lyrics are obviously crafted with talent, painting pictures of a bizarre and unpleasant world situation - the Vietnam War, to be precise, and commenting on the politicians who ran that conflict. Very visual, and delivered by the strangely electronically altered and muted vocals, it's a bit of an uncomfortable experience... certainly intended and successful on that front.
Long before I ever heard of King Crimson or their original Schizoid song, I heard Canadian rock band April Wine's rendition of the tune. It's pretty faithful to the original, minus the sax, but the twin guitar attack is more than capable of laying down all those wickedly nasty notes. I first heard the track (and many more times later) on regional rock radio stations when I was a teenager. The song appeared on April Wine's album Harder... Faster in 1979. I was always totally into the Wine's take on the Crimson "masterpiece" (as super prog fans would claim), but because the two versions are so close, it's difficult for me to choose between them. April Wine heavies it up a bit, and that's cool, but somehow the old-school prog approach by Crimson seems more appropriate for establishing the odd vibe required to accompany the lyrical political commentary. So maybe King Crimson wins there.
No comments:
Post a Comment