VS.
Greeting to all you of far out
people, and welcome back to Rave Up Music! As always, I am Barius, and judging
by the buzzing of my alarm clock, either I am late for work, or it is time for
another installment of Cover Wars! For
this installment, we are going to look at two contrasting styles of music from
the 1970s: the classic/hard rock music and disco music! No, you read that
correctly; I am actually going to talk about disco music.
If it has not been made clear
from the start of this review blog, I love a lot of rock music. Whether it is
the early days of rock ‘n’ roll in the 1950s or the modern rock of the 21st
century, there will always be a place in my heart for rock music. When it comes
to all of the genres of rock music, I would say the classic rock and hard rock
music that came into prominence in the 1970s is probably my favorite. The music
was composed with great precision, and full of rhythms and music ideas that
were never thought possible in rock music. The music of classic rock was one of
the pinnacle genres of rock music; much like classical music was in its time.
On the other hand, you have disco
music….ugh…
To be very blunt with all of you,
I am not a big fan of disco music. While I feel classic rock is some of the best
music of any generation, I feel like disco was one of the weakest points in
modern music. Its beats were generic, the hooks were simplistic, and the vocals
were mind-numbing to at any given time. So naturally, it appealed to general
audiences. The 1970s was a time for escapism from the issues of the Cold War
and in the United States, to forget the Vietnam War. Going out to the
discotheque was a way for many people to dance their cares away, which I can
understand where their coming from. This is probably why many disco songs, like
“Shake Your Booty” and “Hot Shot” became very popular. However, for the life of
me, I will never figure out how a tune like “Disco Duck” ever became a hit
song.
Ugh…Rick Dees…just why?!?
Now, even though I really do not
like disco music as a whole, there are a few songs here and there that I can
listen to on occasion. Songs like “Disco Inferno” or “I Am Boogie Man” are
really catchy, and musical songs. And, believe or not, I have a soft spot for
today’s subject matter: the forever popular “Stayin’ Alive” by the by those
singing siblings, the Bee-Gees.
So...much...chest hair...it burns!
During the peak of disco’s
popularity, the Bee-Gees released “Stayin’ Alive” as part of the soundtrack to
the 1977 film Saturday Night Fever.
The film cemented not only disco music’s place in popular place, but also made
a star out of actor John Travolta, It also made the Bee-Gees a household name.
“Stayin’ Alive” entered the Billboard
Hot 100, and stayed at number one for four weeks, only to be replaced by the
Gibbs brothers’ younger brother Andy Gibbs’ hit song “Love is Thicker Than
Water.”
Being a big hit, there were bound
to be cover versions of the song. However, the Bee-Gees are very selective
about who gets to cover their music, especially “Stayin’ Alive.” One of the
most surprising covers out there comes from the Godfather of Metal himself, Ozzy
Osbourne!
Ozzy is pondering the meaning of life...or possibly about bubbles...
Now, I know what you are saying,
“Ozzy Osbourne, one of the founders of Black Sabbath, released a cover version
of ‘Stayin’ Alive’?” Believe it or not, he did. It can be found on disc three
of his 2005 boxset, Prince of Darkness.
Osbourne takes on the disco classic, and gives it a hard rock edge. When I
heard it many years ago, I kind of had to walk away from it, because of how
ridiculous it sounded. Now, nearly ten years later, and I have come to enjoy it
as much as I like the original song.
So, this brings as to today’s
question: Is the original disco version better, or is it the hard rock/heavy
metal version better? Well, let us take a look. This is Cover Wars: “Stayin’ Alive.”
The
Original Song:
Right off the bat, the Bee-Gees
version establishes a nice, steady beat that makes it easy for someone to get
up and dance. Throughout the song, the drumbeat plays on a continuous loop the
same two measures. There are the occasional crash cymbal hits, but those are
layered on top of the steady beat. Also introduced at the beginning of the song
is the infectious bass guitar groove. The minute I heard the groove, my head
just starts bopping up and down every time.
Sadly, we get to the one thing
that I never really liked about this piece: the very high falsetto vocals. Now,
there are times when falsetto vocals work well in music. If you think of a band
like Iron Maiden or Judas Priest, whenever Bruce Dickinson or Rob Halford jumps
up into their falsetto range, it is use as an impact moment that complements
what is going on in the instrumental parts, such as when the music plays a
giant power chord or the music becomes a bit frantic or crazy. In the case of “Stayin’
Alive,” the vocals are in the falsetto range for the majority of the song. For
me, this would be really annoying to listen to all the time.
Even though I get annoyed but the
falsetto vocals, what prevent me from completely bashing them is how catchy it
is. The vocal lines in “Stayin’ Alive” are really melodic and will get stuck in
your head, particularly the chorus section. The way the band sings “Stayin’
Alive” is really well done that as I am writing this summary of the song, it
keeps popping into my head, almost to the point it is becoming a nuisance.
As a whole, the original “Stayin’
Alive” is a mixed bag for me. The falsetto of vocals can be harsh on the ear
and the drumbeat is almost as generic as you can. At the same time, the bass
guitar is amazing and the melodic vocal lines are incredibly catchy to hear
that it makes me somewhat enjoy the song.
The
Cover Version:
From the first moment when Ozzy
shouts out, “All aboard the disco train!” and laughs, we are in for a strange,
hilarious musical trip. A lot of the catchy rhythms and hooks from the original
are amped up with distorted guitars and a very groovy bass guitar. It helps
that the guitar work on this cover is performed by Dweezil Zappa, the son of
legendary musician Frank Zappa. There is also a spectacular guitar solo from
Zappa that blends nicely with the rest of the music. The highlight of the song
is Ozzy’s vocals. You can tell that Ozzy is just having a good time singing
this one. He has a tone to his voice that gives the song a satirical/parody
vibe to it, almost poking fun of the original Bee-Gees version of the song. And
yet, it a bizarre way, it still has the spirit of the original, which was a
song to get people up and dancing the night away.
Parody covers tend to have a
cynical tone to them, like the Children of Bodom cover of “Oops! I Did It
Again.” However, with this parody cover, Ozzy and company make fun of the song,
but more as a loving tribute to the original and its legacy. Since it sounds
like everyone involved in the cover is having a good time, it makes the song a
lot more enjoyable. Heck, by the time Ozzy shouts near the end of the song, “I
am Disco Man,” I am literally rolling on the floor laughing at how funny and
entertaining the song cover is.
THE
WINNER:
This is a very unique Cover Wars this time around. Here we
have a song that originates from the realm of disco music, and its cover
version comes from its polar musical opposite, hard rock/heavy metal music.
Both versions of “Stayin’ Alive” best represent the genres they come from. The
Bee-Gees version has simple beats, a memorable bass guitar line, and vocals
that, while a bit annoying in the falsetto vocal register, has a very memorable.
As for the Ozzy version, it takes the rhythm and melodies of the original and
grooves on them really hard. Ozzy vocals are a lot of fun to listen to, and
Zappa shreds really hard on the guitar.
Although I still have a soft spot
for the Bee-Gees version, I am giving this one to Ozzy Osbourne’s version of
“Stayin’ Alive.” Even though the song is more of parody of the original,
everyone involve seems to be having a good time performing it. The song is a
loving tribute to the original, and if I was alive in the late 1970s and this
version came out, I would have still gravitated towards this one.
WINNER:
OZZY OSBOURNE!
So another cover version, as well
as a rock song, wins this time around. Perhaps one day an original and non-rock
song will win at Cover Wars. However,
that will have to wait for another time, for coming up next time; it is Rave Up
Music’s One Year Anniversary! Tune in on May 1st, as I take a look
at an album that I have wanted to talk about for a long time, and I believe it
is an album that I think a lot of you expected me to review on here. So until then,
I am Barius, and I hope you will come back on May 1st. And, as
always, keep on rockin’, and make sure you shake your grove thing! Yeah, that
was cheesy…
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