krista4
Footballguy
It's Carl Perkins time again!
148. Matchbox (single, 1964)
Beatles version: Spotify YouTube
One of the three Carl Perkins covers we'll be discussing (the first was "Everybody's Trying to be My Baby" and we've another yet to come), this one was originally sung by Pete Best in the Beatles's live shows. After he was kicked to the curb, John took over the live vocals, but when they got to the recording sessions, it was turned over to Ringo with the intention of including it on the A Hard Day's Night album. At this point Ringo was possibly the most popular Beatle in the US (while he was always considered Luc Longley in the UK), and Capitol found the idea of releasing a single with Ringo on lead to be appealing. On the day it was recorded, Carl Perkins happened to be visiting Abbey Road studios and attended the session; rumor has it he might even have played the opening riff on the recording, but I suspect that's just wishful thinking from Beatles/Perkins fans like me. Ringo's vocal on this isn't his best - he's admitted how nervous he was in Perkins's presence and also that this was recorded two days before a tonsillectomy - and is made too echo-y with the double- and even triple-tracking, but the energy everyone puts into this, combined with the fantastic source material, make it a spectacularly fun listen every time.
This song was controversial in the Perkins ouevre, as he claimed he had never heard the Blind Lemon Jefferson song "Match Box Blues" before composing it. Hmph, I guess it's just coincidence that both songs feature the following lines in sequence: "I'm sittin' here wonderin', will a matchbox hold my clothes. I ain't got no matches but I still got a long way to go." Infinite monkeys theorem I guess. In any case Perkins added more lyrics and the rockabilly groove, and it sounds like an entirely different song than Jefferson's.
Speaking of lyrics, I'm here to sheepishly admit that the single thing I love most about this song is that the following lines always make me break out in childish giggles: "Well, if you don't want my peaches, honey, please don't shake my tree. If you don't want Ringo's peaches, honey, please don't mess around my tree."
Mr. krista: "How scandalous do you think that was in Great Britain at the time? I mean, 'if you don’t want my peaches, don’t shake my tree.' Hearing the Beatles cover that and do it so well, makes me proud to be an American. I mean all this was obviously before my time. You don’t get music like that without there being an America. It just doesn’t ####### happen. I mean, you’re welcome, world. It’s ####### amazing. I mean you might get something like it…nope, you don’t. That’s not to say that British can’t make rock and roll, cuz clearly they can, but it just doesn’t…"
Suggested covers: Wait, what? I don't post covers of the cover songs! But in this case I'll make an exception for these guys. Also, as a bonus, if you have any doubt how ####### phenomenal this is, check out Perkins/Ringo/Clapton in 1995.
148. Matchbox (single, 1964)
Beatles version: Spotify YouTube
One of the three Carl Perkins covers we'll be discussing (the first was "Everybody's Trying to be My Baby" and we've another yet to come), this one was originally sung by Pete Best in the Beatles's live shows. After he was kicked to the curb, John took over the live vocals, but when they got to the recording sessions, it was turned over to Ringo with the intention of including it on the A Hard Day's Night album. At this point Ringo was possibly the most popular Beatle in the US (while he was always considered Luc Longley in the UK), and Capitol found the idea of releasing a single with Ringo on lead to be appealing. On the day it was recorded, Carl Perkins happened to be visiting Abbey Road studios and attended the session; rumor has it he might even have played the opening riff on the recording, but I suspect that's just wishful thinking from Beatles/Perkins fans like me. Ringo's vocal on this isn't his best - he's admitted how nervous he was in Perkins's presence and also that this was recorded two days before a tonsillectomy - and is made too echo-y with the double- and even triple-tracking, but the energy everyone puts into this, combined with the fantastic source material, make it a spectacularly fun listen every time.
This song was controversial in the Perkins ouevre, as he claimed he had never heard the Blind Lemon Jefferson song "Match Box Blues" before composing it. Hmph, I guess it's just coincidence that both songs feature the following lines in sequence: "I'm sittin' here wonderin', will a matchbox hold my clothes. I ain't got no matches but I still got a long way to go." Infinite monkeys theorem I guess. In any case Perkins added more lyrics and the rockabilly groove, and it sounds like an entirely different song than Jefferson's.
Speaking of lyrics, I'm here to sheepishly admit that the single thing I love most about this song is that the following lines always make me break out in childish giggles: "Well, if you don't want my peaches, honey, please don't shake my tree. If you don't want Ringo's peaches, honey, please don't mess around my tree."
Mr. krista: "How scandalous do you think that was in Great Britain at the time? I mean, 'if you don’t want my peaches, don’t shake my tree.' Hearing the Beatles cover that and do it so well, makes me proud to be an American. I mean all this was obviously before my time. You don’t get music like that without there being an America. It just doesn’t ####### happen. I mean, you’re welcome, world. It’s ####### amazing. I mean you might get something like it…nope, you don’t. That’s not to say that British can’t make rock and roll, cuz clearly they can, but it just doesn’t…"
Suggested covers: Wait, what? I don't post covers of the cover songs! But in this case I'll make an exception for these guys. Also, as a bonus, if you have any doubt how ####### phenomenal this is, check out Perkins/Ringo/Clapton in 1995.
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