Ever had to be the guy that dislikes a song that everyone else loves? Well, here we go. ===================== Patreon: / tehrockcritic Facebook: / tehrockcritic Twitter: / tehrockcritic
That Avril Lavigne cover of System of a Down in the background gives me a fucking headache...because she had to sing gibberish rather than looking up the lyrics beforehand. I'm a stickler about that shit. So, basically, the one thing you can't stand about the cover is the way Brent (if I'm spelling it correctly) oversings the song, which is understandable.
Curiously enough when I saw Shinedown last month they did perform this, but Brent dramatically toned down his vocals during that performance. Maybe he took stock and realised he needed to do so.
They said they weren't going to play it anymore since guitarist Jasin todd left. He was married to Ronnie's daughter so that's why they did it in first place.
I love the vocals of this song, I wouldnt say its too bad because you can feel that the vocalist put a lot of heart into this song. Well at least its what I think. I totally understand where you're coming from man. Its like putting Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash with Painkiller by Judas Priest. It doesnt go together. Again, I dont really hate this song as much. Its the over the top vocals that are awkwadly placed in a acoustic song.
My mother sang this song to me every morning of every day, even going so far to call me while I was at work and she'd sing it the second I called her whilst I was deployed. Sooooo.... yeah. This song holds a Special place in my heart.
It’s the vocal! It sucks! I’ve been saying this for 10 years! Especially when he delivers the “love and understand” line. Deftones did it justice, tho.
When you talk about one thing being off, it really reminds me of "Mother" by the Police. I know, it's an easy target, but dammit, Synchronicity was sooo close to being a perfect album.
I think why I love this song is because of the contrast. It makes me think he is in pain because he lost his mother, and he regrets not being the best he could be t. So the loud vocals just make sense to me, and sure maybe it doesn’t fit technically, but I think breaking conventions is the greatest thing about music. Love this video tho.
Played this at the pops funeral. The emotions he puts in it is unmatched. Ex- guitarist Jasin Todd is married to Ronnie Van Zants daughter which is why they started covering it in the first place. Go Jags!
Comparison to the Disturbed cover of "The Sound of Silence" was apt. David Draiman going all Ten Thousand Fists at the end of the song works because he and the instrumentation start soft and build toward it, taking what sounds goofy on paper and turning it into a *glorious* finish. If Brent Smith wanted to show off the ol' pipes during a passionate performance then great, more power to him, but you can't fire off your trump card too early --- especially when your backing is a stripped-down acoustic setting. It's all in the timing and handling of it.
I got everything I wanted from this video. I was especially excited to see what your opinion was on Shinedown, and I was not disappointed. I really like and identify with your question about being the odd one out. My opinion rarely matches that of others, which I like. I also think it's much more respectable to stick by what you believe, especially in this regard, as opposed to buckling under the pressure of being looked down on because you dared to think differently. In truth I don't always agree with your thoughts on certain music, genres, artists, or whatever. But I still like hearing what it is you have to say because I know you'll always validate your opinion intelligently and reasonably, not to mention hilariously on several occasions.
I like your comedic side. The TEH BIAS part is funny man. Do you ever think you'll make a montage of all your funny moments on The Rock Critic? I would watch the heck out of it! Keep it up man 👍🏽
Crash I love you but I will argue "Us and Them" to the death with you man. I think that album in PHENOMENAL. I think it does a very good job of having a good blend of nice head banging rock songs and interesting and emotional acoustic songs. Outside of just that though the album is filled to the brim with emotion and power. Songs like "Save Me" that really dig into Brent Smith's personal drug addiction and pairs it with raw emotional powerful vocals, or a more subdued song like their cover of "Beyond the Sun" which has such a haunting vibe to it that it almost demands your attention and time, fill the album. Then you have songs like "Heroes" or "Yer Majesty" which aren't amazing from a lyrical level but really embrace the hard rock style and really pump up the energy into being highlights of an album, filled with highlights. On top of the songs quality, it really elevated everybody in the band at the time to a higher status. On "Leave a Whisper" it was definitely the Brent Smith show and didn't really feel like a full band's album to me. (Although I do still definitely enjoy it.) On "Us and Them" We got a real band full of real prowess and potential, and them living up to what the can do. I genuinely believe that "Us and Them" is not only Shinedown's most emotional or lyrically and musically impressive album, I think it's one of their BEST albums and probably one of my favorite albums of all time. I will say some of the album does have some problems. The intro poem is interesting but I feel it's pretty out of place and "I Dare You" is just abysmally boring (Seriously I could use that shit as a fucking sleeping aid). Is there anyway you could go more in depth as to why you don't like it? I'd appreciate it!
+Will Sweeting Us and Them was a good album, but it doesn't speak to me as much as Sound of Madness or Leave A Whisper. I agree with the points you made there, but the one song that seemed more off to me was 'Atmosphere'. After hearing the demo version on the deluxe album...the album release of that song just seemed forced. I like the more relaxed vocals in the Demo version.
+Urchie2009 When I first got into the album I definitely had the same problem, but it quickly grew on me. I feel that with the vocals it really puts an emphasis on what he's saying. The chorus just seems so owerful with Brent belting it out that it seems like a definition of purpose. He's really feeling what he's singing and I think that makes it a bit better. I think "Us and Them" is probably my favorite Shinedown album. If I had to list them by favorites it would probably go, "Us and Them", "Leave a Whisper", "Threat to Survival", "Sound of Madness", "Amaryllis"
You sir, are giving one Mr. Todd In The Shadows a serious run for his money in the style and content and creativity department. So glad I subbed! Also you're from around Indy? Hello from around Bloomington! :)
I totally agree with you. I think that the reason the cover is so popular is because it does sound good and is nice to listen to, but the tone nowhere near matches that of the original.
Agree. Part of the message of Simple Man going over dude's head which his singing spotlights is humility. It is like someone being implied to be insecure, no matter how slightly suggested, responding to that challenge with a smug, "Insecure? HA! If I were insecure, WHY WOULD I SPEAK SO LOUDLY?!" Overstating one's humility is oxymoronic.
Hey Crash you should really take the time to listen to Us And Them and Amaryllis when you can (idk if you were implying that you have lol) but us and them, as weird as this may sound, kinda has a soundgarden feel to it with songs like heroes and atmosphere. But songs like lady so divine...holy shit dude, something completely unexpected. and yes it's about what you think it is if you look at the name lol. Amaryllis kinda sounds like heavy metal almost, songs that are good examples for that are adrenaline and enemies. I think they're both really good albums and you should try them if you haven't already. I know this video is damn near 2 years old but I hope you see my comment on it. Anyways keep on making good videos like you always do =)
Totally agree. It always felt to me that he was just really trying to show off, with absolutely no regard for the overall feeling of the song. It's like that drunk girl at karaoke who just wants to belt the shit out of a song... while someone else is trying to sing it.
My cousin and I were just talking about how much we hate this version of this song the other day. I'm by no means a Lynyrd Skynyrd fan (he is) but I have a definite appreciation for the original. Shinedown's version, though...not so much. We have the same issue with it that you do.
Hey Crash, I just recently stumbled across your content and the algorithm has been feeding me a steady diet which I am enjoying. I’m a dinosaur compared to you age wise, I think your passion for music helps bridge the genre gap. I started watching mostly for the humor, not knowing much about the less mainstream styles you frequently discuss, but I find myself hearing something in almost every best song/album of the year that intrigues me. Regarding this particular video, I have two observations. First, while I agree the lyrical flourishes in this version are odd, I chalk it up to “American Idol-itis”, the perception as vocalists that if you don’t included runs and pitch swings and showboat your talent, you will come off dull as dishwater. So I’m afraid whether it serves the song or not, that trend is here to stay. Second, I’m guessing that Shinedown did not want to release a carbon copy of the song, and since the arrangement is so stripped down, there wasn’t much to make their version stand out. I also wonder if because the tempo of the song is so radically different than what their core audience is used to, that they may not have thrown those elements in as a nod to their fans to let them know they had not gone “soft” or sold out. Hope you are well.
Just a thought here. I happen to really like the version but I have heard others say the general stuff you're saying about it and do see what you mean. I think Brent is oversinging it like this and screaming it because at this moment he doesn't feel the calm that one should when listening to simple man. Rather, he is deeply troubled about something and he didn't heed the message that simple man brought. Therefore he is forcibly singing this over the top to remind himself of the original message of the song. This song is obviously not an original so being the artistic mind he is, he kept hearing the original simple man lyrics in his head but not following their message. Now he's shouting and oversinging the song in a slightly pained way do really let the message sink in. Just my two cents.
I agree that, technically, "Simple Man" is a good song...but I still kind of hate it. Probably because we used to listen to a station at work whose idea of musical variety was to play the original version, then an hour later, play the Shinedown version.
There is a story Brent did the song as a thank you to LS family for their help. They were in Boston they had to do a acoustic cover the only cover they did was Simple Man so they did it just like that. The song was downloaded so many times it was the highest download in the radio stations history. So they put it on the album but Brent actually never wanted it to be on the album. LS actually likes their version and did sing with Brent last year at their show. Brent didn't want to just copy it either and his vocals are what make him unique he has always sung like that back then.
My favorite band is The Clash -- I know, my avatar may come off as fanboy-ish, and I love pretty much anything they ever did. But the most popular song they ever put out, Should I Stay or Should I Go, I can't help but dislike. It's not a Clash song. It's just a poorly-written pop song that anybody could have written and sang, it just so happens that The Clash wrote it and Mick Jones sang it. The song doesn't support any of the principles that the band had established previously in their career, and it infuriates me that this is the song that garnered the most mainstream attention toward the band.
Wow... I'd never heard this cover before, and damn... This is *really* bad; at least the clips of it you played. How did a producer let this out of his hands into the public?! You are absolutely right, dude. His voice is *great*, but _not_ for this track.
i think this cover would have worked better if they didnt try going acoustic with it. the vocal performance would click with a full on hard rock cover of the song, but just doesnt match the acoustic guitar well...
I really enjoyed the Deftones cover of Simple Man a lot, but I was wondering I you did enjoy it. Did you like that cover? I felt like they made it something their own with the little atmospheric touch.
The Rock Critic I'm not sure if you saw me comment this on the screaming females video, but there was an album this year that came out in freakin April. Yeah April, so I'm a little late to this request. It's called From Birth to Burial by 10 Years, an Alternative Metal band from Knoxville, Tennessee. In the album, you can hear sounds similar to Deftones, blending dark, moody atmosphere with ear-piercing screams. I was just wondering (If your schedule allows it) if you could give it a listen. It's only 40 minutes, so It shouldn't be that bad. If you can't listen to it and get a quickie in by the soon to be final days of 2015, I completely understand, and I don't want to hog up your schedule and be a pain in the ass. It was just a thought.
You say you'll stop doing the voice, but you keep doing it. I enjoy your opinion pieces so much, but "It's one small piece of the picture that ruins the whole."
I haven't watched it, the vid just started. and OMG...I already fucking agree with you, Crash! I have hated this song from the minute I heard it!! Talk about over-singing and over-dramatizing this shit. Puke...I just heard the first few words just now. and I hate it!!! Still! Love your content, Crash!
Crash! You should check out The Things We Do To Find People Who Feel Like Us, by Beach Slang. It's definitely worth a listen, maybe even a quickie if you like it!
Yo. Yo. I gots a question for ya. What are your thoughts on Hollywood Undead? They're one of my personal favorites, but I could understand why a lot of people wouldn't like them. I know this isn't, like, related to this particular video or anything, but, eh.
Definitely an interesting choice for this one. I didn't find Shinedown until they toured with Disturbed when they were promoting Sound of Madness here in the UK back in 2008 (Was their first UK album release). Personally, I don't mind this track but not as much as In Memory, or Fly from The Inside. I agree that his vocal style doesn't really suit the song, though it doesn't seem as bad on 45. Though I may have some slight...(ahem) bias on that one. I enjoyed your breakdown on why you don't like this song despite the fact you enjoy the band itself. I'm looking forward to seeing if we get anymore songs like this from bands you like. On a side note regarding That cover of a beloved song by The Who...at least they didn't try and butcher the full instrumental part. I don't even want to imagine Durst even TRYING to sing that part. At least the cover wasn't as bad as their cover of Faith...it's still a steaming turd, but not as big a turd as Faith.
3 things come to mind. 1) I did really like this song when it first came out and caught myself singing along with it at the time. Yet unfortunately... 2) It's been a few years since I lost interests in it because it now reminds me of "The Voice" and "American Idol"... you got a vocalist who's giving his all (and he's absolutely giving his all) yet that's leaving no focus to the instrumental part of the song. Throughout the years, everyone talked about his vocals (good or bad, depending on one's opinion) but no one talked about the guitar part with the exception of this video. Speaking of this video... 3) Thank you for mentioning Disturbed's Sound of Silence. I heard that cover for the first time last week and I was amazed on both the vocals and the orchestral instrumentation throughout that particular song.
I knew you would bring the Deftones version of the song somewhere in this video ! Great job as always. The point about dynamics is so true. It reminds me a lot of the last In Flames album where the vocals pretty much shit on everything the music tries to accomplish.
Agreed! Tool's No Quarter is great, only criticism is that the lyrics are simplified. This is *TOOL*, simplistic doesn't equal *TOOL*. Which confuses me personally. Johnny Cash's Hurt surpasses NIN's Hurt. I love NIN, but even Trent Reznor thinks the cover is better.
I always thought Brent Smith was trying to sound extremely earnest in his vocal delivery. Also, the way Crash says "teh bias" sounds like someone yelling "Tobias"....Maybe it's a message for Tobais Forge from Ghost.
I've actually started watching Glee. The shows awesome. It's hilarious and really pulls you in, there's some covers that are awesome whether it be because it fits the story really well, or because they legitimately do an original or just impressive performance of it. But a lot of the time they are pretty weak in comparison to the original at least. Look up their rendition of Don't Dream it's Over. I have a hard time listening to it for any reason other than just being a fan of the show and feeling an emotional connection to the characters.
This vid is the same way i feel about RHCP's first album. Jack is awesome, Hillel is awesome, Flea, no need for justification but Kiedis's drug induced vocals just murder the whole thing for me.
I know that this is really off topic and I am sorry, but in a wayyy older video you said that you have not listened to old modest mouse but PLEASE give it a shot. Maybe even do a video. thank you very much for your time
Thanks so much for saying that. I thought I was the only one. It's a general problem that I have with bands of this vintage - they all just belt out loud noises without thinking about why. They think "rock" is supposed to sound a certain way so they make noises with their mouths. They think "rock" is supposed follow specific themes and have certain lyrics so every single one of their songs is just a slight rearrangement of the same words and whiny sentiments. It's like they are on auto-pilot...and they nearly killed the genre without anyone really even noticing why.
Like Dim Ignition BTBAM is the best of the year or at least has put me in a three way tie with some other albums and may have to check out Deftones version of it you used in outro. That being said, what the hell? This is one of those cases where a "meh" button would come in handy. You make a great point on the vocals in terms of what the song is supposed to convey but at the same time it's not justified enough to really be worth hating on. Also curious to hear your thoughts on Thrice.
His vocals on this song fit better on the rock version. There are two versions or this song. The acoustic and the rock. The rock had guitars and all that great stuff.
This is probably the 10th time I’ve watched this video and the first time I watched it. I was very nervous being such a huge Shinedown fan and I will probably defend them more than necessary. Lol. But I was very relieved that crash gave a full explanation and I do happen to agree with him on the over singing bit and his Brent imitation still makes me laugh like a damn hyena.
For me, there's one little lyric change in Ugly Kid Joe's cover of "Cat's in the Cradle" that irritates me. But otherwise, the song is pretty cool to listen to.
late to the party here but I absolutely lost it with the dynamic example with Number Of The Beast!!! XP Also just with the story or so I remember behind it where they kept going over that exact spot, not letting him rip out the note before they had that instrumental build perfect. Love it.
Unrelated but quick question. I'm going through a Weezer faze, but god forbid Weezer breaks up or retires, what would you think would be the songs on there greatest hits album.
I kinda hate Asking for It. Not because of the meaning, but it sounds generic. Now I gotta say, the guitar work is good, but the vocals are mediocre to be honest.
I personally like that song. The chorus is pretty repetitive I'll give ya that but i really like the feel the verses. I can respect your opinion coz im definatly in the minority haha :)
A valid point, the vocals don't bother me, but to each their own. On another note, some constructive criticism: I hate the trolls too, and I dislike most people who just curse others in the comments due to their view points, but you come across as a bit insecure when you attack those people. As a joke it can work sometimes, but ignoring people until they go away is a valid response, too. Especially when those people just scream and curse because you DARED to disagree with their view point.
Yeah, maybe I went a little too far with the "suck it haters" humor here. Honestly, it doesn't really bother me one way or the other, but if I can mine a good joke out of it, I'm willing to go there. Thanks for the honest feedback. Cheers!
Shinedown pretty much has no Dynamic Range...that and prettying up the song doesn't help. Also what the fuck is with the pop song inflections smith uses.
I'll admit I was really skeptical of Shinedown (I kinda became a grunge purist for a few years). But then my friend turned me onto them when he said that their live performance was energetic and "positive" (and I'll admit that I indulge in some pretty somber rock music). They have great live reccordings and Brent holds up live IMO. I do like this version of "Simple Man-" but it is true that the vocals are pretty jarring. You should go ahead and review "Us and Them" and "Amaryllis" if you ever get around to it. I've listened to a bit of Amaryllis and it's not bad IMO, but I have yet to listen to "Us and Them."
Well, since I've somehow managed to avoid hearing this one before, I did the honest thing (which I never, ever do) - listened to the original, then listened to the cover. AND I'VE GOTTA SAY... I kind of agree with you really. He's over-egging the proverbial a bit for me there. Am now spending the rest of the night trying to work out what the kanji on your Clash T-shirt really mean...
I do agree with what rock critic is saying, at the same time this is what American Idol does to people. Do some covers and throw your own twist on it and make it yours. In this case I would much rather hear the original. With some songs it works and some songs it doesn't. Bands do covers for fun and or more recognition. Sure its interesting to hear but if I heard this on the radio I would change stations because immedietaly I would know that it was a cover. This particular song doesn't need Christina Aguliera to justify it. Its like the singer is saying look what I can do. My response to that is so what. Maybe they need to go back to the drawing board and write something new that sounds just as good that he can wail upon and call his own.
I would say that your problem with the performance would be blamed more on the Producer rather than with the band. While I don’t hate it to me it’s like messing with just about perfection.
Nü-Metal is nothing like Shinedown, Nü-Metal is just heavy metal heavily influenced by Grunge, Hip-Hop & Alt Rock, Shinedown is more like Post-Grunge & Alternative Metal.
