Who was it that wanted acoustic hip-hop songs, again?

Well, more rap covers by non-rappers, but acoustic hip-hop works too.

Because some random Australian (Richard Clapton? I know him not) covers "Gangsta's Paradise" on one of those Andrew Denton Music Challenge CDs* and I could upload it to buffistarawk if necessary.

From the sounds of his Allmusic listing, he was very influential in Australian rock but had less than zero impact in the US, except in his collaborations with INXS (and producing Underneath the Colours).

Yeah, upload it. I'm finding these rap covers are really short, so I'm having trouble filling an 80 minute CD.

I am listening to What's He Building in There, the Waits song, and it's such an odd little novelty and seems as if a person could get tired of it--yet, I never do. The BF and I will both say "What's he BUILDing in there?" when we see a scary looking building with dark windows.

Heh. I was listening to one of the Waits tribute discs this morning - New Coat of Paint - and reveling in the macabre sensibility behind "Whistlin' Past The Graveyard" by Screamin' Jay Hawkins. Great version, incidentally. I wish he'd done a whole album of Waits songs.

I've been listening to more Tom Waits lately, since my iTunes seems to love him. iTunes also loves the Decemberists, who are my total new band crush.

I'm going to see Portastatic on 9/29 and New Pornographers on 9/30. Woot!

They play Waits a lot on the Wire...I believe he did one of the theme versions...before that I knew his music as "that stuff your Dad likes" that my mother didn't. Not to be all "The Wire like carrots!" again.

It's up (Gangsta's Paradise). Enjoy.

I believe he did one of the theme versions

That's his song, chica. The others are covers.

OK...then I stand corrected. So to speak.

I am listening to What's He Building in There

This is our catchphrase whenever a wierd noise comes through on the baby monitor. I love that track - "they say he had a consulting business in Indonesia..."

Still, I'm on the list for pitches.

Book-ma to you as well, H!

If I had to pick, I would pitch The Soft Bulletin. A co-worker I was discussing this with mentioned that they haven't done a hip-hop album yet. I would pitch the first Roots album if I was to pick a hip hop album - that is based on personal preference, of course, and not what I think is the most important and book-deserving of all hip hop albums.

My real point in posting was to remind folks to watch/tape/Tivo American Masters on PBS tonight to catch the two-hour Scorcese-directed Bob Dylan documentary (which finishes up with another two hours tomorrow night).

Interesting review from Slate: [link]