Clem Snide's Beautiful [EP] is built around the band's cover of Christina Aguilera's power ballad "Beautiful." A lot of indie bands, when doing a cover of a chart hit, will do it winkingly or archly; Clem Snide display no such distance. The group throw themselves into the performance like it was the best song ever written; Eef Barzelay delivers the words earnestly, like he was reciting bible verses at a revival meeting. The only problem is that the Linda Perry-composed tune is pretty rotten, the lyrics are trite and bland, ...
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Clem Snide's Beautiful [EP] is built around the band's cover of Christina Aguilera's power ballad "Beautiful." A lot of indie bands, when doing a cover of a chart hit, will do it winkingly or archly; Clem Snide display no such distance. The group throw themselves into the performance like it was the best song ever written; Eef Barzelay delivers the words earnestly, like he was reciting bible verses at a revival meeting. The only problem is that the Linda Perry-composed tune is pretty rotten, the lyrics are trite and bland, and melody is non-existent. The band's originals are so ironic, literate, dynamic, and wonderful that this song just lies there like nothing much at all. Following "Beautiful" up with "All Green" -- one of the poignant highlights of the group's 2003 album, Soft Spot -- just points out what a bad song it really is, and a good version of a bad song is most often still a bad song, and a less than thrilling listening experience. The rest of the EP is made up of two unreleased originals, and one unreleased cover: a decent, understated version of the Velvet Underground's "I'll Be Your Mirror," recorded live on the radio in 2002. Of the two unreleased tracks, "Mike Galinsky" is the funniest, being a bit of a shaggy dog story about a high school classmate with asthma who ends up being a singer in a rock band, but "Nick Drake Tape," a pretty, country-folk ballad with an aching vocal from Barzelay, and nice acoustic musical backing, is much better. The Beautiful [EP] is not an essential purchase for any but the most devoted Clem Snide fans. ~ Tim Sendra, Rovi
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Add this copy of Beautiful to cart. $3.45, good condition, Sold by JR Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Grand Rapids, MI, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Spin Art.
Add this copy of Beautiful to cart. $3.50, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Ruby rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Spin Art.
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Seller's Description:
Very good. Providing great media since 1972. All used discs are inspected and guaranteed. Cases may show some wear. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Beautiful to cart. $3.50, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Diamond rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Spin Art.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very good. Providing great media since 1972. All used discs are inspected and guaranteed. Cases may show some wear. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
