Tarred and Feathered is a vinyl-only EP by Swedish band the Hives, released in 2010 on the No Fun AB label. Recorded live-to-tape, it consists of three cover songs from bands that have influenced the Hives.
As a gag for the EP, the band members were covered in some unidentified gooey substance (as actual liquid tar is scalding hot) and feathers. The album cover was done in a style of a newspaper with the headline "Tarred and Feathered! Cheating with other people's songs!"
Critical reception
Alex Young of Consequence wrote that it is "a ballsy thing to make a covers EP, especially when the source material is so obscure", but that with the first two songs, "The Hives' sound never becomes apparent. They're quick, by the books, note-for-note, and less interesting versions of the originals with better production quality". Young found that the cover of "Early Morning Wake Up Call" "offers total redemption – they take a dated New Wave tune and really crank the fuzz", concluding that overall it is "a fine, if forgettable, set of rock songs".[1]
