Paul’s still out there playing. Recently he did a benefit concert in Ukraine. One of the songs he sang in Ukraine, of course, was Back in the USSR. Here’s an interesting cover:
One of my favorite Paul songs with his first group:
Paul turns 66 today. Happy birthday.
*** Willie Randolph was 86’d by the NY Mets. Yes, the team is better than the record, but I almost never favor in-season managerial replacements. *** I was watching ABC News last night, and the segment they showed in observation of Cyd Charisse’s passing happened to be this first piece I found on YouTube searching by her name, from about 50 seconds in, and running just over a minute. It also features some other dancer of note:
I remember seeing her well past her prime, probably on some awards program, and she STILL had great legs.
80. The Ostrich – Steppenwolf. I discussed this song here. Feeling: ticked off. It’s HERE.
79. (Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You’ve Been Gone – Aretha Franklin. One of the things I hated about AM radio when I was growing up is the fact that disc jockeys would talk over the instrumental opening. I swear that this intro was designed specifically to avoid that. Highlight musically is the sweet crescendo of the horns. Feeling: joyful.
78. 21st Century Schizoid Man – King Crimson. An intriguing song. Starts of like a loud dirge, then breaks into an almost jazzy center. Quite odd. Feeling: a little schizo. OR HERE.
77. Face the Face – Pete Townsend. Those big drums almost always surprise me, not in this live version, but in the video below. Feeling: like dancing.
Miami Vice!
76. I’m So Glad – Cream. It has to be the live version from the Goodbye Cream album; no other version excites me like that one. It’s the Jack Bruce vocals and especially the instrumental breaks. Feeling: well, glad.
75. Fame – David Bowie. Besides the hook, I most appreciate the descending line of the vocal near the end. Feeling: like dancing.
74. King Harvest – The Band. From “the brown album”, the second album, it’s the last song on the LP. It’s the vocals and the lyrics: “My horse Jethro, well he went mad.” A song of my high school days. Feeling: like having a piece of grass between my teeth.
73. I’m Free – the Who. The beginning of this song is out of sync with the rest. There’s a drum fill before the first time you hear “And freedom tastes of reality.” The live versions never compare to this because they’re usually played correctly. I like the descending line vocal at the end and the instrumentation in the middle. BTW, I have no idea what this video is. Feeling: Tension until it gets back on track musically.
72. Celtic Rock – Donovan. The druids are coming. Last song, first side of the Open Road LP. Feeling: spooky.
71. Twist and Shout – the Beatles
It’s John shredding his voice and those ascending thirds. Feeling: Joyous. ROG
There was a 90-minute discussion on the Coverville podcast, episode 450, about cover music. Brian, the host, posed several questions of the panel of fellow podcasters of cover music. I listened to it some weeks ago, so not all the particulars are fresh in my mind. Still, here are a couple questions inspired by that podcast.
1. What IS a cover version? For instance (and this was on the show), is Eric Clapton doing Layla considered a cover of the Derek and the Dominoes version? The panel thought not.
2. How about when a songwriter writes the song, gives it to another artist, THEN records it? I believe Gene Pitney’s Hello Mary Lou, recorded by Ricky Nelson before Pitney recorded it, would qualify. Which one is the cover? I don’t know.
3. Or what if Ronnie Spector took a Ronettes song such as Be My Baby and sang background vocals on a more contemporary artist? I think that WOULD be a cover?
4. What makes a good cover song? Sometimes, but not always, a different point of view – a female singing what had been a song previously performed by a male – will help. It cannot be a slavish imitation of the original; what’s the point? Often the remake features faster or slower tempos, unusual instrumentation or other qualities.
5. What is the first cover song that you really enjoyed that you recognized as a cover? Motown folks were always covering each other, but mine was We Can Work It Out, Stevie Wonder’s cover of the Beatles’ tune. ROG
1. I was listening to the Coverville podcast this week. Brian played Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting by The Who from Two Rooms: Celebrating The Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin and noted that Elton John also covered the Who’s Pinball Wizard. So your mission, should you decide to accept, is to find other examples of besides these discovered by Fred Hembeck, my co-workers and me:
Beatles- You Really Got A Hold on Me Smokey Robinson- And I Love Her
Elvis- Hey Jude (a pretty horrific version) Paul McCartney- That’s Alright Mama, It’s Now or Never
Fats Domino – Lady Madonna Paul McCartney – I’m in Love Again
Little Richard- I Saw Her Standing There Beatles- Long Tall Sally, Hey Hey Hey Hey
Ray Charles – Yesterday, Eleanor Rigby Beatles – Hallelelujah I Love Her So
Smokey Robinson & the Miracles – And I Love Her Beatles-You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me
Simon & Garfunkel – The Times They Are A-Changin’ (from Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.) Bob Dylan – The Boxer (from Self-Portrait)
Tim Hardin – Simple Song of Freedom Bobby Darin – If I Were a Carpenter, Lady Came from Baltimore, Reason To Believe
Versions should be commercially available (CD, mp3).
And I can relate, somewhat. When I bought the Yellow Submarine single, the lyrics went: As we live a life of ease (a life of ease) Every one of us (every one of us) Has all we need (has all we need). But on the Revolver album version, there’s no “a life of ease” echo. Finally, on one of those four-song “singles” CDs that came out at the time of the Beatles Anthology series, a version of Yellow Sub, with the “a life of ease” echo! I wasn’t crazy.
Now all I need is some proof that the Simon & Garfunkel song Bridge over Troubled Water is in a different key (or at least a different playback speed) on the single than it was on the album. So, my question: what aspect of music, film, TV or other entertainment do you remember differently than is commonly recalled? ROG
*** My favorite Amazon pitch of late: Dear Amazon.com Customer, We’ve noticed that customers who have purchased or rated Stanley Kubrick’s Clockwork Orange (1971 Film) have also purchased Semi-Pro. For this reason, you might like to know that Semi-Pro is now available. You can order yours for just $13.99 by following the link below. Product Description Will Ferrell stars in this outrageous comedy, set in 1976, as Jackie Moon, a one-hit wonder who used the profits from his chart-topping song “Love Me Sexy” to achieve his dream of owning a basketball team, which becomes the worst in the ABA league (NBA rival) and in danger of folding. If they want to survive, they have to do the seemingly impossible – win. Co-stars Woody Harrelson, Andre Benjamin (Outkast), and Will Arnett. The soundtrack features classic funk hits from the 70s from Sly & The Family Stone, Ohio Players, War, Curtis Mayfield, and more, as well as Will Ferrell performing his funkadelic version of “Love Me Sexy”. 1. Love Me Sexy – Jackie Moon (Will Ferrell) 2. Get The Funk Out Ma’ Face – (Brothers Johnson) 3. Lady Marmalade – (LaBelle) 4. The World Is A Ghetto – (War) 5. Tell Me Something Good – (Ronnie Laws) 6. Mr. Big Stuff – (Jean Knight) 7. Give Me Just A Little More Time – (Chairman Of The Board) 8. Why Can’t We Be Friends – (War) 9. Walking In Rhythm – (The Blackbyrds) 10. Dance To The Music – (Sly & the Family Stone) 11. Love Rollercoaster – (Ohio Players) 12. Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be) – (Sly & the Family Stone) 13. Move On Up – (Curtis Mayfield) 14. Shining Star – (Elijah Kelley) So because I bought the Moog-driven soundtrack of a 1971 movie , I would also be interested in a 2008 movie set in the 1970s with a funk soundtrack?! (Truth is that would be if I didn’t already own tracks 3, 4, 6-8, 10, 11, 13 and possibly 9, plus other versions of 5, 12, and 14, I MIGHT be.) *** From Coverville: Hey Jude by the cars
*** Assuming you have $125 to spend ($75 for students):
You are invited to Splat! A Graphic Novel Symposium Saturday, March 15, 2008 We welcome new readers, writers, artists, publishers, agents, and long-standing comics fans alike to learn more about the fastest growing movement in publishing – and meet some of the best creators working in the medium today! The SPLAT! Symposium will also supply prospective creators with a unique opportunity to learn what it takes to be a graphic novelist. There will be three different tracks of panels, seminars, and workshops, followed by the SPLAT! Reception with Scott McCloud. The panels will be led by a number of key writers, editors and artists from the graphic novel world including: Jim Killen, buyer Barnes & Noble; David Saylor, Editor Scholastic; Raina Telgemeier, artist, The Baby-Sitters Club; Ted Rall, creator, Attitude: The New Subversive Political Cartoonists; CB Cebulski, writer/editor, Marvel Comics; Bob Mecoy, Founder, Bob Mecoy Literary Agency; R. Sikoryak, creator, The Seduction of Mike; Brian Wood, creator, Demo, DMZ and Local; Nick Bertozzi, creator, The Salon; and Charles Brownstein, executive director, Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Please visit www.nycip.org/graphicnovelsymposium to register for this unique event. ROG
