Earlier this month, I wrote a post looking at a new Motorhead covers album, discussing the original songs and their covers before offering my verdict on which version I thought was superior for each track. I'm basically doing the exact same thing here, only this time looking at all the covers on the new UFO album.
I've also included a Spotify playlist of all the original songs and their covers at the bottom of this post, something I did once and then forgot to do for all subsequent Showdown posts. Maybe I'll go back and add them in at some point.
My verdicts are usually based on which song I enjoy listening to more but I can also factor in how creative the cover is or which track is better suited for the genre, e.g. an original Pop track covered by a Metal band might win if I feel like it's a better Pop song than a Metal one. With that in mind, let's get listening!
ROUND ONE: Heart Full Of Soul
The Yardbirds - Probably my second favourite song by this band with "Turn Into Earth" being number one, "Over Under Sideways Down" being number three. It's got some excellent vocals but is mostly built around a great guitar melody that only came about because Eric Boring Clapton wanted to focus more on Blues Rock than Pop Rock and his replacement, a little known guitarist called Jeff Beck, is a much better musician. Beck wanted to experiment with different sounds blended with 60s Rock so there's an Indian-twang to the riff. All in all, a top notch song from the 60s that isn't by The Beatles, The Who or The Rolling Stones.
UFO - Not entirely sure why the band spelled this wrong on their album but oh well, let's look past that and focus on this terrible cover. The guitar riff sounds stiff, the tempo is too slow and the vocals lack the mysticism required by the song, instead sounding tired and too Bluesy. At least the solo's been beefed up a bit, along with the guitar during the chorus, but overall this is a very poor cover to open your album with, even if the song you're covering is great.
VERDICT - Hands down The Yardbirds take this one. There's nothing redeemable enough about the UFO cover to even make me consider it winning. Great start!
ROUND TWO: Break On Through (To The Other Side)
The Doors - Another psychedelic hit, this song's best known for its vocals in the chorus and organ solo, although it's got some decent guitar riffs throughout too. It's a punchy tune that crams a lot into two and a half minutes and definitely stands out in the band's collection of iconic Psychedelic Rock as being one of their heavier tracks.
UFO - Straight away, I prefer the drum rhythm and sound of the organ and guitar together. Vocals are still poor (they would be compared to Jim Morrison's) but they don't suck as much as the last track. The guitar's a little dull in the chorus too but it's pretty sweet in the outro, giving it an extra kick. I just wish the band wasn't let down by Phil Mogg's godawful vocals.
VERDICT - Both tracks have their ups and downs but I'm going to give this one to UFO. It's never going to replace the original but it does "rock" a hell of a lot more than The Doors' version, even if the chorus is weaker. If you could combine Morrison's vocals with UFO's music, you'd probably have the perfect track.
ROUND THREE: River Of Deceit
Mad Season - I'd never heard of this song or band before this covers album but I thought it was alright. It could've been a bit shorter as I felt like the soft guitar melodies only carried the song so far and the track didn't need to build up to anything like typical 90s Alternative tracks do (think "Shine" - Collective Soul or "Closing Time" - Semisonic) so there wasn't really a reason for it to last over five minutes. Either that or make the outro a bit different to give listeners something new to enjoy.
UFO - Even though the guitar is similar to the original, I love the underlying synth and bass in this cover. It definitely stands out a bit more than the Mad Season track without drawing attention away from the other musicians. As for the vocals, I like them in this cover. They suit the tone of the song and their aged quality adds an extra layer to the lyrical nature of the song. It sounds like Mogg's pipes are best suited for the slower, more delicate Rock songs than heavy ones.
VERDICT - Despite a troublesome start, UFO are coming in with the wins here. As I said before, I enjoyed the original but if I had to listen to just one of these versions again, I think I'd pick the cover. I simply got more out of that version than the original.
ROUND FOUR: The Pusher
Steppenwolf - I usually stop paying attention to this song after the line "You know, I smoked a lot of grass". Not as an anti-drugs thing, I just find that the song becomes incredibly fucking dull after that great opening line. It follows a slight variation of the Blues Chord Progression but unlike other bands/artists that rely on Blues rhythms (e.g. Rory Gallagher), there isn't the talented soloing or interesting music in between the boring vocals to keep things fresh. Combine this with a length that's almost pushing six minutes and you've got yourself a bland ol' tune.
UFO - Well...it's a little bit faster than the original, so at least it's got that going for it? Seriously though, it's a pretty faithful cover so fans of the Steppenwolf version may get some joy out of this one. Also, there are some improvements to the guitar in between verses so people in a similar position to me who find the original lacking something might like this cover. For me though, it's still not enough to make me want to listen to it again.
VERDICT - I'm giving this to UFO again but only by a little. They've taken a meh song and made it a little less meh, earning it a win in my books. However, I feel they also deserve some kudos for not going for the obvious cover of "Born To Be Wild", a track that has been cursed to always produce terrible covers ever since The Cult ruined it.
ROUND FIVE: Paper In Fire
John Mellencamp - Back to footstompers then! This track's a belter if you like Rock with a Southern touch without becoming full-on Southern Rock, although the accordion sounds a little silly if you pay too much attention to it. It's a pretty straightforward Rock song once you strip back all the instruments but it doesn't feel like it's missing additional sections or solos. It works and it rocks, making it a great track.
UFO - Fuck me, that intro is spot on! The band use the instruments they've got to replicate a near identical opening riff and it sounds brilliant! We even get a tidy little guitar solo that fits perfectly into the melody and makes me question whether or not I'll be able to hear with original without missing it. Sadly, it pains me to say that even with the band on top form, Phil Mogg takes a shit all over the mic once again. He can't sing quick enough to keep up with the band so we get certain lyrics sung long after the music has moved onto the next section, like a lagging Youtube video with desynced audio.
VERDICT - UFO could've won this one if Mogg wasn't past his prime but as both songs stand, John Mellencamp performed the superior track.
ROUND SIX: Rock Candy
Montrose - Montrose are probably better known for having a couple of their songs covered by Iron Maiden but they were a decent 70s Hard Rock band with a guitarist capable of rocking out awesome riffs and excellent solos; a guitarist so good they literally named the band after him. This track contains a perfect example of the former and a solid one of the latter but of all the Montrose tracks known in the Rock community, this is probably the most popular one. It's a little too slow and basic for my tastes but I can understand the appeal.
UFO - Once I reached the end of this track, I had that weird moment of realisation that I'd just listened to a song that I can't remember anything about, as if I'd been the victim of a Men In Black neuralizer. Whilst this isn't the first time this has happened (most songs off Rock Or Bust - AC/DC have that effect), it's a surefire indicator that you've wasted your time on a boring song. Even though UFO haven't done much with the source material, it just sounds mediocre compared to the crunching guitar and raw Hagar vocals in the original.
VERDICT - It's really tricky to decide on a winner when I don't particularly care for either track but I will say that the Montrose original kept me listening from start to finish, unlike the UFO cover. So I suppose Montrose deserve the win for that alone.
ROUND SEVEN: Mississippi Queen
Mountain - Another Blues-based Rock song with an iconic guitar riff/intro. However, unlike some of the previous entries, this song's probably a bit better known to your average music fan. It opens with cowbell and a guitar riff that may have unintentionally inspired one of many riffs for "Seek And Destroy" - Metallica. After that, there are a few tame solos, heavy chords and raw vocals, all following another variation of the Blues Chord Progression. It's a decent tune, definitely Mountain's most well known.
UFO - Once again, the tempo's been slowed down slightly (presumably to make things easier for Phil Mogg) and even though the weight of those guitar riffs is spot on, the small guitar fills throughout the verses sound distracting more than anything else. At least the vocals aren't awful, although as I said before, I get the feeling that the musicians had to compromise in order to accommodate Phil Mogg's lack of energy. I accept that there's not a lot you can do with this song to vastly improve it but UFO found a way of making it slightly worse.
VERDICT - I wouldn't willingly choose either song to listen to but at least the Mountain original has some balls, which are needed in a song like this. Mountain rules, UFO drools, let's keep trucking on.
ROUND EIGHT: Ain't No Sunshine
Bill Withers - An interesting choice for this album, seeing as how it's pretty far from any genre of Rock out there. Despite having a majestic string accompaniment and a great piano melody, the song's carried by Bill's soulful vocals and delivery of 26 I Knows in what sounds like a single breath. It's much shorter than I originally remembered but it's still a lovely if not slightly depressing song. Now let's listen to the UFO cover.
UFO - OK, admittedly, this isn't the utter trainwreck I thought it would be based on the previous songs. The music's handled well and it doesn't have an inappropriate solo crammed in but guess what all-important factor ruins things? Yup, it's Phil Mogg and his inability to sing songs the band (and presumably him) have agreed to cover! His voice works throughout most of the track but once it gets to the I Knows, he has to pause in between, ruining the flow and use of the I Knows in the first place. I genuinely don't know why they chose to cover a song they couldn't cohesively record but oh well, it is what it is.
VERDICT - Don't cover a song you can't fucking play/sing unless you're making it your own. Bill Withers takes the win.
ROUND NINE: Honey Bee
Tom Petty - I hadn't heard this song before writing this post either but I can see why UFO covered it. It's got a heavy riff (for Tom Petty) and a slow tempo. Musically, it sounds like a beefed up Rod Stewart song and desperately needed an extra section to prevent it from going stale about halfway through. Fortunately, it deviates from typical Tom Petty tracks by containing an actual outro instead of fading out during the guitar solo so I suppose it's at least got one thing going for it.
UFO - Yup, definitely a suitable choice for the band to cover. Vocally undemanding and perfect for synchronised guitar/bass riffing. Rather than end on a lengthy solo, UFO cut it out, resulting in a shorter track that doesn't really grate on you. It's a solid cover from the band that basically fucked up everything else although that's what happens when they cover a basic song.
VERDICT - A shorter length made this song at least partly tolerable so UFO get a long awaited win. They're gonna have to go some to win this overall but maybe they've saved the best until last...maybe.
ROUND TEN: Too Rolling Stoned
Robin Trower - I feel like I've heard a bunch of songs with "rolling stoned" in the title that are all different so I'm not sure if this is a new one for me. It's a passable but uninteresting Rock song until things slow down a bit and transition into full blown Blues territory; then it turns to shit. This seven and a half minute song is boring as shit unless you're into your Bluesy guitar soloing with some dull cheering in the background to give it the impression of being a live recording. I'm actually struggling to remember anything before the Blues section so fuck this song.
UFO - Thankfully, UFO didn't outright skip the Rock part of this song like I felt they might (although they still went Bluesy at the halfway point). It's got an air of Deep Purple and Whitesnake about it in the first half with some great soloing and suitably aged vocals. The second half passes a bit quicker than the original Blues breakdown (or at least feels like it does) so admirers of Blues soloing that can't be arsed to sit through Blues soloing are better off with this track.
VERDICT - Once again, UFO did a solid cover and removed the shitty elements. I'm not saying they made this song great but UFO get a win for not making a bad song worse. Oh, and they actually had an outro instead of fading out. Nice one, lads.
ROUND ELEVEN: Just Got Paid
ZZ Top - An early one from ZZ Top before they got synth involved. A Bluesy Southern track that probably would've been better without muting the riff. At least the mix isn't flat dogshit like most early ZZ Top tracks but it's still a very plain track. Once you've got past the riff, the rest of the song is pretty much just filler with a hollow solo and outro that would be copied and improved in "Hard To Handle" - The Black Crowes, an example of an awesome cover, something I've given up hope of finding on this album.
UFO - Damn, maybe I was right about saving the best tracks until the end. The guitar riff has been improved and those drums are just what the doctor fucking ordered. Phil Mogg still struggles to keep up with the rest of the band but his voice fits like a glove. Since it's a ZZ Top song, we don't get much in the way of vocals so the guitarist is free to play away. The band also went ahead and cut this song short too; I can't say this with certainty but I'm guessing it's because they only had short periods of time to record songs in between visiting Phil Mogg at the nursing home.
VERDICT - UFO have found their groove again! The song simply sounds more like a Rock song when they play it (although it's still average by conventional standards).
ROUND TWELVE: It's My Life
The Animals - Last song on the list, although not to be confused for the Bon Jovi track! Not the strongest song by The Animals but hey, it's got a lot of bass/guitar and the vocals are simple. There isn't much to say about it other than it feels a lot longer than 3:09 when you listen to it. I'm not saying a guitar or organ solo could've improved it but I understand why songs with guitar/organ solos by this band are better known.
UFO - Fucking hell, they had to slow this down for Phil and he still sounds like a lost old coffin dodger. The fact that a pensioner is singing "It's my life, I'll do what I want" is a little distracting and maybe this is just me but even the musicians sound bored at this point. It would've been good to hear at least one song that the band did something interesting with but nope, it's all just paint by numbers. This is Rock music for boring tossers (see Rip It Up - Thunder).
VERDICT - Tough call but I'm handing the last win to The Animals. Their song doesn't sound like a musical parody designed to show us that old people are still relevant and UFO have been given enough sympathy wins.
FINAL SCORES:
UFO - 6
Originals - 6
Wow. OK, I didn't expect that. I mean, I knew UFO wouldn't win but I'm actually surprised to see they tied with the originals after the shit they put onto that album, although maybe that's just because they picked a dull bunch of songs. To their credit, they did arrange them as best as they could on the tracklist but Mogg's limited vocals resulted in poor choices. I rate The Salentino Cuts 2/10 and wouldn't recommend it to anyone that still has a pulse.
As I said earlier, here's the Spotify playlist for you to listen to (I hesitate to say 'enjoy') as you read my verdicts.
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