I Can See For Miles

Cover versions are, as we know, ten a penny. I'll wager nine out of ten bloggers whose feeds I follow have, in the last couple of weeks alone, written about some artist or another covering some other artist or another. I'd put the house on it.

But cover albums. Now that's niche. Very niche. In 2005 Petra Haden (one time Decemberist) had a sudden rush of blood to the head and decided she'd cover the Who's 1967 album The Who Sell Out. On her own. A cappella. No instruments, just her & an eight channel multi-track cassette recorder. The end result is breathtaking. Even Pete Townshend liked it; that's how good it was.

To promote it Petra put together an all women ten strong choir and under the banner Petra Haden & The Sell Outs she/they sang the whole thing totally live for a one off performance. Here's a taster...

Petra Haden & The Sell Outs - I Can See For Miles (2005)