A Perfect Circle covering John Lennon's Imagine

[Red Baron 0]

http://www2.fanscape.com/APC/audio/imagine_win.asp

 

http://www2.fanscape.com/APC/audio/imagine_ra.asp

 

 

the top link is for Windows Media, the bottom link is for Real Audio.

 

It's darker, gloomier, and I like it.

[Henry Spencer 0]

After one listen, I've decided I hate it.

[Guest BrokenWings]

After one listen, I've decided I love it.

 

I heard about it through the newsletter, and in my opinion, they've lived up to the hype.

[Guest The Winter Of My Discontent]

This is really bad folks. Maybe if you like Staind this could be contrued as good. The drum machine renders this song impotenet. Its nothing.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Since when did APC start using drum machines?!

 

I love the cover, by the way, drum machine or not. I don't think that sounds like one, though.

[MrRant 0]

Wasn't to bad.

[GreatWhiteNope 0]

"Hey - let's shift the pitch down a notch because we're ~ANGST-RIDDEN ROCKERS!".

 

I hate today's music.

[Vyce 0]

I haven't even listened to it yet, but I proclaim it better than the original.

 

Because I KNOW it will be, even if it's shit.

[cue_meanie 0]

I would love to hear what Tool would have done with it, (and there certainly wouldn't be any drum kit talk) but its still really good. And can hardly be compared with anything thats labelled as "Today's Music".

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

Considering APC gets NO radio play (except for "Weak and Powerless", which wasn't even remotely characteristic of that album), I'd hardly catergorize it with "today's music" as well.

[GreatWhiteNope 0]

but its still really good.  And can hardly be compared with anything thats labelled as "Today's Music".

That's because it's a butchered 34-year old classic.

 

Give me something original. Even if it sucks, you can't fault someone for trying.

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

Considering it took 3 years for the last APC album to come out, throwing together a cover album for the elections (in about five months, mind you) is a remarkable thing for them. They also have two (IIRC) original tracks on it, so I'll wait until then to pass judgment on the effort.

[GreatWhiteNope 0]

Considering it took 3 years for the last APC album to come out, throwing together a cover album for the elections (in about five months, mind you) is a remarkable thing for them. They also have two (IIRC) original tracks on it, so I'll wait until then to pass judgment on the effort.

Fair enough. I just think the whole point of covering songs should be to do the originals justice. Not changing the arrangement to convey a different meaning than what was intended by the original artist(s).

 

As you could guess, I'm not a fan of sampling either.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Fair enough. I just think the whole point of covering songs should be to do the originals justice. Not changing the arrangement to convey a different meaning than what was intended by the original artist(s).

These aren't mutually exclusive. The best cover versions do both.

[Guest Vitamin X]

In which case not only do I feel that this one did the original justice, but was different enough and well done.

[Mecha Mummy 0]

Considering APC gets NO radio play (except for "Weak and Powerless", which wasn't even remotely characteristic of that album), I'd hardly catergorize it with "today's music" as well.

Perhaps not where you live, but where I am they get a shitload of radio play.

 

That cover wages war upon my gag reflex.

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

They rarely get play on WHFS or DC101 in Washington, DC. It's usually the standard Dashboard Confessional/Jet/nu-metal of the day lineup in DC.

[Vyce 0]

Considering it took 3 years for the last APC album to come out, throwing together a cover album for the elections (in about five months, mind you) is a remarkable thing for them. They also have two (IIRC) original tracks on it, so I'll wait until then to pass judgment on the effort.

Whoa, hold up - the new album is politically themed, in time for the elections?

 

Heh. No wonder YOU'RE into it.

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

Actually, I'm into it because I'm a big fan of APC and Tool

 

The fact that it's politically charged is just an added bonus.

[The Man in Blak 0]

Since when did APC start using drum machines?!

 

I love the cover, by the way, drum machine or not. I don't think that sounds like one, though.

Listen really closely to the cymbals - they're always the same pitch and timbre, which is virtually impossible to do in real life.

 

Honestly, I'm not really sure what to think of this one. I think some of the stuff that they did was actually kind of intriguing (the vocal harmonies are very interesting), but the shift to a minor drone kind of diffuses the release of the harmonic tension behind the whole song. The verse carries the tune now, as cymbals almost drown out the reinvented chorus...which is probably a good thing, since it seems mired in indecision between the original song and the newer, more depressing key.

 

I mean, the original "Imagine" wasn't exactly the happiest song of all time, but MJK and Co. are kind of stretching it by turning it into a death march.

 

But that's the point, isn't it? APC could have easily subbed in new words and released this as an original tune (outside of the words, I bet nine out of ten people wouldn't make the connection to the original)...but the quotation itself is the intended shock and, as a result, the song becomes the ultimate theme for your liberal propaganda video; take a song of optimism from a happier time, twist it into a dystopian dirge, slip in some graphic images of missiles striking Iraq and starving children, and then kick it out the door to disturb the public.

 

I really want to like it and it's hard to say that it destroys the overall intent of the song; the original song was a philosophical invitation to be open-minded and, somehow, I imagine that Lennon wouldn't mind seeing his song requoted to "fight against an oppressive regime" (to wax melodramatic for a second). But, despite the song's ballsy ambitions, the shift in tone and overall lack of musicianship seems to take away more than it gives to the song.

 

This "Imagine" isn't a career-defining grasp towards higher thought - it's just a decent Top 40 radio single and, while that's certainly not a bad outcome, it is undeniably a downgrade from the legacy of the original song.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

I haven't heard it yet, but I'm interested. If it's anything in the league of Tool's cover of "No Quarter" I'm sure I'll like it quite a bit.

[notJames 0]

Does anybody remember when Depeche Mode's Martin Gore came out with his solo EP Counterfeit? This cover is very reminiscent of it. The tone, the harmonies, the instrumentation... this sounds like something he would have put on the EP.

[cue_meanie 0]

Considering it took 3 years for the last APC album to come out, throwing together a cover album for the elections (in about five months, mind you) is a remarkable thing for them. They also have two (IIRC) original tracks on it, so I'll wait until then to pass judgment on the effort.

Fair enough. I just think the whole point of covering songs should be to do the originals justice. Not changing the arrangement to convey a different meaning than what was intended by the original artist(s).

 

As you could guess, I'm not a fan of sampling either.

They are there own band. What's so wrong about being able to convey a different message all while using the same song. That in itself takes talent, should all covers just be generic Karaoke singles that sound EXACTLY like the original. They're realeasing a CD filled with covers, obviously each is going to have its own voice different from the original otherwise, really, whats the point of doing it at all.

[Red Hot Thumbtack In The Eye 0]

I quite adore the darkness and brooding of this cover, however I can't say I really like the song a lot. It just kind goes verse chorus verse with no build towards the end or even any kind of added emphasis to the final chorus or anything.

 

From a purely musical sense(ignoring the timing and political usage of the cover in this case), I'd say this is a decent tribute, but nothing that anyone *should* remember in a couple years.

[cynicalprofit 0]

This is awesome.