TVD's Alternative Ulcer

Covers are kind of like relationships. The first time you hear a cover, it's like the start of a relationship where you are reminded of things from past relationships, but you are also experiencing something new. A good cover is like a fun brand new relationship where you really dig the person and you get to enjoy all the things that make being with someone fun. A bad cover however is like when you realize why you're single-maybe what you had in the past was awesome and this new thing kind of blows. In fact, this new thing may be ruining the concept of relationships for you altogether. Ok thank you for bearing with me during that awful analogy I just made. But I think you get my point?

Covers and I have a sordid relationship. Sometimes I’ll love a cover more than the original. Other times the cover is so bad it will actually make me hate the original. Still, other times I'll hate the original but I'll completely dig the cover. For instance a few months back I came across a George Benson album in which he covers Beatles songs. I bought the album at the encouragement of my friend Ben but was reluctant to listen to it. Like a bad relationship, the Beatles have left me with some baggage. When I was in college I dated a guy who absolutely loved them. His musical tastes in general were great and it wasn’t as if all he listened to were the Beatles. However, he listened to a lot of the Beatles. During the course of our relationship, in the summer before I came to law school, I worked in a Beatles themed bar. And just like with the guy I was dating, it wasn’t all Beatles all the time. But it was a lot of damn Beatles. After that period of my life, I had Beatles baggage. From the stuff you hear regularly on the radio to the more obscure music-I couldn’t hear any of it. So you can understand my reluctance to get this George Benson album. Probably what really prompted me to buy it was my friend Ben saying that if I didn’t he would, and my overachieving competitive side kicked in so at that point I had to buy it. I came home and gave it a listen while doing the dishes. I didn’t want to give it the full attention it probably deserved. I couldn’t. I had to ease in, just like with any new relationship.

Not too long ago I gave Ben the album in exchange for a few of his records. It’s not that I hated the album, but he wanted it more than I did. As with relationships, you gotta know when to let go. I’m still not sure exactly how I feel about the album, so instead of telling you, loyal readers, how I feel, I want your reactions. (Don’t I always!)

Oh, and YOU’RE WELCOME BEN!

George Benson - The Other Side Of Abbey Road (LP Side One) (Mp3)
George Benson - The Other Side Of Abbey Road (LP Side Two) (Mp3)