for my final pick of the 2014 TDOS Tropical Island iPod Cover Draft, i'm selecting my favorite cover of all time...
Deftones & Far - "Savory" (Jawbox cover) [1997]:
Deftones and Far have both been individually represented among my draft picks, and here they are gloriously represented together. originally released on Far's Soon EP, and later re-released in 2005 as part of Deftones' B-Sides & Rarities compilation, "Savory" is a collaboration between Sacramento's two greatest alt-metal titans...
Jawbox were a seminal post-hardcore band, and the kids from Sacto did all kinds of justice to their most iconic track. i discovered DC hardcore because of this cover, and subsequently fell in love with Jawbox, Fugazi, and a host of other stellar bands. that said, i've always felt like this cover managed to surpass the original, as classic as it may be. there's an energy, a verve, and a rawness to it that i find incredibly appealing...
the liner notes for Far's Soon EP included the following missive regarding the recording of "Savory":
"'Savory' is a Jawbox song, and if you haven't heard them you should. They're an amazing band. We've been friends with Deftones for 6-7 years now, and we're always saying we're gonna do something together, so we finally did. Sloppy and fun, 'Savory' was recorded in a few hours here in Sac. Stef [Carpenter, of Deftones] played bass and Johnny [Gutenberger, of Far] played guitar, Chris [Robyn, of Far] & Abe [Cunningham, of Deftones] switched at the end of the tune, Shaun [Lopez, of Far] took his first solo ever, Chino [Moreno, of Deftones] and Jonah [Matranga, of Far] just sang 'til the tracks were full. We're just playing a song that we all love. Special thanks to [producer Eric] Stenman for getting the mess on tape."
Jawbox - "Savory" (1994):