I bought a second-hand CD a long time ago, specifically for the purposes of having a bit of fun on the blog, and I’ve decided to use the normally quiet festive period, when the traffic and number of visitors drops quite dramatically, to go with it.
The CD was issued in 1996. It is called Beat On The Brass, and it was recorded by The Nutley Brass, the brains of whom belong to New York musician Sam Elwitt.
The concept behind the album is simple. Take one bona-fide punk/post-punk/new wave classic and give it the easy listening treatment.
There are 18 tracks on the CD all told. Some have to be heard to be believed.
Strap yourselves in.
mp3: The Nutley Brass – Another Girl, Another Planet
And, just so you can appreciate the magnificence (or otherwise) of the renditions, you’ll also be able to listen to the original versions as we make our way through the CD in random order.
mp3: The Only Ones – Another Girl, Another Planet
Released as a single in April 1978.
And that, my dear friends, brings an end to this short but fun series. I know that it wasn’t to everyone’s tastes, but it was designed to be a bit of filler over what is usually a quiet period, visitor numbers wise, but events meant I chose to return to normal a bit earlier than normal.
A comment was left behind a while ago about the similarities between the music of The Nutley Brass and the cover versions offered up by Nouvelle Vague. I think it’s fair to say that the latter probably took some inspiration from Sam Elwitt, given that the debut album from the French musicians didn’t appear until eight years after The Nutley Brass.
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 
I think this series is fantastic. Probably not a lot of songs that bear repeat listening, but whoever is behind it pulled it off really well. Wouldn’t have worked unless the melodies of the originals weren’t so outstanding.
It’s been great JC – lovely idea that may have been to plug a space, but made this old git happy.
I say, FAN-tas-TIQUE! Quite enjoyed it! Perhaps next year Nouvelle Vague can step in with their offerings! Perhaps this can be an annual tradition!
Some of the songs worked out pretty well, as JTFL noted these renditions actually exposed the tunesmanship in the songs…some more than others. I venture to say a few will make it to my playlist.