The middle-aged dummies are forming a band called "Blanket"! It's a cover band. (6 Viewers)

[simey]

Holy crap. I just got to the Laura Cantrell cover of "Love Vigilantes" (excellent) and remembered that I had intended to see if she's the same Laura Cantrell who does the "Dark Horse Radio" program on the Beatles Channel, and she surely is. Am I the only person who had no idea that she was also a musician (and a good one)? My mom thinks I sound like her in my speaking voice, or she like me. I can't sing like that, though!

I didn't know she did the "Dark Horse Radio" program.

 

[krista4]

I care. Corporate America is the worst.

I'm currently training my replacement. And the managers who made the decision to offshore are coming to realize they made a terrible mistake (not just with me - 43 other people too).

The upside is that it's becoming very apparent that the managers that made the decision are horrible at their jobs and the people being let go were covering their ineptitude.

I don't know which word I prefer - reckoning or comeuppance.

Boy oh boy, do I understand where you're coming from on all of this. And I'm really sorry for what you're going through.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

I care. Corporate America is the worst.

I'm currently training my replacement. And the managers who made the decision to offshore are coming to realize they made a terrible mistake (not just with me - 43 other people too).

The upside is that it's becoming very apparent that the managers that made the decision are horrible at their jobs and the people being let go were covering their ineptitude.

I don't know which word I prefer - reckoning or comeuppance.

Boy oh boy, do I understand where you're coming from on all of this. And I'm really sorry for what you're going through.

It could be worse. They're paying me the same salary to do three months of "re/upskilling" - which is essentially watching internally produced training videos - and if I don't find a new job within the company THEN they'll pay two months severance.

Yes I will milk every dime I can and no I do not have any intention of taking another job with them.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Final OH tally:

OH cover songs I have heard of: 7
OH original songs I have heard of: 16
OH cover artists I have heard of: 22
OH original artists I have heard of: 26

It's the same as the last update because I have never heard of the song or either artist. Which seems like an appropriate way for OH to wrap this up. I set the O/U at 7.5 and was as close as can be!

Merle Haggard?

Final OH tally:

OH cover songs I have heard of: 7
OH original songs I have heard of: 16
OH cover artists I have heard of: 22
OH original artists I have heard of: 27

Oh yeah. I was a little rushed. Tally updated.

I think you have them switched. You know the cover artist in this instance, not the original.

Final OH tally:

OH cover songs I have heard of: 7
OH original songs I have heard of: 16
OH cover artists I have heard of: 23
OH original artists I have heard of: 26

Right. Because I don't read your posts.

 

[rockaction]

Sorry, I know no one cares, but at least you're reading this instead of listening to All Along the Watchtower again.

I was half of the way between a laugh and a cry so I went with laughing.

But the story is no good, unlike your outlook at the end. Keep shining on. I’d want you going to bat for me. That’s for sure.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Coverme.com in 2019 ranked their 50 best Neil covers. I did peruse this list when I was putting together my Neil countdown and it's where I came across some of my favorite Neil covers for the first time. Where some of their takes compare to mine:

The top 10:

1. Ohio/Machine Gun -- The Isley Brothers = my #1 Neil cover and #4 overall
2. Only Love Can Break Your Heart -- St. Etienne = titusbramble's #2 cover
3. Heart of Gold -- Charles Bradley = my #7 Neil cover and #18 overall
4. Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black) (Lansing Rock City Version) -- The Hard Lessons
5. Wrecking Ball -- Emmylou Harris = I mentioned in this thread that Emmylou has a Neil cover that some folks adore. This is it.
6. Southern Man -- Merry Clayton = my #3 Neil cover and #11 overall
7. Winterlong -- The Pixies = I was kind of expecting OH to take this.
8. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere -- The Bluebeaters
9. Like a Hurricane -- The Walkabouts
10. Harvest Moon -- Cassandra Wilson

Others that came up in this thread:

11. Birds -- The Meters = my #5 Neil cover and #15 overall
21. Rockin' in the Free World -- Pearl Jam = my #8 Neil cover and #24 overall
23. Heart of Gold -- Bettye LaVette = my #6 Neil cover and #17 overall
34. Down by the River -- Buddy Miles = my #4 Neil cover and #14 overall, and Simey's #2 cover
38. Like a Hurricane -- Roxy Music = my #2 Neil cover and #7 overall

The most famous Neil cover if it isn't the St. Etienne one:

26. Lotta Love -- Nicolette Larson = Larson sang backup for Neil and then yacht-ified one of his songs

I have seen this performed live:

28. The Needle and the Damage Done -- The Pretenders = when they were opening for Neil

 

[krista4]

Coverme.com in 2019 ranked their 50 best Neil covers. I did peruse this list when I was putting together my Neil countdown and it's where I came across some of my favorite Neil covers for the first time. Where some of their takes compare to mine:

The top 10:

1. Ohio/Machine Gun -- The Isley Brothers = my #1 Neil cover and #4 overall
2. Only Love Can Break Your Heart -- St. Etienne = titusbramble's #2 cover
3. Heart of Gold -- Charles Bradley = my #7 Neil cover and #18 overall
4. Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black) (Lansing Rock City Version) -- The Hard Lessons
5. Wrecking Ball -- Emmylou Harris = I mentioned in this thread that Emmylou has a Neil cover that some folks adore. This is it.
6. Southern Man -- Merry Clayton = my #3 Neil cover and #11 overall
7. Winterlong -- The Pixies = I was kind of expecting OH to take this.
8. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere -- The Bluebeaters
9. Like a Hurricane -- The Walkabouts
10. Harvest Moon -- Cassandra Wilson

Others that came up in this thread:

11. Birds -- The Meters = my #5 Neil cover and #15 overall
21. Rockin' in the Free World -- Pearl Jam = my #8 Neil cover and #24 overall
23. Heart of Gold -- Bettye LaVette = my #6 Neil cover and #17 overall
34. Down by the River -- Buddy Miles = my #4 Neil cover and #14 overall, and Simey's #2 cover
38. Like a Hurricane -- Roxy Music = my #2 Neil cover and #7 overall

The most famous Neil cover if it isn't the St. Etienne one:

26. Lotta Love -- Nicolette Larson = Larson sang backup for Neil and then yacht-ified one of his songs

I have seen this performed live:

28. The Needle and the Damage Done -- The Pretenders = when they were opening for Neil

Cool breakdown. I like seeing that Cassandra Wilson cover on their list. As you probably expected, my favorite of the Neil covers was Birds, but I can see why Ohio was their and your #1.

 

[krista4]

The most-often selected cover of a Beatles song was Stevie's "We Can Work It Out." Although I chose the Prince and others version of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and Wilson Pickett's "Hey Jude" for my list, I can't argue against "We Can Work It Out"!

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

Mrs. Rannous:

Shine - Dolly Parton (Collective Soul)
Song: first vote
Cover artist: first vote
Original artist: first vote

Umm... Jolene?

Umm...Jolene is a Dolly Parton original, yes?

I thought "original artist" meant that no one had picked one of her songs. I thought someone picked "Jolene".

Maybe I'm drunk.

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

Erasure synths-out to ABBA's "Lay All Your Love of Me." I picture people dancing in colorful shoulder pad shirts with strobe lights going every which-a-way.

You don't have to imagine it. It's the fiftieth anniversary of "Waterloo".

This happened.

 

[krista4]

Mrs. Rannous:

Shine - Dolly Parton (Collective Soul)
Song: first vote
Cover artist: first vote
Original artist: first vote

Umm... Jolene?

Umm...Jolene is a Dolly Parton original, yes?

I thought "original artist" meant that no one had picked one of her songs. I thought someone picked "Jolene".

Maybe I'm drunk.

Huh? Every single post, for 31 rounds, has indicated how many songs the original artist on that song has had and how many songs the cover artist on that song has had. Is it that she is both an original artist sometimes and a cover artist sometimes? That's the case with about a billion others who have been listed exactly the same way - e.g., Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash, etc. etc. This is the first and only time she was selected as a cover artist, and her tally is listed as such just like every other artist's has been.

 

[rockaction]

Maybe I'm drunk.

We’ve all been there. What are you drinking?

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

Maybe I'm drunk.

We’ve all been there. What are you drinking?

Coke Zero.

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

Mrs. Rannous:

Shine - Dolly Parton (Collective Soul)
Song: first vote
Cover artist: first vote
Original artist: first vote

Umm... Jolene?

Umm...Jolene is a Dolly Parton original, yes?

I thought "original artist" meant that no one had picked one of her songs. I thought someone picked "Jolene".

Maybe I'm drunk.

Huh? Every single post, for 31 rounds, has indicated how many songs the original artist on that song has had and how many songs the cover artist on that song has had. Is it that she is both an original artist sometimes and a cover artist sometimes? That's the case with about a billion others who have been listed exactly the same way - e.g., Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash, etc. etc. This is the first and only time she was selected as a cover artist, and her tally is listed as such just like every other artist's has been.

I must be very confused. Maybe I'm thinking of Beyonce. So next draft- amiright?

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

Erasure synths-out to ABBA's "Lay All Your Love of Me." I picture people dancing in colorful shoulder pad shirts with strobe lights going every which-a-way.

You don't have to imagine it. It's the fiftieth anniversary of "Waterloo".

This happened.

Ah, so glorious.
Sometimes I wish I was gay so maybe I would enjoy music more than I do.
Then i remember the bum stuff….and im suddenly all good.

 

[Eephus]

I'm back in my own home tonight after spending most of the past week at grammy and papa's. He had a good day today and seems to have gotten some of his strength back. I'm looking forward to a long walk tomorrow with the playlists I've missed.

Thanks to krista and hawks and everybody. Hopefully things will stay quiet so I can post my last songs because I'm kind of curious how the scoreboard will finish.

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

I'm back in my own home tonight after spending most of the past week at grammy and papa's. He had a good day today and seems to have gotten some of his strength back. I'm looking forward to a long walk tomorrow with the playlists I've missed.

Thanks to krista and hawks and everybody. Hopefully things will stay quiet so I can post my last songs because I'm kind of curious how the scoreboard will finish.

I'm so glad that went well. Having those good memories is always a comfort.

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

31 Points - Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinead O’Connor (The Family - Prince)
Original

The Family - Nothing Compares 2 U

From The Family self-titled album, 'The Family' (Paisley Park/Warner Bros. 1985)

m.youtube.com

The less said about this the better. With Prince’s brain exploding with content in 1984 he was writing and creating music for others, but as a control freak he still had to oversee the projects. Such was the short lived The Family. This doesnt even sound like a single. Somehow the cover found an inner greatness not realised by even Prince

Cover

Sinéad O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2 U (Official Music Video) [HD]

HD Remaster of the music video by Sinéad O'Connor performing Nothing Compares 2 U. Taken from the album 'I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got'Follow Sinéad O'Con...

m.youtube.com

From Billboard
The Irish artist’s melancholy cover is perhaps the most well-known arrangement of the song. The music video — which earned a 1990 Grammy nod for best music video short form — echoes the anguish of the lyrics by focusing on a close-up of O’Connor’s face as she looks into the camera, her eyes reflecting the pain in her vocals. This version of the song, the second single from her sophomore album I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, also earned O’Connor Grammy nods for record of the year and best female pop vocal performance.

From 2Loud2oldmusic.com
Sinead’s version is true to the original in tone and style although she adds a little more to the production, including percussion and a piano. But the highlight of the song is Sinead herself. Those vocals are second to none. So powerful, so heartfelt so real. She felt every ounce of pain the lyrics talk about.
What helped catapult this song was actually the video. The video was basically close-ups of Sinead and her shaved head. The tears rolling down her cheeks at the end of the song, took it over the top and really pulled the heartstrings which made this song so impactful and important for the time.
What I learned about her version while researching the song is that she did it without Prince’s permission. She finally did meet him, but from what I can gather is they did not get along ver well. She is a fiesty one and I don’t think that sat well with Prince. I guess he couldn’t “control” her.

Originals 9 - Covers 22.

I dont thinks theres a bigger disparity between original and cover than this one. Cover. Clearly.
From 2loud2oldmusic.com
Okay, I am sorry but it really is no contest for me. The Sinead O’Connor version, for me, is head & shoulders above ANY version of this song. Yes, ANY…even Prince’s own version. Sinead took this song and made it her own. When I hear this, I don’t think Prince other than the fact he wrote it. At the time, I didn’t even know he had written it when it came out. Sinead’s vocals are the driving force and power behind it and no one can hold a candle when it comes to this song…yes, I like it!!

FIN

 

[Leroy Hoard]

The Best of the Best, not starring Eric Roberts:

Little Wing - Derek & The Dominos
Tin Soldier - Todd Rundgren
Hey You - Bobaflex
I Drove All Night - Roy Orbison
Black Betty - Ram Jam
To Love Somebody - Dusty Springfield
Blue Monday - Orkestra Obsolete
Superstar - The Carpenters
Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinead O'Connor
House Of The Rising Sun - Frigid Pink
Dear Prudence - Jerry Garcia Band

 

[falguy]

Mrs. Rannous:

Shine - Dolly Parton (Collective Soul)
Song: first vote
Cover artist: first vote
Original artist: first vote

Umm... Jolene?

Still no idea what Jolene has to do with any of this, but I wanted to tag @falguy to check out this excellent cover if he didn't know of it already.

Thanks for the tag. I had heard it before when someone mentioned it during the reveal of my CS songs, I believe. It's really good and I like it more each time I listen. I definitely like it better than CS's version. the banjo.

 

[simey]

Coke Zero.

OMW. There's no telling how confused you'd be if you had been drinking the bad judgement juice.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Coke Zero.

OMW. There's no telling how confused you'd be if you had been drinking the bad judgement juice.

Tab?

 

[simey]

Tab?

My dad used to drink that stuff. He is probably one of the people that signed a petition to bring it back.

 

[Hawks64]

@Hawks64 the Dave Matthews cover of "Funny How Time Slips Away" is fantastic. I dare say it's the second-best cover version of this in the countdown! (But seriously, it's great.)

And it's not even the best one. Sadly, the best versions aren't anywhere on the interwebs. I have mp3s of a lot of them though, like this year they played Cortez The Killer with Jason Isbell, and it's by far the best version I've ever heard.

 

[Tau837]

- White Lion turns off cruise control and gasses it in their version of "Radar Love."

Cover version 1, Original 1/2
I love both, but the cover takes it!

I was hoping White Lion's version would kinda suck since Andy referred to Golden Earring's original as a lamo-70s sound, but it was good. I'm still siding with Golden Earring's version out of loyalty to the 70s.

I saw an earlier comment on this cover, so I listened to it yesterday. IMO it is fine, but Golden Earring's is still easily superior.

 

[simey]

I saw an earlier comment on this cover, so I listened to it yesterday. IMO it is fine, but Golden Earring's is still easily superior.

I'd rather cruise down the highway listening to Golden Earring's original, but I can picture Andy driving the streets listening to the customized White Lion version.

rock is on team White Lion.

 

[zamboni]

I saw an earlier comment on this cover, so I listened to it yesterday. IMO it is fine, but Golden Earring's is still easily superior.

I'd rather cruise down the highway listening to Golden Earring's original, but I can picture Andy driving the streets listening to the customized White Lion version.

rock is on team White Lion.

When the Dummies Cry

 

[Pip's Invitation]

My first exposure to When You Were Mine was not Prince's version nor any of the versions selected in this countdown. It was from friend of the thread Mitch Ryder, whose new wave-styled version got on MTV in the early '80s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1NLrpNhfRc

 

[Andy Dufresne]

I saw an earlier comment on this cover, so I listened to it yesterday. IMO it is fine, but Golden Earring's is still easily superior.

I'd rather cruise down the highway listening to Golden Earring's original, but I can picture Andy driving the streets listening to the customized White Lion version.

rock is on team White Lion.

Forgive me please, but nothing in that picture says "white".

 

[scorchy]

Late to the party as usual. Thanks @krista4 for all you put into this and @Hawks64 for the spotify-ing. Even when I wasn't posting, I was still avidly listening and looking forward to the next batch of tunes.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

The remaining covers I know, like and have not previously commented on:

#3:
Misirlou - Martin Denny (Traditional) -- I didn't know it by title, but once it came on I was like, oh, yeah, that thing. It's slithery.
Theme for an Imaginary Western - Mountain (Jack Bruce) -- I took Bruce's version in my 1969 countdown. The Mountain version is epic in sweep and has some spectacular guitar playing.
How Can You Mend a Broken Heart - Al Green (Bee Gees) -- Every bit as achy-breaky as the original.
Sympathy for the Devil - Jane’s Addiction (The Rolling Stones) -- Suits them real well.
Gentle on My Mind - Glen Campbell (John Hartford) -- I remember seeing Campbell and Hartford playing this together on TV somewhere. I think it was this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCNpK1x1YZ0
Stop Your Sobbing - The Pretenders (The Kinks) -- Adapted perfectly into the Pretenders' style. Was this cover responsible for the brief Hynde/Davies marriage?
Highway 61 Revisited - PJ Harvey (Bob Dylan) -- Badass, like most things she does. I saw her perform this live on the Rid of Me tour.

#2:
Only Love Can Break Your Heart - Saint Etienne (Neil Young) -- It's not really in my wheelhouse, but I admire the creativity here.
Pinball Wizard - Elton John (The Who) -- Elton works his magic, especially on the coda.
Little Wing - Derek and the Dominos (The Jimi Hendrix Experience) -- Epic rendering of one of Jimi's quieter tunes. I saw Clapton play this with Steve Winwood at MSG.
Tin Soldier - Todd Rundgren (Small Faces) -- Impassioned version that I totally predicted Binky would include. But, @New Binky the Doormat, we both biffed that Todd's version of Hello It's Me qualifies -- the first version was done by Nazz, which counts as a separate artist even though Todd was in the band.
Don't Fall Apart on Me Tonight - Chrissie Hynde (Bob Dylan) -- I saw the behind-the-scenes documentary on Hynde's Dylan covers album and this was one of the standouts. Also, Infidels is the one exception to the commonly held notion that Dylan's albums after Desire and before Oh Mercy sucked.
Black Betty - Ram Jam (Traditional) -- I had no idea this was a cover. But I have heard of it, unlike Spiderbait's (similar) version.
The Saints Are Coming - Green Day & U2 (The Skids) -- Powerful for many reasons.
Bridge over Troubled Water - Aretha Franklin (Simon & Garfunkel) -- Stunning. DrIan took this in the US countdown -- I believe it was also his #2 there.
Everybody’s Talkin - Harry Nilsson (Fred Neil) -- It's odd that we got two other versions before the famous one, but I guess the same thing happened with All Along the Watchtower.

#1:
A Change Is Gonna Come - Otis Redding (Sam Cooke) x2 -- Gut-wrenching.
Superstar - The Carpenters (Delaney and Bonnie) -- Didn't know it was a cover, but I knew Karen and Richard usually didn't write their own material, so I wasn't surprised.
House of the Rising Sun – Frijid Pink (unknown) -- Take the Animals version, run it through a fuzzbox and then make it huff nitrous, and you have the Frijid Pink version.
Shine - Dolly Parton (Collective Soul) -- Unexpectedly great. I think I first heard this in another thread on this board.

 

[simey]

Forgive me please, but nothing in that picture says "white".

Andy, it screams MINNESOTA! The car is all jacked up so when the winter comes it won't get any street salt from the snow on its undercarriage.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

New-to-me covers from #3 that I very much enjoyed:

Autumn Leaves - Eva Cassidy (Jo Stafford) -- Beautiful
This Is How It Feels - Carter USM (Inspiral Carpets) -- Fun
Pretty Lady - Canadian Cover Crew (Lighthouse) -- I fell in love with the original when it was taken in the worldwide countdown. (Was that also simsarge?) Given how they do their videos, Canadian Cover Crew seems to be the Canadian version of Leonid and Friends. They definitely get the sound right.
Slipping Through My Fingers - Meryl Streep (Abba) -- Touching
Don't Look Back - Them/Van Morrison (John Lee Hooker) -- Brimming with pathos
My Body Is a Cage – Peter Gabriel (Arcade Fire) - Haunting
Heart It Races - Dr. Dog (Architecture In Helsinki) -- Loved this. Had me from the opening seconds. I never checked these guys out much even though they're from Philly (and I saw them open for Wilco in Camden). I've even met the drummer!
Dreams I'll Never See - Molly Hatchet (The Allman Brothers Band) -- I knew of this version's existence, and that it used a different title from the original (it's identified on ABB albums as just "Dreams"), but I'd never actually heard it. They do as good a job as you can without having Duane or Gregg at your disposal.

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

Shine - Dolly Parton (Collective Soul) -- Unexpectedly great. I think I first heard this in another thread on this board.

Likely from me. I tried to avoid stuff I'd picked previously, but this one just had to be here.

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

Andy Dufresne:

Radar Love – White Lion (Golden Earring)
Song: first vote
Cover artist: first vote
Original artist: first vote

No song improves on the original more than this (My Body Is A Cage comes close). White Lion took a lame-o 70's sound punctuated with flat sounding drums and horns... HORNS!... and turned it into a kick *** rock sing featuring not just a guitar solo but also a DRUM solo. And Mike Tramp can hit every note, and does!

Now excuse me as I go drive 100 MPH to somewhere unknown with this blasting out of the windows.

I guess I'm Old School. Or just old.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

This is no guarantee I’ll attend since life stuff brings uncertainty, but friend of the thread Paul Weller is coming to North America in the fall for the first time since 2017. He starts on 9/6 in North Jersey and is in the Philly area on 9/10.

And of course Neil is on tour (at age 78) for the first time since the pandemic.

 

[rockaction]

This is no guarantee I’ll attend since life stuff brings uncertainty, but friend of the thread Paul Weller is coming to North America in the fall for the first time since 2017. He starts on 9/6 in North Jersey and is in the Philly area on 9/10.

And of course Neil is on tour (at age 78) for the first time since the pandemic.

Hasn’t it been a while since you went to a show? It’s been years for me, so I’m not judging—I just seem to be under the impression you haven’t been in a while.

I hear Neil tickets are expensive. Like hundreds of dollars for one.

 

[Ilov80s]

@krista4 I just discovered something truly shocking and I need a ruling. Aretha's version of Let It Be came out before The Beatles? How did neither of us know this? Is my #1 song disqualified?

ETA: sorry if this already came up

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Andy Dufresne:

Radar Love – White Lion (Golden Earring)
Song: first vote
Cover artist: first vote
Original artist: first vote

No song improves on the original more than this (My Body Is A Cage comes close). White Lion took a lame-o 70's sound punctuated with flat sounding drums and horns... HORNS!... and turned it into a kick *** rock sing featuring not just a guitar solo but also a DRUM solo. And Mike Tramp can hit every note, and does!

Now excuse me as I go drive 100 MPH to somewhere unknown with this blasting out of the windows.

I guess I'm Old School. Or just old.

I did amend this post later - I was exaggerating for dramatic effect. The GE version is decent and if you like 70s sound over 80s, then I see why it's preferred.

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

@krista4 I just discovered something truly shocking and I need a ruling. Aretha's version of Let It Be came out before The Beatles? How did neither of us know this? Is my #1 song disqualified?

ETA: sorry if this already came up

Lol. The things we learn.
The Beatles did in fact cover Aretha Franklin by the rules set out

So how on Earth did Aretha Franklin get her hands on one of The Beatles' most iconic songs and record a version two months before it was even released?

Well, Macca had sent a demo of 'Let It Be' to record producer and former journalist Jerry Wexler, who signed Aretha Franklin to Atlantic Records.

He supposedly told Wexler that Aretha had the right to release the song first - though that doesn't confirm if he intentionally wrote it with Aretha in mind, he perhaps thought she could grasp the biblical connotations more meaningfully as a gospel singer.

But why else would Paul McCartney, one of two of the biggest songwriters in the world at the time, offer a song to Aretha Franklin without wanting her take on it?

She did in fact record her rendition for her album This Girl’s In Love With You, but it sounded nothing like Paul's original and featured a solo by the great American saxophonist King Curtis.
Aretha recorded her version of 'Let It Be' with the Alabama-based Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, with David Hood playing bass.

In an interview discussing the situation, Hood said: "I kick myself for not grabbing that demo. Because I think they probably dropped it in the garbage."

"Our version was different. We changed it a little bit from his demo, where their version is different from that demo and from Aretha's version, as well. Just slightly, but little things."

Aretha refused to release it as a single despite Wexler's protestation, which was rather lucky as Paul handed Wexler legal notice barring him from doing so anyway, as The Beatles' now-classic version came out two months later.

The legal matter didn't disintegrate Aretha's friendship with The Beatles however. She recorded a version of 'Eleanor Rigby' on that very same album, later covering 'The Fool on The Hill' and 'The Long and Winding Road' too.

The respect - no pun intended - between the two remained until Aretha's death in 2018, when Paul paid tribute to her talent saying: "Let’s all take a moment to give thanks for the beautiful life of Aretha Franklin, the Queen of our souls, who inspired us all for many many years."

 

[Mt. Man]

And once again, we reach the top, with the #1s. For the record, I only listened to “All Along the Watchtower” once. No disrespect to it, but 4 times so close together could’ve dulled the impact, at least. Speaking of impact, let’s get to the last round of “selected” songs for this countdown:

Recognized by title alone: 22
Sounded familiar: 2
Knew from M-AD countdowns: 2
Didn’t Know: 4

Songs I liked showing up for the first time at #1:
To Love Somebody - Dusty Springfield
I Sold My Heart to the Junkman - The Beautiful South with Jacqui Abbott
Radar Love - White Lion
Weird Fishes - Lianne La Havas
House of the Rising Sun - Frijid Punk
Love Vigilantes - Laura Cantrell
Shine - Dolly Parton
Dear Prudence - Jerry Garcia Band
The Big Medley - Dream Theater
I’ll Be Around - Daryll Hall/Ty Taylor

Special Shout-out:
Krista4 for putting this thing together, and no doubt dealing with more details behind the scenes than any of us could imagine
Hawks64 for doing the playlists

 

[Ilov80s]

@krista4 I just discovered something truly shocking and I need a ruling. Aretha's version of Let It Be came out before The Beatles? How did neither of us know this? Is my #1 song disqualified?

ETA: sorry if this already came up

Lol. The things we learn.
The Beatles did in fact cover Aretha Franklin by the rules set out

So how on Earth did Aretha Franklin get her hands on one of The Beatles' most iconic songs and record a version two months before it was even released?

Well, Macca had sent a demo of 'Let It Be' to record producer and former journalist Jerry Wexler, who signed Aretha Franklin to Atlantic Records.

He supposedly told Wexler that Aretha had the right to release the song first - though that doesn't confirm if he intentionally wrote it with Aretha in mind, he perhaps thought she could grasp the biblical connotations more meaningfully as a gospel singer.

But why else would Paul McCartney, one of two of the biggest songwriters in the world at the time, offer a song to Aretha Franklin without wanting her take on it?

She did in fact record her rendition for her album This Girl’s In Love With You, but it sounded nothing like Paul's original and featured a solo by the great American saxophonist King Curtis.
Aretha recorded her version of 'Let It Be' with the Alabama-based Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, with David Hood playing bass.

In an interview discussing the situation, Hood said: "I kick myself for not grabbing that demo. Because I think they probably dropped it in the garbage."

"Our version was different. We changed it a little bit from his demo, where their version is different from that demo and from Aretha's version, as well. Just slightly, but little things."

Aretha refused to release it as a single despite Wexler's protestation, which was rather lucky as Paul handed Wexler legal notice barring him from doing so anyway, as The Beatles' now-classic version came out two months later.

The legal matter didn't disintegrate Aretha's friendship with The Beatles however. She recorded a version of 'Eleanor Rigby' on that very same album, later covering 'The Fool on The Hill' and 'The Long and Winding Road' too.

The respect - no pun intended - between the two remained until Aretha's death in 2018, when Paul paid tribute to her talent saying: "Let’s all take a moment to give thanks for the beautiful life of Aretha Franklin, the Queen of our souls, who inspired us all for many many years."

I have an easy backup for this but I am just stunned

 

[rockaction]

@krista4 I just discovered something truly shocking and I need a ruling. Aretha's version of Let It Be came out before The Beatles? How did neither of us know this? Is my #1 song disqualified?

ETA: sorry if this already came up

Lol. The things we learn.
The Beatles did in fact cover Aretha Franklin by the rules set out

So how on Earth did Aretha Franklin get her hands on one of The Beatles' most iconic songs and record a version two months before it was even released?

Well, Macca had sent a demo of 'Let It Be' to record producer and former journalist Jerry Wexler, who signed Aretha Franklin to Atlantic Records.

He supposedly told Wexler that Aretha had the right to release the song first - though that doesn't confirm if he intentionally wrote it with Aretha in mind, he perhaps thought she could grasp the biblical connotations more meaningfully as a gospel singer.

But why else would Paul McCartney, one of two of the biggest songwriters in the world at the time, offer a song to Aretha Franklin without wanting her take on it?

She did in fact record her rendition for her album This Girl’s In Love With You, but it sounded nothing like Paul's original and featured a solo by the great American saxophonist King Curtis.
Aretha recorded her version of 'Let It Be' with the Alabama-based Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, with David Hood playing bass.

In an interview discussing the situation, Hood said: "I kick myself for not grabbing that demo. Because I think they probably dropped it in the garbage."

"Our version was different. We changed it a little bit from his demo, where their version is different from that demo and from Aretha's version, as well. Just slightly, but little things."

Aretha refused to release it as a single despite Wexler's protestation, which was rather lucky as Paul handed Wexler legal notice barring him from doing so anyway, as The Beatles' now-classic version came out two months later.

The legal matter didn't disintegrate Aretha's friendship with The Beatles however. She recorded a version of 'Eleanor Rigby' on that very same album, later covering 'The Fool on The Hill' and 'The Long and Winding Road' too.

The respect - no pun intended - between the two remained until Aretha's death in 2018, when Paul paid tribute to her talent saying: "Let’s all take a moment to give thanks for the beautiful life of Aretha Franklin, the Queen of our souls, who inspired us all for many many years."

I have an easy backup for this but I am just stunned

Bummer, man. Just means you get to add a song when all is said and done. So it’s no big deal.

 

[Mt. Man]

Misc stats:

Common songs:
titusbramble - 6 (1 Deja Vote)
Galileo - 5 (1 Deja Vote, 1 4-way vote)
Binky - 5 (6 if you include BIGLY being in his Last 5 out)
John Madden's Lunchbox - 5 (6 if you include Blinded by the Light being in his Last 5 Out)
4 people at 4

Songs that made my "known" category (but didn't include the above):
Doug B - 12
Uruk-Hai - 11
Andy Dufresne - 9
Mrs. Rannous - 8
Charlie Steiner - 7

Covers I liked but hadn't heard before this:
simey - 12
The Dreaded Marco, higgins & simsarge - 8
scorchy - 7

Also a small shoutout to Ilov80s for showing up 6 times in each category.

This doesn't count my Special Shut-outs. Everyone had songs I enjoyed, though sometimes they were shared. Goodness knows that this is easily the most crossover I had in a M-AD thread.

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

@krista4 I just discovered something truly shocking and I need a ruling. Aretha's version of Let It Be came out before The Beatles? How did neither of us know this? Is my #1 song disqualified?

ETA: sorry if this already came up

Lol. The things we learn.
The Beatles did in fact cover Aretha Franklin by the rules set out

So how on Earth did Aretha Franklin get her hands on one of The Beatles' most iconic songs and record a version two months before it was even released?

Well, Macca had sent a demo of 'Let It Be' to record producer and former journalist Jerry Wexler, who signed Aretha Franklin to Atlantic Records.

He supposedly told Wexler that Aretha had the right to release the song first - though that doesn't confirm if he intentionally wrote it with Aretha in mind, he perhaps thought she could grasp the biblical connotations more meaningfully as a gospel singer.

But why else would Paul McCartney, one of two of the biggest songwriters in the world at the time, offer a song to Aretha Franklin without wanting her take on it?

She did in fact record her rendition for her album This Girl’s In Love With You, but it sounded nothing like Paul's original and featured a solo by the great American saxophonist King Curtis.
Aretha recorded her version of 'Let It Be' with the Alabama-based Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, with David Hood playing bass.

In an interview discussing the situation, Hood said: "I kick myself for not grabbing that demo. Because I think they probably dropped it in the garbage."

"Our version was different. We changed it a little bit from his demo, where their version is different from that demo and from Aretha's version, as well. Just slightly, but little things."

Aretha refused to release it as a single despite Wexler's protestation, which was rather lucky as Paul handed Wexler legal notice barring him from doing so anyway, as The Beatles' now-classic version came out two months later.

The legal matter didn't disintegrate Aretha's friendship with The Beatles however. She recorded a version of 'Eleanor Rigby' on that very same album, later covering 'The Fool on The Hill' and 'The Long and Winding Road' too.

The respect - no pun intended - between the two remained until Aretha's death in 2018, when Paul paid tribute to her talent saying: "Let’s all take a moment to give thanks for the beautiful life of Aretha Franklin, the Queen of our souls, who inspired us all for many many years."

I have an easy backup for this but I am just stunned

Bummer, man. Just means you get to add a song when all is said and done. So it’s no big deal.

The easiest solution, depending on Kristas ruling is just to switch it around and claim Let it Be by the Beatles as the cover.
There might be an out in that the Beatles recorded it first, but thats a narrow bridge that wouldnt hold all the others in this boat ruled as first release

 

[krista4]

@krista4 I just discovered something truly shocking and I need a ruling. Aretha's version of Let It Be came out before The Beatles? How did neither of us know this? Is my #1 song disqualified?

ETA: sorry if this already came up

Well, whaddya know. You want the Beatles version instead?

I almost used this loophole to take the George Harrison version of "My Sweet Lord," since Billy Preston's version came out first.

 

[shuke]

Going to wait until the weekend to listen to the last couple rounds. Just wanted to say thanks to @krista4 and @Hawks64 for all their work!

 

[Ilov80s]

@krista4 I just discovered something truly shocking and I need a ruling. Aretha's version of Let It Be came out before The Beatles? How did neither of us know this? Is my #1 song disqualified?

ETA: sorry if this already came up

Well, whaddya know. You want the Beatles version instead?

I almost used this loophole to take the George Harrison version of "My Sweet Lord," since Billy Preston's version came out first.

I actually will take Aretha’s version of The Long and Winding Road

That at least preserves your data and artist counts

 

[New Binky the Doormat]

figure I can throw this in now that we're done

I didn't know this cover existed (should have ...) but Zappa's cover of "Whipping Post" would have been in my top 5

love the song, and Zappa makes it so Zappa while staying true to the original

FRANK ZAPPA - whipping post - Live 1984 (HD)

FRANK ZAPPA - whipping post - Live 1984 (HD)

www.youtube.com

 

[krista4]

figure I can throw this in now that we're done

I didn't know this cover existed (should have ...) but Zappa's cover of "Whipping Post" would have been in my top 5

love the song, and Zappa makes it so Zappa while staying true to the original

FRANK ZAPPA - whipping post - Live 1984 (HD)

FRANK ZAPPA - whipping post - Live 1984 (HD)

www.youtube.com

I miss @neal cassady