Cover Me Impressed: 'Voices'

Two mentions of Cheap Trick in one week... I could get used to this. There are few covers of Cheap Trick songs that have thrilled me, but this is one big exception. If you don't know Jon Brion, at least get acquainted with him from these three moments of genius:

'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' Original Soundtrack
The Grays - 'Ro Sham Bo'
Jon Brion - 'Meaningless'

From his 2000 album 'Meaningless' comes his mammoth, nearly-eight-minute, piano-driven cover of 'Voices.' The song, originally from the 1979 album 'Dream Police,' was a fairly big hit for Cheap Trick, peaking at No. 32 in 1980.

Both versions of this song have been in my regular rotation for years, and I didn't think there was much more I could learn about them. Then, a few years ago, I got curious about the female background vocals on the Brion version. I was shocked to find out it's the pipes of actress Mary Lynn Rajskub. Turns out the '24' star and Brion were a couple for several years around the time 'Meaningless' was made. I had no idea, which is just ridiculous since I'm a huge fan of hers as well. Admittedly, I have never seen '24.' You may be asking yourself how I could be a fan, then. Well, she was on a couple of the smartest programs ever to hit the small screen, 'Mr. Show' and 'The Larry Sanders Show.' Her best television moments by far, however, come when she takes a seat as a guest on any late-night talk show. She really knows how to spin a hilarious yarn. Wow, that was kind a left turn. Let's get to the tunes.

Cheap Trick - Voices (mp3)
Jon Brion - Voices (mp3)

More Cover Me Impressed:
"Almost Saturday Night"
"Too Many Teardrops"
"Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me"
"They Don't Know"
"Everybody's Talkin'"
"What Goes On"
"There Is A Light That Never Goes Out"
Halloween Edition
"Porpoise Song"
"Prairie Rose"
"Come On Eileen"
"Walking On Thin Ice"
Jason Falkner Edition
"True Love Will Find You In The End"
"This Will Be Our Year"
"You're My Favorite Waste of Time"
"Nightime/Thirteen"
"The End Of The World"
"(Don't Go Back To)Rockville"
"God Only Knows"
"And Your Bird Can Sing"
"So Sad About Us"
"Everywhere"
"Walking The Cow"