It's the great "Are Friends Electric?" by Gary Numan's band Tubeway Army. In this country, everyone remembers Numan for "Cars", but "Are Friends Electric" was a #1 hit in England and the first synth chart-topper in the post-punk era. Numan, it should also be noted, had a string of great tracks including "Down In The Park" as he became the first true synth rock star.
Thirty years later, Jack White formed the band The Dead Weather in Nashville with fellow Raconteur Jack Lawrence, Alison Mosshart of The Kills, and Dean Fertita of Queens of the Stone Age. One of their more inspired efforts was a re-imagination of the Numan classic.
So it's Tubeway Army's 1979 original (from "Top of the Pops"):
Versus The Dead Weather's cover:
For me, it's not even close. It's the original all the way. And while I respect The Dead Weather's choice to cover this song, I can't get past the overwrought drumming by Jack White on this track, especially starting at the 3:06 mark and continuing through the end of the song. He just takes over and decides he's the biggest thing about the song, and it just kills the whole thing for me.
I may actually prefer Weezer's cover version better:
As I commented in a post previously, I felt a little disconnected to the newer music of 2012. After looking at Court's list, I went back over my notes, downloads and purchases to find a few songs I liked from the past year. Since I only have a few, I called it my "EP." Tragically, I do not think many of these tracks will stand the test of time like previous "Best of's." So, here it goes.
Craig Finn - "Honolulu Blues."
Craig Finn of The Hold Steady always reminded me of a schizophrenic Bob Dylan or younger, diarrhea-mouthed Bruce Springsteen. Very wordy - to the point of being rambly. When I saw his record was released, I wasn't crazy about the single, but I liked the second track.
The Lumineers - "Ho Hey"
Here is my radio-friendly choice. I've been hearing it a lot lately. Much like stated in one of the previous "Best of" segment, lo-fi, alt-folk seems to be the trend; unless your gravitate to indie-hipster synth rock - see Court's best of. This is probably the best of the bunch. Especially since Mumford & Sons second release sounds like their 1st record, part 2. Besides, these guys are American.
Low Cut Connie - "Say Yes"
I can't even find a video for this one, so I chose a performance from Philadelphia's North Star Bar. I like rockabilly, especially when it spurns out of control with the likes of the Revered Horton Heat or the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. These guys are a little different, they have a piano player who sounds like Jerry Lee Lewis emerged inside a punk band. Something different.
Jack White "Sixteen Saltines"
People rag on Jack White, but I like him. I think he is a talent. His solo debut didn't disappoint. I think Blunderbus is one of the better albums of the year. I liked the chaos and the randomness of eating saltines becoming a song.
Japandroids - "The House That Heaven Built"
Probably not a mainstream best of, but I'm sure it made many "alt" best of's. It got a bunch of radio play on Sirius XMU & Alt Nation. It rocks, and is one of the bands (much like, say Gaslight Anthem) that are still holding on to balls out rock and roll.
The Vaccines - "Teenage Icon"
A cool little punk band that has some roots in the Ramones and the Strokes. The album, Coming of Age was one of my better finds. I liked this, their second release off the record.
Also in consideration were: Howler's "Beach Sluts," Pond's "Fantastic Explosion of Time, " and Toy's "Colours Running Out."
