All Folked Up: The Punk Rock Collection, Vol. 1
(folk covers of seminal first and second wave punk music)
A wonderful cascade of covers from a friend has turned my thoughts to covers of punk music this week. As Katie noted in her send-along, much of which appear below, “the thread that runs from folk to punk seems such a vibrant and easily spotted one to pull at”, and that sounds just about right; I’d even go so far as to suggest that, like folk in the generation before it, Punk both served and sprung from the hearts of a discontented youth counterculture, and - as I noted about Rap rather tongue-in-cheek last year - it continues to do so for some significant subsection of that youth as our culture continues to fragment and weave.
Which is to say: like folk and Rap, Punk has its folkways, too. The phenomenon known as punk was originally a scene, not a genre; its early influences were broad, its geography widespread, and as such, the diversity of sound and lyricism in its early years was vast. Too, like folk itself, punk is a big umbrella, containing multitudes, and incorporating the sounds of its neighboring genres; by the eighties, just a decade after the sound first coalesced, the variety of sounds and subgenres which swarmed and swirled around the moniker ranged from the thrashing hardcore sound of Bad Brains and Fugazi to the dark, often-industrial sounds of post-punk and New Wave bands like Talking Heads, The Fall and The Cure. All of these survive in some way today, and each has their own merit, as sound and sensibility.
In part because of the sheer diversity of punk music in our culture, the wealth of folk and acoustic punk covers “out there” seems to transcend any attempts to winnow down the list. As such, today, we focus solely on songs and artists from punk’s formative years, mostly first-wave and early second-wave stuff, stopping at around 1984, just before the Pixies, Sublime, Green Day and Fugazi hit the scene; next week, perhaps, we will return for a look at the ways in which more modern punk songs have found their way into the canon of folk coverage, for there’s certainly richness there, as well.
But regardless of our narrow focus, the stripped-down approach to songs originally performed with the bombastic, in-your-face pomp of punk is both broad and delicious. Typically, the takes split down the middle, choosing to reinterpret the original lyrics and melody either fast and raw, or slow and sly and confessional, and today’s set offers excellent examples of both in spades. From the ache of Allo, Darlin’s uke cover of the Ramones, Calexico’s Guns of Brixton, or Chumbawamba’s Wire cover to the restrained melodic harmonies of the Indigo Girls’ Clash interpretation, the manic banjo pluck of the Bad Livers taking on Iggy Pop and the Stooges, the popfolk of Lisa Loeb and Steve Reynold’s Damned cover, and the honky-tonk of Whiskeytown’s take on Black Flag, each holds its own as song and performance, worth sharing and celebrating.
There’s beauty in punk music, I think - a dark and angry beauty, but a beauty nonetheless. And this beauty makes its way into the delicate and deliberate, too. The anger here isn’t gone, it’s merely transformed: into something tender, or more distant, depending on the artist’s choice of interpretation. The vulnerability of folk performance doesn’t so much bring new meaning to the songs as it does reveal the innermost secrets of its music and its society. The political is made personal. And so it goes, in the constant dance that is culture.
- Indigo Girls: Clampdown (orig. The Clash)
(from Burning London: The Clash Tribute, 1999; more Indigo Girls) - Calexico: Guns of Brixton (orig. The Clash)
(from this 2006 single; more Calexico) - Petty Booka: Lost in the Supermarket (orig. The Clash)
(from Tokyo Bluegrass Honeys, 2008)
- Amy Speace: Dreaming (orig. Blondie)
(from Songs For Bright Street, 2006) - Bill Janovitz: Dreaming/Till The Next Goodbye (ibid./Rolling Stones)
(from Bill’s Cover of the Week blog series, 2008)
- Lisa Loeb & Steve Reynolds: Video Nasty (orig. The Damned)
(from the Altered States soundtrack, 2008; more Lisa Loeb)
- Chumbawamba: Mannequin orig. Wire)
(b-side on Ugh! Your Ugly Houses, 1995; more Chumbawamba)
- Everything But The Girl: English Rose (orig. The Jam)
(from an NME mag sampler, 1983; more EBTG)
- Whiskeytown: Nervous Breakdown (orig. Black Flag)
(from out-of-print Rural Free Delivery, 1997; more Whiskeytown)
- Walter Schreifels: Society Sucker (orig. Agnostic Front)
(live, via MySpace)
- J. Mascis: On The Run (orig. The Wipers)
(from Martin + Me, 1996)
- Frank Turner: Pay to Cum (orig. Bad Brains)
(from the Softcore Tour, 2007; available on The First Three Years)
- Willie Wisely Trio: Monday Will Never Be The Same (orig. Husker Du)
(from Du Husker: The Twin Cities Replay Zen Arcade, 1993; more Wisely)
- Allo, Darlin’: I Wanna Be Sedated (orig. The Ramones)
(from the Allo, Darlin’ website, 2009) - Jesse Malin: Questioningly (orig. The Ramones)
(from b-side comp Messed Up Here Tonight, 2004; more Jesse Malin) - John Frusciante: Havana Affair (orig. The Ramones)
(live, 2005; more John Frusciante) - Hamell on Trial: Rockaway Beach (orig. The Ramones)
(live, 2002; more Hamell on Trial)
- The Bad Livers: Lust for Life (orig. Iggy Pop
and the Stooges)
(from John Peel in-studio collection Fabriclive.07, 2002) - Uncle Tupelo: I Wanna Be Your Dog (orig. Iggy Pop and the Stooges)
(demo, 1992; more Uncle Tupelo)
Previously on Cover Lay Down: Covers of The Clash classic Straight to Hell from Amy Loftus and Will Kimbrough, The Kensington Hillbillies, Emm Gryner, and Josh Rouse.
Category: Uncategorized
November 4th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
That Bad Livers Livers cover is priceless. Great band. Btw, just an Iggy cover (sans Stooges).
November 4th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
The Bad Livers are amazing, aren’t they? Danny Barnes is a freakin’ punk banjo genius. Attribution fixed, too - thanks…
November 4th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
I’m loving that Lisa Loeb and Steve Reynolds cover - def. headed into the regular mp3 shuffle rotation. The only other Damned covers I’ve seen tend to be from punk or heavy music bands.
Frank Turner is killing me with the diversity of artists he covers. His version of Dancing Queen is one of my faves. But this is the first I’ve heard the Bad Brains cover - just excellent. I hadn’t realized he’d collected some of his covers onto one record (minus his Thunder Road, though, sigh.) Thanks!
November 4th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
Glad I could add some value to your original list, Katie. Thanks right back at you! Looking forward to an eventual second round of Fugazi, Pixies, Offspring, Green Day and Blink 182 covers!
November 5th, 2009 at 2:52 am
Could you track down Motorhead’s “Ace of Spades” done baroque-folk style by The Shatners? Came out I’d say 1994 - I heard it once but have never located a 45 or tape source
November 5th, 2009 at 3:40 am
[...] All Folked Up: The Punk Rock Collection, Vol. 1 (folk covers of seminal first and second wave punk m… [...]
November 5th, 2009 at 4:06 am
This is desperately lacking any of the whole album of David Pajo Misfits covers.
November 5th, 2009 at 4:20 am
[...] All Folked Up: The Punk Rock Collection, Vol. 1 (folk covers of seminal first and second wave punk m… [...]
November 5th, 2009 at 4:36 am
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by davechua: Folk covers of punk rock songs. http://bit.ly/gb0Im #fb…
November 5th, 2009 at 4:55 am
Phil Cody’s cover of “Straight to Hell” is essential to this list!
November 5th, 2009 at 5:52 am
Cheers for the links mate! i’ll give it a listen!
November 5th, 2009 at 5:59 am
Also check out the entire Never Mind the Bollocks album covered by Artichoke. Fantastic!
November 5th, 2009 at 7:22 am
You have mistaken Country for Folk in at least one case
November 5th, 2009 at 8:32 am
Another correction for the pendantic - I dont believe there ever was a band called “Iggy Pop and the Stooges”. It was “Iggy and the Stooges”, “The Stooges” or of course when Iggy went solo, “Iggy Pop”
November 5th, 2009 at 9:11 am
[...] http://coverlaydown.com/2009/11/all-folked-up-punk-rock-vol-1/ a few seconds ago from web [...]
November 5th, 2009 at 9:27 am
These are great. One thing I would ask, is whether there is a reason why mp3s offered for download on the web tend to have such short filenames? The standard from most sources is to have at least the artist name and track title in the filename.
November 5th, 2009 at 10:01 am
Oh my God. This is a collection designed to make me swoon.
November 5th, 2009 at 10:15 am
[...] All Folked Up: The Punk Rock Collection, Vol. 1 folk covers of seminal first and second wave punk mu…. Categories: Uncategorized Comments (0) Trackbacks (0) Leave a comment Trackback [...]
November 5th, 2009 at 10:21 am
Check out “12 Crass Covers” by Jeffrey Lewis. Best folk covers of punk songs album ever.
November 5th, 2009 at 10:23 am
I have a cd of four songs that were folk versions of Ministry and Motorhead songs. Two each. It was released from Mint Records and I think it was called “Killed by Death” or something like that…
I’ll have to dig this out when I get home.
November 5th, 2009 at 10:45 am
[...] care. When i checked through my list of frequented music blogs, and stumbled upon this gem from Cover Lay Down, my morning CAD work dissolved into brainless clicks and [...]
November 5th, 2009 at 11:03 am
Not a folk cover, but if you haven’t heard The Posies’ version of “Richie Dagger’s Crime” by The Germs, it’s worth tracking down. They turn it into a ’60s pop song, and it’s brilliant.
November 5th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
[...] All Folked Up: The Punk Rock Collection, Vol. 1 (folk covers of seminal first and second wave punk m…coverlaydown.com [...]
November 5th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
Welcome, boingboingers and regulars! Thanks for the recommendations, too…we aim to be entertaining [and pro-artist] here, but there’s always going to be more to find, and I appreciate the suggestions. It’s so nice to share.
@ anthonyberet - primarily, the short filenames are for my own convenience. But all files are tagged with artist, album, track name, year, and other meta-data.
@ AW: folk is a fluid term; we define bluegrass as a folk form here, but it’s also worth noting that we use an artist’s own designation when in doubt. Amy Speace’s cover sounds the most country to me, but she herself claims to be a folk artist, and I’ve seen her at folk festivals before…
November 5th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
Thank you for posting this. its has totally made my week! This is a collection tailored to make me smile.
November 5th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
My fave the i didn’t see here was the Lemonheads version of Misfit’s “Skulls”
November 5th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
I second the suggestion of 12 Crass Songs. I think I even like their version of Big A, Little A better than the original. Thanks for these, though!
November 5th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
Uh. You have a punk band covering a punk band in there. Chumbawumba is most definitely punk. Or have you not read their history?
November 5th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
My read of the “history”, coupled with an analysis of their sound, tells me that Chumbawamba defines themselves as both folk AND punk, oldpictures… but that track certainly doesn’t SOUND punk. To my ears, at least, the track sounds very much like Oyster Band, Fairport Convention, or other UK popfolk bands: lighthearted production, folk vocals, very melodic, and a core acoustic-guitar-driven sound.
Perhaps this, more than anything, shows the mutual influences and social roles of punk and folk?
Off to find Jeffrey Lewis and more Misfits covers!
November 5th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
Can’t believe you missed out London Calling from ‘the bad shepherds’ album ‘Yan, Tyan, Tethera, Methera!’.
Fronted by Aide Edmonson of ‘The Young Ones’ fame.
This is not a complaint, just a suggestion.
November 5th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
Re: Posies “Ritchie Daggers Crime”—a punk friend of mine worked on the video for it. After the shoot, I asked him which Germs song Posies had covered—I just knew it was for a “Germs cover” thing. “Not sure,” he answered. “I think it was “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band?”
November 5th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
[...] Check it out here. [...]
November 5th, 2009 at 6:00 pm
[...] All Folked Up: The Punk Rock Collection, Vol. 1 (folk covers of seminal first and second wave punk m… [...]
November 6th, 2009 at 6:20 am
I downloaded a song from this list - clampdown - and it has now taken over my computer, suddenly appearing out of nowhere at irregular intervals. I can identify no programme associated with it : it seems to play by itself, often at the same time as another piece of music that I might be listening to. Trashing the original file has no effect.
November 6th, 2009 at 8:52 am
For Katie…. I have a copy of Frank Turner singing Thunder Road if you want me to upload it somewhere? If you go mail me
gogs.davies#googlemail.com
just replace the # with an @
Gogs
November 6th, 2009 at 8:56 am
Do NOT trust Gogs, he’s known as a spy for the SLA.
November 6th, 2009 at 8:57 am
errr thanks Heiko for that constructive comment mate
November 6th, 2009 at 9:02 am
Cheer mate,
I just thought to let em all know, especially Katie. Isn’t it funny that you always offering your “services” only to the ladies?
You Womanizer, you….
November 6th, 2009 at 10:32 am
[...] All Folked Up: The Punk Rock Collection, Vol. 1 (folk covers of seminal first and second wave punk m… (tags: music) [...]
November 6th, 2009 at 10:53 am
[...] All Folked Up: The Punk Rock Collection, Vol. 1 (folk covers of seminal first and second wave punk m… (via BoingBoing) [...]
November 6th, 2009 at 11:30 am
[...] b. All Folked Up, a compilation of Punk songs done by Folk (ish) artists HERE> [...]
November 6th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
i remember evan dando doing a great cover version of skulls (by misfits), but dunno if there is a recording out there.
November 6th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
[...] All Folked Up: The Punk Rock Collection, Vol. 1 (folk covers of seminal first and second wave punk m… (tags: blog free music mp3 downloads cover covers punk folk) [...]
November 6th, 2009 at 6:35 pm
Next you have to do punk rock covers of folk songs, like Mike Ness doing Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16GDt2XHESw
November 7th, 2009 at 9:13 pm
What about Purty Vacant by the Kingswoods? Maybe not strictly folk but a great Sex Pistols cover!
November 8th, 2009 at 8:08 pm
Seriously? Do you only post positive comments about this atrocity? And the supporters of this, what the hell is wrong with you? Makes me sick to see praises of such a trashy idea. Perhaps you are “used-to be-punks”? Perhaps you never were punk at all and just wanted to rebel? Well, if you had any punk blood in you, you too would agree that such great songs should be left alone. I can’t believe that Dave Vanian, Iggy Pop/Stooges, The estate/rights owners of The Ramones and The Clash would do this. Sell out. Punk IS Dead…
November 8th, 2009 at 10:52 pm
@ Johnny Hellride: the very idea that “great songs should be left alone” is kind of anathema to the whole premise of this blog, innit? Indeed, rather than claiming this as a marker that “punk is dead”, I’d suggest this is how movements AND songs stay alive, by reaching - and reaching out to - new people and communities of listeners. In both the folkworld and the world of cover songs, we believe that great songs should be shared, and I think these song reinterpretations are primarily designed to reach those who are not, at core, exclusively one-genre punks. Perhaps they’ll become punk after this, though. Would that serve?
As to the positive feedback herein: I can assure you, I haven’t deleted any comments, and would note that there are plenty of negative comments about these songs on other blogs and forums which have re-blogged this post, as the above trackbacks reveal. They’re welcome to their opinion and voices, too, as far as I’m concerned - the world of music culture is rich with tension, and is boring without differences of taste and opinion.
November 9th, 2009 at 3:43 pm
May I humbly suggest “White Riot” by The Wages of Sin:
http://www.amazon.com/Gringo-Mariachi/dp/B002HPFYV6
Not strictly ‘folk’ but The Clash + banjo, fiddle, mando, and upright bass…
November 10th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
[...] irgendwie kommt man gar nicht aus dem Schwärmen heraus, denn der Sampler All Folked Up: The Punk Rock Collection, Vol. 1 hält noch einige weitere Leckerbissen parat: Uncle Tupelo – I Wanna Be Your Dog [...]
November 10th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
Glad someone’s givin’ Frusciante some love.
November 10th, 2009 at 6:45 pm
Boyhowdy, good choices. I chuckled a bit at Johnny Hellride’s comment. Such a bizarre concept to me, that songs should never be covered. Very punk rock.
Glad to see Frank Turner make your list. He’s one of my favorite current folk/punkers.
November 10th, 2009 at 7:12 pm
[...] לאוסף המלא [...]
November 14th, 2009 at 8:23 am
[...] Cover Lay Down is the name of a blog that does just this. It regularly puts out playlists that explore covers of familiar songs from other genres covered by folk artists. Sometimes, it offers many versions of one song such as Leonard Cohen’s Chelsea Hotel No. 2 done by artists ranging from Regina Spektor, the Soviet-born American singer and pianist, to singer-songwriters, Rufus Wainwright and Josh Ritter. [...]
November 19th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
“good post”
November 30th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
Check out the Lascivious Biddies’ version of Morisey’s “Ask Me.” Simply beautiful.
December 13th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
What about Dwight Yoakam covering The Clash ‘Train In Vain’?
January 1st, 2010 at 3:25 am
[...] Coverversionen: “All Folked Up” sammelt Punk-Klassiker als folkige Coverversionen… Bei manchen Songs tut es richtig [...]
January 5th, 2010 at 8:55 am
[...] All Folked Up – Folk covers of seminal punk rock music. Heh. [...]
January 7th, 2010 at 2:49 pm
HA HA HA HA !!!! WHat a HILARIOUS idea!!!!
punk classics covered in a folk or country style!!! LOL!!!!
That Bad Livers version of Iggy Pop! Oh stop! My sides are splitting!
yawn
January 9th, 2010 at 4:19 am
[...] Qui altri classici punk “All Folked Up”. [...]
February 2nd, 2010 at 5:39 am
I always like punk cover version than folk/country cover version. Guess I’ll have to hear it myself.
March 5th, 2010 at 9:49 am
Super sweet collection. Another one to check out that is a must IMHO is Two Tons of Steel and their version of “I Wanna Be Sedated”. Complete with foot-stomping country twang…it’s kinda kick ass. Thanks for sharing these!
March 6th, 2010 at 4:37 pm
please leave punk alone