I Do The UK Sound

Here it is, the start of Mod-ified Music's new thematic posts. Everyone (blogs included), needs a little change now and then, and I'm really excited at the prospect of including a wider genre of music. A big thank you for all the comments and emails!

Here's a bumper post to enjoy.

EDIT: ALL LINKS FIXED
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I Do The UK Sound
The Sixties were certainly a golden age in British music. Just look at all the bands emerging in that decade - The Zombies, Herman's Hermits, Peter and Gordon, Swinging Blue Jeans, The Animals, Dave Clark 5... Although not all might have had the staying power as the prominent names like The Beatles or The Rolling Stones, if there's one thing they shared it was the knack at writing and performing good pop melodies.

Many have tried to emulate the British beat sound of the Sixties, even the current bands have at times turned to that period when searching for a song to cover.

Marie Laforet - Marie Douceur, Marie Colere (Paint It Black) (Rolling Stones cover)

A freakbeat favourite. Miles apart from the Marie Laforet song I posted earlier. More photos of Marie, here.

Nana Kinomi - I Love You (The Zombies cover)

In the world of Bunny Lake Is Missing, The Zombies ruled the pop culture scene, appearing on pub tvs and on the radio. Unfortunately, this wasn't reflected in real life, and the band didn't last beyond two albums, which is a pity.
Cover by Japanese 60s actress/singer Nana Kinomi. If anyone has more information about her, let me know! All sites about her are in Japanese.


Rita Chao - It's Gonna Be Alright (Gerry and The Pacemakers cover)

Gerry and The Pacemakers shared the same manager as The Beatles. Stalwarts of the original "Mersey Beat Sound". A cover by Rita Chao. Lots of Rita's sleeve art, here.

And of course, one can't cover the UK sound without a couple of Beatles covers...



Nadja Summa - Something (Beatles cover)

Thanks to Bruno for this! From her liner notes: Nadja is an obscure Belgian artist. Nadja is from Belgium. She started off as a ballet dancer, but then her parents noted her exceptional range of voice,which she developed into 3 full octaves. She was discovered on the 1971 International Fair by world famous Belgian organ virtuoso Jan De Nef (founder of the "Hammond brothers"). Shortly after she started appearing on Belgian tv and radio. This is from her first album (1972-73?) where she sings in English,French and German.

Franz Ferdinand - It Won't Be Long (Beatles cover)
Video for above performance(thanks to franzferdinand.org message boards)

I've always wanted to feature Franz Ferdinand in this blog, and now I've a chance too! Franz Ferdinand have long said that their music are inspired by Sixties bands like The Beatles. This is a live performance of a Beatles song, but instead of a straight cover, the band injected their trademark "new wave" sound into the song's arrangement. In my opinion, Franz Ferdinand are a band worth their hype. Smart lyrics and tight melodies. I saw them perform last week, and I must say, they are an excellent live act!

Speaking of Franz Ferdinand, don't forget that February 27th marks the release of "Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited". A tribute album made up of covers of Gainsbourg songs, by a whole host of artists - new and old. With all songs translated into English. Franz Ferdinand duets with Jane Birkin! I like Gainsbourg, and I like a lot of the bands on this cd. So I'm definitely getting this.

Visit The Modern Age for some samples: Placebo's cover of “Ballad of Melody Nelson”, and Karen Elson and Cat Power's duet on "Je T’aime…Moi Non Plus".
Preview Franz Ferdinand's duet with Jane Birkin at Dans Mon Cafe. Plus videos too!