We'll See The World From My Harley

Does anyone else remember this? To celebrate their 40th anniversary, in 1990, Elektra Records issued a two-disc compilation called Rubaiyat. It was basically one of those incestuous affairs featuring then-current Elektra artists covering songs from Elektra's past. Metallica did Queen's Stone Cold Crazy. The Cure mope through The Door's Hello I Love You. Pixies rip through The Paul Butterfield Blues Band's Born in Chicago. Faster Pussycat do a very amusing hair-metal version of You're So Vain. You get the idea.

Which brings us to what is perhaps my favorite track out of the entire 39; The Sugarcubes getting all campy with their take on Sailcat's Motorcycle Mama, complete with motorcycle engine revving. Honestly, I've never heard of Sailcat, but this song cracks me up. It's a standard rebel youth anthem about a guy trying to lure a girl to spend life on the open road, I'm guessing inspired by the movie Easy Rider and the Hells Angels motorcycle culture of the time (the original dropped in 1972). The interplay between Einar and Bjork makes me grin; the best is when they all shout out "WE'LL BE A TRIO BUT BABY MAKES THREE OHHHHH!" It's a lot of singalong fun. This compilation is dirt cheap these days and, along with this track, there are a few gems on it that make it worth the space on your CD rack.

The Sugarcubes > Motorcycle Mama