Just an exceptional cover by Johnny. Enjoy.

• Nine Inch Nails – Hurt
• Johnny Cash – Hurt

Okay, so here’s the deal…

I purchased some tickets for EdgeFest this summer, and as most people know, A Perfect Circle is one of the headliners.

A Perfect Circle was created in 1999 by Nine Inch Nails’ guitar technician, Billy Howerdel. Since the band started, Tool’s Maynard Keenan, has been the lead singer.

Here’s what happened with the band members throughout the years (thank you Wikipedia!):

Current

• Maynard James Keenan – lead vocals (1999 – present)
• Billy Howerdel – lead & rhythm guitars, vocals (1999 – present)
• James Iha – rhythm guitars, keyboards (2003 – 2004, 2010 – present)
• Matt McJunkins – bass (2010 – present)
• Josh Freese – drums, percussion (1999 – present)
• Danny Lohner – rhythm guitars, bass, sound engineer (1999–2004)

 

Former

• Billy Howerdel - lead & rhythm guitars, vocals (1999 – present)
• Tim Alexander – drums, percussion (1999)
• Troy Van Leeuwen – rhythm guitars (1999–2002)
• Paz Lenchantin – bass, strings, backing vocals (1999–2002, 2004)
• Jeordie White – bass (2003–2004)
  
• Danny Lohner – rhythm guitars, bass, sound engineer (1999–2004)

So because of all the incredibly talented musicians they’ve had in A Perfect Circle… well… you can guess how they came up with the band name.

But anyway, back to my original thought!

I didn’t know any songs by A Perfect Circle and I’m going to see them this summer. I decided to download a couple albums and get familiar with their music. As soon as the one album finished downloading I looked through the song titles and noticed that one was titled, “When The Levee Breaks”. I was one word: PUMPED. When The Levee Breaks is definitely my favourite Zeppelin song (besides Stairway… obviously). Naturally, I was pretty nervous to listen to it because I didn’t want this band to butcher such a classic song.

Origin

Before I go on about the Zeppelin and A Perfect Circle’s version, I’d like to address the original. What most people don’t know, and I didn’t even know until recently, was that this song was not even an original by Zeppelin! THIS is the original – a blues song produced in 1927 by husband and wife, Memphis Minnie & KansasJoe McCoy. They wrote this song as a reaction to the destruction caused by the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. And that is your fun fact of the day. ;)

Zeppelin later covered this song in 1971. Here she is:

[Zeppelin] When The Levee Breaks (1971)

Now listen to this:

[A Perfect Circle] When The Levee Breaks (2004)

Now, Zeppelin’s version (quite obviously) made such a heavy impact in the music world. The most notable effect of the song is through the use of the instruments, in particular, the drums. The song was recorded in a large house to collect the echo-y sounds of the freshly delivered, never even played once, drum kit. The first time I’d heard this song, I fell in love; I knew I had to learn it on drums. It didn’t sound like a complicated beat, but it sure as hell sounded good. I asked my uberly musical and talented boyfriend to teach me it… and about a half hour later of bangin’ around in my basement, I had it.

It’s hard for me to say if I consider the version by A Perfect Circle a cover or not. A Perfect Circle completely changed the melody and were fancier in the use of the instruments they used. A Perfect Circle incorporates the piano, which compliments their version of the song incredibly well (especially three minutes in then again around 5:10). It’s almost as if they substituted the blaring harmonica in Zeppelin’s version for a simple piano. (Oh, and apparently the harmonica in Zeppelin’s version was recorded, then added to the song backwards, which therefore makes it impossible to duplicate in real life!)

Also, the drum beat is a bit fancier with A Perfect Circle’s version. They added some cool fills and some fast high hat action, however, the part that people listen to subconsciously in almost every song is the constant beat. A Perfect Circle used a very similar beat to that of Zeppelin’s version, in regards to the bass and snare. Zeppelin took this original 1927 blues song and turned it into a classic rock and roll tune. A Perfect Circle then took that version and altered it to their own style and the current music style. They successfully took a classic song and made it their own, all without ruining it! Kudos to that!!

Okay, so I understand Justin Bieber is a 15 year old kid singing generic pop songs about love, but  is that really all it takes for everyone above the age of 16 to hate on him? This kid has done absolutely nothing wrong. Before I get into details, I would like to make clear that I for one am not a fan of his, I’ve merely heard his songs and seen his videos in passing on the radio and TV.

Like Colbie Caillat, Justin was discovered through YouTube. He had posted videos of himself singing songs by Usher, Edwin McCain, Alicia Keys, Elliott Yamin, Justin Timberlake, Brian McKnight etc. A friend actually showed me a few of these videos a couple years back. We both thought he was such an adorable little kid with an amazing voice who could also play the guitar! What made it all the better was that he was Canadian, from Stratford Ontario. (To see some of his original videos click here.)

Now that Justin Beiber is famous he is hated on by millions of people. Really? I’m confused… because when he was a YouTube sensation covering songs in his living room with his guitar (that appeared ten sizes too big for him) everything was all good, but now that he is a famous pop-star alongside Usher and Ludacris, people (mainly in their 20′s) are freaking out. Do people really have nothing else to be concerned about? I don’t understand what the huge deal is. If you don’t like someone or something that really is of no importance, what good will it do to voice that you hate him? I mean, voicing your opinion is great if it is for something of value. For example, multiple Facebook pages have been started in spite of him. Some of these groups are called, “I hate Justin Bieber club!”, “Lesbians Who Look Like Justin Bieber”, “I think Just Bieber Needs to hit puberty :D” and “Can this onion ring get more fans than Justin Bieber?” (Although I am guilty of having joined the page “Can this onion ring get more fans than Stephen Harper?” but comparing Justin Bieber to a country’s political leader is a polar opposite… and that is a whole other discussion.)

Justin is only 15. I’m sure everyone can remember one point in their life getting bullied or talked down to in elementary school or high school lets say. Now, just imagine that on a larger scale, a much larger scale, where all this bullying is publicized to the world. Let this kid keep his innocence while he still has it for God sakes, he has done nothing wrong.

On YouTube Justin had never written his own songs, and now that he is famous he clearly is still not writing his own songs. Is this one of the issues people have with Justin? Lets think of some other artists we’ve grown to know and love who don’t write their own music. Grammy-winning songwriter Diane Warren has written for artists such as Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, and Mary J Blige. Adonis Shropshire has helped write songs for Alicia Keys and Usher (My Boo), and has worked with Chris Brown, Ciara and others. Also, Rihanna does not write her songs, but she has sex appeal and looks tough, so who cares… right?

Going into stardom, those who knew of Justin before he was famous were probably the only people who knew he wasn’t known for writing music, he was known for singing it incredibly.

On another note, I really do feel sorry for Justin. He is a prime example of those who contribute to their own subordination. Through marketers, advertisers, and even Usher, he is slowly being moulded into the next big thing… and we all know what happens to celebrities when this process occurs… cough Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears cough…

So really? What is the huge problem everyone has with Justin, that he might not know what true love is yet he sings about it? I find it annoying and immature. Justin just sings what he is told, whether it be about falling in love, money, or the latest technology. Singing is clearly something he is passionate about and makes millions of dollars while doing it, and I bet everyone reading this would do the exact same if they had the chance.