Monday 19 August 2013

COVER NERD! meets DYLAN COVERS - Transvison Vamp - 'Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window'

This week I've decided to encroach on Old Pa's territory and share with you a cover of a Bob Dylan classic. Do you have a favourite cover you want to share, Dylan or otherwise.
If so click here and let us read all about it and share with the world.

Apparently there were other band members too....
Transvision Vamp - Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window (1991)

Wendy James...... Phwooooaaarrr !!!! Just thought I'd get that out of the way. Back in the late 80's early 90's I was heavily into my music, however I also was heavily into female pop stars being plastered the walls of my bedroom. In amongst the Madonna and Kylie posters I'd taken from Smash Hits my pride of place had been a 24 by 18 inches (although as an 18 year old lad, my perception of size may have been exaggerated) poster of Transvision Vamp's singer, Wendy James. The poster was, is and always will be stored in a corner of my mind..... It made my Mum tut every time she came into my room, but I bloody loved it.
Don't look now Mum
I bought everything they released and I even bought a record store promo of their 3rd album, 'Little Magnets Versus The Bubble Of Babble' which their label MCA deemed not worthy of a UK release. It did get released in the US and Australia though. That's the album that this song featured on. At the time I didn't know who Old Pa was and therefore hadn't been introduced to the ways of the Dylan. I loved the song and only recently realised that it was a cover, shame on me I know.

After the band split up, Wendy released a solo album called 'Now Ain't The Time For Your Tears', all the songs were wtitten by Elvis Costello, I liked it but sadly the British public didn't and she was dropped by MCA. She surfaced earlier this century fronting a band called Racine (no me neither to be honest) they had two albums out, which I recently listened to on Spotify and they will take a few more plays. In 2010, Wendy resurfaced with a second solo project, but this time all her own work called 'I Came Here To Blow Minds' and as you can see, she still has the trademark platinum blonde hair. In 2012 she released her version of 'It's Alright Ma'

NERD ALERT - At the height of the band's fame, I remember Wendy had a bet with the then editor of the Bizarre column in The Sun, Piers Morgan. She bet him that she would win an Oscar before the end of the century....... She didn't and he has since gone on to world domination.

To take a peak at my other Cover Nerd! posts, click here and for Dylan Covers, click here

Sadly this cover isn't yet on Spotify, but you can listen and subscribe to my Cover Nerd! playlist below


As a bonus, please find a version of the track by Bob Dylan himself





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COVER NERD! meets DYLAN COVERS - Transvison Vamp - 'Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window'
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Oleh

6 comments

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19 August 2013 at 08:36

Great Post it was not only young adolecents that fancied the pants of Wendy babe. To keep everyone in the picture Wendy has just done a cover of It's alright Ma on Soundcloud and here is the link
https://soundcloud.com/search?q=wendy%20james%20it%27s%20alright%20ma

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19 August 2013 at 09:00

Thanks OP.....I've added the track to the main body of the post..... I wish my Ma was alright with my tastes !!!

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19 August 2013 at 10:09

Phwoarrrr! Thanks for the extensive and informative update to Wendy James. I'm afraid, despite her charms, my relationship with Wendy only went as far as 'I Don't Care'. Not a bad song, I have to say and obviously the first time I've heard it as I was probably too busy buying stuff of Vanessa Paradis at the time. She shared wall space with Darcey Bussell, bizarrely.

So Kylie, Madonna....what about Debbie Gibson? Weren't you hot on her too?

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19 August 2013 at 16:05

I saw TVV a couple of times back in the day and had a massive fly poster of Wendy on the ceiling above the counter in my shop, which I was often offered lots of money for! I remember liking 'Little Magnets' when I stocked it on import, but was never too keen on the Dylan cover. 'It's Alright Ma' is pretty damn good though.


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DJ Biltong-man
20 August 2013 at 22:10

Cant believe I read this after my Facebook comment... we are Wendy James 'same poster' buddies :-) My poster was 6 500miles away from yours behind my bedroom door, Aah yes, the memories. Few months back I purchased the albums on CD to add to my collection and have been played to death in my car since. So much so my wife (who was very young at the TransVamp time) is now singing and humming along to the tracks whilst doing housework :-) I must say its so much easier to sing out aloud, 'Tell that girl to shut up' and 'baby I don't care' once you are married.....its like the lyrics were made for marriage, they just flow lol
Great choice, thanks for sharing.

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Anonymous
23 August 2013 at 10:04

Both songs surprisingly likable. Wendy obviously better musical taste than I imagined. OK, I wasn't a Transvamp fan but I agree - Wendy - Phwooooaaarrr !!!!

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