Rhino’s Got You Covered: Boycott, Laura Branigan, Fleetwood Mac, and Brad Mehldau

It’s Wednesday, so it must be time to take another dip into the Rhino catalog and trot out a new quartet of cover songs that you may or may not have heard before. Let’s get started, shall we?

• Boycott, “My Sharona” (1987): This Finnish rock band included their cover of the Knack’s biggest hit on their self-titled debut album, and while it would be inaccurate to say that they’ve mixed up the arrangement of the tune very much from the original, they do rock it a little bit harder, and that makes all the difference.

• Laura Branigan, “Squeeze Box” (1983): Over the years, Branigan’s second album has come to be remembered for the inclusion of her version of Michael Bolton’s “How Am I Supposed to Live With You,” but she does a highly credible version of this Who tune, too. Also worth mentioning is “Deep in the Dark,” which is kinda sorta a cover of Falco’s “Der Kommisar,” even though it really isn’t. Oh, just go listen to it and you’ll understand.

• Fleetwood Mac, “For Your Love” (1973): This Yardbirds tune – well, it’s technically a Graham Gouldman tune, but you know what we mean – got a reappreciation in 2018 when it was included on the 50^th anniversary compilation, 50 YEARS – DON’T STOP, but it first appeared on their ’73 album, MYSTERY TO ME, so it’s about time it got more notice, frankly.

• Brad Mehldau, “New York State of Mind” (2020):  Released on his SUITE: APRIL 2020 album, which he described as “a musical snapshot of life the last month in the world in which we’ve all found ourselves,” Mehldau explained the reason behind this Billy Joel cover in some liner notes on his website. “(It’s) a song I’ve loved since I was nine years old,” he explained, describing it as “a love letter to a city that I’ve called my home for years, and that I’m far away from now. I know lots of people there and miss them terribly, and I know how much that great city hurts right now. I also know that it too will come around.”