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Mark Kozelek - "Celebrated Summer"
Mark Kozelek's removed both his Sun Kil Moon and his earlier Red House Painters moniker for The Finally LP, a collection of ten covers including Low's "Lazy," Stephen Sondhiem's "Send In The Clowns," Will Oldham's "New Partner," and this week's 'Gum Drop, Hüsker Dü's "Celebrated Summer." Many of the songs originally showed up on compilations, but his take on the New Day Rising classic is previously unreleased and debuts here today. We asked Kozelek about the song.
What's your relationship with the original? Is it something you've wanted to cover for a while? I first heard that song on college radio when I was probably 18. Hüsker Dü were one of the bands that sort of got my head out of the 70's, and into newer music. I never wanted to cover the song, because it's so good as is -- the spirit and energy are so high -- but I did a one-take of it in the studio in 2003, and had forgotten about it until my engineer Aaron recently resurrected it. It's missing the chorus, and the lyrics probably aren't right, but it's better than I what I must have thought of it back then.
How did you come up with your arrangement? It's just the same thing Bob Mould plays at the end of the song, which I believe is also on a 12-string acoustic.
What do you think your version brings to the original? It was just a whimsical recording. I think it was probably late, we had an hour to kill, and recorded it.
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