Thanks as ever to everyone who voted in this, and especially to the nominators! Three weeks to go – 2008 is up tomorrow, Week 7 will be FOUR LETTER WORDS (that’s the length of the song title, not just swears) and then it’s the Season 1 finale with everyone picking a track from 2023.

So, cover versions! A pretty clear ranking this week with the eventual winner performing well right from the very beginning.

Bronze medal goes to Brazil’s Wanderlea, covering The Seeds’ garage rock classic “Pushin’ Too Hard” as “Vou Lhe Contar”. Swedish duo Sara Isaksson & Rebecka Tornqvist take silver for their reinterpretation of Steely Dan’s “Gaucho”. But the 12 points goes to Job, and his nomination DANA GAVANSKI with her 2020 version of King Crimson’s “I Talk To The Wind” – Job moves into 2nd place with this and cuts actualeesimpson’s lead to, er, only 16 points. It’s not over yet!

Into the second half of Season 1, and this week’s theme is COVER VERSIONS. Our learned participants have selected 12 tunes including covers of 3 previous Pollhalla entrants from the main polls, so this should be a close-fought one.

As usual there are only two rules!

Pick UP TO FOUR songs.

DO NOT PICK any track you already knew (in this version!).

Go here for the PLAYLISTS for this week. Good luck all competitors!

This week’s theme is COVER VERSIONS and as usual I’ve tried to arrange them in an order that makes some vague kind of sense (to me, anyway). There’s one track which is greyed out for me on the Spotify playlist – Sara Isaksson & Rebecka Tornqvist’s version of “Gaucho” – it’s track 11 on the playlist so make sure you check that out on the YouTube!

When you’ve heard them all go to the poll post and have your say!

1. HOT BREATH – “One Hit (To The Body)” – From 2021’s Rubbery Lips. Originally by The Rolling Stones.
2. CATERINA CASELLI – “Tutto Nero” – From 1966’s Casco D’Oro. Originally by The Rolling Stones.
3. WANDERLEA – “Vou Lhe Contar” – From 1967’s Wanderlea. Originally by The Seeds.
4. BOMBA ESTEREO – “Juana” – From 2008’s Blow Up. Originally by La Nina Emilia.
5. XIU XIU – “Ceremony (Xiu Xiu Remix)” – From 2007’s Remixed & Covered. Originally by New Order.
6. CAMP COPE – “Seventeen Going Under” – Recorded for Triple J’s Like A Version in 2022. Originally by Sam Fender.
7. MILES DAVIS – “Time After Time” – From 1985’s You’re Under Attack. Originally by Cyndi Lauper.
8. DENNIS BROWN – “Wichita Lineman” – From 1973’s Super Reggae And Soul Hits. Originally by Glen Campbell.
9. DANA GAVANSKI – “I Talk To The Wind” – From 2020’s Wind Songs. Originally by King Crimson.
10. RITA LEE – “Minha Vida” – From 2001’s Aqui, Ali, Em Qualquer Lugar. Originally by The Beatles.
11. SARA ISAKSSON & REBECKA TORNQVIST – “Gaucho”. From 2006’s Fire In The Hole. Originally by Steely Dan.
12. KEZIAH JONES – “Trouble Sleep Yanga Wake Am”. From 2017’s Rugged Covers EP. Originally by Fela Kuti.

A short playlist and a closely fought poll, with a late charge meaning two players pick up the 12 points this week. As ever, a hearty thankyou to everyone who listened, commented and voted, but especially to the 12 players who are putting their tunes on the chopping block week in week out. Halfway there! Let’s see how things shook out this round:

A single vote was the difference between 3rd and joint-1st place this week – punkers THE MUSLIMS get the bronze. The lead, though, is shared between modern pop favourite PINKPANTHERESS, nominated by ismathers, and singer-songwriter NURIA GRAHAM, picked by League Of Pop juggernaut actualee simpson. At the halfway point he has a 19-point lead but it’s a very closely fought battle for the runners-up place. Let’s see if anything can dent that mighty lead as we head into Cover Versions week…

The Week 6 challenge is a return to 2008. The list of previously nominated tracks from the original 2008 poll is here!

This is the Week 4 poll in the League Of Extraordinary Tracks. This week our nominators were instructed to keep it under 2 minutes with a selection of SHORT SONGS. You can hear what they came up with in the playlist post.

Vote for up to FOUR tracks.

Don’t vote for anything you ALREADY KNEW.

Hey we’re BACK let’s keep this BRIEF it’s SHORT SONGS here are your PLAYLISTS

(The YOUTUBE playlist is preferred as the Outcasts and Young And Sexy tracks may not be on your regional Spotify)

Go vote on these in the POLL POST.

Origins!

1. MIRAH – “Gone Sugaring” – from 2000’s You Think It’s Like This But Really It’s Like This
2. MO TROPER – “I Fall Into Her Arms” – from 2022’s MTV
3. YOUNG AND SEXY – “Car Bought For A Son” – from 2002’s Stand Up For Your Mother
4. EMPEROR X – “10,000-Year Earworm to Discourage Resettlement Near Nuclear Waste Repositories (Don’t Change Color, Kitty)” – from the 2014 EP of the same name
5. PINKPANTHERESS – “Noticed I Cried” – from 2021’s The Hell With It
6. DJ RUDE ONE ft RXKNEPHEW – “BB Belt” – from 2023’s The ONEderful Nephew mixtape.
7. FLY ANAKIN – “No Dough (produced by Madlib)” – from 2022’s Frank.
8. SPOON – “No You’re Not” – from 1998’s A Series Of Sneks
9. THE OUTCASTS – “1523 Blair” – a 1967 single on Gallant
10. THE MUSLIMS – “Call The Cops” – from 2020’s Gentrified Chicken
11. HERIOT – “Near Vision” – a 2021 single on Church Road
12. NURIA GRAHAM – “Birdman” – from 2023’s Cyclamen.