Tune du Jour: “Sound of the Suburbs” – The Members
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes: The Bad Shepherds vs. The Pelvis Douglas vs. The Vibrators
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The Original
The Members:
The Original 1979 Single “Short” Version (3 min 12 sec):
The “Full Length” Version (3 Min 53 sec) Released in 2013:
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
The Bad Shepherds vs. The Pelvis Douglas vs. The Vibrators
The Bad Shepherds:
The Pelvis Douglas:
The Vibrators:
SPACE
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. It is your solemn responsibility to decide which cover song prevails. In other words … Which Side Are You On?!!?
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
cover me impressed 
Lemme tell ya something. This is one of my all time favorite punk songs, and it really has a lot of meaning for me. I used to listen to this song a lot with my dear departed British friend Neil, who left this earth 21 years ago. He told me that the lyrics captured suburban life to a tee, better than anything he’d ever heard. I remember asking him what “Heathrow jets” and “Broadmoor sirens” were, and him explaining it to me. The Members’ first album, “At Chelsea Nightclub” is fantastic, and I wore out the grooves of that record. They never really hit it big, but their song “Solitary Confinement” was a hit for them and did get some airplay. A CD version of the album finally became available a few years ago, and I got all emotional when I played it, as a million great memories came flooding back. Anyway, it was a delight to hear this song this morning, and I liked all three covers. My inclination is to pick The Vibrators version, however, I think The Bad Shepherds get this one, as their stripped down acoustic version shows that the song stands well on its own just based on the poignant lyrics. Great stuff.
P.S. Broadmoor sirens are an alarm system installed by Broadmoor mental hospital. The hospital would sound the sirens if a mental patient had escaped, to warn the nearby communities, especially since some of the patients there were criminally violent. The way Neil described it… something I’ll never forget. Sigh.
This is the first time I don’t know the original song or the original artist. I listened to all versions and voted Vibrators.
I actually bought the “At Chelsea Nightclub” album with Arnie from Open Books & Records. We had driven down from G-ville for the weekend. Arnie was way too excited about the album for me not to make the purchase. I still remember is statement after I agreed to buy the album, “I envy you, Winston. I wish I could hear this album for the first time again.” And it was/is a gem. The type of contagious sound that you love immediately.
I thought highly of all three of these versions. The Bad Shepherds’ version is very good and creative but runs a bit too long. I had a tough time choosing between The Pelvis Douglas (explanation of band name, please) and The Vibrators. At one point during the day I was ready to vote for The Vibrators. But a few more listenings throughout the day and I had to give it to The Pelvis Douglas. Don’t know why but I’m partial to female punk singers. That screech just gets me every time. And the band looked like they had a great time banging out the jams.
I don’t remember the incident at all, but it made me happy hearing about this.