VS.
This one is going to be a slobber-knocker...
Good
morning, Rave Up Music readers (or good afternoon/evening, depending on when
you are reading this). Barius here, and my apologies to all of you who have been waiting for this week's review. It has been a crazy week for me, and unfortunately, the blog had to be delayed until I had time to post it. But anyway, judging by my pocket watch (yes, I do
have one), it is time for “Cover Wars!” For today’s “Cover Wars,” are featured
band is one of the originators of heavy metal music. I have two words for you:
Black Sabbath!
When
it comes to my love of hard rock and heavy metal, Black Sabbath was one of the
bands that started it all for me. Whether it was the haunting vocals of Ozzy
Osbourne, the dark guitar riffs of Tony Iommi, the driving bass lines of Geezer
Butler, or the hard pounding drumming of Bill Ward, Sabbath’s music always puts
me in the right mood, be it to pump me up or to let out my frustrations.
Fun Fact: Before switching to their well-known heavy
metal sound, Black Sabbath was a blues-rock band named “Earth.”
In
2006, Guitar World magazine released
a list of the Top 100 Guitar Albums, and sitting at number six is my favorite
Black Sabbath album: 1970’s Paranoid.
Fun fact: The album was originally titled “War
Pigs,” but was changed by the record label who thought the single “Paranoid”
was a more marketable, though some people think it was because “War Pigs” was
about the Vietnam War, and there was fear of backlash.
I
love every song on this album. Whether it is the fast pace of the title track,
the down to earth feel of “Planet Caravan,” the easy groove of “Fairies Wear
Boots,” or the heavy war message of “War Pigs,” every song on this album
demonstrates Sabbath musical diversity, as well as their contribution to the
heavy metal genre. But, if I did have to pick one song on the album that I can
listen to all the time, it is definitely the very popular, well-known tune, “Iron
Man.”
Contrary
to popular belief, “Iron Man” was not named after the Marvel superhero that
made his debut in Tales of Suspense #39 in
March 1963. “Iron Man” actually tells the story of a man who time travels to
the future and sees the apocalypse. When he returns to the present, he is
turned to steel, which is caused by a magnetic field. Being turned into a mute,
he tries to communicate with people of their impending doom, but his warnings
are ignored, and he is also mocked by mankind for his appearance. This of
course angers the Iron Man, and his seeks revenge of the human race, which his
actions against them actually cause the destruction he saw in the future.
Fun Fact: In the 2008
novelization of the 2008 Iron Man film, Tony Stark says that the Black
Sabbath song is his favorite, and picked the name of his alter-ego after the
song.
“Iron
Man” has become a heavy metal standard, due to its memorable lyrics, and catchy
guitars riffs. The guitar riffs of Tony Iommi are so recognizable that many
people outside of the heavy metal genre known and love them. Whether it is a
car commercial or even being played by a high school or college marching band
at every football game in America, the riffs of “Iron Man” can be heard
everywhere.
Heck,
this song is so popular, it has seen its share of parody covers, including the
popular Bob Rivers Christmas song, “I Am Santa Claus.”
Santa is bringing rock ‘n roll this holiday season…
Of
course, being a well-known song, there are bound to be cover version out there
of “Iron Man.” Being a heavy metal song, hard rock and heavy metal covers are a
dime of dozen. However, it has always has been my intent with “Cover Wars” is
to compare the original version of a song with a cover version from a
band/artist of a different genre. And for today’s “Cover Wars,” the challengers
are a unique alternative rock band from Sweden called The Cardigans.
Formed
in 1992, The Cardigans are categorized in the alternative rock/pop indie genre
of music. This is an appropriate category for them, for they have a lighter pop
rock sound that has a bit of an edge at times, which is expected when the
founding members were originally heavy metal musicians. Honestly, I do enjoy
The Cardigans from time to time. Although I am not a hardcore fan, the songs I
have heard from them are enjoyable. While the instrumental is really good, I
love the vocal work of lead singer Nina Persson. However, I really got tired of
hear “Lovefool” all the time in 1996/1997, mostly because I do not fine it to
be the best vocally for Persson, and the music is not as well-composed as their
later works.
The version of the video I grew up with in the
United States…
In
1996, the band released their breakthrough album, First Band on the Moon, to major commercial success
internationally. On the album, the band released a version of “Iron Man,” and
from what I could gather, it was not a very well-received version among the
heavy metal community. So, with that in mind, we are going to determine the
best version of “Iron Man”: the heavy metal standard or the alternative pop
rock take. It is Black Sabbath vs. The Cardigans in this edition of “Cover
Wars."
The Original
Song:
Right
away with the original version, you get the pounding of the bass drum, almost
like a heartbeat. Suddenly, the mood shifts to a more foreboding feel, as Iommi
plays this string bending sound, with Ozzy loudly proclaiming in a very robotic
voice “I Am Iron Man,” which, now that I think about it, is kind of weird since
the Iron Man is suppose to be a mute. After all of this eerie sounds and a bit
of suspense, the main of the song kicks, and it is a riff that every heavy
metal guitarist learns at one point or another. In fact, here is a short lesson
video from ZokyMusic.
The
riff is played underneath Ozzy’s vocals during the verses, almost acting as a
guide of the Godfather of Metal. See, even back then, Ozzy needed a bit of help
singing his part. (And now I wait for all the hate mail for that comment). The
lyrics are very dark and ominous, as they tells the story of the Iron Man
trying to help people, nobody wants to listen to him, which eventually leads to
him seeking revenge against all of them. Actually, the more I think about it,
the description of Iron Man, especially the line “Heavy boots of lead fills his
victims full of dread,” makes it more like he is a part of the Cybermen.
Your nightmare fuel for the week, Whovians…
From
an instrumental viewpoint, this is a very gritty sounding song. All of the
guitar and bass guitar riffs are precise sounding, but have that rough around
the edges sound, which contributes nicely with the destructive theme of the
lyrics. They also feel very weighted in sound in the slower tempos, almost like
they represent the heavy steel body of the Iron Man. Bill Ward’s drumming is
heavy pounding, and even at times a bit chaotic, adding to the fear of the Iron
Man. My two favorite sections of the song are faster tempo breakdown section
and the outro section. Both sections are faster than the rest of the song,
which gives a frantic feeling as people run from the metal destructor. These
are also the sections that feature Iommi soloing on the guitar, and both solos
are filled fast notes, and a lot of pitching bend on the strings, giving the
sections a very uneasy feel to them.
Overall,
I find the Sabbath version of “Iron Man” to be a classic heavy metal song. The
guitar riffs are very memorable, and are filled with a dark, edgy sound. The
instrumental music is paired nicely with Ozzy’s vocals of the forthcoming
destruction of mankind from the person who tried to save them. The song is also
perfect for head banging, both in the slow and fast sections. To me, “Iron Man”
by Black Sabbath is not only one of the best heavy metal songs, but one of the
best songs of all time.
Well,
now that we looked at the original song, it is time for the cover version. Here
is The Cardigan’s take on “Iron Man.”
The Cover
Version:
…Um…Um…Hmm…Hey,
Krusty! Do you want to say it for me?
Okay,
let me say that this was not what I was expecting to hear when I first heard
this song. I was expecting to hear a version of “Iron Man” that has a lighter
alternative/pop rock sound to it. But honestly, this does not feel like I am
listening to “Iron Man” at all.
First
off, the main guitar riff is nowhere to be found in this version of the song.
Instead, it is a guitar riff that is reminiscent of the main riff. It is not a
terrible riff, but it does change the feel of the song. Some of the other riffs
are there, but they feel very water downed. The song as a whole has very
laidback feel to it, which contradicts the heavy, aggressive sound of the
original. Instead of it being about the
destruction of the world, I feel like I am experiencing a Phish concert, and
mean a real Phish concert experience…
If
there is one thing in this version of “Iron Man” that I am not a fan of, it is
Nina Presson’s vocal work. Right off the bat, her claiming herself to be “Iron
Man” just makes me want to shout back at her, “No, you are not.” Then, I
realized that she is not going to hear me since it is a recording, so I move on
to the rest of her vocals. Persson’s singing on the verses tries to follow the
melodic line, but she adds her own twist to them, be it sustaining notes or
changing the rhythms a bit. The vocals are soft and lack the power that Ozzy
has for the song, almost like she is almost phoning it in. This trend continues
in the other vocals sections of the song.
There
are two sections in the Persson’s vocals that I get a bit annoyed by. The first
one is a part in the music where she moans out “Oh, Iron Man…” It is like she
is attracted to Iron Man. Now, if this was a song about Tony Stark, this would
make sense. But, it is not about him, but a man, created by Geezer Butler, who
is turn to steel and destroys the world in vengeance. It makes the moaning of
Iron Man a little bit disturbing. The other part I do not like that much is
near the end where she is doing a quasi-vocal scat of “do’s” “ah's” and other
vocal sounds, which is not found in the original version. It really feels out
of place, and by the end, Persson sounds like she just gave up on singing the
song.
Now,
with all of the criticism I gave this song, is it really that bad? Actually, it
is one of the more unique covers of a song I have ever heard. A lot of times, a
cover version is similar in sound and structure of the original, but with “Iron
Man,” The Cardigans make it their own song with its own unique sound and
musical ideas. However, their arrangement of the song makes it lose the story
and mood of the song. The song is meant to be dark, uneasy, and filled with
dread. The Cardigan version feels like a bunch of high school students hanging
out in the basement.
*sigh* I miss this
show…
The Winner:
…Yeah,
I am not going to sugarcoat it. The Black Sabbath version is the better
version. With their version, Sabbath tells a compelling story that is
complemented by the foreboding, unstable instrumental parts. The slower tempo
gives the song a sense of doom and gloom, while the faster section makes it
feel like hysteria and fear as Iron Man destroys humanity. “Iron Man” is a song
that helped set the bar for what can be done in heavy metal music.
The
Cardigans’ take on the song is a very unique. It is very laidback, and
relaxing. However, that exact same laidback attitude hurts the song. The
science fiction story of Iron Man’s goal of vengeance is much downplayed in this
version, as if the lost of all humanity is no big deal. The instrumental parts
barely resemble the original ones, and Persson’s vocals make the song feel a
bit awkward at times. If the song was an original composition by the band, it
would be very good song. But, as a cover of “Iron Man,” the song is
disappointing to listen to. So, as I already stated, the winner of this edition
of “Cover Wars” is Black Sabbath’s classic, original take on “Iron Man.”
WINNER: BLACK
SABBATH!
Even
though The Cardigans’ take on “Iron Man” is not really my cup of tea, there are
some pretty good songs out there from them. If you want to listen to a band
that is really distinctive in their genre of alternative pop rock, I recommend
checking them out. And of course, if enjoyed what you have heard form Black
Sabbath, check them out. They recent released their nineteenth studio album, 13, this past June, and it is pretty
good. It has that classic Sabbath sound that fans have grown to love over the
decades.
NOTE: All material and media
featured in this blog are owned by their respected copyright holders, and are
only used for purposes of review, commentary and satire under the terms of Fair
Use. Please support the official release of all media used in this review.
No comments:
Post a Comment