Following up on yesterday’s post about multiple versions of a song, here’s another pair.
The song is Blondie‘s 1979 single “Heart of Glass.” It attracted some controversy at the time; many bands got sucked into the disco trend (including Rod Stewart and the Rolling Stones), so for a band like Blondie to seem to do so came across as a real sell-out. Ah, fuck it. I’ve made my feelings about disco known previously (once or twice). It’s a good song.
Nouvelle Vague, the French band that does bossa nova covers of New Wave songs, is releasing their second album next month. Here’s a sneak peek at a cut from Bande à Part, a very jaunty folky take on “Heart of Glass.”
The Bad Plus take the song down the jazz route. They break the tune down into little pieces and just when it’s looking like debris (at the 3:20 mark), the piano picks it up and puts it back together. That’s Reid Anderson on bass, Ethan Iverson on piano and David King on drums.
Nouvelle Vague – Heart of Glass — BUY
The Bad Plus – Heart of Glass — BUY
Tags: Blondie, Nouvelle Vague, The Bad Plus, Heart of Glass, MP3s
3 Responses
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girish Says:
I think The Bad Plus is one of the most exciting groups working in jazz today, partly because they are not a strictly jazz group per se, and are so determinedly eclectic. For years I had a subscription to Downbeat magazine and then cancelled it when I got tired of the insularity of the jazz-appreciation world. Rock and pop musicians, in my opinion, have way more respect and non-judgmentalism toward jazz than the other way around. A pity.
I also love TB+’s version of Aphex Twin’s “Flim”.
Their blog (accessible through the link you posted) is hands-down the smartest music-group-run blog I’ve ever seen.
Saw them in concert a couple of years back; their spontaneity and humor was a revelation.
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The Pop View Says:
Totally coincidentally, I got a letter posted in their blog this week. They are great; I love them for the same reasons you mentioned. And their version of “Flim” is better than the Aphex Twin original.
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girish Says:
Whoa, nice work, Pop View.