Tune du Jour: “Pride” – U2
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes: Mike Masse with Jeff Hall & Phil Wormdahl vs. Nouvelle Vague vs. The Persuasions
Everybody’s Dressin’ Funny … Cover Me Impressed!
Read it in the Sunday Papers …
Elvira Montes is a champion. Last week, the 81-year-old grandmother competed with her family in Austin’s FloTrack “Beer Mile” World Championships, in which runners have to chug a 12-ounce beer before each of the four quarter-mile laps. Montes, who’s been running since she was 60, finished in 20:24 – 50 seconds faster than her 47-year-old daughter. Her son-in-law couldn’t even make it to the finish line. The octogenarian says she doesn’t even like beer, preferring scotch instead. “I tried to drink the first on really fast, but I couldn’t,” she said. “The second one went down really smooth; the third, even better. The fourth was all right.”
The Original
U2:
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
Mike Masse with Jeff Hall & Phil Wormdahl vs. Nouvelle Vague vs. The Persuasions
Mike Masse with Jeff Hall & Phil Wormdahl:
Nouvelle Vague:
The Persuasions:
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?!!?
cover me impressed 
Almost anyone can buy an echo and reverb effects pedal and a Fender Stratocaster guitar, and with a little practice can sound almost as cool as the Edge playing this song. But not too many folks can sing this song like Bono, although Mike Masse is clearly one who can. I don’t think that given the same instrumentation and setting U2 could have done much better themselves. Nouvelle Vague and The Persuasions were good. But in my mind this one is no contest.
The Persuasions do their bit, which is always worthwhile.
I’ve never heard Nouvelle Vague outside of CMI. While not bad, they haven’t quite won me over.
Mike Masse and friends might not look like much, huddled in the back corner of some tiny restaurant before a dozen uninterested semi-spectators. But they really pulled it off. Bono’s vocal part is way serious, even dramatic, as is the subject matter. That’s a tough tightrope to walk for a cover singer, you don’t want to be overdramatic to the point of cheesy-ness, or fall short and end up sounding lame. Masse and company are the surprise winners today!
I really liked The Persuasions version. I thought at first the gimmick might run short but it was a thoroughly entertaining version which spotlighted the lyrics and kept the melody. I was a little disappointed in Nouvelle Vague. I thought it lacked the smokey, mysterious, sexy European lounge vibe. I picked Louis C.K. and his two friends. I thought it sounded so much more full with a bass and guitars. I thought for a moment maybe these guys should be U2. But then I don’t know if Louis would make it through the third stadium show before he died of a heart attack.