My 80's Tribute Custom Mix CD

Some of the more interesting things I came across, particularly in the Alternative and Hard Rock genre--and this seems to be a trend in modern music that is mostly outside the 'mainstream'-- is a lot of bands have recorded 'covers' of songs they heard on the radio twenty or thirty years ago.  These hardly ever get radio airplay, and might only be heard as a bonus track at the end of a studio album or an encore at a live concert.   The bands that record them aren't what you would expect either (a good example is the slow and downright creepy rendition of "Seals and Crofts - Summer Breeze" as performed by Type O Negative.)  While not all of them are this shocking, all of these tributes sound very different from the originals.

While I was on vacation, I put together 24 of the best ones.  If burned to CD's this would be a 2-disc anthology.  The theme and title of the playlist, "Turn It On Again," is taken from the title of a 1986 song by Genesis which appears on the final cut.

Below is the track list I put together, with the song titles and a link to see what the new version sounds like.  If you want this entire "album," you'll have to download or buy the tracks yourself though.  Let no one say that I would ever be an advocate of illegal music piracy....

DISCLAIMER: The more "hardcore" fans of hard rock among you will be the first to point out that I neglected to include two very popular tracks in this list. "Sweet Dreams" by Marilyn Manson (originally Eurythmics) and "Another Brick In The Wall" by KoRn (tribute to Pink Floyd of course).  I'm not a fan of either--so sue me-- and these are both pretty well-known and popular songs that have gotten lots of FM radio play.  The songs I have compiled here you aren't likely to hear anywhere, and even if you like these bands, you may not know that they even recorded these tributes.

So without further ado, here's my lineup:

Made this album cover in Photoshop

"TURN IT ON AGAIN: Modern Rock Covers the 80's"

1. Orgy - Blue Monday (New Order Cover - Single Mix)*
*I couldn't find a video of the best version of this one. It's a bonus track off a rare single version that features remixes of only the song "Blue Monday". The Single Mix version is heavier and more metal-driven whereas the album version of Blue Monday is electronic. I recorded this one off the radio 11 or 12 years ago. It really does sound better in the car with a good stereo!

2. Fear Factory - Cars (Gary Numan cover)   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSoKp6dRUH0

3. Alien Ant Farm - Smooth Criminal ( Michael Jackson cover)   http://youtu.be/CDl9ZMfj6aE

4. The Ataris - Boys of Summer (Don Henley cover)    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI93w0OV6D8

5. Five Finger Death Punch - Bad Company (Bad company cover)    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVo8g7T39A4

6. Disturbed - Shout 2000 (Tears For Fears cover)    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lo62kvjLHvY

7. Disturbed - Land of Confusion (Genesis cover)    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gbp3I2evSXo

8. Metallica - Turn the Page (Bob Seger)   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DuRVp3S2Gc

9. Deadstar Assembly - Send Me an Angel (Real Life cover)   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwWO3t-ToDk

10. Firewind - Maniac (Michael Sembello cover)    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmhZFV3WbDM

11. Dope - You Spin Me Right Round (Dead or Alive cover) check     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjKNUfPEsB8

12. Dope - Rebel Yell (Billy idol cover)    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aJv1daNtKw

13. Lacuna Coil - Enjoy the Silence (Depeche Mode cover)  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTOLMbKjLeY

14. Machine Head - Message in a Bottle (The Police cover)   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dV4NcnhktHY

15. Trust Company - Rock The Casbah (The Clash cover)   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-zosUjzgdQ

16. Nonpoint - In the Air Tonight (Genesis cover)   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihYwcaxEEUk

17. Saxon - Ride like the wind (Christopher Cross cover)   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWn06y86__w

18. Steel Horse - You Better Run  (Pat Benatar cover)  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-h2qM8-6Xs

19. Type O Negative - Summer Breeze   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNo7ZZryuSQ

20. Terminal Choice - I Ran (Flock of Seagulls cover)   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeSxWvnGIV4

21. Warmen - Somebody's Watching Me (Rockwell Cover)   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNOVMdmBppI

22. Powerman 5000 - Good Times Roll (The Cars cover)    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDSRp9TqixM

23. Lydian Sea - Turn It On Again  (Genesis cover)   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-jJTo3KiT0