Getting the lyrics "wrong" shows the true humanity behind the cover. He really likes the song, and he's just as good of a song writer as Jeff, so it doesn't hurt it; the song is invulnerable. It's kind of like he put a spin of spontaneity into the mix,and when something is spontaneously good, it shows real talent.
I think whoever recorded this was living inside of the harmonica, in some sort of Dr. Seuss scenario. Disregarding that, this is fucking amazing as is pretty much everything John Darnielle does.
you really think mangum (the consummate perfectionist) didn't record this over and over and over again until it was perfect? darnielle's determination to perform it when he clearly hadn't obsessively practiced is simply a testiment to the power of the song and mangum's genius. i'll take it (at least until this october!)
The lyrics aren't as wrong as you think.If anyone has heard Jeff's first time playing two headed boy live the song actually goes like that, with the "and sleeping" part in it.He didn't do that part right though, anyway.
This recording is from 10-09-1999 at Crossing Border in Amsterdam. "Crossing Border is the festival where literature, music, film and the visual arts combine to take central stage."
regarding the harmonica: the song is in G but it has a B major chord, which you can't make on harmonica in G, as far as I know. If you can it would require note bending and such which is kinda sorta hard. The harmonica is in the right key.
I Only Listen to the Mountain Goats, mentioned the Pitchfork review of We Shall all be Healed, so i checked it out, unbelieving someone could dislike it, and they mentioned NMH!!
There are a song in the album 'we shall all be healed' by the mountain goats in which the influence from neutral milk hotel, in my opinion, is obvious: "quito"
is it just me or does darnielle sing higher here than he ever has before? sounds like he's straining so much to hit those notes in the chours, in the best way
i love the mountian goats, but every once in a while you get a song that was done absolutely perfectly the first time and no cover or variant or live performance ever quite captures the magic again. 2 headed boy is one of those, and all my admiration of john darnielle can't cant make this as good as the original.
It's really disconcerting that John feels the need to say "Don't kill me if I mess up the lyrics" before singing the song, because, frankly, I bet if you go back a couple pages in this comment section, some touchy idiot who's accepted Mangum as his Hipster Messiah is issuing death threats over it. Grow up people, that's all, grow up.
As a harmonica player, I never thought I would find my instrument distracting from the message of the song, but maybe split the wind instruments apart? Harmonica kinda takes the place of words in a lot of circumstances so singing over it in the same key is very obstructive.
@AnonyMOUSE1177 Quality, intensity, inspiration etc are all objective in art. Appreciation is subjective. Here, everything is objectively bad. You can appreciate it positively however and even be fanboys, it's ironic and fun to wallow all together in shit. Also, smileys as cancer of communication.
@GnomesAmok Their songs are objectively abysmal, so yes, whatever opinion about them cannot make them good, or worse, which would be impossible. I also find it hilarious that the hipster brigade would defend a hipster refuse of a band by using the word "honesty". Music enthusiasts are often, and unfortunately, people who listen to music to look cool. Since irony and masquerade are supposed to be hip in the postmodern morass of an era, cue the hipster.
I hated HATED it for the first ten seconds, but then was lured in by the sheer power of the song itself. It's impossible not to be. Offended by the mispronunciation of Jeff Mangum's name, but that's just the pretentious asshole in me struggling to break free. *runs away to listen to NMH and swoon some more*
![ทางเดินชีวิต - ธีเดช ทองอภิชาติ x อ.ไข่ มาลีฮวนน่า [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/1f3wcG16dd4/mqdefault.jpg)
I always wondered what it'd be like for the Mountain Goats to sing a Neutral Milk Hotel song...and now I know that it's kind of awesome.
Getting the lyrics "wrong" shows the true humanity behind the cover. He really likes the song, and he's just as good of a song writer as Jeff, so it doesn't hurt it; the song is invulnerable. It's kind of like he put a spin of spontaneity into the mix,and when something is spontaneously good, it shows real talent.
couldn't agree more. kills it
This is from the October 2nd, 1999 show in Crossing Border, Amsterdam.
dang, really a year after aeroplane was released??? dang thats really cool
"everything that you can touch is silently sleeping. already gone."
sooooooo not the right words, but so wonderful anyway!
Hi I’m Chris from the future to let you know those lyrics are actually from a really early version of song
I think whoever recorded this was living inside of the harmonica, in some sort of Dr. Seuss scenario. Disregarding that, this is fucking amazing as is pretty much everything John Darnielle does.
amazing lmfao
I am still amazed at how he can play harmonica, guitar, and sing at the same time.
you really think mangum (the consummate perfectionist) didn't record this over and over and over again until it was perfect? darnielle's determination to perform it when he clearly hadn't obsessively practiced is simply a testiment to the power of the song and mangum's genius. i'll take it (at least until this october!)
"I forgot the lyrics... fuck it, let's just make up some new ones! Harmonica, don't stop till I do!"
the mountain goats should just straight up cover all of ITAOTS.
id throw my money at them - literally just make it rain dollar bills for this
I’m in
If Mangum and Darnielle collaborated....*(brain explodes)*
The lyrics aren't as wrong as you think.If anyone has heard Jeff's first time playing two headed boy live the song actually goes like that, with the "and sleeping" part in it.He didn't do that part right though, anyway.
This cover is everything I wanted - Darnielle covering Magnum is beautiful.
Because of you, I have discovered Andrew Jackson Jihad.
Thank you.
Honestly, I love the fucked-up lyrics. Great cover.
This recording is from 10-09-1999 at Crossing Border in Amsterdam. "Crossing Border is the festival where literature, music, film and the visual arts combine to take central stage."
regarding the harmonica: the song is in G but it has a B major chord, which you can't make on harmonica in G, as far as I know. If you can it would require note bending and such which is kinda sorta hard. The harmonica is in the right key.
Some of the ad-libbed lyrics really work.
tbh i was really not into this cover until i heard him ad-libbing
so great and interesting
It's adorable how he just starts singing an incoherent rewording of the chorus over and over. xD
holy shit this exists
my favourites
I Only Listen to the Mountain Goats, mentioned the Pitchfork review of We Shall all be Healed, so i checked it out, unbelieving someone could dislike it, and they mentioned NMH!!
John got the words sooooo wrong, but still a wonderful cover :)
Of course nothing will ever hold a candle to Jeff, but that doesn't stop me for loving this collision of musicians I adore.
There are a song in the album 'we shall all be healed' by the mountain goats in which the influence from neutral milk hotel, in my opinion, is obvious: "quito"
I've never clicked on something so fast
big fan of the mountain goats, i honestly dont see anything wrong with the harmonica or any of this, its his style. you either dig it or you dont.
the best death metal band,
out of denton at least.
NMH Is A Whole Different Intensity.
This is like crossing the streams... Jesus Christ
I dig John's musical taste
is it just me or does darnielle sing higher here than he ever has before? sounds like he's straining so much to hit those notes in the chours, in the best way
Fear does that to you
JD actually learned the correct words and played it again sometime in 2004. haven't seen any bootlegs of that show floating around, though.
beautiful
Damnit I need to just buy this album already.
Holy DANG
I have no idea how many takes Jeff did for Two-Headed Boy, but he did Oh Comely on one take that was supposed to be a mic check....
Steven Helock that explains the "HOLY SHIT" at the end
Why is this my alpha as fuck peal high school mood wow how does this exist god bless 😍😍😍
imagine seeing this live.....
This was played in 1999 at Cat's Cradle in Chapel Hill, NC.
I think that the harmonica makes the song. What a nice twist!
This recording is much better than the crappy bootleg mp3 I have with people *talking* over it!!! :o
@djt1967ss song is written about a boy with a siamese twin.
i love the mountian goats, but every once in a while you get a song that was done absolutely perfectly the first time and no cover or variant or live performance ever quite captures the magic again. 2 headed boy is one of those, and all my admiration of john darnielle can't cant make this as good as the original.
idk ajj's cover is pretty decent, I'd say they're tied. love these bands too much to pick
I wonder why he doesnt redo this one
You got the lyrics SO wrong! but they were still so right :3
Any chance someone might be able to confirm this was recorded at the Beacham in downtown Orlando florida?
@weevil3582 actually it's about Anne Frank, and the rumored telepathic connection she had with a boy in a concentration camp (they were each a "head")
@weevil3582 oooh that explains so much!
ITAOTS cover album WHEN, JOHN?!
@PizzaFondler it's a great cover
yeah I'm with fmjr10 on this one
It's really disconcerting that John feels the need to say "Don't kill me if I mess up the lyrics" before singing the song, because, frankly, I bet if you go back a couple pages in this comment section, some touchy idiot who's accepted Mangum as his Hipster Messiah is issuing death threats over it. Grow up people, that's all, grow up.
@romancescorpse
Same, sounds like any other harmonica to me.
vghcgdh his disclaimer at the beginning
@SAToastmaker Then listen to the original, i like this one just BECAUSE of the harmonica....
MORE HARMONICA PLEASE
@totlyepic He caught his error and corrected himself.
Don't look so blue little one.
fuck the haters this cover rules.
too bad the harmonica drowns out the amazing vocals. Are there any other recordings of this cover?
@videocentaur Really? 90%? He flubbed a few lines, still a great cover.
hey this is p. good
Mmmh... I prefer the original but I do enjoy the Mountain Goats.
As a harmonica player, I never thought I would find my instrument distracting from the message of the song, but maybe split the wind instruments apart? Harmonica kinda takes the place of words in a lot of circumstances so singing over it in the same key is very obstructive.
i like that he skipped the verse about the girl choking, I can't really listen to the song because of that part
You guys are pretty quick to say what's wrong with the video...where's your record deal? lol
I WILL SHOW YOU THEN LEAVE YOU ALONE
@AnonyMOUSE1177 Quality, intensity, inspiration etc are all objective in art. Appreciation is subjective. Here, everything is objectively bad. You can appreciate it positively however and even be fanboys, it's ironic and fun to wallow all together in shit.
Also, smileys as cancer of communication.
AJJ FTW
@GnomesAmok Their songs are objectively abysmal, so yes, whatever opinion about them cannot make them good, or worse, which would be impossible.
I also find it hilarious that the hipster brigade would defend a hipster refuse of a band by using the word "honesty".
Music enthusiasts are often, and unfortunately, people who listen to music to look cool. Since irony and masquerade are supposed to be hip in the postmodern morass of an era, cue the hipster.
I happen to hate the AJJ cover. :]
If this didn't have the harmonica, it would seriously be better than the original. Regardless, it's a great cover.
although maybe not the fuck you bit, seems a bit harsh
I'm no Bach but I'm pretty certain that harmonica is in the wrong key! It sounds awful either way. Love the rest of the song though.
It's in the right key, it's just dissonant on some of the chords.
Dissonance isn't always bad. Sometimes dissonance can set the mood. Personally, I find it to be an ASMR kind of feeling.
@tobilius you can go listen to Metallica man, if you think the Mountain Goats suck you don't really deserve to listen to anything else.
@GnomesAmok This hipster makes no sense, but is sure mad as hell!
He said Magnum. It's Mangum :/
I hated HATED it for the first ten seconds, but then was lured in by the sheer power of the song itself. It's impossible not to be. Offended by the mispronunciation of Jeff Mangum's name, but that's just the pretentious asshole in me struggling to break free. *runs away to listen to NMH and swoon some more*
Don't all boys have two heads?
Oh deary me, I must object!
while the harmonica is nice, i think it would sound nicer without..
NYEH!
he butchered the lyrics, but it's still a great cover.
I think it would be better with less/no harmonica
I like TMG, but Sean Bonnette covered this much better.
They should hire me as the harmonica player, cause whoever did this does not know how to play it.
I enjoyed the Andrew Jackson Jihad cover of this song better than this one. Mostly because of him not knowing the words.
Uh...no.
Jesse Lacey's cover is better. Fact.
the harmonica is so annoying
got to say i like a lot of the mountain goats stuff, but this is just a bad bad cover.
but jeff is sexier
>tap on your glass
>not jar
lies, andrew jackson jihad is better...ish ... this is pretty good. It's great though.
John's a better singer than Jeff.
That is very nasal.
ew
I'm not really digging his voice
Don't get me wrong.. I love the Mountain Goats... but it's a horrific cover! He doesn't get 90% of the lyrics right... I'd say it's amusing at best...
Fail
terrible cover