8-Bit Covers
An homage to low-tech music fun.
Let’s turn back the clock.
It’s 2005.
The iTunes store is not even two years old. I get a suggestion from iTunes for a Beck EP called “GameBoy Variations.”
I dug Beck at the time. Still do. His fun, mind-bending lyrical free association channels Dylan, and I was curious to see what he was up to. Beck hadn’t had a hit as huge as “Loser” in the past decade, but I knew he was good for a few kick-flips in the brain.
The cover art fueled my curiosity even more: A plain line drawing of a musician on stage, in full head-bang mode in front of stacked Marshall amps, playing a… GameBoy?!
Ha! Brilliant!
Gaming consoles were never really my thing then (I was raising kids) - or now - but I grew up around stand-alone video games where 8-bit sound effects and music were standard. I needed to check this out.
I played the 30-second sample of the EP’s four songs and lost myself in low-tech bliss. Pretty sure I put “Bit Variations in B Flat,” and “Bad Cartridge (E-Pro Remix)” into my iTunes library immediately.
Next trip to Barnes & Noble, I bought the CD of Beck’s new full-length album, Guero. After giving it a full listen, I realized the “Gameboy” EP contained re-mixes of four songs on Guero done in 8-bit, albeit some are titled a little (or a lot) differently.
Fast forward to today.
I’ve always loved a good cover song. From EDM versions of KISS to bossanova Stones to bluegrass AC/DC to Ella Fitzgerald covering Cream, someone else’s take on a famous song holds endless fascination. Now meld that idea with 8-bit technology. It’s become a bit of a full-blown genre.
Search Apple Music or Spotify for 8-bit versions of your favorite songs and you’ll find them - by more than a couple groups. Heck, they could even be the same people putting out slightly different versions under a different name.
My favorite low-tech band I’ve found is 8-Bit Misfits. Probably because I'm a misfit myself. They make albums of songs by particular groups, covering the heavy hitters of every decade since the 1960s. And their most-played song in my library is “Baker Street.”
It’s on their album of Foo Fighters songs (on Apple Music only; Spotify/Youtube versions miss it). Since it’s unavailable on YouTube, “My Hero” is embedded below.
If you want to be precise about it, “Baker Street” is a cover of a cover.
The original by Gerry Rafferty became an FM rock radio staple in the late ’70s and early ’80s. The Foos released their version in 1997, at first only as an import. The 8-Bit Misfits' version captures the feeling of the original, including many of its subtleties.
Shuffling in 8-bit covers adds an element of fun and surprise to my daily listening, while giving my brain a lateral shift. Kind of a low-tech slap upside the head.
We all need that on occasion.
495 words. Including these.