The more astute of you will have noticed that today is, in fact, Monday. Yesterday I had all the songs hosted and linked and all I needed to do was the short bit of writing that accompanies each song. However, friends cam round and delayed me. Not a huge problem, and I'd invited them round anyway. About 5 minutes after they left I got a terrible migraine that put me in bed and I didn't properly shake off until late this morning.
I was tempted to post this morning instead, but I decided the extra half hour in bed was more important.
This is the second in an occasional series where all the covers featured are, to me, more well known than the original. So when I hear the song's name this is the version I think of, not the original.
You may well disagree, that's fine. This is about which version of the song springs first to my mind so it is bound to come down to personal taste. I suspect at least one or two of these covers will match with most people though.
My Favorite Things - John Coltrane, originally a Rodgers and Hammerstein song from The Sound of Music. First sung by Mary Martin on Broadway and made famous in the film adaption by Julie Andrews. Normally, I hate this song. I've been unable to watch The Sound of Music all the way through. I normally get about 12 minutes into the film before I have to leave the room, kick thing around and swear a bit. The song is atrocious. 'Warm woolen mittens', that's just the sort of thing that makes me want to gag. I know, lots of people love the song, and I'm a terrible person and there's nothing really wrong with singing about kittens' whiskers and prancing across the Alps while the Nazi's are chasing you. Still.
OK, that turned into a bit of a rant. But as much as I dislike the original this version by Coltrane is superb. It's avant jazz, but it never strays too far from the original composition. Coltrane plays soprano sax on this at a time when it was very rarely played. His playing and McCoy Tyner's piano playing are particularly inspired.
Black Steel - Tricky originally by Public Enemy. I first heard this when I bought Maxinquaye at Hairy Records, the best place for vinyl in Liverpool by far. I was too young to notice Public Enemy when they released the original version, I was only 10, and ex-mining villages in the north east of England weren't exactly a furtile hip hop breeding place. This cover is very different to the original, a classic example of changing the song and making it your own rather than blandly covering it.
I Fought The Law - The Clash originally by The Crickets. I knew this wasn't an originaly of The Clash but I had no idea it was originally recorded by The Crickets, Buddy Holly's band (although after Buddy Holly's death).
Step On - Happy Mondays originally by John Kongos. I think the Happy Monday's version of this defines the whole scene in Manchester at the time and it became so well known nationally that the song has almost become theres, a bit like Johnny Cash and Hurt.
Twist and Shout - The Beatles originally by the Top Notes. Personally I thought the Isley Brothers had recorded this first, but it turns out the Top Notes did it first, produced by Phil Spector. Either way, The Beatles version is the one that comes to mind for me.
The Man Who Sold The World - Nirvana, originally by David Bowie. I know this is a generation thing. Nirvana's recording on Unplugged with MTV came along at the time I was really starting to get into music, I loved the version of Come As You Are and so this version of The Man Who Sold The World comes first to me.
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