Sunday, February 12, 2012
Cover Series: Hey Ya!
YouTube: The first of our Kickstarter Reward Cover Series.
"Hey Ya!" by Outkast (Andre 3000). Shot and edited by Bart Cortright.
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YouTube: The first of our Kickstarter Reward Cover Series.
"Hey Ya!" by Outkast (Andre 3000). Shot and edited by Bart Cortright.
9 comments:
Really? a steel guitar and what i assume is an accordion cover of hey ya? I couldn't stand the original song when it came out back in junior high. I couldn't bring myself to finish this video. Even as i tried to attempt to watch and listen the recording was to quiet to hear anything, i thought it was just a bad upload until i was confronted with the accordion. really this group could have easily have picked another song to cover.
Learn more about what you comment before you comment, Sean! They didn't pick this video. It was one of their Kickstarter donator's choices. If you gave them $250 or more you were allowed to choose a song that they would have to cover on Youtube. Also, they did not do a bad job considering the amount of shittier covers that exist of this song. It's fits into their musical aesthetic very well. And it was a very wise way to raise a ton of money, more than they had even projected.
whether or not there are shittier covers of a song doesn't change the fact that is a bad song to do a cover in the first place. as the article was posted just read Kickstarter contest first cover song, i did not know that it was a fans choice for the cover. in which case i feel bad that the band had to do this cover. still doesn't change that this is a poor song to cover, the recording quality is very poor and while the singer has a great voice that does well with the lyrics, he is over come by the occasion percussion hits that come out of nowhere. congrats to the band for raising money. still a bad cover
Sean, It doesn't really matter whether you like this song or not. They did a great job musically, at entirely reinventing a popular hit in a different musical style. The arrangement works well and I'm frankly impressed with what they've done with it. You're personal objection to "Hey Ya!" doesn't make this "shitty." Don't let closed-mindedness cloud your view of what is actually a really interesting take on this song.
I would think that, as a fan of Michael Buble, Sean may want to reexamine his definition of a "shitty" cover. I personally really enjoyed the direction in which PigPen took "Hey Ya!" and thought it was inventive, even though I too do not enjoy the original. I think this can be classifed as "people in glass houses" syndrome.
Ooooh, snap.
Whether or not you enjoy this cover, Kickstarter and the Kickstarter project created by PigPen is a great idea. If you look at all of the prize/reward levels created by Pigpen there are many incentives which will encourage more donations. Presenting and giving out material with little cost to them and that showcases their talent at the same time is a great way to encourage funding their company.
Sean - You've repeatedly said that this is a bad song to cover, but not why you think that. What makes this song a worse choice to cover than any other? There seems to be a fairly long list of bands that have covered the song, including classic acts like Booker T and Neil Young (I'm particularly fond of that version). We might be able to agree there are "better" songs to cover, but this song seems just as cover-able as any other, doesn't it?
Secondly - the recording quality. If you know anything about PigPen, you know their work has what I would call a "campfire" aesthetic. The charm of all of their work is that it isn't over produced, it has a feel of being rough. To me the recording quality of this song partly reflects the experience of seeing them live - an effect that as a donor to this project, I hope is retained on the album.
Also, this song is a bonus extra for the people who donated to the project, there's not an expectation that it have the same production values that their forthcoming album.
I admit that for some people accordion is a difficult instrument, I personally love it, and I think this cover is great. At first I was a little irked that it wasn't just for the donors, but as soon as I began listening to it, the song won me over. The only negative thing that comes out of this for me is that I'm not geographically close enough to see them any time soon.
Lastly - Kickstarter is a tricky thing. It's a powerful tool for fundraising, but it's a tool that can easily be used for evil instead of good, and I think PigPen has done a great job with it.
guys what none of you are realizing is that musical preference is a personal preference. Just because you might like the Original song does not mean I have to and that is my point. I do not like this song and there feel it was a poor choice to do a cover of. As for Abby's comment I disagree I did not like the cover. the mix didn't, the instrumental choices and the vocals in my opinion did not work well in my taste now if you like that is your choice but in my opinion they did not do a good job with this song plain and simple that no one person's opinion is fact as strongly as you may try to force it on people there is nothing that says i have to agree.
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