To the covers! I love each one of these.
175. Anna (Go to Him) (Please Please Me, 1963)
Beatles version:
Spotify YouTube
This is one of the most purely beautiful John vocals, in my opinion. Nothing crazy-powerful like "Twist and Shout," but full of such desperation and depth. Word is he had a cold while recording it, so I recommend to all young singers to go outside without a coat or masturbate too much or whatever moms tell their sons will cause them colds (I might have mixed that up with "what gives you crossed eyes"). John's perceived anguish might be heightened by that cold-induced raspiness. The seemingly flat backing vocals perfectly highlight John even more beautifully. The other part that I absolutely adore about this song is George's guitar riff that replaces the piano on the original, to positive effect, though you'll see below that Mr. krista was less impressed.
Given how much I've raved about this, why not higher? As I've mentioned, my rankings of covers are heavily based on how they measure up to the originals. And if you listen to
Arthur Alexander's original of this, well holy #### that vocal is so incredible I just can't move this higher. Good god, so forceful yet delicate.
Side note: I have an affection for the fact that, when faced with losing a girl to another guy, in this case John (via Arthur Alexander) takes it quite well, as opposed to other songs we'll cover later.
Fun fact: a special pressing was made of this song as a single on Vee Jay records, as it was believed that the record would appeal to black audiences. It's believe that only a handful still exist, and a copy sold for $35k in 2012.
Another fun fact: Arthur Alexander's first hit, You Better Move On, was covered by The Rolling Stones. Not a bad run there, Art.
Mr. krista: "That’s ghostly weird (the backing vocals). I like the drum part a lot, with the open high hat. If you took out every instrument but the drums, John Lennon could still sing it and it would be 90% of the song. That drum pattern is all the song. That guitar lick you like doesn’t mean anything. I’m struck by what a good band they were already. Fitting together like a puzzle, the guitar finishing the drums’ phrases, etc."
174. Long Tall Sally (Single, 1964)
Beatles version:
Spotify YouTube
Paul's vocal on this is terrific, and I think Little Richard's vocal on it isn't one of his best. But you know, it's Little ####### Richard. So it can't be quite the same. John and George's guitars (each with a separate solo) are stellar, and Ringo keeps it all together brilliantly the way Ringos do. If you didn't hear
the original, you'd be more impressed, but still I think this is a faithful and passionate cover. Little Richard has indicated in various interviews that he taught Paul his screaming, and I think it shows.
Speaking of Little Richard, wonder what it would have been like to see him play with Jimi Hendrix in his touring band and Billy Preston on keyboard, or with the Beatles during their early days in the UK and Hamburg. Those are a couple of those "what event would you like to have witnessed" moments for me.
Fun fact: This song has the longest life of those the Beatles played live in concert, all the way from the days of The Quarrymen through the Candlestick Park concert in 1966 - and sub-fun-fact, it was the last song played during that last concert.
Another fun fact: This was released by Little Richard at such an inordinately fast pace so that Pat Boone couldn't cover it, as he had done with "Tutti Frutti." To me, the Beatles version starts out a bit slow but then hits that great Little Richard groove.
@Shaft41, I'm sorry to say that the lyrics don't matter on this one.
I have no idea what they're even saying through all the ebullience.
Mr. krista: "Good Little Richard cover. One of the things I like about The Beatles is that they were huge fans of the Beatles. They loved the music they were doing and that really goes a long way. They were clearly gripped by rock music and super stoked to make it." I played the song again for Mr. krista tonight and noted how well I thought Paul did the vocal: he laughed uproariously. Then I let him know that he had previously used the not-Mr.-krista-like words "super stoked" in a description and asked if he wanted to update: "Nah, who am I to argue with me?"
173. Words of Love (Beatles for Sale, 1964)
Beatles version:
Spotify YouTube
I ####### love this song. The only reason it isn't higher is it's a little "Weezer does 'Africa'" for me, so note-by-note true to the
Buddy Holly original that I'm befuddled as to why it was recorded. But holy hell, it's a great song - so I guess there's my answer. As I was thinking about this song, not even playing it, I realized I was tapping out the percussion on the couch cushions. Makes me wanna spin around in circles. The harmonies give the song a sweet essence. By the way, if anyone ever wants to do a thread dedicated to the brilliance of Buddy Holly, I'll be right there with you.
Mr. krista: "Nice. Seemed like harmonies to George and they sang to him. Simple percussion like someone slapping his knee.. But again not as much as Holly." I just read this aloud to Mr. krista and asked WTF he'd been talking about. His response: "Something tells me there was a problem in the transcription." Yeah, mighta been.
172. Rock and Roll Music (Beatles for Sale, 1964)
Beatles version:
Spotify YouTube
To me, a much superior Chuck Berry cover to the flat "Roll Over Beethoven," this one was recorded in
one freaking take that features the brilliant vocals by John. The reason it can't be higher is because
Chuck freakin' Berry, but the energy of this thrills me when it comes on shuffle. I love the way each verse seems to build into a frenetic chorus, and OMG Ringo's cymbals on this. #######' rocks.
Mr. krista: "You know how I feel about Chuck Berry and you know how you feel about Beatles rave-ups so you know I think it’s awesome. Any song with big long five/six note breaks with someone singing over top of it, especially the way Lennon does, does it for me.”