West Coast punk rock collective NOFX has teamed up with Meonstoke, Hampshire, UK-based punk rock artist, Frank Turner, for a split album of cover songs from one another’s back catalogue entitled West Coast Vs. Wessex. The forthcoming collaborative split album, West Coast Vs. Wessex, is slated to be released July 31, via NOFX frontman Fat Mike’s music imprint Fat Wreck Chords.
As previously reported on Brooklyn Vegan, “The first songs to be released are Frank Turner’s cover of “Bob” and NOFX’s cover of “Thatcher F*cked The Kids,” and they each come with videos made by the song’s original artist… which is why NOFX appear in Frank Turner’s video.” The mutual respect from both artists is showcased in each other’s music videos, as both artists pay homage, even with slight variations to the source material. To watch NOFX’s “Thatcher Fucked The Kids” cover music video, stream below via YouTube.
For NOFX’s rendition of Turner’s defiant ode “Thatcher Fucked The Kids”off Turner’s first EP 2006’s, Campfire Punkrock, Fat Mike’s gruff raspy voice manages the instill the spirit of the original song. Though Turner’s version is more acoustic based, NOFX plays up the in your face punk rock demeanor, while Fat Mike harmonizes the tune belting out the lyrics as best as he can. According to the aforementioned Brooklyn Vegan article, NOFX frontman speaks on his approach to “Thatcher Fucked The Kids,” saying:
“I listened to all his records, and I picked the ones that I thought I could make more interesting. What I did is change a lot of chords. Frank, he beats me in the singing department. So I can’t sing better than he can, but I can maybe throw in a melody here or there or chord that he hadn’t thought of.”
Turner’s mutual sentiments render a more sophisticated softer approach to NOFX’s “Bob” off NOFX’s fourth studio album 1992’s White Trash, Two Heebs and a Bean. Turner is faithful to the song’s lyrics, but the tone is more refined as it trades the traditionally fast played punk rock guitar strings for more folksy punk rock balladry. Turner spoke to his approach to his rendition of NOFX’s “Bob” saying:
“I didn’t want to just do straight covers of anything. I wanted to try and pick songs where I felt like me and my band could bring something different to the table. But it did strike me that it would be cool to demonstrate to the casual NOFX fan, who doesn’t know who I am, that I am actually a fan. I didn’t just go to Spotify and pick the five most-listened-to songs.”
The aforementioned Brooklyn Vegan article echoes the sentiments of Turner furthering that, “For the record, only one of his choices appears on Spotify’s top five for NOFX: ‘Bob’, which Turner here transforms into a wistful country song.” To watch Frank Turner’s “Bob” cover music video, stream below via YouTube.
Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat
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