Beatles Arias

In 1966, opera singer Cathy Berberian recorded an album of Beatles covers, backed by classical arrangements.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to hell.

Cathy Berberian "Beatles Arias"

Regular readers of this blog will find this album frequently hilarious (love how she trills her Rs); otherwise, it can clear rooms. Berberian has extensive legit classical and avant-garde credentials - she was composer Luciano Berio's wife; John Cage wrote pieces for her. So it's not easy to dismiss this as another misguided record company Beatles rip-off. Maybe if I spoke European, I'd understand the interview included on this album which may reveal her motives.

1		Ticket To Ride
2		I Want To Hold Your Hand
3		Michelle
4		Eleanor Rigby
5		Yellow Submarine
6		Here, There And Everywhere
7		Help!
8		You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
9		Yesterday
10		Can't Buy Me Love
11		Girl
12		A Hard Day's Night 13 Interview
		Récitals
14		Introduction
15		Ticket To Ride
16		Yesterday Piano – Bruno Canino

New Wave Covers For Oldies Lovers - Part 2

As I wrote in PART ONE, "During the upheaval of the late '70s/early '80s punk days, there was a real changing-of-the-guard feeling that led many groups of the time to cover classic oldies from the sacred rock 'n' roll canon in an irreverent (if not downright disrespectful) fashion. One of my recent obsessions is to to collect as many of these as I can find..." And why not? It's fun, weekend/summer barbeque music for maniacs. There's even a surf music section.

New Wave Covers For Oldies Lovers, vol2

1. The Toy Dolls - Blue Suede Shoes
2. The Minutemen - Ain't Talkin' Bout Love
3. Lene Lovich - I think we're alone now [Japanese version]
4. The Plastics - Last train to Clarksville
5. Yellow Magic Orchestra - Tighten Up [These guys, featuring Ruichi Sakamoto, actually reunited to perform (at the Hollywood Bowl) for the first time in 30 years; hope they performed this one, it is absolutely bonkers]
6. Zoogz Rift - But The Picture Has A Mustache ["Inna Gadda Davida"]
7. The Fibonaccis - Purple Haze
8. Black Randy & The Metrosquad - Say It Loud (I'm Black And I'm Proud)
9. James Chance & The Contortions - I Can't Stand Myself
10. Devo - (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
11. Sun Yuma - Subterranean Homesick Blues
12. Comateens - Summer in the City
13. Bakersfield Boogie Boys - I Get Around
14. Nash the Slash - Dead Man's Curve
15. Zoogz Rift - Walk Don't Run
16. C. Newman & Janet Smith - California Girls
17. Lemon Kittens - Shakin' All Over
18. Pere Ubu - Pushin Too Hard
19. Butthole Surfers - American Woman
20. The Better Beatles - Paperback Writer
21. The Flying Lizards - Money (That's What I Want)
22. Gina X - Drive My Car
23. Sex Pistols - My Way

New Wave Covers For Oldies Lovers - Part 1

My previous post featured kooky versions of punk classics, kind of the flip side of today's post:

During the upheaval of the late '70s/early '80s punk days, there was a real changing-of-the-guard feeling that led many groups of the time to cover classic oldies from the sacred rock 'n' roll canon in an irreverent (if not downright disrespectful) fashion. One of my recent obsessions is to to collect as many of these as I can find. Thank God(zilla) for this blog - this is now not just some obsessive/compulsive behavior - it's a blog post! I'm part of the New Media, not just a weirdo spending his free time making obscurely-themed cassette mix tapes! And the result: strange, funny, experimental, pop, sometimes just stoopid ridiculous, unpredictable wonderfulness - this stuff's more punk than punk.

New Wave Covers For Oldies Lovers: A MusicForManiacs Collection

01 flying lizards - sex machine
02 The Better Beatles - PennyLane
03 Devo - Secret Agent Man
04 Karel Fialka - People Are Strange
05 Bauhaus - Telegram Sam
06 Silicon Teens - Memphis Tennessee
07 The Raincoats - Lola
Rolling Stones section:
08 David Bowie - Let's Spend the Night Together
09 Neonbabies - Jumpin' Jack Flash
10 Nash the Slash - 19th Nervous Breakdown
11 Polyphonic Size - Mothers Little Helper
12 Bakersfield Boogie Boys - Get off my cloud
13 The Residents - (Can't Get No) Satisfaction

14 B52s - Downtown
15 Klaus Nomi - The Twist (live)
16 Wall of Voodoo - Ring Of Fire (live)
17 Bakersfield Boogie Boys - Okie from Muskogee
18 The Dickies - Nights in White Satin
19 The Slits - Heard It Thru the Grapevine
20 Ebn Ozn - Rockin' Robin
21 Jah Wobble - Blueberry Hill
22 Drinking Electricity - Shaking All Over
23 Ronnie And The Rhythm Boys - Hey Joe


I'm pretty sure I got some of these tracks off of blogs like Egg City Radio and Mutant Sounds, so thanks to them, and whoever else needs to be thanked. Part two coming at ya soon.

VINYL-PALOOZA #11: Ya No Hay Beatles! A Mexican '60s Garage Rock Fiesta

Closing out this month-long trip thru record-land, I present one final goodie - a various-artists 1960s mucho loco trip thru my Mexican garage-rock discoveries. I found some of these in the little mom 'n' pop store-front Latino music discotecas (music shops) that dot the working class neighborhoods of Los Angeles. Some of these records were still in the shrink-wrap, apparently bouncing around unwanted since the '60s. I bought most of these in the '90s, so I doubt there are too many left by now, but one never knows, does one? The usual sources (thrift shops, record stores) provided the rest.

These albums aren't always solid gold - there are boring ballads, or songs sung in English that make these groups sound like just another bar band. But the right combination of teenage hormones, unusual Latin influences, covers and originals can result in wild, fun, Nuggets-worthy trash-sterpieces.



So here's an hour's worth of garage, rockabilly, crazy screaming vocals, cool surf instros, and (this being a MusicForManiacs comp, after all) a few weird novelties. Happy Cinco de Mayo!



Ya No Hay Beatles! A MusicForManiacs Collection



Los Locos Del Ritmo - Hey Joe

Hermanos Carrion - Todo A Su Tiempo (Turn Turn Turn)

Los Apson - Ya No Hay Beatles [I think the title of this original tune translates to something like "We Ain't No Beatles"]

Los Aragon - Tema do Los Monkees

Los Teen Tops - La Plaga (Good Golly Miss Molly)

Los Rockin Devils - Hey Lupe (Hang On Sloopy) [I have a great cassette by these guys/gal, but I can't be bothered with pulling out my boom box; in any case, Amazon has some highly-recommended CDs by 'em]

Los Rebeldos del Rock - Oh Mi Nina

Los Rebeldos del Rock - La Hiedra Venenosa (Poison Ivy)

Los Locos Del Ritmo - Si Ti Tengo A Ti

Los Apson - Viaje Submarino (20,000 Leagues)

Los Belmonts - Amarrado (Glad All Over)

Hermanos Carrion - Memphis

Los Locos Del Ritmo - El Fantasma

Los Locos Del Ritmo - Chica Alborotada

Los Apson - Twist Hawaiano

Los Hooligans - Despeinada

Los Hitters - Hanky Panky

Los Locos Del Ritmo - Pan con Mantequilla (Bread and Butter) [Oh, how the retarded vox on this make me laff!]

Los Crazy Boys - Corina Corina

Los Locos Del Ritmo - El Mongol

Los Apson - Senor Apache (Mister Custer)

Hermanos Carrion - Suzy-Q [throws in a bit of "Land of 1000 Dance" as well]

Los Aragon - Paren esa Musica [don't quit listening before you get to this absolutely hysterical number; "stop the music!!"]