Kurt Baker on Got It Covered
A track by track summary of song on Kurt Baker’s EP “GOT IT COVERED” out 8/10/10
1. Let Me Out
The Knack are the quintessential Power Pop band, everything down to the black skinny ties and Beatle boots. “Get the Knack” belongs in every music fans record collection, and was one of the first Power Pop records I ever bought. “Let Me Out” is a burst of pure adrenaline and I couldn’t think of a better track to start of the album. My performance and version reminds me of the work that I did on the Leftovers album “On the Move”, which I’m really psyched about. On a funny side note, rumor has it that the Knacks singer/songwriter Doug Fieger wrote songs exclusively from the perspective of his “Schlong”, which makes perfect sense if you go back and read the lyrics to songs like “My Sharona” and “Let Me Out”. Doug Fieger died shortly before we recorded our version, so this is dedicated to him.
2. Hanging On The Telephone
Many people know this song as recorded by the beautiful Debbie Harry and Blondie, but in fact the original was written by Jack Lee, who played in the legendary LA punk/pop group The Nerves. Along with Lee, the other members included Paul Collins and Peter Case. Both members would go on to front bands like The (Paul Collins) Beat and The Plimsouls.. both staples in late 70’s Power Pop. My version stays pretty true to the original, but it also reminds me of a great Swedish rock n’ roll band called the Hellacopters. I saw them once in Boston and it totally blew my mind.. actually, they were probably the greatest band i’ve ever seen live. Speaking of Boston, Kay Hanley from the legendary Boston group Letters to Cleo, sang back ups on this! She is awesome! The intro sound clip is taken from Linus’s voice mail on his phone. He’s got a fancy phone… my phone doesn’t even have a voicemail option, it’s that old!
3. Pump It Up
When Linus and I got together to discuss “Got It Covered”, one of the songs that we really wanted to model some of our work on was a track called “Bandages” by Hot Hot Heat. I remember always hearing that song in High School and thinking how ridiculously catchy it was, yet wild and spastic sounding. Elvis Costello is the king of making music that can be described at times as “Organized Chaos”, so on this track we really tried to channel something along the lines of musical spontaneous combustion. Our “Pump It Up” comes off as a wild party anthem, and I love wild parties… esp. if there is beer and snacks involved!
4. I’ve Done Everything For You
Rick Springfield is the man. You cannot deny his awesomeness. When The Leftovers were working on our record “Eager to Please”, Rick had just released a new single called “Victoria’s Secret”. We all had a laugh about it, but Linus and I quickly switched the subject to how much we love Springfield’s “Working Class Dog” album. It’s pure 80’s pop at it’s best. During the recording of this song we found out that he was actually playing the entire “Working Class Dog” album in its entirety in Milwaukee, Wisconsin ( home to Beer & Cheese, two favorites of Linus and myself). We almost cancelled the session and boarded the plane but then Kay Hanely stopped by to record some killer back ups and we ended up just going to Mel’s diner in Hollywood were we drank many Budweisers and got in fights with dorky LA douche bags who claim Taylor Swift doesn’t write her own songs.. (She does by the way, and is kinda hot).
5. Is She Really Going Out With Him?
In a way, this song is kind of autobiographical. I spend a lot of time in coffee shops in my home town of Portland, Maine, usually drinking coffee and looking out the window and seeing all these beautiful girls walking with a bunch of meat head college guys. This might happen everywhere. “Is She Really Going Out With Him?” is a hopeless romantics lament and I’ve always loved the way that Joe Jackson comes off as your “average guy” songwriter. I’ve always felt a connection to his lyrics, and at the same time loved his infectious melodies. This was the first song we recorded during the session, it just came naturally!
6. Cruel To Be Kind
I’m a VH1 classics junkie. I really don’t like cable TV very much. I don’t even have cable were I live, but whenever I get a chance to eat dinner at my parents house, you can bet your fortunes that i’ll be sitting on the couch watching Metal Mania or Pop Up Video rather than eating a pot roast. I’ve always seen Nick Lowe’s video for “Cruel To Be Kind” on VH1. It’s always stuck with me, and the chorus is just so infectious. This might be one of my favorite songs on the album. Ironically, Kay Hanley (my producer Linus of Hollywood has a band with Kay called Palmdale), who sang back ups on this record also did a stellar version of “Cruel” for the hit teen movie “10 Things I Hate About You” with Letters to Cleo. This one is for Heath.
7. Turning Japanese
The Vapors are total 1 hit wonders, and there is nothing wrong with that! Take a tune like “Turning Japanese”, a new wave classic that transcends generations. You can’t help but feel good when you hear this song. Growing up I always would buy old Beatles or Beach Boys albums, but the first “New Wave” record I ever bought was “New Clear Days” by the Vapors, which features “Turning Japanese”. It was probably the best 75 cents i’ve ever spent (besides that Milkey Way I just purchased at the gas station). This was the last song we recorded during the “Got It Covered” sessions, and totally represents how much fun we had making this album.
