Sorry, no coherent theme today just a fairly random selection of cover versions. Ray Barretto - Pastime Paradise Another Stevie Wonder cover (after yesterday's Superstition) I seem to like covers of Stevie's songs more than the original versions. Here a track from from the Songs In The Key of Life album gets an angry Latinised version from Ray Baretto. I love the way he almost spits out the lyrics - "Tell me who of them will come to beHow many of them are you and meDissipationRace RelationsConsolationSegregationDispensationIsolationExploitationMutilationMutationsMiscreationConfirmation...to the evils of the world"The song itself gained new life in the 1980's when it became Gangsta's Paradise for Coolio, but this is the real deal. The Gifted - KeroseneWent to The Gifted's album launch last night. They played a storming version of Big Black's Kerosene. A song which seems to have enjoyed a bit of a renaissance in the Manx music scene of late. (In the late 80's it seemed to be everywhere - played at every gig, and scrawlled on toilet walls - I even wrote an answer song because I felt it was better to work for change rather than burn the place to the ground so erm, "Put the Kerosene down" Pah teenagers!). The Gifted's mainman Andy Clarke did an entertaining version of the song at an accoustic night recently, but here is the studio version which got bumped from the album. If you want a copy of the album give me a shout. The Wedding Present - Step Into ChristmasFinally, for a bit of festive cheer here is The Wedding Present tackling an old Elton John tune. Taken from the b-side to the final single of their record breaking attempt to release a single a month throughout a calendar year. These were collected on The Hit Parade.I interviewed Gedge for my collage paper at about the time this single came out, and he kindly signed a Christmas card to a friend of mine who was a big fan. So in a funny way The Wedding Present have become the spirit of Christmas for me.