Most of the songs were originally ๐ฉ-๐๐๐ ๐๐ from Placebo's previous singles.
๐ข"With 'B-Sides' we do a lot of experimental music, a lot of covers, instrumental and stuff like that and it is fun for us," ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ commented in the interview at the Rockwave Festival in 2004.
The ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ฒ๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง of the album was issued with an all-gray cover and only the white name of the band on it. T๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ of the album has a red title.
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง was re-released through Placebo's former label, EMI, with a new cover based on the Sleeping with Ghosts theme. This was strictly EMI's decision and didn't have any input from the band in releasing the album.
๐ฌ๐ผ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข’๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ก๐๐, ๐ฆ๐๐ข ๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐ค ๐กโ๐๐ก ๐กโ๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐ฆ๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ก๐๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ค, ๐๐๐ข๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ก๐ก๐ฆ ๐ข๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ (๐๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐) ๐๐๐๐๐…๐ฒ ๐ผ ๐๐๐’๐ก ๐๐ค๐ ๐๐ก ๐ฆ๐๐ก ๐๐ข๐ก ๐ผ’๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐คโ๐ ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข ๐๐ ๐๐๐ โ๐๐ค ๐๐๐ ๐คโ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข ๐๐๐ก ๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐ฆ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ก๐๐๐ ๐๐!
๐ถThe decision of releasing a covers compilation mostly came from success gained by Placebo’s cover of Kate Bush’s ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฉ ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ. After being used on the soundtrack for the fourth-season premiere of the series ๐ป๐๐ ๐ถ.๐ช., the song received much attention in both the U.S. and the UK, peaking at No. 44 on the UK Singles Chart. However, it’s not only about The O.C.; the cover was widely used on the soundtrack for a good number of movies and series in different countries.
 |
| Photo credit: Scarlet Page, album cover / edit by Silke |
✨๐๐ฎ๐ง๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฉ ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ✨
▪️originally written and recorded by ๐ฒ๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ ▪️recorded especially for the 2003 Covers disc
✨๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ (๐ฟ๐ญ๐ด ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐)✨
▪️originally recorded by ๐ท๐๐๐๐๐
▪️written by Black Francis
▪️previously appeared on ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ single released in 2003 but had an introduction by a radio presenter
✨๐๐ข๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐ค๐๐ฌ ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ง✨
▪️originally recorded by ๐ป๐๐ ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐
▪️written by Johnny Marr and Steven Morrissey
▪️previously appeared on the single ๐๐๐ง๐๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ฒ in 1997
✨๐๐จ๐ก๐ง๐ง๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ฒ✨
▪️originally written and recorded by ๐น๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ท๐๐๐๐๐
▪️previously appeared on the ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ง single in 2000
✨๐๐๐ญ๐ก ๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ฒ✨
▪️originally recorded by ๐ป. ๐น๐๐
▪️written by Marc Bolan
▪️previously released on the soundtrack to the film ๐ฝ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ and also as B-side on the ๐๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐จ๐ง'๐ญ ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐ฌ single in 1998
✨๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐จ๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง✨
▪️originally recorded by ๐บ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
▪️written by Serge Gainsbourg and Jean-Claude Vannier
▪️used on the ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ compilation album released in 2005
✨๐๐จ๐ฅ๐จ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ✨
▪️originally recorded by ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐บ๐๐๐
▪️written by Alex Chilton
▪️previously appeared on the ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ single in 2000
✨๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ฎ✨
▪️originally recorded by ๐ซ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ด๐๐ ๐
▪️written by Martin Gore
▪️previously released on a fan club-only cassette in 1999 and as a bonus track on the ๐๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง of ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ค ๐๐๐ซ๐ค๐๐ญ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐
✨๐๐๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐จ๐ฅ✨
▪️originally recorded by ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ ๐ด
▪️written by Frank Farian and George Reyam
▪️previously appeared as B-side on ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐ง๐ single in 2003
✨๐๐๐๐ค๐ข๐✨
▪️originally written and recorded by ๐บ๐๐๐́๐๐ ๐ถ'๐ช๐๐๐๐๐
▪️previously appeared as B-side on the ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง of the single ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ in 2003
 |
| Photo credit: Scarlet Page, album cover / edit by Silke |
๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐.
The very idea of a covers album may have connotations of a concept employed by waning pop artists taking a stab at swing music. However, this collection of re-readings from post-Britpop neo-glam bastions Placebo is an entirely different entity. A smattering of B-sides, live favourites and other rarities make Covers a one-artist compilation album as opposed to a from-scratch covers project, and it functions all the better for it.
Originally released as a bonus disc to accompany 2003 album Sleeping With Ghosts, then given a limited standalone push in 2007, Covers finally warrants a full release in its own right. And headed up by their sullen, cerebral take on Running Up That Hill (a long-established Placebo catalogue staple), its appeal, unlike its sporadic life as an album thus far, is immediate.
An interpretation of Depeche Mode’s I Feel You is among the more dependable covers, as is their 20th Century Boy, originally recorded for the Velvet Goldmine soundtrack. Elsewhere, a radio session take on the Pixies’ Where Is My Mind – surprisingly polished for a live version – operates as both a tribute and a display of fandom towards a band whose influence in Placebo’s output is unmistakable.
Its decade-straddling compilation aspect makes Covers all the more extraordinary, its constancy completely steadfast. The lone exception to the brilliance comes via an oddly faithful version of Boney M's Daddy Cool, which has to be consumed as the side dish to a sizeable main portion of irony to stomach; and yet, its clunky audacity is admirable.
Where an album of this type is often one for the fans, it’s doubtful there’s a Placebo devotee that doesn’t already have a copy of Covers knocking about. Rather, it’s something to turn the heads of the music fans for whom Placebo have never fully broken the surface, and even more commendably for an album without a solitary Placebo original, it sells their incomparable brand of dark, licentious rock beautifully.
(๐ต๐ต๐ถ, 2010, ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ค ๐๐ฆ ๐ด๐ ๐น๐๐ฅ)
Post by Olga
