Results of last week’s battle: Who did it better? David Lindley & El Rayo-X or Andrew Rothman?
By request, a song that I always thought was a Material Issue original. Thanks to Jeff in Seattle, I now know that the original version was by a group from Seattle called The Green Pyjamas. Today in Who Did It Better, two versions of their biographical hit, “Kim The Waitress”.
Purchase links (where available):
“Kim The Waitress” – Green Pyjamas (2003 re-cover) (
)
“Kim The Waitress” – Sister Psychic (Unavailable on iTunes)
“Kim The Waitress” – Material Issue ()
No one can save us, but who did it better?
Listen to the podcast featuring both songs:
[audio: http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/backbeat.cachefly.net/coverville/audio/Coverville-WDIB-032-KimTheWaitress.mp3]
Or Download
If you’re still looking for it, the George Michael/Queen cover of “Papa Was A Rolling Stone” is actually a two-in-one cover off the Five Live EP. It leads off with Seal’s “Killer” and then segues into “Rolling Stone”.
Kind of a boring song. Good lyrical idea, but it’s just so repetitive. At least Material Issue added a little bit of dynamic variation… but not much.
I agree with Drew. Both versions were far too similar and lacking a decent hook.
Check out Material Issue’s covers of: “Cowboy Song” by Thin Lizzy, “Blockbuster” By The Sweet and “I Started a Joke” by The Bee Gees. Great band.
It’s a song about lust from a distance, with the narrator unable to act on his desire. Sister Psychic got that, Material Issue did not. Changing the line “Kim the waitress always turns me on” to “always turns me down” in the latter version misses the yearning that underlays the song.