Ahhh, the cover song…  over the years there have been quite a few good ones, just as many bad ones, and some that transcend the original and become THE version (“All Along The Watchtower”, anyone?).  Back in the ’80s, record companies seemed to push cover songs onto new bands left in right because…  well, if it was a hit before it can be a hit again with a newer audience, right?  Suuuuuuuuure…  maybe sometimes.  But what about those artists that do it to pay homage to their musical forefathers or just want to do their own personal take on a classic?  As for Animal Bag, they recorded an EP of five originals and two covers back in 1994, one from Jethro Tull (“Dun Ringill”) and an outstanding take on the Crosby, Stills, and Nash classic “Wooden Ships”.

While I often enjoy covers of classic hits, it’s pretty rare that I prefer a cover of a song that was instilled in my memory banks at such an early age.  While the CSN original may not be as familiar as sweeter fare such as “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” or “Our House”, it certainly received frequent airplay on the more daring AOR stations that would pluck those deeper and often more experimental tracks on the albums for airplay.  And with Crosby, Stills, and Nash (and occasionally Young) running a parallel trajectory with the rise of FM radio and eventually the AOR format, I grew up hearing and enjoying a good chunk of their music.  The original “Wooden Ships” is certainly a bit darker in tone lyrically, featuring a co-lead vocal between Stephen Stills and David Crosby as they trade off lines in the verse until the two join together with Graham Nash for some sweet harmonization come chorus time.  As for the music, there is a contrast to the vocal as Stills lays down some jazzy yet occasionally frenzied lead guitar lines accompanied with Hammondish organ stabs that fit well with the chaotic lyrical landscape based on a perceived outcome of a nuclear holocaust.  The song was written during the height of the Vietnam War, which likely colored the tension of the subject matter and the overall feel of the music.

Amazingly, with the Animal Bag version, the musical tension is relatively gone; replaced with a dreamier and more languid flow that works incredibly well both musically and vocally.  The key to this version is the pace:  the rhythmic strum follows a much slower vibe, the lead guitar is much bluesier than the push/pull exhibited in the original, and the multiple vocals are beautifully measured and more fluid.  The feel here is reminiscent of a late night jam after the lights are dimmed, the incense lit, and a few cocktails consumed-  there is no rush, leaving room for every vocal line, every emotional lead guitar bend, and every snare crack to breathe in a magically ethereal fashion.  While the original offers an atmospheric yet bleaker tone based on the dynamic ebb and flow of the music, the cover feels much more illusory yet hopeful thanks to its relaxed and restrained pace.

As much as I enjoy the original, this is an example where I love the cover even more.  Oddly enough both songs are in that five minute range but the Animal Bag version feels much shorter, making me hit the repeat button and leaving me enveloped in the song’s warm embrace.  Yes folks, it is THAT good.  Unfortunately, the band has been long gone and the EP is out of print and hard to track down-  if you dig the tunefulness though, you can support lead vocalist/acoustic master Trent Edwards and his new bluegrass band The Grassbillies out of Shelby, North Carolina.  Maybe go catch a gig and surprise him with a special request 🙂