The Art of the Cover
Whilst doing a rare scroll through my Facebook page recently I came across a performance by bourgeois coffee-table rock ‘legends’ Coldplay of a song called “Sunshine on Leith”. Watching it reminded me of how Tom Waits felt when hearing the Eagles’ rendition of his gorgeous song “Ol’ 55” on their ’74 album On the Border. ‘Antiseptic’ was how he labelled it. Coldplay’s version of The Proclaimers’ classic tribute to their home of Leith could be viewed equally so, not just ‘dull’ (another Waits quote re the “Ol’ 55” cover) but somehow totally unbefitting. This is a song about two boys from Leith returning home after a period away and finding some kind of emotional rescue in their hometown Edinburgh. Chris Martin of Coldplay is a privately-educated son of a Chartered Accountant from Exeter, further from the reality of the song than just about anywhere in the country. Hence, any lack of gravitas or soul heard in Coldplay’s ‘antiseptic’ cover. The most heartfelt cover of the Reid Brothers now legendary Scottish anthem (for those who really need one) can be found on the terraces of Edinburgh football club Hibernian on match days. Now that version does tingle the spine, especially when vanquishing local rivals Heart of Midlothian.
Other completely pointless covers that spring to mind are of course Phil Collins’s unnecessary re-working of a Tamla Motown classic with his “You Can’t Hurry Love”. The song was written from a woman’s perspective talking to her mama (like so many 60s songs). The clue is in the title guys! Collins took that Motown sound of tambourines with legendary John Jameson’s throbbing bass line accompanying Diana Ross’s teenage desires and - despite his obvious fondness for 60s Tamla Motown - managed to turn it into well…here’s that word again… an antiseptic mechanical groove.
I could continue this part of the article with details of other bland covers from the likes of Elton John, Rod Stewart and the like but the point was to highlight here some cover versions which actually add something to the original, be it a superb vocal performance, a speeding up or slowing down of the original, performed in a slightly different genre - whatever, something that takes the song to another level. Elsewhere on our blog was mentioned Nils Lofgren’s excellent take on King/Goffin’s “Goin’ Back” so this will not be repeated here, but here are some others to muse over. Maybe you would like to add your own favourite covers too in the comments below.
Elvis Costello and The Attractions – “(What’s So Funny ‘bout) Peace Love and Understanding?”
Nick Lowe’s rather measured somewhat whimsical take on the fading hippie generation is grabbed by the throat, taken up and dusted down by Costello and his entourage as they issue a heartfelt rallying call to arms shrieking at injustice at breakneck speed, the whole show held together by his excellent drummer Pete Thomas as the pace never lets up. Costello has never sounded angrier, more desperate, more energized than on this song, originally a B-side for a Nick Lowe single but since a staple on all Costello Greatest Hits Collections. One of the greatest songs of all time, it is perhaps ironic that such a prolific songwriter as Costello himself should rely on another to provide him with his finest work. Then again, he turns the song into his very own. Simply marvellous.
The Beatles - “Twist and Shout”
The Isley Brother’s original version of this song is a soul/gospel classic in its own right. Make no mistake. Ronald Isley on vocals, the brothers backing vocals, those mariachi style horns reminiscent of some Cuban nightclub all neatly produced for the 1962 burgeoning dancehall scene; but then along came The Beatles of 1963 at the very beginning of their assault on the sixties and the arrival of Beatlemania as the relative safety of Adam Faith, Hank Marvin and Billy Fury is set to be eclipsed. They manage to turn the Isley’s already lively hit into a full on rock n roll extravaganza fuelled by guitars and drums at unrelenting pace. But what sets this song apart is John Lennon’s almost screaming rabid vocal, his voice hoarse with the effort of a long recording session. Maybe it was this vocal performance that caused the band Primal Scream to name themselves so. That build up at 1.25 to 1.36 just after George’s guitar break before the next ‘Shake it Up Baby Now’ is one of the defining moments of 60s pop. In a way it encapsulates that period of Beatlemania just as much as their own compositions of similar urgency such as “She Loves You” and “Can’t Buy Me Love”. Certainly near the top of all-time Beatles moments and worthy of a place on our list of covers.
Social Distortion – “Ring of Fire”
June Carter’s lyric of descending deep into love with unfathomable consequences was first recorded by her sister before Johnny Cash took it and recorded the number one smash hit record which is still his most famous. A bona fide country classic. So what did Mike Ness and his band Social Distortion do? Well, just like The Beatles and Costello above they added guitar and drums for horns and gave the song a grittier, swirling, grungy, punky feel that made it rock along not with the resignation in Cash’s voice but with Ness’s snarling defiance. Just listen to those coruscating guitar lines and imagine yourself calling the band back for an encore in the local pub rock venue back in the day and them coming up with this, sending you rocking and singing into the cold London night. Bliss!
Cowboy Junkies – “Tired Eyes”
Now in an ideal world we would be looking at a song that Neil Young covered himself rather than one another artist did of one of his songs, but much as I wanted to include Neil’s version of Ian Tyson’s “Four Strong Winds” on this list, my mind kept returning to the first time I heard this cover of Neil’s “Tired Eyes” from his enigmatic Tonight’s the Night album, the best example of the famous Ditch Period. There aren’t many songs that begin ‘Well he shot four men in a cocaine deal’ but Neil nailed that one too. On his version Neil Young is in storytelling mode, imagine a bottle of Tequila by his side as he almost disjointedly and off-handedly relates the tale to an equally inebriated buddy long after closing time. The band in the background sound semi-interested as a mix of piano and occasional guitar accompanies the narration. Along come Cowboy Junkies with Margo Timmins’s quiet sympathetic vocals accompanying a more melodic take on the song. The whole feel is cinematic and atmospheric so much so that you could imagine it easily at the beginning or even end of “No Country for Old Men”. What in Neil’s mind is a bar room drawl becomes in Timmins’s vocal a sad and ghostly memory of a long forgotten tale. It is without doubt one of the most beautiful songs you will ever hear and you would never have said that about the original from Tonight’s the Night.
Wilko Johnson and Roger Daltrey – “Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?”
Some Dylan songs manage to slip under the radar. When the great man finally slips off this mortal coil be prepared for countless repeats of “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “Mr Tambourine Man” with an occasional nod to “Knocking on Heaven’s Door” but don’t expect your radio station of choice to be blasting this tune out, which is indeed a shame as two stalwarts of British rock have managed to turn this bitter folk-rock missive into a tub-thumping rock classic. Dylan’s version of this song was recorded at a time of his most prolific and exceptional output. Highway 61 anybody? So, it’s no surprise to hear Al Kooper backing on the organ and Dylan’s by now infamous sneering vocal. He was one solid guitar away from his first garage rock classic a la Gloria! In step Wilko and Roger. Wilko’s distinctive guitar sound honed through years of playing the pubs and clubs gives this song a driving beat but the really big change is with Daltrey’s vocal which takes Dylan’s dismissive sneer and turns it into a plea from the heart which struts him around the studio at full volume. The Who meet Dr Feelgood meet Bob Dylan. You have yourself an absolute classic.
Thanks for taking the time to give these tunes a listen and I hope you agree with me after you’ve heard them and the originals that it is possible to add something extra to songs to give them a whole new dimension that is worthy of our listening time.