This Mortal Coil - "Original Versions" POLL

"Another Day". Roy's version is better, too.

I had no idea the Byrds wrote "I Come and Stand at Every Door." Huh!

I'm going with the (seemingly) obvious one and cite "Song to the Siren," but I'll say that TMC's version positively SHITS all over the original.

I'd argue nearly all of the originals are superior - to me the magic of the TMC albums was always the overarching atmosphere, not the quality of the individual interpretations.

Damnit I never downloaded this fucking thing after all. Oh well.

I had no idea the Byrds wrote "I Come and Stand at Every Door." Huh!

The Byrds weren't the first to record it (Pete Seeger did in 1962), but the Byrd's version is the one TMC put on the "Original Versions" CD.

Oh, and the lyrics are a translation of a 1956 poem by Turkish poet Nazim Hikmet.

Ah, okay -- that makes a bit more sense. Cheers.

It was between Holocaust and Several Times, for me.

For the sake of completist-ism (and because I'm coincidentally trying to compile my own "Complete Original Version"), here's the originals that they didn't put on the "Original Versions" CD:

Rema Rema: Fond Affections
Colin Newman: Not Me
Colourbox: Tarantula
Judy Collins: My Father
Van Morrison: Come Here My Love
Quicksilver Messenger Service: Fire Brothers
Syd Barrett: Late Night

For even more completistry, I'm compiling all the Hope Blister originals too:

Slowdive: Dagger
Heidi Berry: Only Human
Chris Knox: The Outer Skin
The Cranes: Sweet Unknown
David Sylvian: Let The Happiness In
Slow Blow: Is Jesus Your Pal
Brian Eno: Spider and I
John Cale: Hanky Panky Nohow

I was surprised to find some of the real obscurities on iTunes (Rema Rema, Gary Ogan & Bill Lamb, The Apartments, Slow Blow), but not the Van Morrison or Mary Margaret O'Hara.

mr. somewhere. the apartments should be 10000x better known than they are

yay.
Gary Ogan & Bill Lamb all the way.
Is there a Gary Ogan thread? If not, why?

With Tomorrow. So sad and beautiful.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

I know people who love the Talking Heads song so much that they can't stand the TMC version. I honestly don't think it loses anything in the translation. That said, I think I'm going for Colin Newman's "Alone" because just seeing the title makes me want to hear it right now.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

I don't like the TMC version of "Drugs," not because of what it does to the original, but because it's a one-note idea that goes on too long and spoils the flow of the album.

Now that I finally put together my Complete Original Versions mix, I'm really loving "Strength of Strings" and "Nature's Way."

How did "Song to the Siren" get ZERO votes here? Especially after someone seemed to be claiming to vote for it upthread?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wiszk-oLNeE

"Song of the Siren" - Tim Buckley 0

i have questions

^ fucked up

I'll say that TMC's version positively SHITS all over the original

the madness starts there

STRENGTH OF STRINGS!

damn, i missed this poll. there was a time when i considered getting STRENGTH OF STRINGS tattooed on my arm.

i want to live is up there though...

wait, so is nature's way. nature's way is the greatest song ever written.

Wondered why "Not Me" wasn't on this (I guess cos it was a demo and not released until later) and did a search for it and found a few Alex in NYC posts slating it, and Scott defending it. I guess I can see how it might seem out of place on the album. You can count me as a Not Me fan though. I love that song.

oh man i didn't know they did strength of strings!

kinda hard to believe that song of the siren didn't get one vote!

i really can't ever underestimate the influence Ivo had on my later listening habits. TMC the first place I heard a lot of these songs. He was my one man internet search engine.

yeah same

i would have voted for either "Song of the Siren" or probably "Kangaroo."

Song of the siren by a mile. One of the most uncanny recordings/performances I've ever heard.

I'd go with Carolyn's Song if I voted today. Genuinely, this is one of the best compilations of all time. If it's eligible.

Of the ones I'm exceedingly unlikely to have ever encountered otherwise "I Want to Live" just keeps on giving. Nothing further really stuck with me from the Ogan/Lamb LP but that one track is the sort of thing I keep wishing was on streaming services so I could more readily foist it on people.

Yes, I love that song.

"The Jeweller" is another great song covered on this album - less obscure but still too obscure.

Kudos to this thread for bringing to my attention the original version of "I Want to Live". Odd that Gary Ogan doesn't even have a Wikipedia article, even though the respective album was a major-label release and this is obviously polished stuff.