(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . IVH: If I Were a Carpenter (Tribute) [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-08-17 Tonight’s selections from the 1994 Carpenters alt-rock tribute album, If I Were a Carpenter. In popular culture, the cyclical adage "Everything old is new again" is often embodied in the form of the tribute album—an unwieldy vehicle of veneration whose success lies as much with the source material as with those interpreting it. A tribute album’s chances of hitting that sonic sweet spot are also enhanced when it follows the loosely structured (and hotly debated) 20-year nostalgia cycle—the idea that one’s generational fads of music, fashion, technology, books, slang and other cultural touchstones resurface after a couple decades (give or take) of mainstream dormancy. With its roster of 1990s alternative music rabble-rousers celebrating the 1970s clean-cut, musical prodigy duo The Carpenters, the left-of-center tribute album If I Were A Carpenter wonderfully delivers on these concepts in spades. This month marks 25 years [Aldo: 29 now] since the release of If I Were A Carpenter, providing a nice echo of its origins, as the tribute album was initially conceived as a commemoration of the 25th anniversary of The Carpenters' debut album, Offering. On its surface, the idea of rowdy alt-rockers running bubbly Carpenters songs through cranked guitars and buzzy amplifiers might've seemed like nothing more than a tongue-in-cheek goof. As KROQ’s music director Darcy Fulmer said of the album at the time, "It shows that people who like alternative music liked dork music when they were little, too." — Grammy Sonic Youth :: Superstar . Shonen Knife :: Top of the World x YouTube Video American Music Club :: Goodbye to Love x YouTube Video Redd Kross :: Yesterday Once More It’s not a coincidence that everyone from Madonna to Sheryl Crow, Shania Twain and Kim Gordon all cite Karen Carpenter as a critical influence. Following on from the likes of Grace Slick and Janis Joplin, she was an artist who showed the men how to do it, rising to the top despite her personal demons and the misogyny that permeated the industry. In short, she was a trailblazer for all strong female leads that followed, opening up the gates for all the legends we see ubiquitous today, such as Beyoncé, Rihanna, Taylor Swift and Lorde. Showing just how far her influence reaches, in 1994, perhaps the best covers album of all time was released, If I Were a Carpenter. Featuring some of the biggest stars of the day, and some of the most lauded alternative rock acts of all time, the album is magnificent from start to finish. The most notable track is Sonic Youth’s cover of ‘Superstar’, but there is so much more to it. — Far Out Magazine Sheryl Crow :: Solitaire x YouTube Video . Babes In Toyland :: Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft . WHO’S TALKING TO WHO? All Repeats LAST WEEK'S POLL: UTENSILS OR CUDDLING, YOUR CHOICE Big spoon 37% Little spoon 16% Fork you (π) 47% [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/8/17/2187092/-IVH-If-I-Were-a-Carpenter-Tribute Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/