Song of the Day: 'Sick of Myself' by Matthew Sweet

I didn't know a single Matthew Sweet song when he teamed up with my girl Susanna Hoffs for a stellar series of covers albums back in the aughts, but it didn't take long for me to realize he was a talent. (And you don't choose those songs if you're not a cool cat.) And now thanks to MTV Classic, I'm a fan of this one. (Sorry, I was using mass transit so didn't listen to alternative radio most of the '90s!)

Song of the Day: ‘The Village Green Preservation Society' by Sid 'n' Susie

Hard to believe I could religiously follow and buy everything by Sid 'n' Susie -- including all three versions of their "Under the Covers, Vol. 1" duo debut to get the bonus tracks -- yet not know about these two additional outtakes. Up first is a Kinks cover followed by the Who's "I Can See for Miles." Guess this is what I get for not buying the first album a fourth time as part of "Completely Under the Covers."

Song of the Day: 'Sugar Magnolia' by Susanna Hoffs and Matthew Sweet

I never knew what a Grateful Dead song sounded like -- and never really wanted to -- until Sid 'n' Susie covered one. But thank you Robert Hunter, Dead collaborator and lyricists, for this little gem. Hunter died Monday night at 78. No cause of death was provided.

Song of the Day: 'Girls Talk' by Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs

Gender flipped cover of one of my favorite Dave Edmunds/Roxpile songs -- by the inimitable Sid 'n' Susie! They ended up releasing a box set of all three albums -- 1960s, 1970s and 1980s -- with a couple bonus tracks, which I never got. Did you?

Always bugged me that they included this 1979 song on their 1980s collection, even though it came out earlier in the year than Blondie's "Dreaming," which was on the 1970s disc.

Song of the Day: 'Sitting Still' by Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs

Sweet cover of one of REM's best songs.

Sid 'n' Susie Go 'Completely Under the Covers'

Details HERE.

Here's a "box set" of sorts of one of my favorite acts in recent memories, Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs' covers project. Although I guess these repackaged albums are a good thing, somehow I take it as a personal affront after I go and spend my hard-earned money buying the originals as they come house, hunting down editions with extra tracks -- sometimes buying the album more than once -- and then still come up short when the "latest" has stuff even I didn't get in my sweep. This time it's just two songs -- "Village Green Preservation Society" and "I Can See for Miles" from the '60s era -- so I'm hoping I can acquire those without shelling out another $22 and adding more clutter to my apartment. (I might add that I have two songs that aren't on these, so there!) I also take this to mean there won't be a fourth collection -- the '90s -- which is probably just as well.

Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs Are Lost in the '80s

Sid 'n' Susie are up to their old tricks again, this time covering an eclectic batch of songs from the '80s -- R.E.M., Tom Petty, the dB's, the English Beat, Echo and the Bunnymen, etc. -- for "Under the Covers. Vol. 3." As with the previous two collections, it's the songs I know the least -- "The Bulrushes" by the Bongos, "Towers of London" by XTC -- and/or interpreted by an opposite-gender-from-the-original -- Susanna singing Dave Edmunds' "Girls Talk" and Lindsey Buckingham's "Trouble" -- that stick with me most. This is really saying something, however, seeing as Susanna also sings "Kid" (Pretenders) and "They Don't Know" (Kirsty MacColl), which are two of my all-time favorite songs. That they felt the need to include two songs that were actually from 1979 -- both mentioned above (can you spot 'em?) isn't really a compliment to the decade from which their careers were born. But then again, they're doing the "Vogue" dance in the promotional photo, so perhaps their cutoff point for new decades is different from mine! Order HERE.

Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs Go Back to the '80s!

Foreshadowing: Sid 'n' Susie strike a '90s pose?

Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs' beloved covers project -- Sid 'n' Susie -- are back with a third album, this time focusing on the 1980s. I have to admit that I was far more apprehensive about this one than I was the '60s and '70s collections -- the '80s are yours, mine and theirs, after all -- but after hearing their sparkling take on the Go-Go's finest moment, "Our Lips Are Sealed," I'm starting to get giddy about a lineup that also includes R.E.M.'s "Sitting Still," the Pretenders' "Kid," Kirsty MacColl's "They Don't Know" and the English Beat's "Save It for Later." :

"Under the Covers, Vol. 3" will be out Nov. 12 on Shout! Factory. Listen to "Our Lips Are Sealed" HERE.

The full track list for "Under the Covers, Vol. 3" includes:
1.      Sitting Still (R.E.M.)
2.      Girls Talk (Dave Edmunds)
3.      Big Brown Eyes (The dB's)
4.      Kid (Pretenders)
5.      Free Fallin’ (Tom Petty)
6.      Save It For Later (The English Beat)
7.      They Don’t Know (Kirsty MacColl)
8.      The Bulrushes (The Bongos)
9.      Our Lips Are Sealed (The Go-Go’s)
10.   How Soon Is Now (The Smiths)
11.   More Than This (Roxy Music)
12.   Towers of London (XTC)
13.   Killing Moon (Echo and the Bunnymen)
14.   Trouble (Lindsey Buckingham)

Bonus Tracks on iTunes Deluxe Version:
* Train in Vain (the Clash)
* You’re My Favorite Waste of Time (Marshall Crenshaw)
* I Would Die 4 U (Prince)

Sid 'n' Susie Deliver

Saturday night's Susanna Hoffs/Matthew Sweet show at the Roxy on the Sunset Strip was pure pop heaven. They performed their entire album of 1960s (and one '70s) favorites, "Under the Covers Vol. 1," then came back for an encore of "Manic Monday" (during which Susanna seemed to genuinely forget the words, with the audience gleefully coming to her aid) and a Matthew Sweet song I didn't recognize, but that brought the house down.

As if the pictures above hadn't already illustrated this, yes -- Susanna Hoffs has entered into a pact with the Devil. The woman is more gorgeous at 47 than she was at 27. "Best legs in Hollywood!" was the word in the audience -- and just about the "best" everything else (she is just too adorable for words).

If you haven't already, check out the "Under the Covers" album. You'll be glad you did.

Sid 'N' Susie

Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs (of Bangles fame) have transformed into Sid 'N' Susie for a collaboration album of their favorite '60s pop and folk tunes. "Under The Covers Volume 1" will be released via Shout! Factory on April 18 and features the two singers doing their own takes on songs by The Beatles, The Bee Gees, The Who, The Beach Boys as well as other popular and obscure tracks. Covers albums by established artists frequently deliver mixed results, but I've already heard a bunch of tracks off this one and I've gotta say that there are some instant classics here. Susanna's versions of "Different Drum" and "Sunday Morning," plus the duo harmonizing on "Run to Me" are all just delightful. They've certainly picked an impressive collection of songs that seem to suit their styles nicely. Susanna, whose solo work has been sorely overlooked, has recorded a vast amount of material that has never seen proper release. It's really a shame. But I'm glad that this album will be coming out soon -- a long-awaited return from a true pop princess ...

Tracks: "I See The Rain" (The Marmalade) "And Your Bird Can Sing" (The Beatles) "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" (Bob Dylan) "Who Knows Where The Time Goes?" (Fairport Convention) "Cinnamon Girl" (Neil Young And Crazy Horse) "Alone Again Or" (Love) "Warmth Of The Sun" (The Beach Boys) "Different Drum" (The Stone Poneys) "The Kids Are Alright" (The Who) "Sunday Morning" (The Velvet Underground) "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" (Neil Young And Crazy Horse) "Care Of Cell .44" (The Zombies) "Monday Monday" (The Mamas And The Papas) "She May Call You Up Tonight" (The Left Banke) "Run To Me" (The Bee Gees)