Showdown: Southbound - The Doobie Brothers

I recently wrote a Showdown post looking at a 2009 album of rerecords and a few new songs by Spinal Tap. I enjoyed comparing the classics with the new material so figured I'd do it again with another collection of rerecords, although this time dealing with hits by Classic Rock group The Doobie Brothers. However, unlike the Spinal Tap post, these rerecords are of tracks from different albums across the band's career as opposed to just one.
The rerecords in question are all from Southbound, a 2014 compilation featuring a variety of guest musicians from Rock and Country backgrounds.

So here's how this works, for anyone unfamiliar with Showdown posts from the past. I go through the tracklist of Southbound, first writing about the original Doobie Brothers song before comparing it with the rerecording, ultimately offering my verdict on which track is "best". At the end, I'll tally up the scores and see whether I prefer the original songs or Southbound on average. It's as simple as that!
Below is a Spotify playlist containing all the originals and rerecordings. Normally, I'd embed the playlist at the bottom of the post but I feel like it's better placed here, since the only thing that can be spoiled here is the overall outcome of my verdicts (found at the bottom of this post), not the songs I've chosen to write about. Anyway, let's get listening!



ROUND ONE: Black Water
Original - Ahhh, what a great song to start with. I love "Black Water" and would call it my favourite Doobie Brothers track. Great mystical introduction, awesome acoustic guitar riff and when those drums come in? Damn, they sound great. I've heard rerecordings and covers of this song in the past where they fuck the drums up by going for power instead of quality; thankfully, the original still exists and makes for an underrated tune by the Doobs.
Rerecording - OK, introduction aside, this is a damn fine rerecording. The mystical sound is still there but the percussion sounds like it belongs in an R&B track, not this. Luckily, guest musicians Zac Brown Band prevent the song from nosediving and add some great slide guitar accompaniments, not to mention some damn fine vocals (I assume). It feels more like a Rock song than the original, something that some listeners will prefer and others won't.
VERDICT - To be honest, I was always gonna give the win to the Original purely because, as I said, it is my all-time favourite Doobie Brothers song. However, this is a damn fine cover. The introduction might be weak but they improved the "hear some funky Dixieland" section and truly made the song come alive with Southern flair in the outro. If you like "Black Water", I whole heartedly recommend seeking out the rerecording.

ROUND TWO: Listen To The Music
Original - I used to find this song a little generic...but then I played it on Rock Band and noticed all the great guitar melodies buried underneath the vocals. There's also a decent little solo at the end that reminds me of The Allman Brothers Band, although nowhere near as awesome to play/listen to. Much like "Black Water" and the lion's share of Doobie Brothers hits, it's a great Summer song that's perfect for driving down country lanes with the top down and the sun beaming down.
Rerecording - Not entirely sure how I feel about that intro. Reminds me a little of "Once In A Lifetime" - Talking Heads but once the acoustic guitar riff comes in, things start to sound a little more Doobie. Joining the band this time are Country musicians Blake Shelton and Hunter Hayes on guitar and vocals, presumably contributing to the more commercial sound the song has this time. It's a decent rerecord with some nice instrumentation and far superior production values.
VERDICT - I like both versions but I think I'm gonna give the win to the Rerecording. All the aspects of the song that work are either present or improved, from the vocal harmonies in the chorus to the extended guitar solo in the outro. Thumbs Up! Wait, that's the wrong post format.

ROUND THREE: What A Fool Believes
Original - Meh, I've never really cared for this song (even if it was co-written by Kenny Loggins). The piano and synth combo sounds like something from a show for toddlers and the vocals in the chorus from Michael McDonald are also a little off-putting. It's too close to Yacht Rock for me to enjoy it as much as other Doobie Brothers hits but this Captain & Tennille knockoff works as generic background Pop, I suppose.
Rerecording - Ugh, the piano introduction is even worse here. Luckily, guest vocalist Sara Evans makes this song work with the naturally higher pitched vocals that carry more passion than the male vocalist. His voice sounds laughable when paired with Sara's, although they could only work with the source material. This song is just utter shite, even when reworked with modern recording technology and additional instruments.
VERDICT - Both versions are terrible but I guess the crappy song recorded with better technology with a talented guest vocalist sounds better than the original. The win goes to the Rerecording.

ROUND FOUR: Long Train Runnin'
Original - I imagine this song was created after the success of "Listen To The Music" forced the band to write a similar track...or maybe I'm on my own in thinking this sounds a lot like "Listen To The Music" but either way, I'm not overly fond of this song. Don't get me wrong, I think it's OK but I would never choose to listen to it if given a choice of Classic Rock songs. Maybe it's the harmonica solo or maybe it's the choice of minor key the song's written in but yeah, not a highlight of the band's career in my eyes.
Rerecording - Another song with two guest musicians, although I actually know these guys! Toby Keith and Huey Lewis! Not only do they bring some great vocals to the song but Huey's harmonica solo is a bit more complex than the original, even if when all's said and done it's still a harmonica solo and therefore pointless. However, the biggest improvement is the change in key. Tuning it down makes it sounds much better.
VERDICT - Isn't it obvious? Rerecording wins it again.

ROUND FIVE: China Grove
Original - Whilst this song is still Summer-y, it definitely feels more like a Rock song than some of their acoustic-driven tracks. The guitar riff is the song's greatest strength although the piano sounds neat in the background too. Vocals are serviceable and the guitar solo's pretty sweet for a Doobie Brothers song, although the lyrics are a little flawed. Whilst the idea of a sheriff with a samurai sword may have tickled the band when they wrote it, they neglected to consider that samurais are Japanese, not Chinese. Way to go Doobs, you just outed yourselves as horrible racists and now have 24 hours to apologise on Twitter or face pain of death.
Rerecording - OK, I went into this round thinking "I like "China Grove", the original will totally win it"...but after listening to this cover, I'm not so sure. The delay on the iconic riff in the introduction followed by the punchier, stadium percussion really amplifies the Rock elements of this song for the better. I'm not sure exactly how much guest musician Chris Young added to the track, as his voice doesn't stand out as much as previous vocalists, but I'm still impressed over how awesome the band managed to make this classic of theirs.
VERDICT - God, it's tricky. If I could give it to both, I definitely would...well, I mean, I could give it to both since it's my blog and therefore my rules. But then I've created rules about awarding the point to both and I don't think I've done it before so I shouldn't really start here...although I guess there's nothing wrong with awarding the point to both, or neither. Where was I going with this? Oh fuck it, the Rerecording gets it again. It's as good if not ever so slightly better than the original.

ROUND SIX: Takin' It To The Streets
Original - I think the main reason I've never given this song enough attention is because it sounds like Yacht Rock from the start. Thankfully, things start to pick up a bit just before the chorus with the bit that uses a similar descending chord sequence to "10538 Overture" - ELO (I'm sure all of you will know exactly what I'm referring to with that comparison). Even if it does sound like the theme for an 80s sitcom of the same name, I still like this song. It's lively and has a decent if not slightly forgettable saxophone solo.
Rerecording - Of all the rerecordings I've heard so far, this one is probably the closest to the original. There are a couple of small differences here and there, mostly in the vocal department thanks to guest artist Love And Theft, but the piano intro is spot on and the guitars are still appropriately used...until the solo comes in. Turns out a guitar solo actually helps this song more than a saxophone solo, although there's no prizes for predicting that. It's a shame the outro doesn't have the organ from the original, although the bridge they added kinda works so it's not all bad.
VERDICT - You know what I'm gonna say. The Rerecording wins another round! If it's not apparent yet, I definitely recommend Southbound.

ROUND SEVEN: Jesus Is Just Alright (With Me)
Original - Lyrics aside, this song's pretty good. It comes from Toulouse Street, a brilliant album with many classics and great deep cuts, and even if the chorus comes across as a little tacky, the guitar riff used near the start and after the FIRST awesome guitar solo is straight out of a Blue Oyster Cult song. Combine that with the rest of the music and you end up with something like Santana only without the air of pretentiousness. I recommend listening to this song if you like Classic Rock with a Latin flair; worst thing that happens is you dislike the song but get a laugh at the line "Jesus is my friend" in the middle eight.
Rerecording - Normally, I'd appreciate the transformation of any song into a fully-fledged Rock track but I'm not entirely sure it works here. This might be because I've heard a lot of Southern Rock rerecordings so far and turning a song that stands apart from the Doobie Brothers' back catalogue into something relatively generic by the album's standards isn't the best decision they could've made. It's a solid rerecording, though. Guest musician Casey James gives the vocals some extra weight and the change in key gives the song a Bachman-Turner Overdrive quality, which I will always be happy about.
VERDICT - Despite the fact that the rerecording was a good listen, I'm giving the win to the Original this time. The guitar solos in the original are more significant to me and as I said, the musical variety from the band that actually works really well should be rewarded over playing it safe.

ROUND EIGHT: Rockin' Down The Highway
Original - Another great Classic Rock song by the Doobs. Great riff, fantastic chorus, fun little solo and all-in-all, a top notch track to enjoy. I would argue that this song is probably better than "China Grove" if you're after good old fashioned Rock, although "China Grove" does have a damn fine riff and solo. However, that doesn't change the fact that I really like this song and would definitely put it up there among my favourites by the band. Oh, and you know what album it's from? Toulouse Street. Totally an underrated album.
Rerecording - Oh man, this rerecording? This rerecording right here? I fucking love it. Not surprising when the guest musician is Brad Paisley, an excellent Country guitarist with his own unique sound and style. I love how the change in key and added backing vocals in the chorus make it sound like a Styx song (yeah, I meant that as a positive; deal with it), giving it that extra burst of energy. The only downside is the guitar solo; it's not bad but it's definitely not one of Brad Paisley's best. He lets loose towards the end but it kind of blends into the rest of the music rather than standing out.
VERDICT - As much as I love the rerecording, I'm giving the win to the Original. Again, comparing the talents of the band at the time of the original recording and rerecording, I feel like The Doobie Brothers gave more. They turned up the guitars and gave us some top notch Classic Rock whereas the rerecording has a partially phoned in solo. All in all though, I do really like both versions a lot.

ROUND NINE: Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While)
Original - Another fun Classic Rock tune! The increase in production values in comparison to their earlier material really makes this song come alive, as there's no way this track would work the same without the backing vocals, brass and strings. But hey, let's look at the song from a creative perspective; the chorus is perfect, the guitar solo rocks and if your foot isn't tapping by the end, you're probably in a wheelchair...or just not into this kind of music, definitely one of the two.
Rerecording - Even if the gospel backing vocals are the only holdover from the original that isn't part of the standard band, this rerecording is still pretty good! I think the lion's share of this song's high quality comes from the addition of chords in the chorus alongside the vocal melody, as I fucking love that change. I'm assuming that change came with guest musician Tyler Farr but either way, I'm glad they did it. Meanwhile, the rest of the song is good although not quite as joyous as the original.
VERDICT - The rerecording definitely has more of a Country vibe to it, which will probably make it better to those who prefer that kind of Southern music. However, I'm giving the win to the Original for reasons stated above. Looks like the Doobs from the 70s are making their comeback!

ROUND TEN: South City Midnight Lady
Original - Back to the softer acoustic based Rock songs now. The music is soft and the melodies are perfect for relaxing in your back garden during the Summer, just how the Doobs should be enjoyed. It's not the kind of song that I'd get into but it's a nice little tune with some strong vocals and a great little outro. I suppose it's good that they chose a slower, more sensitive song to appear on the album to show off their versatility and to mix things up a little.
Rerecording - Another faithful rerecording enhanced with modern recording technology and guest musicians, this time Jerrod Niemann. Since I'm not a big fan of the song in general, it's not the kind of track I take pleasure in when it comes to seeking out all the little touches that make it enjoyable. That being said, it's a song that already had Southern Rock/Country elements so a cover on this album is either redundant or necessary depending on your taste in music. For me, it's redundant.
VERDICT - Yeah, the Original wins by a hair. I don't like either version that well but the rerecording doesn't add anything that makes it worth listening to, in my opinion.

ROUND ELEVEN: You Belong To Me
Original - More Yacht Rock, presumably stuck at the end because it's fucking Yacht Rock. I'm not entirely sure what The Doobie Brothers were thinking when they wrote this song; it sounds like it was put together in a couple of hours with Michael McDonald using it as an excuse to wail over the top of a few repeated keyboard chords. It's very easy to listen to this song without actually listening to it, if that makes sense.
Rerecording - Straight away, we have slightly heavier percussion and slower tempo before guest vocalist Amanda Sudano-Ramirez comes in...and Vince Gill helps. Unfortunately, the backing vocals in this song are still annoying (ARE STILL ANNO-HOY-II-ING) and the limp nature of the song hasn't been beefed up in the rerecording, once again making it a weaker choice than some of the previous tracks. But hey, I guess The Doobie Brothers only have so many hits and they're not gonne rerecord deep cuts.
VERDICT - Even though I hate both versions, I'm giving the win to the Rerecording because Amanda's voice works well and the fact that it's now an actual duet might make fans of generic Yacht Rock more inclined to listen to it.

ROUND TWELVE: Nobody
Original - One of the first Doobie Brothers songs and another one that I like quite a lot. It's got a Wild West vibe to it and acts as a neat little introduction to the band that would go on to write songs like "China Grove" and "Rockin' Down The Highway", as there's an electric guitar solo at one point. It's hardly a bold entrance onto the music scene but it's clearly a song that the Doobs are fond of, as Southbound isn't the only time they've rerecorded this track. They had another stab at it in 2010 for the World Gone Crazy album. It was good there too!
Rerecording - The last song on the album and even though the introduction (listed as a separate track for some reason) sets the bar high with a slightly slower, Bluesier feel, the actual song is a weaker version of both the 2010 rerecording and 1971 original. The final guest musician, Charlie Worsham, does what the majority of guest acts have done (very little of significance) but the guitar solo sounds good, if you're a fan of the original. All in all, it would've been neat to have that slower version to contrast with the 2010 version, even though the slower introduction is borrowed straight from the 2010 rerecording, but I suppose it wouldn't have been very Country now, would it.
VERDICT - If I was deciding between the original and the World Gone Crazy version, this might have been a tricky decision. However, as things are, the win goes to the Original and I highly advise you listen to that song instead of this disappointing end to Southbound.

FINAL SCORES:
Originals - 6
Rerecordings - 6

I guess some of the Original wins were a little generous but in a surprise outcome, it's a direct tie. Seriously, when I started this post, I was certain that the Rerecordings would win this with a landslide majority but here we are. In all seriousness though, whilst a lot of the originals are great, I cannot understate how fucking good Southbound is until the last three songs. I would rate it 8 or 9 out of 10 if it were a Shout Out post or flat out review but since it's a Showdown, I'm just gonna recommend it to you on the condition that you stop listening once you finish "Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While)".

Showdown: Back From The Dead - Spinal Tap

Last year, I wrote about Mock Rock band Tenacious D in a Rapid Fire post for April Fool's Day. Whilst I might be a week late, the first blog post for April will continue the celebration of Mock Rock by looking at a series of rerecords from 2009 by quite possibly the most famous and beloved Mock Rock band of all time; Spinal Tap.
This Is Spinal Tap is a classic mockumentary about the British Rock/Metal band Spinal Tap. It's also the name of the film's soundtrack and collection of most (if not all) of the band's memorable songs:

Yep, the famous black album cover from Smell The Glove is the album cover for the soundtrack, naturally. The soundtrack/album was released in 1984 (and a poorly received follow up album entitled Break Like The Wind was released eight years later, presumably to tie into an appearance on The Simpsons) but the aim of this post is to compare the classic original recordings with the rerecords off Back From The Dead, a 25th anniversary compilation album containing a few new tracks and fleshed out versions of tracks mentioned in the film like "Saucy Jack" and parts of the 20-minute free form "Jazz Odyssey".

However, I won't be talking about those new songs in this post. I'll just be looking at shared songs from both records. Also, no Spotify playlist for this post since it's just songs off the two albums rather than a compilation of various Rock/Metal/Pop covers that'd be harder to source.
So, time to turn it up to 11 and some other hacky reference from the film!

ROUND ONE: Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight
This Is Spinal Tap - I'm surprised this wasn't the 1984 record's album opener, considering how prominently it featured in the film. However, it's a fucking great track. It manages to blend awesome riffs with amusing vocals ("you're too young and I'm too well hung" is a line KISS were probably a year or two away from writing non-ironically). It's a shame the backing vocals are kinda shitty but hey, it's still a top notch song to listen to even if you didn't care for the film.
Back From The Dead - I guess Spinal Tap found a drummer as the percussion for this song is definitely better than the original. It also helps that the song's main riff still sounds awesome although I can't say the same for the vocals. Backing vocals from Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest) and Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) are still too comical but sadly lead vocals from David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean) are a lot worse. It's almost like he's parodying his younger self which makes one of the few awesome Hard Rock songs on the album a little bit worse.
VERDICT - Got to give it to This Is Spinal Tap here. It might be a good rerecording overall with some small improvements but sadly the negatives outweigh the positives. If the vocals were identical in terms of silliness, it probably would've won.

ROUND TWO: (Funky) Sex Farm
This Is Spinal Tap - Wow, that opening riff stopped itself from being identical to the previous track, didn't it? Yeah, this is a fairly forgettable song from a Rock fan's perspective. Lyrically, it does a great job of lampooning forced metaphors and sexual language in Glam/Shock Rock but musically, there's something off about it. It sounds like one of those "shreds it" videos with riffs that sound incomplete or guitar harmonies that don't quite work.
Back From The Dead - So for some reason, the band decided to make this song sound less like a parody of bad Glam Rock and more like a parody of bad 70s Funk Rock, complete with added brass and softer guitar. I have to say, whilst I'm not a fan of the song, the corny Funk style definitely works better with the lyrics than the Rock style. I even prefer the brief Hip Hop interlude to the terrible guitar solo in the original.
VERDICT - Back From The Dead wins it for taking a chance and producing something that's still pretty poor but better as a parody track. I don't particularly like either but if I was forced to pick one to listen to again, it'd definitely be the rerecording.

ROUND THREE: Rock 'N' Roll Creation
This Is Spinal Tap - I guess this was their attempt at parodying Black Sabbath and other Heavy Metal/Hard Rock bands who use generic Biblical themes in their songs...it's OK, I guess. However, it needed to be taken a step further. It's not quite "bad" enough to be a good parody, if that makes sense? The lyrics needed to be just a bit more on-the-nose, although the music wasn't bad.
Back From The Dead - I actually quite like the music in this rerecord. They've amplified the better aspects (the chorus) and lessened the worse ones (guitar solos). Part of me would've liked to hear a version of this song where they actually changed the middle and made it sound more like an Arena Rock anthem than the original but at least this version isn't as bad.
VERDICT - It's another win for Back From The Dead for taking a mediocre parody and making it into a semi-decent song, although it still could've been improved with slightly more amusing lyrics.

ROUND FOUR: Gimme Some Money
This Is Spinal Tap - If I remember right, this is supposed to be one of Spinal Tap's earliest songs when they were a 60s guitar band like The Beatles or The Animals and God damn, it is fucking on point. It's lame, tepid Blues based "Rock" just like The Rolling Stones. It might not be a great song to listen to (unless you haven't heard Rock music before) but as a pastiche of Rock's early days, it's masterfully done.
Back From The Dead - A decent attempt at rerecording the original although the fact that it sounds so clean kind of works against it. The point of the song is to sound like a naff 60s Blues Rock track and this doesn't quite work. It would've been cool to hear a tarted up version of this track as a different period piece, like 90s Grunge or something. However, if you like the song, it's a great rendition of it.
VERDICT - Whilst the rerecording does have better sound quality, this is one of the few times where less is more. This Is Spinal Tap takes the win for being the perfect 60s Rock parody.

ROUND FIVE: Heavy Duty
This Is Spinal Tap - This is pretty damn close to Judas Priest for comfort! However, musically speaking, it's kind of plain with a poor mix. I don't remember this song from the film but I'm assuming it's supposed to showcase Nigel's guitar playing, as that takes centre-stage in this weak track. If the lead guitar tone was different, maybe I'd like the track more. As it stands, I'm not a huge fan.
Back From The Dead - Yeah, this is what I'm talking about. Better mix whilst retaining the better aspects of the track, plus some added keys from Keith Emerson during the solo. If I had to find flaws, I'd say that the vocals are a little too clear for a song that needs a grittier feel to it (and was previously ruined by the clean guitar in the original) but the track still works.
VERDICT - Another win for Back From The Dead. Could it be that Spinal Tap have pulled a Saxon and recorded a far greater collection of music 25 years after their original material?

ROUND SIX: America
This Is Spinal Tap - Songs about British bands travelling to America are a niche subject to parody and the film already covered the clashing of sensitive music with vulgar lyrics or themes with "Lick My Love Pump" (a song I would've loved to hear fleshed out as a precursor to Sensitive Axl Rose's material for 90s Guns N Roses albums) so I'm not really sure what purpose this song serves other than just a general Rock song. If that's the case, I guess it works. It's got some good riffs and great drumming, although it does sound a little like the band entered the studio after the first draft. A proper Rock band could've taken this material and done something great with it.
Back From The Dead - A relatively faithful rerecording but with far superior aspects; notice a theme emerging? Everything about this song is improved in the rerecording from the percussion to the passion of the vocals in the final verse. However, since they're rerecording the original material, it still suffers from sounding like they didn't do the necessary rewrites between verses to make crappier riffs sound better. At least this sounds like a good Alice Cooper song, unlike some of the originals.
VERDICT - I guess Spinal Tap really did resurrect what with all the wins Back From The Dead is getting!

ROUND SEVEN: (Listen To The) Flower People - Reggae Stylee
This Is Spinal Tap - Aaaaaand a perfect Psychedelic Rock parody from the late 60s now! It's almost scary how much I can imagine this song being used in some Vietnam flashback in a hacky action/comedy film with Seth Rogen and James Franco, if not for the lyrics...but I guess that's what makes the song work so spectacularly. If not for the forced Mozart riff, this would've been 10/10 on the Parodometer.
Back From The Dead - Remember how I said "Gimme Some Money" should've been rerecorded in a different style? Well, Spinal Tap did exactly that with this song! They rerecorded it as a Reggae song and once again, it works perfectly. The vocals are bang on the money and the music couldn't be better; if you were going to pick a new genre to mock with a song about the "Flower People", Reggae's a solid choice.
VERDICT - This is actually a really tough one. Both the original and rerecording do a spot on job of lampooning their respective genres so I'm going to have to give it to the song I preferred to listen to...which means This Is Spinal Tap gets the win because I will ALWAYS vote for Psychedelic Rock over Reggae.

ROUND EIGHT: Hell Hole
This Is Spinal Tap - This is one of few tracks Spinal Tap have released that could actually be a proper Rock song without being held back by silliness (which presumably explains why they made a music video for it). My biggest problem with Spinal Tap is that they're too far on the comedy side, meaning a lot of their music sounds like scrapings from the floor of Alice Cooper's recording studio. However, this song has a collection of great riffs, some ace backing vocals in the chorus and a sweet guitar solo. All in all, a strong song to start the original album.
Back From The Dead - A valiant effort but I guess the band were feeling a little insecure about this rerecording too, seeing as how it's been pushed way down the tracklist. At least the solo sounds great although none of that matters when you compare the backing vocals in this version to the original. Fuck me, they're terrible. Like, shite-awful. That alone is enough to give the win to This Is Spinal Tap.
VERDICT - Weren't you reading? This Is Spinal Tap get it for the superior backing vocals in the chorus and that alone, even though it has other positive attributes too.

ROUND NINE: Big Bottom
This Is Spinal Tap - A parody of bands that think they're lyrical wordsmiths when really they're talking out their arse, so to speak (once again, this film/soundtrack came out three years before Appetite For Destruction). Unfortunately, since its purpose is to showcase silly lyrics, the music is pretty dull and uninspired. So dull and uninspired that there's not much to say except it's a shame the percussion is the only thing lifting this song up.
Back From The Dead - Props to the band, they found a synth tone that was more comical than the one used in the original. At the end of the day though, it's still a dumb song that exists as a mediocre punchline. Whilst the elevated production values make the song quite amusing, it would've been funnier if they went even further with it. Imagining Def Leppard or even Michael Jackson level production values complete with 40-piece choir and orchestral accompaniments applied to a song called "Big Bottom" is funnier than what we got.
VERDICT - It's hard to say as both tracks are a bit shit so I'm giving it to This Is Spinal Tap for being a whole seven seconds shorter.

ROUND TEN: Stonehenge
This Is Spinal Tap - This is the song everyone knows, even if you haven't seen the film. It's also a perfect blend of funny lyrics and great music AND actually progresses the plot of the mockumentary in its own hilarious way. Whilst some lines ("No one knows who they were...or...what they were doin'") will always be funnier than others ("where the dew drops cry and the cats meow"), the highlight of this song is certainly the mandolin solo before the outro. It might get cut down in the film but hearing it fleshed out on the album is a real treat.
Back From The Dead - I think it's fair to say that I'm more familiar with this rerecording than the original due to my excessive playing of it on Rock Band but after comparing both, I definitely think this is the better version of the two. Tufnel's vocals in the intro sound perfectly clueless and the Rock elements are appropriately heavy. But hey, does the song master the mandolin solo? You bet your fucking arse it does. The original might be slightly more complex but the rerecording tightens up the imperfections into the perfect little melody. Fun fact: I learnt how to play this solo on the keyboard years ago. I doubt I can remember it now but it was still fun to play, even on a different instrument.
VERDICT - Back From The Dead, hands down.

ROUND ELEVEN: Cups And Cakes
This Is Spinal Tap - I really need to rewatch This Is Spinal Tap as I feel bad for being unable to remember any of these songs from the film. Anyway, it's a short little tune that's mostly strings. Probably not worth including on the soundtrack but here we are.
Back From The Dead - Oh...it got a rerecording too. That seems fair, I guess. It's basically the same as the original but with piano instead of strings so it makes sense to use as a fun little album closer, I suppose.
VERDICT - For the reason above, I'm giving it to Back From The Dead as it's the kind of song that would've been a hidden track on an album until digital distribution made those obsolete. It's a shame to end this Showdown post on such a meh song (especially after "Stonehenge") but that's the way the cupcake gets frosted!

FINAL SCORES:
This Is Spinal Tap - 5
Back From The Dead - 6

Well, there you have it. It's a close score but ultimately, Back From The Dead came out victorious! As for individual album ratings, I give This Is Spinal Tap a 6/10 (mostly for the parody aspect of it over musical quality) and Back From The Dead a 6/10 too, since there are a couple of new songs on it that I didn't discuss that are hit and miss. It's almost as if both albums are as good as each other and collectively, they come together to make the ultimate Spinal Tap album...you know, after Break Like The Wind, of course.

Showdown: Rerecords

This post was requested back in November but it's finally here now. This time, I'm comparing two recordings of a single track by the same band over a couple of decades to see whether the band still have their spark or if their talent has faded away over time.
It's quite a straightforward format; I'll talk about the original recording first, then the rerecording before wrapping it up with my verdict as to which is best. I should also mention that I'm aiming to pick 10 different bands for this post and some artists are known for having several notable rerecords so if I pick the "wrong" track to discuss, I apologise. Unlike previous posts, most of these comparisons will be looking at small details in the songs rather than comparing two completely different entities so this post is one for fans of that sort of thing.

ROUND ONE: "Cult Of Personality" - Living Colour
Original (1988) - The original and the band's biggest hit, even if the riff did come about accidentally. I have to say, even if this isn't one of many favourite songs to listen to in any category, it might just be a perfect Rock song. Epic riff, awesome hooks throughout, decent structure, great outro and, of course, that solo. There isn't a single beat in this song that could've been done better if it was changed for something different so props to Living Colour for that.
Rerecord (2007) - Rerecorded for Guitar Hero 3: Legends Of Rock and virtually indistinguishable from the original unless you listen to them side by side or know the solo well. Whilst there are a few little subtle changes here and there (such as sustains in the verse and clearer percussion in the mix), the key difference in this recording is the intensity of the solos. Since it was rerecorded for GH, they presumably decided to make it more challenging for the players and by gum, I'm glad they did!
VERDICT - I should probably listen to more Living Colour as the high quality of their music hasn't faltered at all in that space of time. However, I am giving the win here to the Original for being what I consider the better song. The rerecord might have more furious shredding in the solos which is fun for playing Guitar Hero but kind of soulless when you're listening to it as a song. Fortunately, it's still a great rerecord although you'll probably enjoy it more if you have memories of playing it on GH.

ROUND TWO: "Heavy Metal Thunder" - Saxon
Original (1980) - It's been tricky to find tracks for this list that weren't discovered due to Guitar Hero/Rock Band but alas, here's our first! Album opener off Strong Arm Of The Law and most likely named after the lyric from "Born To Be Wild" - Steppenwolf that gave birth to the genre's official title, "Heavy Metal Thunder" is a rapid bastard of a track. Most people will know Saxon for "Wheels Of Steel" and if they knew Saxon were capable of this kind of Metal, they'd probably be more popular overseas.
Rerecord (2002) - I've gone on record as saying Saxon are one of the few bands in existence that have actually improved with age so I couldn't miss these guys out when writing about rerecords. I chose this track as it was picked not only as the album opener for the compilation this came from but also the song for the compilation to be named after. In terms of differences between this and the original, they're a bit easier to spot than the previous track. Heavier drums, more prominent/complex guitar, slightly less prominent bass, longer outro and a generally superior sound quality due to modern recording equipment.
VERDICT - You probably could've guessed this but it's going to the Rerecord. Even if you ignore the cleaner sound on the 2002 version, the original just doesn't sound as powerful as a track like "Heavy Metal Thunder" deserves to be. If anything, the 1980 original sounds like the weaker rerecord of a lesser band, although I do still like that version.

ROUND THREE: "Detroit Rock City" - KISS
Original (1976) - Probably one of the best KISS singles that most Rock fans would know and definitely superior to signature songs by the band. Even though it contains heavy riffs and a relatively weak guitar solo, this track is arguably  carried by the vocals and bass throughout, standing it apart from your typical air-guitar arena anthems of the genre. The only thing that really ruins it is the 1:29 of car noises (and another fucking KISS recording) before the track actually starts, not to mention the shrill car crash effects at the end.
Rerecord (2008) - Released as part of a Japanese collection of rerecords entitled Jigoku-Retsuden (Intense Transmission From Hell), this version of "Detroit Rock City" is mostly the same as the original except for a few small points. 1) The tempo is slightly slower. 2) The backing vocals and instruments sound a little different, due to the change in band members. 3) The introduction with the car effects has gone, although a few driving sounds can be heard throughout the song.
VERDICT - I should give it to the 2008 version for cutting out the intro but the win belongs to the Original for being slightly faster. Single edits and remasters can remove the car effects but the slower tempo can't be changed, making the rerecording ever so slightly worse, in my opinion.

ROUND FOUR: "Come Sail Away" - Styx
Original (1977) - Along with "Mr. Roboto", this is probably one of the most well known Styx songs out there to the general public. Whilst it isn't my personal favourite, it's not a bad tune with a nice piano intro and an awesome Rock build up as the song progresses. It might be a little too long-winded and synthy for many people's tastes but if you can make it to the words "come sail away" in the actual song, I think you'll be alright. This song's also pretty good when sped up 25% too.
Rerecord (2010) - Styx are one of the many Arena Rock bands that have felt the need to rerecord a bunch of their classic material in recent years due to lineup changes (and possibly original song royalties going to ex partners after bad divorces) so it's no surprise that "Come Sail Away" appeared on an EP entitled Regeneration: Volume 1 containing some of the band's other hits. Whilst the piano intro is spot on, the rest of the track is noticeably heavier when the guitar comes in and the drums sound a bit better too. Oh, and the guitar solo during the outro gets a bit more love too.
VERDICT - This might piss off purists but I'm going with the Rerecord on this one. Better sound, heavier riffs, more complex solo and still retains everything that made the original awesome. No question, I'd rather listen to that version if given a choice.

ROUND FIVE: "No Time" - The Guess Who
Original (1969) - It's a good 20 seconds before this song becomes a song instead of shitty noise so we're off to a poor start already. However, once the drums come in, it's all sorted out. It's got a semi-psychedelic vibe to it and if you've never heard the song before, I recommend listening to this version first. Those who've heard the rerecording but didn't know there was an original version might be interested to learn the main difference involves this track being longer due to an added guitar solo and verse.
Rerecord (1970) - Yup, it only took a year for this band to realise they could do better. Once again, the differences vary from obvious to subtle here. Obvious being the shorter song length and more radio-friendly nature to the track, subtle being the slightly faster tempo and musical consistency in the chorus. A common link between each of these songs seems to be the difference in outro too, as this song fades out instead of ending like the original.
VERDICT - This is a tricky one. On the one hand, I like the shorter version for being a tighter recording but on the other, I like listening to the band giving me more music to enjoy in the original. However, if I had to pick one to listen to for the rest of my life, I'd pick the Rerecord as I didn't feel like I'd miss any of the extra material in the longer version.

ROUND SIX: "Blackout" - Scorpions
Original (1982) - Surprised I'm not picking "Rock You Like A Hurricane"? I'll explain why in the next paragraph but first, let's look at this track from the album with the same name. It's a great Metal track that's probably overlooked thanks to songs like "Wind Of Change" and the aforementioned "Rock You Like A Hurricane" but it's got everything a good Metal song from the early 80s needed: solid riff, decent solo, screeching vocals and a study driving rhythm. I'd listen to this song more if not for the shitty ending; you know what I'm talking about.
Rerecord (2011) - Since the covers/rerecords album this came from was called Comeblack, I thought I'd pick the track that half the portmanteau is named after. It's pretty faithful to the original, although since Klaus Meine's vocals have deepened over the years, the song has to be tuned down a key. Combine this with the cleaner recording equipment and heavier drumming to make what sounds like more of a Metal track.
VERDICT - It's another win for the Rerecord army, I'm afraid. As I said above, the 2011 version sounds more like Metal to me and the improved ending without the glass smashing helps significantly too. For the record, I love the original track too and own both versions of the song on my phone.

ROUND SEVEN: "Juke Box Hero" - Foreigner
Original (1981) - Oooooh, I fucking love that bass! One of Foreigner's popular Hard Rock tracks that isn't a power ballad and definitely one of their best! Even if the vocals sound a bit raw now and then, the music and story told throughout the song are perfect Arena Rock material, although it'd be cool if the solo had a bit more going for it. Otherwise, it's awesome though. Bonus points go to this song for the use of dynamics in the mix to help get your adrenaline pumping.
Rerecord (2011) - Again, I chose this due to it coming from a bonus disc of rerecords named after this song...that and that it's an awesome song. Straight away, you can hear more synth and a lower key but if you listen closely, you can hear the dynamics in this mix are a little more balanced between the soft build up and loud pay off. Whilst this is definitely a reduction in quality, the chorus sounds fucking brilliant in the new key. Another big difference is the solo, which has been vastly improved. Even if there are some similarities, it sounds more like an actual guitar solo than the original.
VERDICT - Fuuuck, another tricky call to make. Whilst the 2011 version has the improved solo and chorus, I'm giving it to the Original purely down to the dynamics. They could've made the rerecord fucking incredible if they got the mix right but it just sounds flat compared to the 1981 version. Maybe that's just me but all I know is I got shivers listening to the original and nothing with the rerecord.

ROUND EIGHT: "Under The Sky" - The Answer
Original (2006) - As far as debut album openers for modern Rock bands go, this one's pretty sweet! Good rhythm, tasty riffs on guitar and bass, great vocals and a well written structure. It's one of the stronger tracks on Rise (although not my personal favourite) and I'm sure it was at least partially responsible for their career taking off, even if a different song off the album was featured on the Guitar Hero: World Tour soundtrack.
Rerecord (2016) - Last year, The Answer decided to release a 10th anniversary version of their debut and with it came a new version of this song...just this song. To be honest, if you didn't know either track that well, you'd find it tricky to identify which one came first as aside from a shorter intro, they're basically identical. With a couple of listens, you can hear a few minor tweaks in the sound quality but that's all. Each band member seems to remember this song fondly as they can recreate it perfectly, which begs the question as to why they bothered rerecording and releasing this track anyway.
VERDICT - Since both tracks sound the same, I have to look to the biggest difference; the intro. Personally, I much prefer the screaming guitar and build up at the start of the 2006 version over the basic strumming and drumming of the 2016 one so it's an easy choice. Original wins this round hands down.

ROUND NINE: "Iron Fist" - Motorhead
Original (1982) - I knew Motorhead was going to be in this list at some point but I didn't know which track until I started going through all the ones in Guitar Hero and Rock Band. I've already written about "Overkill" and "Ace Of Spades" so the next choice was either "Iron Fist", "Love Me Like A Reptile" or "(We Are) The Road Crew"; since "Iron Fist" was the first rerecord I heard after "Overkill", it had to be this one. It's basically another "Ace Of Spades" with two solos and a shitty fade out but if you like Motorhead's sound, you'll like this song.
Rerecord (2008) - I don't know if Motorhead rerecorded a bunch of songs just for GH/RB but somewhere out there is a collection of recordings from 2008 that will hopefully be released one day now that Lemmy's passed away. Since the other two band members have changed since the 70s/80s, the main difference in song quality is down to the guitar and drums. Personally, I fucking love the guitar in this song. Phil Campbell's work sounds a lot better here and at least this version has a proper outro.
VERDICT - Definitely the Rerecord. Motorhead stayed strong all the way to the end and I'm actually pretty fucking gutted that I never got a chance to see them live. However, their music will always live on and even if it seems like a bit of a hollow cash grab on the part of band/family members, I would be very interested in listening to unreleased rerecords of Motorhead material. If the Jimi Hendrix estate can get away with it, so can these guys.

ROUND TEN: "Long Red" - Leslie West
Original (1969) - Bet none of you expected this for the last song. There are a bunch of Arena Rock songs I could've picked but I feel like we've had enough them so far. Instead, I chose a song that has possibly the biggest gap between rerecords I can find. This song's often attributed to the band Mountain (the band Leslie West would form after this album, also named Mountain) and even though they've played it live, it is a Leslie West song. It's built around a lovely little keyboard riff with acoustic guitar laying down the backing melody. It's a gentle track that deserves a lot more radio play than it's getting.
Rerecord (2013) - Not only does this have a whopping gap of 44 years between recordings but it's probably the only track on here that sounds totally different to the original. Granted it keeps the same structure and you can sort of tell it's still Leslie singing but if you didn't know it was by him, you'd have trouble working out that it was a rerecord. It's slightly heavier/cleaner on each instrument, the vocals are naturally deeper, the guitar riff between verses is played differently, the song fades out on organ instead of guitar and there are more guitar solos throughout. In short, this is probably more of a Rock song than the original.
VERDICT - I love both versions of this track for different reasons but I think I need to go with the Original on this one. It's that song that I fell in love with and to me, it's the delicate tone of that song that works best with the lyrics and music. However, that's not to say Rock covers/rerecords aren't awesome too. If you like the song and Classic Rock, check out Mountain's live version from 1972. Also, check out "Home Is Where I Want To Be" - Mott The Hoople, a song that was almost certainly heavily inspired by this track (further backed up by the fact that a cover of "Long Red" appears on the same album this is from!).


Aaaand it's a tie again! 5 for Originals, 5 for Rerecords. Not that I'm trying to prove one's objectively better than the other, of course. Now it's time for the bit I always include at the end of these posts in the hope that I'll get more feedback: do you agree with this list? Did I miss any famous rerecords or do you have any to recommend? Let me know in the comments and (say it with me now...) via Twitter!