A Whole Damn Week with the Same Song, Part 2: The Straight-Up Crowd Pleaser

Another thing I’ve realized that’s great about this week of Thin Lizzy covers is that it gives me a chance to explore the different ways in which a band approaches a cover song. Take today’s version, for instance, coming from the Scottish twee-poppers Belle and Sebastian. There are a pretty large number of live B+S covers out there if you look hard enough, and they all serve the same purpose: to give the crowd a bonus and a good laugh at live shows (god willing, I’ll be seeing one myself this summer), and to demonstrate the band’s abiding love for good pop music.

It’s clear that Belle and Sebastian have a lot of love for this song (if you listen, they nicked the chord progressions in writing their own hit song “I’m a Cuckoo”), and especially the guitar riff in it, repeating it over and over before delving into the actual song. Aside from that, it’s just some guys and girls having a blast being rock stars and singing a fun song… considering the soft-spoken poetic lines that Stuart Murdoch usually is delivering, its an enjoyable change to hear him really let loose (and something we’ll hear more of, if their latest album is any indication).

Belle and Sebastian- The Boys are Back in Town