Thee Oh Sees cover The Creation: "If I Stay Too Long"

Side 3 of Thee Oh Sees' most recent psych-rock masterpiece, the double LP Castlemania, features an oddly wonderful collection of covers, including "I Won't Hurt You" by the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band and "What Are We Craving?" by Norma Tanega. But perhaps none is more compelling than Thee Oh Sees' take on the 1967 single "If I Stay Too Long" by English rock band The Creation.

Though The Creation never topped any singles charts in the UK or abroad, they were an undeniably talented and tuneful group, which the chorus of "If I Stay Too Long" alone can attest to. Thee Oh Sees' version of the track rides along splashes of electric guitar, jingles of tambourine, and layers of John Dwyer's high-pitched casually crooning vocals. It's a surprisingly faithful rendition that only adds a bit of groove, upbeat percussion, and playfulness to the original. The best cover songs are often the ones that motivate the listener to search out for more music by the original artist—and here, Dwyer and company have excelled in supplying fistfuls of that inspiration.

Stream: Thee Oh Sees - "If I Stay Too Long" (from Castlemania)

The Creation - "If I Stay Too Long" (from How Does It Feel To Feel)

Below, watch a high quality live take of The Creation's "Making Time," which you may recall hearing in Wes Anderson's Rushmore.