“1999” – dump
“1999” – Dump (download here)
from That Skinny Motherfucker With the High Voice? (1998)
released by Shrimper
(file expires March 29th)
Yo La Tengo’s James McNew reimagines “1999” as an oddly grooved drum machine chill-out. It works, too, mostly thanks to McNew’s boyishly sweet voice. His album of Prince covers, That Skinny Motherfucker With the High Voice? (note the question mark) was sued out of existence by the Purple One himself. I wonder if he ever listened to it. I hope so, if only because I dig the idea of Prince feeling threatened by James McNew. Apparently, Amazon Japan has copies.
(Oh, yeah: and YLT will be on WFMU tomorrow night doing their annual request-a-thon/benefit, though it probably won’t be as good as this.)
too cool. that drum beat is really nice, the kind of odd-time rhythm that keeps you guessing all the way through. love it.
a quick anecdote about *another* cover of that skinny mutherfucker with the high voice’s ‘1999’: i had originally wanted to use PHiSH’s version from MSG (1998 NYE) as the soundtrack to a video on dance literacy. just a scene’s worth of music, the main vamp played by page, but it was a wedding scene, me dancing with my sister circa 1992, nicely synced up with the new(er) music. well, i’m showing this to my fiancé and our friend lezzers, and they start to complain about the music. “that wedding band sounds really shitty,” one of them says. “awful.”
i let them simmer for a minute, loving the fact that the visual mode had so dominated the aural that what truly is a great piece of music became a plastic nostalgia statue. when i revealed the real source for the song, they couldnt believe it, and were convinced it must’ve been an off night. well…
thanks for this! i’m planning to see akron/family tomorrow and hope things work out; the wedding approacheth and our bachelor/ette party is on saturday.
i wanted to share a song with you that’s been haunting me for a few years. hopefully it will haunt you, too.
http://download.yousendit.com/83F06C6D58A439E9