# MTV2's "Album Covers" program. The next "Unplugged"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 8, 2004, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv2s-album-covers-program-the-next-unplugged/233126 "2004-03-08T15:06:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![spiralscratch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dfb087/32.png) [@spiralscratch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spiralscratch)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv2s-album-covers-program-the-next-unplugged/233126/1 "2004-03-08T15:06:46Z")
I just got done watching the first two installments. I thought I’d share some thoughts and solicit you all for yours. I like the premise of having a newer band/artist play an album from an artist that influenced them or that they simply enjoy a lot, and talking a bit about the work they are reproducing and why. It’s a cool idea. I’ve always loved hearing covers when I went to shows. Also, the individual songs are going to be released for sale via iTunes. Hopefully they’ll include those that didn’t make the show itself. However, some of the choices the producers made put me off. The editing sucked. Bits of band interview should mot be played over part of the song. It kills the mood. Also, I’ve heard many times what the creator of the album thinks of it, and I don’t want to hear it again. I really don’t care what the venue owner/host thinks of it. I also don’t want to see visuals from each song’s original music video cut into the performance. Just show the band playing. In general, I enjoyed the show. I think there’s a fair amount of potential in it. Cleaned up a bit and done right, it could be as good as _Unplugged_ was. The best thing about _Unplugged_ was that it gave the artist the chance to do something different and recreate their work in a different image. _Album Covers_ can do much the same, only with the body of work being interpreted through a different artist, leading to even more possibilities. Any other thoughts? Who would you want to see appear, and what album would you want them to cover? The individual shows: **Dashboard Confessional covers REM’s _Automatic For The People_** I love REM, but this is not my favorite album of theirs. But, there are a lot of good songs on it and Dashboard Connfessional hit most of them. It is kinda cool that a non-obvious album was chosen (I’d have expected _Out Of Time_, _Monster_, _Green_, or _Document_ instead). I liked that they played around with the songs a bit and made hem their own. They didn’t try to duplicate them exactly. Covers that sound exactly like the originals are mostly pointless. They played well. I’m not a Dashboard Confessional fan (I think the singer too often sounds like he’s whining), but I think they did a good job. I thought it was a bit pointless to have Michael Stipe sing with them. I’ve heard him perform “Drive” many times, and having him sing it again with a different backing band added nothing. I also think it was unnecessary for Dashboard Confessional to include their current single in the set list, even with Stipe was in on that one as well. I understand what they were trying to do here, but I don’t think it really adds anything. Set List: The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight Try Not To Breathe Everybody Hurts Sweetness Follows Nightswimming Find The River Drive (w/Stipe) Hands Down (w/Stipe) Superman **Guster sings The Violent Femmes’ _The Violent Femmes_** I’m not as much of a Violent Femmes fan, but I do like this album a lot. For better or worse, this album of theirs is the obvious choice. I didn’t like this installment nearly as much as the first. It wasn’t as good. Guster played OK, but they played the songs almost exactly the way they sounded originally. That’s no fun. I can pop the CD in if I want to hear the songs how they were originally done. Also, the Violent Femmes played with Guster on one song (I fear this will be a running theme in the series). Why? Again, I can go to the CD for that. Guster opened with one of their own songs. I came for the Violent Femmes songs. Set List: Careful Blister In The Sun Kiss Off Please Do Not Go Prove My Love Confessions Gone Daddy Gone (w/Violent Femmes) Good Feeling Add It Up ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv2s-album-covers-program-the-next-unplugged/233126/2 "2004-03-08T18:14:20Z")
Wow, maybe I’ll watch this now. I assumed it was the band covering their own while album, which I wasn’t interested in. But this seems worth a sampling.