Michael Jackson

The bonus tracks that crop up on albums released in Japan are often cover versions, but two-thirds of British band Supergrass have taken this all the way with their new release. Not that the Britpoppers are ready to call it quits. With Supergrass aiming to release its seventh studio album, tentatively titled Release the Drones, later this year, the future's looking good. On their new album, Turn Ons, The Hotrats--side project of Supergrass singer Gaz Coombes and drummer Danny Goffey--tackle covers spanning more than 40 years of pop music history.
"We tried to choose songs from each decade," Coombes said when he and Goffey talked to The Daily Yomiuri in Tokyo earlier this month. Turn Ons is an homage to the Hotrats' musical influences, though it was Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich who gave them the impetus to lay down the tracks. "We know Nigel Godrich through Radiohead. We'd been doing [Michael Jackson's] 'Beat It' live and Nigel encouraged us to go into the studio to record some covers," Coombes said.
Godrich's input gives the tunes a vibrancy that can be missing on some covers albums, with this writer's favorite track a classic example of how to reinterpret one of the Beastie Boys' most well-known songs.
"'(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)' is one of my favorite tracks," Coombes said, adding that they were aiming to imbue the song with a '60s feel.
"We wanted to get that 1965 Who sound on it, especially as Danny can get a bit of a Keith Moon sound and I like Pete Townshend's guitar."
The pair of them transform the song into a great piece of psychedelia, though Coombes' partner was anxious to praise the producer's part in the project.
"Nigel was responsible for a lot of the production techniques we used on the album," Goffey said. One of the more obscure tracks on the album is "Big Sky," by the Kinks. Coombes admits he wasn't very au fait with the song at first.
"That was Nigel's idea. It's off The Kinks are the Village Preservation Society album. I hadn't heard it before," he said, adding that the Kinks' frontman actually had been in touch.
"Ray Davies has heard 'Big Sky' and said he liked it," Coombes said.
Another '60s classic that made it onto the album was Pink Floyd's "Bike." Like many of the songs on the record, the pair of them remained quite faithful to the original. "We wanted to do a heavier version of the original and give it an updated feel," Coombes said. Supergrass recently signed to Cooking Vinyl records after parting company with Parlophone/EMI after 14 years and six albums, so choosing a Sex Pistols song to cover proved to be very easy.
"We had just left EMI, so it seemed like an appropriate song to do," Goffey said of "E.M.I.". At the Hotrats show in Tokyo earlier this month, the group ended with a version of the first Supergrass single, "Caught By The Fuzz." When asked who they would like to cover a Supergrass number, Coombes plumped for Neil Young, while his partner went for an even bigger name to tackle a track that turned up on on a bonus CD offered with the group's second album, In It For The Money.
"David Bowie doing '20-ft Halo,'" Goffey joked.
"Turn Ons" by the Hotrats is out now.

wow!! I'm very sad that he dead. Because I like him very much. Bu I bought this CD. Do you know? It'as a album. This name is "This is it". It'S very famous. It's into a many song. I listen to his song every day. I want to watch movie. And I want to meet him...

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