Shock! Outrage!
Wednesday 28 July 2004
... Belinda Carlisle's "Summer Rain" has been covered.
And it's one of those really dodgey "let's add a beat and make it sound pop trancey" covers. Apparently it's really popular to do with 80s songs - "Time After Time" and "Boys of Summer" are two good examples.
"Summer Rain" holds a special place in my heart, being one of the first songs I can remember liking a lot. Yes, it's melodramatic and some may see it as bordering on cheesy but Belinda sings it with such sincerity and those sweeping strings get me every time. The new version has none of the original's soul and while still listenable (Summer Rain is a well written song), its uninspiring manner is a huge insult to the original.
The culprits here are actually an Australian girl band called Slinkee Minx and they get the Insane Platypus Seal of Disapproval (horrendous name for a group as well). They should beware of platypuses bearing mallets...
Ah well, I have acquired some more KLF tracks to listen to (Last Train to Trancentral is a cool track) and I can always dig up the good ole Belinda Carlisle tapes to take the hideous cover version out of my mind.
Comments
Come on... as dance tracks go, this cover of the track has heaps of soul. Still has the strings; really nice instrumental section in the middle, and still has a dark haunting feel. It's been respected. A second generation of Kids are going to enjoy the track, and may discover the original too.
Good for Slinkee Minx (although a whacky name) Not destroying a track while still magaging to pull off a marketible version is not easy.
Posted by: Anonymous | Wednesday 11 August 2004