25
Jun
Scottish songs covered: who gets your vote?
A worthwhile cover version is such a rare thing. Most artists play it straight and turn the whole exercise into a wedding band performance, while others try to stamp their own personality on a cover and end up completely eroding what it was that made the original song special in the first place.
When I heard that one my favourite Belle & Sebastian tracks had made it onto American husband and wife duo Mates Of State’s new covers album Crushes, it seemed like as good a reason as any to whore the internet for other foreigners covering Scottish songs (sadly not Foreigner covering a Scottish song) and roll out a reader poll to find out which one you like best.
Since the role of judge and jury is in your hands, I won’t attempt to sway your choice by commenting on the quality of any of the 20 tracks below, but rest assured it’s a varied cast taken from all manner of sources such as B-sides, album tracks and Radio 1 Live Lounge sessions.
Some Scottish acts have the honour of making multiple appearances as the list includes three wildly differing versions of Franz Ferdinand’s Take Me Out, two versions of The Proclaimers’ and Eurythmics’ most famous singles, and a couple of Teenage Fanclub and Calvin Harris songs. Oh, and Snow Patrol sneaked their way on here as they’re 40% Scottish, not because it provided an opportunity to stick a picture of Diana Vickers on the blog.
Autokratz – Swastika Eyes (Primal Scream)
Bat For Lashes – Sweet Dreams (Eurythmics)
Cara Dillon – Garden Valley (Dougie MacLean)
Dashboard Confessional ft Juli – In A Big Country (Big Country)
Death Cab For Cutie – Start Again (Teenage Fanclub)
Diana Vickers – Just Say Yes (Snow Patrol)
Editors – Acceptable In The 80s (Calvin Harris)
Glen Campbell – Sing (Travis)
Guillemots – Take Me Out (Franz Ferdinand)
Manfred Mann’s Earth Band – Nothing Ever Happens (Del Amitri)
Marilyn Manson – Sweet Dreams (Eurythmics)
Mates Of State – Sleep The Clock Around (Belle & Sebastian)
Maximo Park – I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) (The Proclaimers)
Mumford And Sons – I’m Not Alone (Calvin Harris)
Saint Etienne – Everything Flows (Teenage Fanclub)
Scissor Sisters – Take Me Out (Franz Ferdinand)
Spunge – I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) (The Proclaimers)
The Feeling – Doctor Pressure (Mylo)
The Magic Numbers – Take Me Out (Franz Ferdinand)
U2 & Green Day – The Saints Are Coming (Skids)
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