Big Country — Don't Fear The Reaper
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Total ratings: 39
Length: 4:19
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So, some common questions seem to be, why bother recording this and why bother playing it. I can answer the first one and speculate on the second.
This song was recorded as a b-side in 1993, so it was never anything more than a band having fun in the studio and giving their fans an extra reason to buy a CD single. Judging it is anything more than that seems unnecessarily harsh.
So why does BillG play it? He presumably feels, like I do, that it's a well recorded, enjoyable piece of rock music -- arguably better than the original, since he chose to play this instead -- and that it's perfectly suited for Halloween but not something he's compelled to play on any other day. I uploaded it specifically for last year's Halloween playlist and he hasn't played it since, and that seems about right to me. If nothing else, it gives certain listeners something to complain about, and a chance to resurrect the rotting corpse of that dead horse otherwise known as the cowbell joke. If you can't handle the annual appearance of four minutes of finely crafted rock music that doesn't ask you think too much, that's an issue you need to deal with (or not).
For those who did enjoy it, it's available on a Big Country compilation of covers called, obviously enough, "Under Cover". In addition to some fun, non-challenging covers of songs by Lou Reed, David Bowie, and Joni Mitchell, there's some more unusual and/or intriguing covers like Roxy Music's "Prairie Rose", Fleetwood Mac's "Oh Well", a revved-up Celtic meets cowpunk version of Bruce Springsteen's "I'm On Fire", and even a musical interpretation of a poem by Robert Burns, "Killiekrankie".
I hate myself for humming along with this. Like "A Horse with No Name" or "Hotel California" there's no sense to the lyric, just a big sweeping epic sound to an empty rock riff. So why cover it and why play it? The exception is anything Neil Young does. Do you know why we like his songs? Great though..">(click here)
Guess I'm in a (growing?) minority - I like this version. And who says BC was a one hit wonder? 
BoFiS wrote:
So a year later on Halloween we play the same cover...how about some Blue Oyster Cult next year?
I'm with you on that one.
I put this in my "good for a road trip" category. Any more thought than that and it comes up short.
AliGator wrote:
First time I've heard this. The cowbell is there, folks!
Okay I just heard it. But if ever a song needed MORE COWBELL, this is it.
A decent, respectful remake, but yeah, needs more 'bell...
Why did they do this? Must have been real big in Scotland at one time...It even HAS more cowbell.
why would you even bother playing anything but the original of this one?
BoFiS wrote:
that's what this was missing!
So a year later on Halloween we play the same cover...how about some Blue Oyster Cult next year?
ArbiterOfGoodTaste wrote:
Where'd the cowbell go?
listen very closely....
First time I've heard this. The cowbell is there, folks!
Bad remakes scare me.
Hmm, the Blue Oyster Cult rendition was much better in my opinion, but at least this is getting played I suppose 
BoFiS wrote:
that's what this was missing!
That and Blue Oyster Cult.
more cowbell!
There is a severe lack of cowbell in this version.
Where'd the cowbell go?
The nature of my nature is to give kudos where kudos is due, let slide the unremarkable, and enjoy the ride.
THIS, however, riles up the warrior who demands a cessation of hostility to our ears!
Slay it with a 1!
hideglue wrote:
"I got a FE-ver. And the only pre-SCRIP-tion. is more COW-bell."
I'm still laughing five minutes later.
Man that was a funny skit.
orpheus wrote: 
I'm still wiping away the tears of laughter.
Before I came to comment about the need for more cowbell, I was wondering why I seemed to be liking this better than I remembered. Very surprised to find this isn't the original (obviously I don't know it real well). I'm sure the purists will be upset with me, but this sounded tighter...
Is that a Scottish band feigning a southern accent?!?!
hideglue wrote:
"I got a FE-ver. And the only pre-SCRIP-tion. is more COW-bell."
"I got a FE-ver. And the only pre-SCRIP-tion. is more COW-bell."
Man I thought the original was poor, but this is simply dreadful.
Give me a break - Give me BOC! This is awful.
Even covered, the guitar riff is still creepy and the vocals eerily dreamlike...
Schmackdown wrote:
I gotta have more cowbell
that's what this was missing!
Still needs more cowbell.
I gotta fever for the cowbell.
This is ok, but the original would be preferable.
I gotta have more cowbell