Saturday, February 24, 2007

Because the Night

One of my favorite songs is "Because the Night". It was originally written by Bruce Springsteen, who gave it to Patti Smith, who rewrote and recorded it. Follow the link for more info. Smith has since disowned it, but it is still a great song.

The other day I found out Kim Wilde ("Kids in America") had recorded a cover of it and the quest was on. Where?, I wondered. I found references to a 1998 recording of it by her, but never was the source mentioned. She had no new album in that year, so I figured it was on a soundtrack or a bonus track on a compilation or something.

It took a little searching, but I tracked it down. A German various artists release named Philharmania. I don't have a copy, but from what I could find out it seems to feature musicians reinterpreting well-known rock/pop songs in an orchestral context. Sounds fascinating. I'm really interested in Wilde's vocal - I wouldn't think she had the right voice for the song.

So I have decided I must own this album. Problem is, it apparently wasn't released outside Germany. Which is strange, because there is nothing particularly German about the album unless I am missing something. I need this album for more than just the Wilde track. Also on the album are covers of "Eve of Destruction" done by Lemmy (yes, from Motorhead!) and "I Put a Spell on You" from Bonnie Tyler ("Total Eclipse of the Heart"). So I have multiple reasons to get a copy. I haven't found it as an import, but did track down a copy on ebay (shipped from Australia though). I haven't tried very hard to find it yet though.

Coming up: Bring a candle. It's gonna get dark.

3 comments:

Jason said...

This started as an email, but I figured, hey, this is what blogs are for.....


I reread my last comment on your blog.
I didn't mean to sound like a bitch.
What I meant was your blog was getting inaccessible.

Maybe it is supposed to be. If that is the case, then there are trade offs.

Dave in MPLS said...

The moment of clarity is at hand.

So just wait. Remember, this blog is like Babylon 5.

Some day, we'll look back and laugh.

Dave in MPLS said...

Pretty good. References to Roger Waters, Minor Threat, and a TV show (and previous post), all in a 3 sentence paragraph.