It used to be that rock and roll music was all about being anti-establishment. Nothing says you’ve reached musical god status like giving the bird to big business. But after Converse offered up that Best Coast/Kid Cudi/Rostam from Vampire Weekend summer jam, we’re starting to rethink hating The Man. This is even more true after Dr. Martens, you know, the boot-making company, offered up covers by the likes of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Raveonettes, and Noisettes among others in celebration of their 50th anniversary. Go corporate entities!
In honor of their anniversary, and the release of some new-fangled shoe, Dr. Martens tapped 10 bands to record songs that represent “the spirit of the people who’ve worn DM’s over the past 50 years.” Then, they tapped 10 directors to shoot videos for each of the songs. A video and a song will be released every few weeks, with six already being available.
Particular highlights thus far include Black Rebel Motorcycle Club covering The Pogues’ “Dirty Old Town”, The Raveonettes doing Stone Roses’ “I Wanna Be Adored”, and Noisettes with their version of The Buzzcocks’ “Ever Fallen In Love With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve”. You can enjoy BRMC and Noisettes videos below, along with peeping the entire roster of artists.
Once you’ve enjoyed those two videos, make sure to head here to download the songs, and be on the lookout for four more videos to be released between August 6th and October 8th.
“50 Years Of Dr. Martens” Tracklist:
01. Baraka Som Sistema – Buffalo Stance (by Neneh Cherry)
02. The Duke Spirit – If The Kids are United (by Sham 69)
03. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Dirty Old Town (by The Pogues)
04. Dam Funk – The Things Dreams are Made Of (by The Human League)
05. Raveonettes – I Wanna Be Adored (by Stone Roses)
06. Cinematic Orchestra – Lilac Wine (by Jeff Buckley)
07. NASA – Chase the Devil (by Max Romeo)
08. Noisettes – Ever Fallen in Love (by The Buzzcocks)
09. Verbal – Cherry Bomb (by The Runaways)
10. MC5’s Michael Davis & D.O.A – Something Is Not Right With Me (by Cold War Kids)