re: #3 KingKenrod

A recommendation for overnight listening.

In 1998 James McNew (@dumpland), the bass player for indie band Yo La Tengo, released an album of Prince covers called That Skinny Motherfucker with the High Voice? (named from a self-referential Prince lyric in the obscure song “Bob George”). The release was a strictly lo-fi, self-recorded, self-produced affair, with each cover song a unique, sometimes twisted version of the original.

Small problem: McNew didn’t get permission for any of the covers. Maybe he was hoping it would fly under the radar. No such luck; Prince sued, and as part of the settlement McNew had to personally go to record stores that were carrying the album and buy it back.

I love Prince, and McNew, so the album is one of my favorites. It’s hard to find ($300 on Amazon) but all the tunes are all on Youtube (unlike most Prince originals).

One of my many favorites:

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AFAIK, Prince never allowed others to cover his songs. He’s the only artist to say no to Weird Al consistently.