First of all, let’s acknowledge the fact that this blog is a day late. I apologize to any ETS fans and the ETS staff. Due to some hectic scheduling, I’ve been neglecting my duties as a blogger and editor here at the site. I took a very small break to compose myself and I’m back, ready to fully take on my duties and responsibilities! So here we go with this week’s Covers Revue!
It’s hard to hear something funky and not want to move. Groovy bass lines, wah-wah’d guitars, drum beats and horns fill “Love Rollercoaster” by Ohio Players. A high-pitched organ and falsetto “Rollercoaster, of love/Rollercoaster, a-whooo-whooo-whooo” are the most memorable characteristics of the song. The lyrics are pretty self-explanatory, telling about the ups and downs of love, but the Ohio Players definitely make this song anything but mundane. Though the lyrics are pretty much the same throughout, the funky grooves in this song keep you tuned in. And if that’s not enough to get you to listen, consider the urban legend attached to the song.
During the instrumental breakdown, a scream is heard in the background (2:32 in the video provided) which has many stories attached to it. The most common being that of a woman being murdered in the recording studio while the recording equipment was on. Some say it was an anonymous woman who was murdered before the Ohio Players had even been there to record, while others believe it was Honey cover model, Ester Cordet. The story goes like this: this sexy ass Panamanian-born Playmate of the Month (October 1974) was in the middle of the photo shoot for the album cover when the incredibly hot honey spilled on her naked body. Sounds hot, right? Well, in both ways. But the heat of the honey caused her serious disfigurement, so while the Ohio Players were recording “Love Rollercoaster,” this bitch interrupted the session threatening to sue. Band manager’s response? Stabbing. Lots of stabbing. You can believe what you want to believe, but here at EnterTheShell.com, we are not about pawning off your urban legend fetishes, so we’re gonna go with that.
At any rate, the original “Love Rollercoaster” is pretty funky and filled with some great potential but personally, I think there’s a version out there better than the original.
Funk-rock powerhouse Red Hot Chili Peppers is known for creating incredibly funky rap-rock concoctions so “Love Rollercoaster” was probably a no-brainer. Though the original version, doesn’t really have anything to it lyrically, Lead Singer Anthony Kiedis adds a little pepper flavor by adding a verse of rapping to the 1996 version. Another great feature of this song (which I think MAKES this song) is the extraction of the horn section and the kazoos put in its place! Kazoos are highly underrated (if that makes any sense) and being featured in this song was the best thing to happen to it.
This newer version, which was featured on the soundtrack for the movie Beavis and Butt-Head Do America, is full of chunky funky bass riffs by bass legend Michael “Flea” Balzary but it also has a big beat to it, which is much more prominent in the opening seconds of the song.
The Peppers’ version is much more likely to get you moving because the bass is a lot more noticeable but also because of the rock influences this band brings to the table. Chad Smith is an amazing drummer who can actually keep up with Flea and these two create something here that is sure to get you moving!