Attack of the Killer Track! is a series that explores tracks from artists from a variety of genres. Some of the tracks were singles, some of them were obscure b-sides or long forgotten album tracks. One thing is certain – all of them are killer tracks.
Following the dissolution of Alt-Country greats Whiskeytown, Ryan Adams immediately made an impact with his 1st two solo records, Heartbreaker and Gold. Those albums continued the roots based vibe, while adding a slightly more mainstream flavor that the Whiskeytown records had only hinted at. The accolades and good vibes were put to the side for the most part when it came to the Ryan Adams records of 2003 and 2004. Rock N Roll was Ryan Adams as The Strokes while Love Is Hell combined two EP’s that seemed to be a nod towards UK indie melancholy. Most of it didn’t really work for me, to be honest, but the cover of Wonderwall (originally by Oasis) is one of the best cover songs I’ve ever heard. The classic Britpop tune with nonsensical lyrics is here transformed into an acoustic lament. Liam Gallagher’s sneer is replaced by Ryan Adams’ country-ish twang. The song was released as a single and hit #27 in the UK. It even inspired Oasis to adopt the Ryan Adams version in concert for a short time. This is how cover versions should be done.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gVxRvNfFLg]