Cover Battle: “With a Little Help From My Friends” May 17, 2013

 

A Beatles feel good song from the classic album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. It’s also one of the few songs that Ringo Starr, drummer, sang lead on.

 

I think this is one of those instances where a cover outshines the original. The definitive version of this has got to be Joe Cocker’s. The man throws himself into all of his music. Almost literally, with bodily twists and turns that would make a contortionist positively green with envy. His style has even been celebrated/parodied by John Belushi on Saturday Night Live.

 

I’ve put up two Joe Cocker videos: one from back in the day, in black and white, and one from a few years ago. Both are live because, while studio versions are nice and neat, live can bring about in-the-moment improvisational magic. Some artists are extraordinary live and need to be seen that way, “imperfections” and all. I think that’s the best way to enjoy Joe Cocker’s performance. With these two live versions, I think, you can see that Joe hasn’t really lost any of the intensity that everybody loves about him. And as a bonus the more recent track has him being backed up by Phil Collins on drums and Brian May on guitar.

 

Bon Jovi has a cover, also live. I like it. A lot. And let’s face it – Bon Jovi, sleeveless, with that hair, in a tight pair of jeans is some pretty nice eye candy. Yes, I’m totally objectifying the man and I’m okay with that.

 

What I’m not really okay with is the last one. Frankly I can’t get through the Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’66 cover. It makes me feel like I’m trapped in The Twilight Zone on an endless elevator ride. Make it stahhhhhhhhhhhhhp, please! Actually it sort of reminds me of the 50′s and 60′s when record companies would take that radical “colored” music and water it down with argyle sweaters and penny loafers for all the white kids and made it super neato cool. And safe. A bit extreme, but that’s the first thing that came to mind.

 

 

 

   

   

Cher is awesome May 12, 2013

 

 

Found this while researching more cover battles. The one, the only … Cher

   

   

David Bowie – The Next Day (Explicit) May 9, 2013

   

   

Cover Battle: “Lovesong” May 3, 2013

 

I never listened to The Cure, but I’ve heard this song in bits and pieces over the years. The parts that I’ve heard I liked, but I just never explored any further. A couple of weeks ago certain segments of the interwebz were blowing up over the cover done by one American Idol contestant (Candice Glover) so I checked it out.

 

Wow, as in incredible. W.O.W., as in With. Out. Words. Stunning. Smoky. Transformational. Just … WOW.

So, in searching YouTube and checking out listener/viewer comments I discovered there was an Adele version, which some people think Candice, somehow … “plagiarized” (their word, not mine). I disagree. While both versions are obviously pared down and much slower they’re not the same at all. I think Candice’s arrangement is, obviously, more piano driven: languid and lush. Like you’re falling back into the most decadent, silkiest, softest, pile of pillows you could ever imagine. Adele’s performance is a more guitar and percussion-based, “let’s chill” style.

 

Now – the Tori Amos version. I really like a couple of her songs but sometimes I really can’t get past that tremolo thing in her voice. It almost takes me out of the song. It seems put on or precious; like she’s trying too hard be all delicate and twee, but I know that’s just her.

   

   

Cover Battle: “Don’t You Forget About Me” April 26, 2013

 

This’ll be a short one. I’m only using three examples*: the original (by Simple Minds), a really good version by an American Idol winner (David Cook) and a remake done by one of the stars (Molly Ringwald) of the movie the song is from (The Breakfast Club). Actually it’s only a preview of a remake. I couldn’t find a full version of it, but there’s more than enough here to get a nice taste of the vocal stylings.

 

I know Molly has been singing jazz since she was a kid, so I knew it would be a different take, but it’s really different. And I don’t think it works. It’s sort of bizarre, to me, and doesn’t do the song any favors, nor does it show off her voice in the best way. Just my opinion.

 

   

   
   

 

*There’s also a version from the movie Pitch Perfect (a Glee-ish, acapella chorus type thing) but it’s part of a medley with a couple of other songs and frankly I’m just sick of hearing that kind of stuff. At this point all that Glee stuff sounds the same to me: high-pitched and kind of Alvin and Chipmunk-y.

   

Happy Birthday Ella Fitzgerald April 25, 2013

   

Source: historiasmusicais.blogspot.com

Source: Carlinamerica.com

Source: The Immaculate Consumption

Ella with Marilyn Monroe; AllAboutJazz.com

Source: Last.fm

Billie Holiday with Ella; jazzarium.pl

Source: starmagazine.deviantart.com

Source: Kootation.dom

   

   

Google celebrates Ella …

Ella Fitzgerald official site

Ella at Concord Music Group

Wednesday When It Was Music …

   

RIP: Richie Havens 1/21/41 – 4/22/13 April 23, 2013

   

   

Richie Havens, iconic Woodstock singer, dies at 72

Richie Havens official site

Richie Havens on wiki

   

RIP: Kurt Cobain April 5, 2013

   

SOURCE: UPWORTHY

   

Kurt Cobain died 19 years ago today

Kurt Cobain at wiki

Kurt Cobain at Bio

Kurt Cobain quotes
The Cobain Memorial website

   

Cover Battle – “Supermassive Black Hole” March 29, 2013

 

This is something I’ve done a few times before: here, here and here (kind of), and since I love discovering new things on YouTube I decided to make it a thing. I would say it’s a regular feature, but then that implies, like, a schedule or commitment, and, like discipline, etc. etc instead of the ongoing freeform, whatever-, whenever-ness that I tend to exhibit. So let’s not call it a relationship; we’ll just keep it kinda loose, kinda casual and easy. I’m free to write about other … stuff, and you’re free not to expect me to be consistent. We cool? Okay, good. So let’s get this puppy going.

 

Doctor Who returns tomorrow, so why not lead off with that, shall we? The first cover is from a fan-created video with clips from the show. Quite nice. The other one features Naya Rivera (from Glee*) and the really … intense Croatian duo known as 2Cellos. Now Naya and the cello-maniacs are part of Elton John’s, oh sorry – Sir Elton John’s, recent tour. The third version, is from a British group called Muse, which I’ve started listening to a bit.

   
   

   

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

*There will be no Glee cover versions included in any cover battle, understood?

   

Beautiful March 25, 2013