Covers have been a part of Melvins’ DNA ever since the beginning of their journey in the music industry. They even released a covers album back in 2013, so there’s no wonder that frontman Buzz Osborne has several stories about the tracks they’ve worked on and the ones they’ve had in mind. As experienced musicians doing covers, not every song has been a walk in the park for Melvins, which Osborne discussed in further detail while speaking to Magnet Magazine.
“Beach Boys are a tricky band to cover,” shared Osborne before explaining the importance of precision while doing their covers. “Lots of singing has to be right if you want to do it right. The singing was the hard part. Getting the vocals right was tricky. It took a while. We wanted it to be right. We wanted it to sound like a version of the original, which I think is kind of lost on people. We have the capability of doing that.”
Even though their cover of the Beach Boys’ ‘I Get Around’ was a job and a half, Osborne emphasized that with his talented bandmates, they could pull it off. He said, “Steven and Dale are incredibly talented musicians. I feel nothing but admiration and gratitude for having those guys play with me in the Melvins. I feel privileged and honored to have that be the case.”
He added, “If you give me, Steven, and Dale any equipment, put us in the studio, and we can make it work. If you give us any equipment live, it’s not going to be the same, but we can make it work because it’s in us. It’s in the fingers; it’s in the hands; it’s in the head; it’s in the heart.”
The guys started their covers with the idea to showcase their influences and perhaps musicians their fans hadn’t heard of. Their cover album ‘Everybody Loves Sausages’ was just that, and while they were happy with the result, most people didn’t catch on to what they were trying to achieve. This may be your call to check out Melvins’ cover album; now you know its purpose. It might be interesting to listen to get a clearer idea of the band’s vision.
