“I’m a frightened as an Oyster”

Prompted partly by the Robert Plant documentary last night but also by Bryan Ferry’s new version I thought it might be time to settle once and for all which is the best version of “Song to the siren”. For many years I would have said “this Mortal Coil” version was the leading Lorelei amongst the (what is the collective noun for sirens, a snare? A glamour? ) sisterhood. The problem I had with Tim Buckley’s original was that he slips into full on pub singer mode and it can be almost comical but and here’s a revelations for me I’ve just heard the reissue version from a rarities album(last on play list) and well the calm beauty of the song is regained .

But I also love the Czars version and Plants take on it is lovely too. It may be that there are no truly bad versions.

A few more things sprung to mind: is the song more apt sung by a man or woman? Is being driven on to the rocks one of the times where histrionics are valid?

There’s only one way to decide........ erm vote (and lobby if you like in the comments)

Oh and isn’t technology great you can hear them here. There are more versions on spotify but I have cast many of them off the cliffs of overproduction into the sea of meh! (an awful lot seemed to be pleasant enough remakes of Liz Fraser’s classic but nothing special) I’ll publish the results in the week.

Click here to take survey