Three times a week, they start their class with my Today In Music History podcast, with the class trying to guess the year of the number one single at the end of each show. Thanks, Mr. Greene, not just for using my podcast, but more importantly for all the work you do as a teacher.

Its the music of John Williams (from his most well-known soundtracks) performed a cappella using lines - and concepts - from the Star Wars movies. Brilliant as this would be in just audio form, the video above seals it up with a similar trick to the "Thriller" video from last week: video cameras on each of the singing parts of the song - which also happen to be one guy.

Absolutely terrific. And the Jurassic Park theme is especially well done. Hope this gets you in the mood for another all-a cappella extravaganza on Coverville this week.

Have you? Podcast Awards

Just in time for you to get your "Thriller" on before Halloween.

And, like YouTube, you can embed music videos in your blog or website very easily. Which gives me an opportunity to share with you my favorite music video of all time. Cibo Matto's "Sugar Water". This is a perfect example of brilliance in music video direction, and if you're seeing this for the first time, it might all make sense by the middle of the video (about 2 minutes in).

This was done by the fantastic Michel Gondry, whose videos are always surreal and beautifully conceived. Got a moment for one more? Like the last one, Kylie Minogue's "Come Into My World" is one of those videos that you see new things in every time you watch it.

Like "Sugar Water", you'll get a terrific "a-ha" moment at about 1 minute into the song. My favorite point? Besides all the near-misses, it's the point at about 3:11 when Kylie 3.0 laughs to let you know she's in on "the joke".

Got a favorite? LInk to it in the comments!

François Macré - Thriller (reprise A'cappella 64 pistes)

The singer, François Macré, managed to record each of his tracks in video as he sang them, and arranged all 64 parts visually, so you can see each of the different tracks used for the song. It's mesmerizing - and even though you know what to expect by about halfway through the song, you can't turn away in anticipation of the Vincent Price bit.

Big thanks to Jeff U. for telling me about this!

This time around, I decided to tackle a more personal path for the theme of Idol: Music from the band Squeeze. For 20 years, the band Squeeze was a pioneer in introducing British pop music and new wave to American audiences. Standing at the core of their ever-changing lineup were Chris Difford and Glenn Tillbrook, a songwriting pair that was often compared to Lennon & McCartney in terms of storytelling ability and grasp of the melody. Through 13 studio albums, and countless b-sides and side projects, the band produced a staggering amount of music, familiar to anyone within earshot of an FM radio in the late 70's, 80's, and early 90's:

Goodbye Girl
Cool For Cats (which was recently included in the video game Rock Band 2)
Up The Junction
Tempted
Black Coffee In Bed
Hourglass
Everything In The World
Loving You Tonight
Some Fantastic Place

I picked Squeeze for two reasons. Number one, selfishly, they're my favorite band. I've been following their music since 1980, when my uncle made a cassette copy of Cool For Cats, which I overplayed on my Walkman and stretched to unplayability. I've been a fan through their many lineups, their breakups, and their solo work. The second reason is that even with all those hits under their belt, there's never been a tribute cover album made with their music. And it's a glimmer of hope that if I can get some great reinterpretations of Squeeze's music via Coverville Idol, I could produce a Squeeze Tribute Album.

I'll be making some announcements over the next few episodes about guest judges (as The Bitterest Pill's Dan Klass is a huge Squeeze fan, I'll definitely try and tap him for this project), and prizes, including that rare vinyl copy of Squeeze's first EP: "Packet Of Three".

If you're familiar with the band, you probably have a favorite in mind. If not, visit iTunes, and listen to some song samples and see what catches your fancy - or meets your performing style. Most of all, have fun! I can't wait to hear what comes through.

The entry deadline is December 1st, 2008 - so you've got a little over a month!