MetaChat - Quite Possibly The Loveliest Cover ...

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08 June 2006

Quite Possibly The Loveliest Cover ... ... of any Beatles song. (Produced in 1972 -- the year o' my birth -- by an undisputed genius and performed by an angel of soul).

Of course, this is only my opinion. You might have others. So tell me ... everybody and their monkey has covered The Beatles, but who has done it well?

post by: grabbingsand at: 12:50 | 32 comments

Stevie's cover of "We Can Work It Out" is excellent as well as is Marvin Gaye's cover of "Yesterday." Rufus Wainright acquits himself nicely on "Across The Universe," and Otis Redding did a nifty version of "Day Tripper." There are plenty more but I can't think of them at the moment.

posted by jonmc 08 June | 12:52

Wilson Pickett - Hey Jude

I'm not really that familiar with The Beatles (no harassing me about this!) but I really love the pleading quality Pickett puts into this song...

posted by Mrs.Pants 08 June | 13:20

I don't know if you could call it well, but I enjoy The Damned's version of "Help".
Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66 versions of "Fool on the Hill" and "With a Little Help from My Friends" are nicely done.
Not so well - check out Dick Hyman's version of "Blackbird", or Bing Crosby's Hey Jude. Man, now I wanna do a comp of bad Beatles covers.

posted by Hellbient 08 June | 13:25

Here is a lovely bluegrass cover of "I've Just Seen a Face" by a now defunct local band. It's simple and sweet and I like it better than the original.

posted by jrossi4r 08 June | 13:27

The Dillards did a nice bluegrass "..face" as well. Thanks for reminding me, jrossi4r.

posted by jonmc 08 June | 13:29

You wanna share it, jonmc? The song lends itself to bluegrass perfectly.

I should also add that my father spent my wedding day walking around singing "She's leaving home, bye bye." Now I can't hear the song without choking up.

posted by jrossi4r 08 June | 13:32

I like The Jam's version of "And Your Bird Can Sing" a lot. I also really like a version of "Blackbird" by Crosby, Stills and Nash. I am sure I am forgetting others that I have liked, but...those two are favourites.

Let's not forget Sean Connery's rollicking version of "In My Life" too.

posted by richat 08 June | 13:33

Al Green's cover of "I Want To Hold Your Hand" is pretty great.

posted by brainwidth 08 June | 13:33

and now we know that hellbient's AMG username is "surly"...AMG uses "tokens" of some sort in its links HB.

posted by richat 08 June | 13:35

No contest:
"Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" --> William Shatner.

posted by croctommy 08 June | 13:35

croctommy: YIKES dude. I take it you hate the Beatles? Heh.

posted by richat 08 June | 13:39

I actually like Jeff Healey's version of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" better than the original, though when I said so to my obsessive Beatle fan obnoxious college roommate she lectured me for an hour. But I stand by it. The Beatles sound is really kind of tinny.

posted by Orange Swan 08 June | 13:44

When I get home, jrossi.

posted by jonmc 08 June | 13:47

Spineshank do a nice, sludgy metal version of "While My Guitar..." too.

posted by jonmc 08 June | 13:51

I like Chuck Berry's cover of "Rock and Roll Music."

posted by Hugh Janus 08 June | 13:53

I like Nina Simone's version of "Here Comes The Sun".

posted by teleskiving 08 June | 14:26

I think Al Green's "I Want to Hold Your Hand" is the happiest song in the world.
I also liked Ben Harper's "Strawberry Fields Forever" and Fiona Apple's version of "Across the Universe".

posted by finallymarki 08 June | 14:30

Oh that reminds me teleskiving, Ritchie Havens does a great "Here Comes the Sun".

posted by richat 08 June | 14:34

I sure like the Isley Brothers' cover of "Twist and Shout," too.

posted by Hugh Janus 08 June | 14:48

Hugh, I'm a huuuge Isley's fan, but that song along with "Money" (Lennon's best vocal performance ever, the man sings his limey ass off on that one) are both one of those rare occasions where the white cover version tops the R&B original.

posted by jonmc 08 June | 14:52

I just think it's funny that my favorite Beatles songs are covers. And Jerry Lee Lewis' cover of "Money" tops the Beatles'. I'll make sure to bring "Live at the Starclub" next time we're hanging out and breaking stuff.

posted by Hugh Janus 08 June | 15:02

are both one of those rare occasions where the white cover version tops the R&B original.

The others would be Mitch Ryder shredding Shorty Long on "Devil With A Blue Dress," and the Young Rascals "Good Lovin'"* topping the Olympics, although both Shorty and the Olympics have done great stuff as well.

*Also, all copies of the Grateful Dead's cover of "Good Lovin'" must be shot on sight. And I actually like the Dead.

posted by jonmc 08 June | 15:07

Nobody remembers Joe Cocker's "With a Little Help from My Friends"? Talk about a cover better than the original, but with Ringo singing, it wasn't that hard to do.

Sergio Mendez's previously mentioned sambafication of "Day Tripper" and "Fool on the Hill" are delightful, in their way, but I loved when Earth Wind & Fire put their horns to work on "Got to Get You Into My Life". And the bouncy arrangement on Anne Murray's version of "You Won't See Me" was X times more fun than anything else she ever recorded (and I was visiting relatives near the Canadian border when that song was new, and heard it on the radio a million times - if I didn't hate it after that, it must be good!)

posted by wendell 08 June | 15:08

But Wendell, everybody remembers Joe Cocker's version. And they love it. So much so that they forget there ever was an original.

posted by grabbingsand 08 June | 15:11

Speaking of Ringo songs, who did "Act Naturally" first, the Fab 4 or Buck Owens? Whichever, Buck was better.

posted by wendell 08 June | 15:11

Buck did it first, and better. But the Beatles version wasn't bad at all.

posted by jonmc 08 June | 15:15

I like traffic lights!

posted by Hugh Janus 08 June | 15:25

Laibach - Across the Universe

posted by Zack_Replica 08 June | 15:52

Wow! Zack. I love Laibach!!!!

posted by carmina 08 June | 16:00

Me too - they're something else. I think their cover album 'Let It Be' is great. And, of course, Sympathy for the Devil.

posted by Zack_Replica 08 June | 16:22

I really like Eddie Vedder's cover of "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away." And Aerosmith's "Come Together" is good too.

posted by sisterhavana 08 June | 23:41

George Benson's The Other Side of Abbey Road is fan-freaking-funk-tastic. It came out in '69 on the CTI label, known for its leanings toward soul and later to become what is essentially elevator music. Same goes for Benson, but this is a great record if you can track it down. Another great CTI album is The Rite of Spring by Hubert Laws. Seriously wonderful and soulful music.

posted by sleepy_pete 09 June | 12:46

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