Hot Chip cover Joy Division

Cover songs are a tricky business. By default, they’re forced into endless comparisons with the original and it’s a very rare artist that can actually improve upon and surpass a track that’s presumably pretty darn popular/iconic to begin with. There are obviously a few who have managed it – I’d say Jimi Hendrix had a real talent for covers. Though he made them so uniquely his that they very nearly stopped being covers. I know that if I were pressed for my favorite version of ‘All Along the Watchtower’, I wouldn’t hesitate to pick the Hendrix cover over Bob Dylan’s original. Even Bob Dylan likes it better than his own. His covers of ‘Johnny B. Goode’ and ‘Sgt Peppers’, while not being as shattering as ‘Watchtower’ are definitely worthy of note in the covers pantheon. In fact, I remember seeing an interview with Paul McCartney where he said he went to see Hendrix less than a week after Sgt Peppers had been released, and Hendrix was already performing his killer cover.

Aside from Jimi, there are a handful of other excellent covers out there. I mentioned earlier this week that I’ve always liked The Bangles’ version of ‘Hazy Shade of Winter’ better than the original. I think Jeff Bukley performed the definitive version of ‘Hallelujah’, and I’d say Division Day have quite a talent for knocking out distinctive covers. And of course, Buffetlibre’s Rewind series often produces some real gems.

This cover of Joy Division by Hot Chip would not find itself in my personal collection of Best Covers. I know Luis from Pretty Much Amazing really dug this, but as much as I love Hot Chip I just can’t seem to wrap my head around this one. I actually don’t mind the way it starts off, with the distorted, distant vocals, but once Alexis Taylor’s trademark vocal kicks in it completely loses me. ‘Transmission’ just doesn’t lend itself to an upbeat, pop-funk, sea shanty cover. I can’t help but miss the sense of desperation that Ian Curtis brought to the original. He sounds like a man coming apart at the seams. Alexis sounds like he’s having too good a time.

But my distaste for that one cover should not be interpreted as a slight against the album it appears on. Heroes is being released released on Feb 16th in the UK by War Child, and all profits go to children living in war-torn areas all over the world. You can pre-order it here. Some of the other covers announced seem as though they’d be a better match, like Scissor Sisters taking on Roxy Music’s ‘Do The Strand’, Franz tackling Blondie’s classic ‘Call Me’, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ twisting The Ramones’ ‘Sheena Is A Punk Rocker’ into who knows what. Actually, I’m hungry for just about anything from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs at this point since it seems they went underground after Show Your Bones.

At any rate, check it out below and maybe you’ll like it a bit better than I did. I felt strange offering a charity single for download, so I’ve just created a stream. You can also check out the original, as well as a few other covers.

Hot Chip – Transmission (Joy Division Cover)

Joy Division – Transmission
From Heart and Soul

Division Day – Enjoy the Silence (Depeche Mode Cover)

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The Jimi Hendrix Experience – All Along The Watchtower
From Electric Ladyland

Tags: hot chip, joy division