Futureheads, Raconteurs, Bauhaus And G'n'r Do Db

Let’s dance, To the song they’re playing on the radio… (possibly)

I’m sure the majority of you are already aware of this latest batch of Bowie covers, but it’s good to catalogue these things anyway.

First up, The Futureheads have recorded an exclusive version of Let’s Dance for a cover-mounted CD with the latest edition of Q magazine which is billed as The 80s Issue. DB’s own version of the song makes it to #21 in the mag’s selection of the 40 best 80s tracks.

Elsewhere in the mag, the Aladdin Sane version of Let’s Spend The Night Together is listed as one of the essential 50 download tracks this month. We’ve mentioned the album Paint It Black (from which the track is taken) on these pages a couple of times. (06.11.2006 NEWS: BOWIE TRACK ON STONES COVERS COMPILATION & 06.29.2006 NEWS: PAINT IT BLACK WEBSITE AND STONES TICKETS CONTEST)

Here’s what Q had to say about the track: “The highlight of mostly rubbish Stones cover compilation Paint It Black. A sprint through their masterclass in sexual threat that first surfaced on 1973’s Aladdin Sane.”

Next up, you may already know that The Raconteurs have covered Ziggy Stardust‘s only cover version: It Ain’t Easy. Of course it could be argued that they haven’t covered Bowie if it’s not a Bowie original. But, anybody who has heard the band perform the song live would have to agree that it definitely owes much more to the Ziggy arrangement (although strictly speaking it’s a Hunky Dory arrangement as that was the album it was originally intended for) than the Ron Davies original from his 1970 album…or indeed any of the numerous versions since.

Anyway, the band have now decided to include a live version of the track on one of the 7″ issues of their forthcoming Hands single…so you’ll be able to make up your own mind when it’s released at the end of the month.

The re-reformed Bauhaus have been playing their biggest hit on their current American tour with NIN. That song being Ziggy Stardust which reached #15 in the UK singles chart in 1982. This live version is also available for your listening pleasure on any number of live CDs from the current Bauhaus tour via INSTANT LIVE.

Finally, the reformed Guns N’ Roses (who are as much Guns N’ Roses as Velvet Revolver are) have also tackled Ziggy Stardust at recent live shows, which is very nice of Axl to give his former guitarist’s ex-occasional babysitter a nod…but who really cares?