Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Compare and Contrast: The More Things Change (Except When They Don't)

Sixteen years separate the release of Tiny Bradshaw's original 1951 hit version of "The Train Kept A-Rollin'"...




...from The Yardbirds rewrite (as "Stroll On") on the 1967 soundtrack to Blow-Up...




...and the musical and stylistic differences between the two, on every level, are staggering; the records might have been conceived on different planets.

By contrast, 22(!) years separate the release of Madonna's 1989 hit "Express Yourself"...




...and Lady Gaga's 2011 rewrite (as "Born This Way")....




...and yet the differences between the two are essentially non-existent; for all intents, they're the same fricking record.

Discuss.