That Should Cover It - Spunge

...albums.
Bear in mind that I have not heard any of the originals, so I will be able to offer comparisons in that respect.
The tracklist for That Should Cover It (even the name of the album seems to imply that they only released it to stop the gap between albums) is as follows:

1. Centre Fold
2. Circle In The Sand
3. Oliver's Army
4. Land Down Under
5. I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)
6. Happy ...
...original, but is so cheerful that one can't help but sing along.

Land Down Under, originally by Men At Work, I have heard before, and I must say I prefer the Spunge version. The lyrics are just as sublimely weird as they were to begin with, but ska just seems to fit the song's atmosphere a lot better.

I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) has been covered by every punk band since history began, and this version is no different to ... more

Spunge, the Tewksbury ska-punk quintet, have not put forth a proper studio album for a long time. Four years it has been now. To try and placate their fans they released this CD two years ago, a CD full of cover versions and live versions.
When I've seen Spunge live before, they offered a 'covers medley', where they played excerpts from the songs they play in full here.
If this band sounds like they interest you, check out my other Spunge reviews for more detail on more definitive Spunge albums.
Bear in mind that I have not heard any of the originals, so I will be able to offer comparisons in that respect.
The tracklist for That Should Cover It (even the name of the album seems to imply that they only released it to stop the gap between albums) is as follows:

1. Centre Fold
2. Circle In The Sand
3. Oliver's Army
4. Land Down Under
5. I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)
6. Happy Hour
7. Whitehouse
8. Get Along
9. Skanking Song
10. Some Suck Some Rock
11. Don't Ruin My Day

Centre Fold, originally by (I think) "J. Geils Band" is a cheerful tune, straight from the 80s, full of joy and energy.

Circle In The Sand, originally by Belinda Carlisle, is a kind of eerie haunting tune, made up tempo and furious by its introduction to ska.

Oliver's Army, originally by Elvis Costello, is my favourite on this collection. I would imagine it sounds much like the original, but is so cheerful that one can't help but sing along.

Land Down Under, originally by Men At Work, I have heard before, and I must say I prefer the Spunge version. The lyrics are just as sublimely weird as they were to begin with, but ska just seems to fit the song's atmosphere a lot better.

I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) has been covered by every punk band since history began, and this version is no different to any others.

Happy Hour, originally by The Housemartins, starts off sounding very different to others, a breath of fresh air after the stale 500 Miles, and is a very good song for skanking along to, full of offbeat strumming in the usual ska guitar voice.

Whitehouse (live) is an original Spunge song, but not new to this album. It's an alright song, not one of their best by any means so its inclusion is a mystery to me. The live version adds an improv solo at the beginning and is a bit more bassy and raw than the studio version.

Get Along (live) is also a Spunge song, and a much better one than Whitehouse, one of their classics. The live version doesn't offer much different to the studio one, though the guitar is a bit more twangy and you can tell that the singing is live.

Skanking Song is one of my favourite ever Spunge songs, but again not original. The track starts with an annoying phrase and then moves into the song. I think I might prefer this version to any others, it feels more punk.

Some Suck Some Rock is one of my least favourite ever Spunge songs, and this is actually an original, neverbeforehead song! Not very good, uninspired lyrics, boring riffs.

Don't Ruin My Day, another new Spunge song. Maybe this grows on you, but it doesn't appear very outstanding to me - it's enjoyable to listen to, in fact actually I quite like it.. it might even stick in my head, but not one of their classic moments.

So there's the album track by track. It is a good collection of songs, I like the unique touches they've brought to each cover version, I just would've much preferred a new album!
I wouldn't really say that this is worth the money, unless you're a die hard Spunge fan, and it's definitely not a place to start with them. But if you do get a chance to listen to it, give it a go, you might be more taken with it than I am, especially if you haven't heard the original versions of their own songs they've included here. 

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