Stephen Malkmus isn't necessarily known for his experimental output; however
the Pavement guitarist covered Can's Ege Bamyasi in full last year with
German band Von Spar. He may get the credit for igniting a generation of plaid
wearing tweens, but he hasn't quite been a master of the arts like his 80s
predecessor Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth. So Malkmus played Ege Bamyasi in
full last year in Cologne, Germany. It was recorded and here we are. What's quite
special about this release isn't the in-full, detailed track by track cover of
Ege Bamyasi, but the way it's been played. The concert was recorded and the
finished project is a live cover of one of the most influential records of all
time. It's astounding to think of a band performing this album in full, on one
night with Pavement's Stephen Malkmus of course.
A member of the audience shouts: "Thank you for doing this,"
to which Malkmus gracefully replies: "Hey it's our pleasure, and
deepest respects to the group, top 10 best ever, maybe even top three, right
after Elvis." As someone near the back whispers... And The Fall.
Can's Ege Bamyasi is one of those unique albums not for covering.
Surprisingly Malkmus and Von Spar pull it off. Beck tried to do it with The Velvet
Underground & Nico, The Flaming Lips with Dark Side of The Moon,
neither had conviction in their attempts. This is certainly a hard album to
cover, and these fans pull it off fantastically. The clarity in Malkmus' voice
on "Pinch", his shrieks on "Vitamin C", it all goes
together with Von Spar's perfect musical accompaniment. It's not a perfect
cover, but "Vitamin C" especially has fantastic written all over it.
Malkmus is no Damo Suzuki, his vocals are not as powerful or important as
Suzuki's, but Malkmus still manages to keep the listener interested and doesn't
ruin one of Can's best records.
Mark E. Smith is an avid fan of Can, naming Can to be one of The Fall's
direct influences, including the track titled "I Am Damo Suzuki" on
The Fall's This Nation's Saving Grace which namedrops Can albums and
Suzuki antics. Malkmus has been inspired by both Suzuki and Mark E Smith. One
could only image Ege Bamyasi being covered by The Fall, well Smith would
pull that off too.
Can's Ege Bamyasi finds its way on a Record
Store Day vintage release for fans of Can, post-punk and Malkmus' past
projects. He fits the role of Suzuki and delivers what is a respectable cover
album. He doesn't add a take on the classic, he's keeping it simple, in a
mind-numbing way seeing as Ege Bamyasi is not a simple album. Other than his accent difference, the tracklist has been changed, which i'm not too happy with if I'm honest. If you're covering an album in full, you might as well follow the order of intention. This is
essentially a good listen for fans of Can, to see how a different artist fares
covering one of the Germans most appreciated albums.
~Eddie
7.5
