European Jewel (incomplete) - Jandek cover

This is a cover of the Jandek song “European Jewel”, specifically the incomplete version that closes his 1978 debut album Ready for the House.

This was recorded on my phone circa October 2024. I sang and played my electric guitar, tuned to Open D with a capo on fret 2. I’d have tuned to Open E, but I was scared of snapping the strings. Then I used Audacity to pitch the recording up to match the pitch on the original recording.

Some forums say the song is played in standard tuning, but listening to the recording that’s not the case to my ears. I believe the song is played in an open tuning because in the solo, it lingers on an E major chord but Sterling Smith (aka Jandek) occasionally hits a G natural note and the melody notes are all played on the top string.

I was fortunate to see Jandek play live in Austin years ago. This was a fun trip down memory lane. I love the warbly texture of the guitar and the performance is great. I dig the ending.

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I’d never heard of this - as far as I know. So I listened to the original on YouTube. The opening guitar riff reminded me of “I Want You, I Need You, I Love You” by Elvis but then the vocals change it up completely. I think you’ve captured his crazy good lyrical performance, like Johnny Cash on steroids, which is super cool!

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