Just listened to Mark Lanegan’s “Imitations” 2013, his second covers album, and as you’d expect some are better than others. I’m a big fan though so I gave it a thorough listening. Weirdly I like the songs that are most recognizable like Solitaire (Neil Sedaka and Phil Cody), 1972, and Pretty Colors (Al Gorgoni and Chip Taylor), 1966. Both become vehicles for a studied sort of vocal styling that shows just how, well, showy Lanegan can be:) He is not just all gravel and gruff.
Both versions maintain the beauty of the original melodies and the bravura of their orchestrations, but as the wiki link above suggests, they are more sad and beleaguered. Big surprise! And so in Lanegan’s way, lyrics from Mack the Knife – “and the shark has pretty teeth dear, and he shows them pearly whites” – turn quickly foreboding. Makes me want to listen to all the covers made by musicians of these songs (there have been many), and wonder which ones Lanegan preferred. It does make a difference, and of course nostalgia is key. I am most familiar with The Carpenter’s version of Solitaire from 1975, which as a little kid I found a bit histrionic and as an adult, overproduced (sorry Carpenter fans). Whereas when I heard Frank Sinatra’s Pretty Colors on Cycles, 1968, a record I bought as an adult, I fell in love with it right away (I’ve probably mentioned though that my dad was a big Sinatra fan so I grew up on him). Certainly, you can hear Frank’s signature legato in Lanegan’s take…regardless, I love both.
Here are studio versions of Solitaire and Pretty Colors, and I’ve also found live versions of each song (click on respective images, added just for color):
For those unfamiliar with Lanegan, another live performance of two of my favorite songs from his last project, Black Pudding, also of 2013. Notice that I prefer posting low quality live recordings to none at all, but for those who want the clear version the the entire album can be heard here. Enjoy:)
