Saturday, 7 June 2025

Cover Charge #7: The Replacements to REM

The premise of Cover Charge is simple. A covers B, B covers C, C covers D and so on, until I loop round and eat my own tail, Ouroboros-style, by getting back to where I started with The Specials.

Last time: Jesse Malin to The Replacements

A wonderfully scuzzy, ramshackle recording today as The Replacements just about rattle through half a rough and ready take on the debut single from their early-80s contemporaries, REM.

And here's the original single release of Radio Free Europe, a record that surely needs no further introduction (though you should read Swiss Adam's excellent recent post at Bagging Area if you want to hear some other versions of the song):

Next time: REM were fairly prolific covering other artists, so where will we charge next?

The Cover Charge "chain" to date.

6 comments:

  1. Thanks for the tip of the hat. Scuzzy and ramshackle is the Replacements all over.

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  2. Blimey - this is keeping you busy! Excellent series so far.

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    Replies
    1. Reminding myself of the admiration I have for bloggers who post every day.

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  3. What a nicely different pairing. Replacements sounding all local-band-rehearsal-tape-guitar feedback-rough (and all the more relatable for it), and REM all... well, REM-ish! Yes, where will go to next?!

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