Heroin

In the style of Leonard Cohen. Just kidding. For the Velvet Underground challenge thing.

I didn't really have it in me to do a clever deconstruction. So this is not really a departure; I just kind of went with what resonated with me from the original.
I was going to add more stuff and go back and fix the mistakes but then I thought it was more in the spirit of the song to just say fuck it.

(Get Flash to see the track player.)
posted by chococat (12 comments total)

Yes, this is good. Tempo, reverb, vocals, tambourine. I like all of this. My favorite of the challenge so far.
posted by dagosto at 1:31 AM on July 17

Surf beat on the speedup! Surf beat on the speedup!

Guitars are very pleasing, and nice vocal. I would've pulled that vocal verb back a notch, but that's just me.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 2:27 AM on July 17

The drone gets a bit piercing after awhile...it's not quite John Cale. Otherwise, a nicely done cover. I like the subdued vox.
posted by askmeaboutLOOM at 8:57 AM on July 17

this is fantastic. The vocals and the overall feel remind me of Elliott Smith. And I like that drone, despite what LOOM thinks.
posted by Jon_Evil at 9:53 AM on July 17

This is great. It's what I imagine VU would have sounded like if they were from LA instead of NYC.
posted by The World Famous at 12:14 PM on July 17 [1 favorite]

In the style of Leonard Cohen. I almost fell on the floor laughing when I read that.

The sweet melancholy in your vocals really bring this song to life. I don't know how or why you came up with that drone, but it definitely brings "flying the freak flag" into the 21st century. (very loose reference to '60's music)

This challenge has been a great way to get turned on to VU. Awesome, chococat!
posted by snsranch at 4:25 PM on July 17

Of all the covers I've heard this is probably the only one that made me sit up and think " Yup - we're in business". Really good - brings another dimension to the song. There's a hint of REM, Big Star and, strangely, the Byrds here (Eight Miles High springs to mind - for some reason). Very well done indeed choco. Minor note of const.crit. is that it might have had a bit more dynamic range - tends to perhaps be a little linear. If you'd injected some power in certain places I think it'd have been well nigh perfect.
posted by MajorDundee at 4:48 PM on July 17

Of all the covers I've heard this is probably the only one that made me sit up and think " Yup - we're in business"

You cut me, Dundee. You cut me real deep.

...the Byrds here (Eight Miles High springs to mind - for some reason)

You know, of course, what's incredibly Byrds-like on VU & N, right? Those guitar solos on All Tomorrow's Parties... they are SO trying to cop the Eight Miles High vibe on that, it ain't even funny.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:26 PM on July 17

Oh come come Flapjax - I was expecting your cover to set the benchmark (which it did - and some), so implicit in my remark here is the preface "Apart from Flapjax's frankly irritating brilliance (the bastard), of all the covers....". Having mollified you thus, I do think that choco captured something in this one that hasn't really come out in the others - a sort of existential melancholy that perhaps is at the heart of some of the VU+N tracks.
posted by MajorDundee at 12:55 AM on July 18

...a sort of existential melancholy

Heard, and agreed!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 1:43 AM on July 18

"Apart from Flapjax's frankly irritating brilliance (the bastard), of all the covers...."

Oh, I see, Major, I see.

Jokes aside, you did a great job. I wouldn't have known how to approach this song because of the "improv jam" quality it has. The drone was a great touch. I didn't remember it from the original and when I heard it here I realized it's probably the one detail that the song is supported on. And even if it isn't a departure from the original is nice to hear it played by you.
posted by micayetoca at 4:56 AM on July 18

I really like that drone, actually. And the background swells, too. This just feels right. I spent half of yesterday immersed in this song, and it feels really good to hear a different take on it. The out-of-control warbling near the end is nice.
posted by uncleozzy at 6:02 AM on July 30