Song Of The Day 8/11/2014: Cheer-Accident - "Theme from 'Shaft'"

Quarterly Covers Report: Back in the freshly ironic '90s Pravda Records out of Chicago issued three various-artist tribute albums that celebrated and desecrated the K-Tel TV hits compilations that came out in the 1970's. If I were more cognizant of man-hour efficiency during the Quarterly Covers Report, I'd just program the entire week of covers from that series in one fell swoop and walk away for a week. But supposedly I care.

These albums were 20 Explosive Dynamic Super Smash Hit Explosions!, 20 More Explosive Fantastic Rockin' Mega Smash Hit Explosions!, and Star Power! The guest wattage and the jibe meter all hit critical peak on these albums. Yet they're not all smackdowns; they do manage to eke out some sort of fondness for the plastic hooks of the '70s hit machine. You can't be slaying the father every minute of the day, you know.

One of my favorites from the first volume was from Chicago band Cheer-Accident, with whom I share experience playing for Harvey Sid Fisher. They detuned and distorted Isaac Hayes' "Theme From Shaft" to where it sounded more like "Theme from Bad Lieutenant." The smooth funk guitar hook is just ruined by the addition of an additional note one-half step off the original, the vocals are curiously Ween-ized, and the legendarily stop-start ending is stretched way out beyond all practical measures and just will not freaking end. Good show.