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Alex cameron islands in the stream photo no credit given

Alex Cameron shares covers of "Islands in the Stream" and "Midsummer Nights"

09 July 2021, 16:14 | Written by Cerys Kenneally

Alex Cameron, the self-proclaimed Barry Gibb admirer, has released covers of "Islands in the Stream" and "Midsummer Nights".

"Islands in the Stream", originally made famous by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers (and written by the Bee Gees), sees Cameron team up with Roan Yellowthorn.

Cameron's second cover, which is of Barry Gibb's "Midsummer Nights", features Foxygen's Jonathan Rado.

Speaking about the covers, Cameron says, "I've almost lost friends over Barry Gibb's songs. They're so important to me, whenever anyone else covers his songs, or even expresses a love for them - I become possessed by some pubescent demon. These songs speak to you and you alone, it tells me. Hell, I even play a Guild Songbird on stage, Barry Gibb's guitar of choice - against the pleas of sound techs in venues the world over. Of course the demon is wrong, and it's time I let those possessive feelings go. This single is an attempt to rid myself of that jealous spirit. The one that says this music is mine, and only I understand it."

He adds, "Before I asked the good people of the internet to submit requests for a cover song - I considered "Islands In The Stream" untouchable. And a big part of me thinks it still is. I'm lucky Roan Yellowthorn agreed to sing it with me. She carries the recording, and gave me license to sing on it with her. Justin Nijssen produced it with me, and plays bass and guitar on the track. He was my therapist, and led me to a breakthrough, creating the mantra I was to repeat to myself at night: ‘No one has dibs on Gibbs’. And of course Roy Molloy is there with us, on the saxophone. The B-side - "Midsummer Nights", as a song - is perhaps the closest thing to perfection in the world of pop music. Jonathan Rado did all the music on the recording. You can hear that he understands how important that tune is to me, and to all of us. And so here it is, the music that is no longer just for me, from our crew to yours."

Alex Cameron's covers of "Islands in the Stream" and "Midsummer Nights" are out now on Secretly Canadian.
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