Good Cover Version: Elephant Stone does Tom Petty

Pulp gave the world the song "Bad Cover Version." But seeing as I'm a sonic optimist, I'm of the belief that there's more likely than not more good cover versions floating around than bad ones. Good Cover Version celebrates the good, and leaves all that bad and ugly stuff alone.

It's weird thinking that we are now living in a post-Tom Petty world. Petty's music was engrained into the musical consciousness of a great number of us, from a very early age, and the idea of him being gone feels wrong. What the man did for songwriting, though, will live on, and for that I know I'm not alone in being thankful for. 

The appeal of Petty is obvious - everyday stories told in an uncannily easy and relatable style. His songs are also quite popular with the musically-talented, and a few years after its release I find myself circling back to Elephant Stone's beautiful cover of "Into the Great Wide Open." Tying in the band's penchant for musical mysticism, the Petty classic takes on a new level of both earthiness and the otherworldly. A truly fitting tribute to a great artist.  



[posted 10.8.17]