Belgian Clones

27 Leggies is two years old today. And what better way to celebrate than with an album of cover versions by a load of unknown Belgians. If this blog stands for anything, it stands for unknown Belgians (and bringing Tsonga Disco to the masses of course).

The album goes by the name of "Clone: Version 0.1" and it came out in 2005 on the Sounds Familiar label. According to the sleevenotes Clone played most of the musical instruments, but there is no further information about he/she/them. There are lots of guest vocalists, who may well be Big in Bruges but none of whom had ever impinged on my consciousness before I spotted the CD going for €3 last week in the CD shop in Gare de Midi in Brussels.

Apart from the price, what attracted me to the CD was the choice of cover versions. These plucky Belgians have a go at the likes of Richard Hell & The Voidoids, The Jam, Roxy Music, Wire and many more of the sounds of my youth. Bung in a bit of Johnny Cash, Petula Clark and Peter Hammill and how could I resist.

As with all such endeavours, it is a bit of a mixed bag. Here are some of the more interesting efforts - covers of Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood, The Ramones and Them respectively. As a bonus, and a birthday treat for the blog, we also have Them with the original version of "I Can Only Give You Everything", the garage band standard and one of the first of many moments of musical genius from Mr Van Morrison.

"Some Velvet Morning" - Guy Swinnen with Ivy Smits, Kristin Brown and Catherine M

"Blitzkrieg Bop" - Perverted

"I Can Only Give You Everything" - Eric Judah & Prince Far Out

"I Can Only Give You Everything" - Them