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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the great covers-records...., 12 May 2005
Cat Power, a.k.a. Chan Marshall, has made some brilliant records herself (Moon Pix, You Are Free, What Would the Community Think), it was 'The Covers Record' that brought her to many's attention. Recorded in 1998 & 1999, 'The Covers Record' is fairly lo-fi stuff, Marshall alone with a guitar or piano. The 12-songs are all wonderful, and belong to both a great-tradition of cover-versions (Low's 'Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me', Cowboy Junkies' 'Sweet Jane', Galaxie 500's 'Ceremony', Spacemen 3's 'Transparent Radiation', Luna's 'Indian Summer') & a great tradition of covers-records (Famous Blue Raincoat, Music for Parties, I'll Take Care of You, Wrecking Ball, Johnny Cash's American Recordings). It opens with a rock'n'roll standard which you'd think was close to cliche - Jagger/Richards' '(I Can't Get No)Satisfaction' - a song that had arguably been definitively covered by Devo! Marshall approaches the song in a minimal-bluesy style reminiscent of those early PJ Harvey demo-albums & throws the listener some more by not bothering with the chorus! Similarly the version of Nina Simone's 'Wild is the Wind'- already perfectly covered by David Bowie on 'Station to Station' - is absolutely divine, a total heartbreaker... Other highlights include Moby Grape's 'Naked If I Want To', The Velvet Underground's 'I Found a Reason', easy listening classic 'Sea of Love', Smog's 'Red Apples' & Dylan's 'Paths of Victory.' There are several tracks that I'm not familiar with- 'Sweedeedee', 'Troubled Waters', & the traditional songs 'Salty Dog' & 'Kingsport Town'- so the record reminds me of cover albums like Mark Lanegan's 'I'll Take Care of You' or Dylan's 'World Gone Wrong' - covering songs I don't even know! Marshall cannily plays with the notion of the covers record, by covering her own 'In This Hole' from 'What Would the Community Think'! 'The Covers Record' is one of the great covers records and one of the many great records from she we call Cat Power...
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The transformations record, 19 Jun 2000
By A Customer
A collection of cover versions might suggest a paucity of ideas but it would be more accurate to label this as 'The Transformations Record' such is the radical way Chan Marshall deconstructs and reinterprets these songs. This tendency is illustrated by the opening '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction'. While Devo had turned The Rolling Stones' slurred howl of grievance into a mechanised, emotionless recital, Marshall imbues it with an understated sense of tragedy. Similarly, 'I Found A Reason' provides a contrast from Lou Reed's dry, ironic delivery as, accompanied by a solitary piano, the song becomes a fervent hymn filled with yearning. Wilfuly perverse, Marhsall even covers one of her own songs, 'In This Hole'.The entire album makes for uncomfortable listening; on 'Troubled Waters, she appears to be grappling with demons. The uncluttered instrumentation, such as the blues-style guitar-picking of 'Salty Dog', helps to focus attention upon her hushed but emotion-ladened voice. Another dalliance with Bill Callahan, 'Red Apples', is marginally less breathtaking than her version of 'Bathysphere' on the earlier 'What Would The Community Think' but his stark songs are ideally suited to Marshall's vocal style. Yet in these strengths lie her weakness. Although her mournful delivery adds pathos to the vaguely optimistic songs like 'I Found A Reason' and 'Sea of Love', it does make the album's mood one-dimensional.
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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Less Is More, 17 Aug 2005
Clearly of the Less Is More faith, Cat Power spent two years stripping back to nearly nothing this esoteric set of covers, exposing their bare essence and reinventing them as minimalist sound sculptures.
Getting the makeovers are songs associated with Bob Dylan (Kingsport Town, Paths Of Victory), the Rolling Stones (Satisfaction), Helen Merrill (Troubled Waters), Moby Grape (Naked If I Want To), Michael Hurley (Sweedeedee), Velvet Underground (I Found A Reason), Nina Simone (Wild Is The Wind), Smog (Red Apples), Mississippi John Hurt (Salty Dog - with extract of Candy Man), Phil Phillips and the Twi-Lights (Sea Of Love) and Chan Marshall (her alter-ego) on In This Hole. Sublime.
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