Wilson, Steven: Cover Version

Cover Version assembles all the songs Steven Wilson covered on limited edition releases between 2003 and 2010 while also adding six more new tracks to the mix. I'm a big Steven Wilson fan; I own almost everything he has released from Porcupine Tree to No-Man to Blackfield to Bass Communion to his solo material, but I've never been one to get limited editions, especially if they contained only a few songs or B-sides. Therefore, this disc is more likely to appeal to those who haven't heard these tracks before, be it covers or new tunes. So for me, Cover Version is a winner; not only is it a 'new' disc for me, but it is also an amazing release in that it documents Wilson's far-reaching and eclectic musical tastes as well as growth and evolution as a solo artist.

The cover songs are amazing. Steven Wilson has given them all his trademark touch, making them sound like lost tracks from previous sessions. Fans of Blackfield may already be familiar with Alanis Morrissette's "Thank U" since it was covered in their 2007 live album. This version, however, is a lot more powerful. The mid-tempo tune is slowed down to half the speed and delivered in a much more intense manner, matching the spiritual lyrics. Speaking of which, Wilson even changes the lyrics a bit ("How about changing a line cause it don't make sense") but retains the tune's otherwise reflective nature. In The Cure's "A Forest," which has been covered by dozens of artists (including Norwegian black metal band Carpathian Forest), Wilson captures the song's electronic vibe but adds more sonic textures with distinct streams of melody running beneath the whole thing. The result is a darker and creepier soundscape with the second half sounding huge and intense. I would have thought it impossible to do this song justice, given it represents The Cure's definitive moment from their goth rock era, but Wilson has achieved it. Donovan's "Lord of the Reedy River" is twice as long as the original; the sound is developed with a more experimental method in that it weaves looped harmonies deep into the mix, though the folky acoustic guitars and vocals are faithfully re-interpreted. The amazing thing is that the middle section features a bluesy guitar solo, which really elevates it to another level. And the ending is sublime: the densely textured, looming sonic murmurs would not seem out of place on No-Man's Returning Jesus. The traditional English song "The Unquiet Grave" is breathtaking and unforgettable. It starts like a Comus song from 1971: wordless chants form the background for Wilson's vocals, delivered like never before. At one point, his vocals get buried under a slowly rising, Bass Communion-like drone before being brought to the fore again. The lyrics are easily the darkest on this release: they express loss, sorrow, and death, themes Wilson would go on to explore on a larger scale years later, especially on The Raven That Refused to Sing. Actually, this song is another ghost story, a murder ballad in a sense, and examines how the ghost of the protagonist's wife can't find peace due to the protagonist mourning her death obsessively for "12 months and a day."

Steven Wilson has also picked some of these artists' most lyrically powerful songs in their discography. The Prince cover "Sign 'o' the Times" features socially conscious lyrics addressing issues like drug use, natural disasters, and gang violence, but unfortunately it isn't one of my favourites on this collection, neither the original nor the cover. The cover version picks up quite a bit of tempo towards the end, making it one of the most aggressive cuts on this disc and doesn't cohere well with the rest of the songs. The very last song ABBA recorded in their career, "The Day Before You Came" is perhaps one of their few songs based on the band members' personal experiences. It deals with divorce and is possibly the best track on this release: Wilson cuts out the steady, unchanging drum machine completely from the original piece, replacing it with an amazing acoustic guitar element and a distant, slow-burning orchestral arrangement. His vocals are among his most emotionally charged ever, and the ending of this song certainly surpasses the original, which is also a great tune, in my opinion. "The Guitar Lesson" is another lyrically intriguing number: it examines the issue of child abuse, which may put some listeners off, but Momo's rather jarring, avant-garde approach to songwriting is transformed into a more melancholic song, with greater emphasis on mood than lyrics, and, therefore, successfully merges into the fabric of the album.

The 'new' songs are mostly acoustic pieces within the three-minute mark. "Moment I Lost" is a dark piano ballad with some acoustic guitar strumming; it would make for a great song on Insurgentes. "Four Trees Down" is another ballad with flickering guitar arpeggios, but the brief guitar solo is worth the price of this disc alone: Steven Wilson gives us a piece of his heart on this one. The piano intro of "Please Come Home" sounds like something Jon Oliva would play if he were composing a follow-up to Dead Winter Dead. Of course, the resemblance ends the moment Wilson's vocals kick in. One of his simplest yet most moving songs, this track also sports a bluesy guitar solo (well, they're not solos per se, but you'll know what I mean when you hear it) which resolves the gently rising synth effects. There is also a more direct, pop-formatted track on the album: "Well You're Wrong." However, the best track has got to be "An End to an End." I love it when Wilson fully develops his pieces, infusing them with deep undercurrents, meditative passages, and tension-laden twists and turns. This is the type of demo material that Wilson might have shared with Mikael Akerfeldt before they started working on the Storm Corrosion album.

Cover Version is another great addition to Steven Wilson's catalog. Though it is not as cohesive as, say, Grace for Drowning or The Raven That Refused to Sing, it still stands on its own with some of his finest and most powerful songs to date.

Track Listing
1. "Thank U" Alanis Morissette 4:39
2. "Moment I Lost" Steven Wilson 3:12
3. "The Day Before You Came" Abba 5:06
4. "Please Come Home" Steven Wilson 3:30
5. "A Forest" The Cure 6:04
6. "Four Trees Down" Steven Wilson 3:33
7. "The Guitar Lesson" Momus 4:03
8. "The Unquiet Grave" Traditional 6:57
9. "Sign O' the Times" Prince 3:55
10. "Well You're Wrong" Steven Wilson 3:35
11. "Lord of the Reedy River" Donovan 5:03
12. "An End to End" Steven Wilson 5:12

Added: July 6th 2014
Reviewer: Murat Batmaz
Score:
Related Link: Artist Facebook Page
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Language: english

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