Drove downtown in the rain. 9:30 on a Tuesday night. Or 10:30. Or 11:30.
That used to be my thing, just like that Barenaked Ladies song. Especially after I moved to Atlanta in 1995. Not knowing anyone aside from some near-flung college friends already getting along with their adult lives, I’d temper my loneliness with trips to Tower Records. They were, as you might recall, open until midnight, every night. And Tuesday nights were especially worthwhile, as those were the nights when the new releases would go on sale right at midnight. This meant, of course, that the store might stay open even later.
And since I felt compelled to make the drive worth the effort, I had to buy something. How often did I go? I believe I have mentioned once or twice a compact disc collection numbering close to eight-hundred or so. It is safe to say that I was a bit of a regular.
(But no, I never saw Sir Elton John during one of his fabled sprees of new music acquisition. Timing was never right. Or maybe his and my paydays just weren’t aligned.)
With all this retail therapy — and that is truly what it was — there was no guarantee that I’d come home with something worthwhile. Sure, I believe I’ve a wide and resourceful appreciation for music now, but that does nothing to explain the several maxi-singles and CD-5s that accompanied me home. My reasoning? It’s not a whole album, it’s just the song. Less commitment. Or something.
Sometimes, however, an impulse buy would turn out for the best. Case in point: Susheela Raman.
The cover caught my eye, particularly because of the cardboard slip-cover. So I flipped it over and spotted what could only be a cover version of one of my favorite songs. Ever.
A little history. There is an album that, if you own it, chances are good you don’t recall how it came to be in your possession. This Mortal Coil’s It’ll End In Tears. Ostensibly, this is a goth album if there ever was one. It’s on the 4AD label. It’s got this kohl-eyed girl on the cover. And it is entitled It’ll End In Tears, of course. But what it is really is a pet project album for 4AD’s Ivo Watts-Russell — a kind of super-producer. For three albums, 1984′s It’ll End In Tears being the first, Ivo put various musicians into the same room and had them record either originals or covers. Kind of like little temporary Velvet Undergrounds. And the song that always got me from It’ll End In Tears was “Song To The Siren.”
Only later would I learn that the very compelling voice was that of Cocteau Twin, Elizabeth Fraser. Even later still would I learn that “Song To The Siren” was written and recorded in 1968 by none-other than Tim Buckley, Jeff Buckley’s father. Monkee Mickey Dolenz was an early fan and asked Buckley to perform the song at the end of one of their shows that same year.
So back in 2001 … I’m in Tower and I see this CD and I see this track listing and I knew I had to have it. One of the best purchases I’ve ever made, too. And rather than go into why her cover is so good, I’ll go instead with Ms Raman’s own reason for recording:
“It has fantastic lyrics about the wreckage of love; to get to the emotional place where it sounds convincing was not something one could do everyday. This version seemed to work its magic so we put it on the record. The themes of love and separation chime with some of the Indian devotional songs….Indian gods are not really separate from people and so their interaction with us can be almost as playful and perverse as human relationships.”*
Awesome.
“Song To The Siren” – Susheela Raman (from Salt Rain)
