A Week Under the Covers: Astronomy
The covers that will finish out the week are all songs that top the original, but it’s a matter of degrees. It’s never so much the case that the original song is bad (after all, it had to be worth covering in the first place), but these artist have such a distinct voice that they’re able to transform the original in to something fresh and make it all their own.
“Astronomy” - Metallica beats Blue Öyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult gets a bad rep because they have some good songs in their history but they’re all overshadowed by “Don’t Fear the Reaper” which only calls to mind the immortal SNL sketch. But “Astronomy” is a great song…it’s just that Metallica’s cover of it is slightly better. Now I’m no fan of Metallica, or at least, what Metallica has become. From being on the wrong side of the piracy song (where Lars Ulrich clearly misunderstood the technology and how to effectively utilize it to his benefit) to the atrocious “St. Anger” and now I hear that their upcoming album will have a heavy Middle Eastern influence, you know, because we need another reason for the Middle East to hate us. And while some would go even further back to the haircuts and the “Load” and “Reload” albums, I don’t mind those albums or the realization that long-haired rock stars and the 90s don’t mix. But no matter my feelings on Metallica now, their cover of “Astronomy” is fantastic. There really is no substitute for James Hetfield’s unmistakable vocals or Kirk Hammett’s inhuman mastery of the electric guitar. So set aside some time (both songs are about six-and-a-half minutes) and rock out to “Astronomy”.
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