cover me impressed

Tune du Jour: “The Freshmen” – The Verve Pipe

THE CLASH of Cover Tunes: Bronson Arroyo vs. Mustard Plug

Peruse, Comment and Vote (I Beseech, Implore and Urge Thee, respectively)

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Man, the successful marketing of this song was truly an exercise in perseverance! The Freshmen was originally released in 1992 in an acoustic format on The Verve Pipe’s first album, I’ve Suffered A Head Injury. For some strange reason the world did not love it. So The Verve Pipe gave us all a second chance, rerecording it as more of a rocker and re-releasing it in 1996 on their third album, Villians. Now we were starting to get it, but not as reverently as a song like The Freshmen so richly deserves. So the band released it as a single…just not the album version. Nope, instead The Verve Pipe enlisted the help of Grammy Award-winning producer Jack Joseph Puig and recorded the song a third time. And you know something? That one was just right! In fact, it was so right that on subsequent pressings of Villians, the original album cut of The Freshmen was expunged and replaced with the Puig-engineered “single” version. The album version was gone, as if it never existed! And it was thusly proclaimed that hence forth, the mere mention of a first and second version of The Freshmen would cause the offending party to be dubbed an Enemy of the State and, as such, summarily banished to the Pointless Forrest… 

The singles rendition of The Freshmen peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, thereby proving the age-old adage: If at first you don’t succeed, then try again, and if that doesn’t work then have Jack Joseph Puig do it for you.

The Original

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The Verve Pipe: I’ve Suffered A Head Injury

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The Next Original

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The Verve Pipe: Villians (at least for awhile)

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The Most Popular

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The Verve Pipe: Single

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THE CLASH of Cover Tunes

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Bronson Arroyo vs. Mustard Plug

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Bronson Arroyo:

Yes that Bronson Arroyo! Before tonight I had no idea what a Renaissance man Bronson Arroyo was/is. World Series’ pitcher, nutritionist, studly musician, charter member of the Eddie Vedder Buddyroo Club and world-renowned physicist. Okay, I made the last one up. But I betcha he could be if he wanted to…

Mustard Plug:

I’m fairly certain that the name of this band refers to something disgusting. But I couldn’t tell you why or what it is.

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Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. Only one cover tune will live to play another day and it is your solemn responsibility to decide which one prevails. So tell me … Which Side Are You On?!!?

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