In 1985, Kate Bush’s Hounds Of Love album made a moderate showing in the pop charts. In 2022, the single Running Up That Hill burst back into the charts after a particularly impactful needle-drop in the Netflix show Stranger Things. So perhaps it’s no surprise that there are dozens of cover versions from around 2022 - as well as a handful from earlier in the song’s 40 year lifespan. Cover Story this week looks at some of the best, worst and weirdest, with singer and producer June Jones, and opera artist Jane Sheldon.
--------
54:06
Richard Dawson's evocative songwriting, and remembering Vic Simms
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners are advised that this program contains the name and voice of someone who has died. Written from the small shed on his allotment in Northern England, the lyrics on Richard Dawson’s new album End of the Middle are filled with small observations and rich characters. He's a prolific and verbose songwriter, likening his habit of jamming too many syllables into the end of lines with "putting too many clothes in a suitcase". Rich's record is replete with his unusual guitar tunings and arresting singing voice. Bidjigal Elder and musician Vic Simms had a six-decade career, starting as an 11 year old touring with Col Joye and The Joy Boys. In an interview with Andrew Ford from 2016, Vic recounts the incredible story of writing and recording his debut album The Loner from Bathurst prison, and the concerts he got special leave to play - including at Sydney Opera House and shopping malls. When he decided he didn't want to play these concerts anymore, he was put in solitary confinement and the album was all but forgotten. The album has since been remastered, recreated and is widely celebrated, including by Luke Daniel Peacock who also joins this interview. Vic Simms died last week at the age of 78.
--------
54:06
Cover Story: Heart of Gold
“This song put me in the middle of the road. Travelling there soon became a bore so I headed for the ditch”, said Neil Young about his only major hit, Heart of Gold, from the 1972 album Harvest. Whether or not the dozens of artists who’ve covered it since consider it “middle of the road”, they’ve certainly taken it right off the beaten track. Andy’s guest analysts in this second edition of our new Cover Story series are singer-songwriters and broadcasters Henry Wagons and Georgia Mooney.Music details:Heart of GoldComposed by Neil YoungOriginally performed by Neil Young for the album Harvest (1972) on Reprise RecordsCovers by:Johnny CashWillie NelsonMidnight ShineTori AmosBettye LaVetteBoney M.OndaraNeil Young & Stray Gators (live in Tuscaloosa)Technical production by Harvey O’Sullivan and Bethany Stewart.The Music Show is made on Gadigal and Gundungurra Country
--------
54:06
An obscure orchestra and an opera for the dead
Matt Hsu’s Obscure Orchestra has more of an ethos than a sound. A twenty five piece indie band with constantly evolving membership, it began as a solo project by Matt Hsu, whose values and “punk-trained” composition shine through on not one but two new albums released on the same day: Noodle, and Forest Party.Opera for the Dead (祭歌) is a "contemporary Chinese cyber opera" that explores cultural practices around death and grieving. Guzheng player and in-demand collaborator Mindy Meng Wang and sound artist and composer Monica Lim have teamed up to create a work which features four instrumentalists, a countertenor, electronics and cutting-edge visuals. Andy chats to them about how rituals, improvisation and friendship inform the performance.
--------
54:04
Cover Story: Lay All Your Love On Me
Metal, marimbas, vampires and EDM: ABBA’s Lay All Your Love On Me as you’ve never heard it before, with producer Paul Mac and composer Alice Chance.This is the first episode of Cover Story, a new series from The Music Show in which Andy and his guests take songs of the popular music canon and examine their cover versions, for better, worse, and weirder. Music details:Lay All Your Love On MeComposed by Benny Andersson & Björn UlvaeusOriginally recorded by ABBA for the album Super Trouper (1980) on Atlantic RecordsCovers by:ErasureBrian David GilbertBentley RoblesAmberian DawnPale HoneySiv JakobsenCaroline Shaw & So PercussionPaul Mac’s Tekno Train: The Album is out now. German vocal ensemble Sjaella perform works by Alice Chance in July:Hobart Festival of Voices 1/7/25, 2/7/25Ballina 6/7/25Brisbane - QPAC 10/7/25Sydney - Utzon Room 13/7/25Adelaide - Ukaria 19/7/25, 20/7/25Canberra 23/7/25Melbourne Recital Centre 25/7/25The Music Show is made on Gadigal and Gundungurra Country. Technical Production by John Jacobs and Bethany Stewart
Australia