Cover to Cover - Part 2

I hadn't abandoned Aerosmith though. In 1990, my brother and I were disappointed that 75% of the songs they played seemed to be from their new albums. While looking through the liner notes from their Greatest Hits album, I noticed 'Train Kept a Rollin'' was a cover song. After some quick research, I found out that Led Zeppelin had rehearsed with that same song in their early days.

Back to the library.

I found 1969's 'Led Zeppelin II'. Then their 1968 debut. Within a matter of weeks I had found and listened to their catalogue. 'Train Kept a Rollin'' was nowhere to be found, but I was not disappointed. This stuff was foundational. Led Zeppelin did what other bands had been trying to do. Their albums were varied, thematic, and whole. I eventually found 'Train Kept a Rollin'' on a The Yardbirds album. The Yardbirds at one point had Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck in their roster. You can't get much more modern-rock-foundational then that.

So, now Aerosmith had led me to the alt-rock founders R.E.M. as well as one of the most influential bands of all time -- Led Zeppelin.

Cover to Cover - Part One

Back in the late 80s, my brother and I started listening to Aerosmith. Singles from 1987's Permanent Vacation were all over the radio and MuchMusic and we enjoyed their blues-rock. Catchy melodies, great guitar riffs and straight forward beats - Aerosmith was good stuff. Between Permanent Vacation and its follow-up (1989's Pump) my brother and I both started checking out older Aerosmith albums from the public library. Albums like 75's 'Toys in the Attic' and 76's 'Rocks' were full of gems that far-outshone the band's then current material. Thank goodness we went back and listened to the old material, because if it hadn't been for those songs I would've never discovered two of my most appreciated bands.

Although I had heard of them before, I had never sat down to really listen to R.E.M. until I found out they had covered Aerosmith's 'Toys in the Attic' on 1987's Dead Letter Office. I took DLO out from the library and listened to the cover. It was loose...exceedingly loose, frivolous and fun. The cover version was enjoyable because it hearkened the original, but added something of it's own.

Now, any R.E.M. fan knows that 'Dead Letter Office' is pretty much bottom of the barrel when it comes to their extensive catalogue. But I listened to that album over and over and over, taking in a style of music I had never heard yet: the beginning of alt-rock. On the next visit to the library, I checked out 1986's 'Life's Rich Pageant', 1987's 'Document' and 1988's 'Green'. After enjoying 'Dead Letter Office', a collection of throw away recordings and b-sides, those three albums were unbelievable. Rich lyrics, dueling vocals, earthy production. Thanks to Aerosmith, I had a new favourite band.

Sweden's "I'm From Barcelona"

There are two music sites I check daily for news and reviews. One is Pitchfork, the other is Chart Attack. A couple months ago on Pitchfork they had a news item about a band named "I'm From Barcelona"...who are from Sweden. There are TWENTY NINE members of this band. 29. Anyway, I clicked the video link and was pleasantly surprised to find a new band to enjoy. Finally, "Let Me Introduce You To My Friends" album is being released on this side of the Atlantic on March 6. If you enjoy this song/video, check out "Collection of Stamps" via the band's website.

Thanks Pitchfork and Youtube for increasing my awareness of good music!