As far as covers vs. rip-offs in music, there are covers and there are covers, regardless of who is doing the cover version. For example, Elvis didn’t add much value to many of the black songs he popularized for white audiences, other than mass marketing. I don’t think they quite fall to the level of rip-offs, because he did have the talent to add some of his own flavor.

As far as “Summertime” goes, this version seems to be a note for note copy of the Big Brother and the Holding company version from Cheap Thrills. She even tries to mimic Joplin’s delivery, and actually succeeds most of the time. But she doesn’t have Joplin’s vocal depth and maybe even misses some of her range. And then the cover seems to try to reference the Woodstock cover (not necessarily the band’s fault). If this isn’t a rip-off it comes perilously close.

On the other hand, this also comes from a time when everybody in Northern California (as well as other places) was starting a band and covering the same songs. And based on the album cover, there’s a fair chance the production team was actually aiming for note-for-note covers, so it may not be the band’s fault they fell into the “uncanny valley” of cover versions. If these guys were lucky enough to score an album deal, more power to them.

and one of CocteauTwins:
Serpentskirt: http://www.box.net/shared/evkoqgjuskmsl7135r6d 

Swedish is quite challenging phonetically, even for speakers of languages that are a lot closer than English.

As Dan Morrison said, the singer does sound a lot like she’s imitating Janis Joplin’s vocals, but the instrumentals were interesting, and pretty much every female singer in the Western world has done a cover version of this tune.  Thanks for a nice spacey Freaky Friday.

I’ve always been one who considered the ’60s music to be a major downturn in the quality of music.

Before that, the cool music that the whole country could get behind was black music – jazz, soul, doo wop, motown, girl groups, etc. This era represented the ascendancy of white musicians…and man, it just doesn’t compare. Black music IS the heart and soul of American music, and the cornerstone of American cultural expression.

B) If you are at a place that things that looking at images of naked people is worse than any other sort of Internet activity, you ought to find a new place of employment.

Its not that they actually bad, they aren’t, but its been too long.

Listen to The Tokyo Metpod for an example of how far the Japanese have progressed.

If Yuya Uchida & the Flowers (内田裕也＆フラワーズ) were to revisit the original album, they could do such a better job of it now.

He didn’t quite say what you said he said, and since you seem to be taking issue, and claim not to be trolling, I hope you take this advice in good cheer. Good Cheer!

Also, holy screeching banshee batman!!!

Why is it when a western musician does another musician’s song it is a ‘cover’ but when an Asian does the same thing it is a ‘blatant rip-off’? 

She sounds more like a zombie Yoko Ono than Joplin – or perhaps some sort of cat-like Dr. Moreau abomination. As to the arrangement - I guess I kinda hear what you mean, but sort of thing was also fairly common during this era wasn’t it?

I’m not accusing anyone of racism – so pleeeaaaase relax. I’m not trying to create extra headache for the moderators. 

Cabby279