...two of my favorite covers ever.
The Hollies' (via Evie Sands) great "I Can't Let Go"....
...and The Box Tops' "Soul Deep" (which in the original is pretty much my favorite thing Alex Chilton did before Big Star).
Have I mentioned that these guys were a great, great band?
9 comments:
Oh, but when it rains...
Good stuff! How do you download the tunes?
Should be an icon at the top right.
Just to add, the Hollies tune is on the excellent Hollies tribute CD, "Sing Hollies In Reverse". I know there have been a buttload of these "tribute" type of discs released, but this is one everyone should own. With Carla Olson, the Posies, the Wondermints, Jon Brion, Mitch Easter, Steve Wynn among those involved, it's a keeper.
That said, the originals are better than these adequate covers. But it's pretty tough to beat Chip Taylor-Al Gorgoni productions, to say nothing of Ron Richards. And the Box Tops' "Soul Deep", c'mon! Chips Moman, Tommy Cogbill and the crew at American are pretty unbeatable.
I give the Drifters credit for having the balls to try. And it does prove they have good taste. But these recordings smell too much of the studio and lack the ebullience and spontaneity of their live performances. I wonder if they have any board tapes of the early gigs. I'd take freewheeling, sloppy exuberance over this stuff, anyday.
BTW, Evie Sands was/is the shit. "Take Me For a Little While" was deservedly Top Five in Berdoo. Her "I Can't Let Go" is a completely different animal than the Hollies version. Maybe it died, but it got airplay in my neighborhood. Enough to make me buy the single and wear it out. No U.S. white girl sang with that much soul. And her B-sides were happening too. Not sure who played bass on the sessions but that sound is as delicious as a nice thick hard cock.
VR
Vickie Rock is, like Evie Sands, the shit...namechecking Taylor/Gorgoni in the process. Evie's Red Bird singles were just amazing...as were most of the Red Bird/Blue Cat/Tiger output. Has anyone ever done research into who the Red Bird "Wrecking Crew" was? Did they have a core house band, or was it just whoever was available at the time? Because with *very* few exceptions, the artistry was un-fucking-paralelled.
...and if I can ever (as I said in the original Continental Drifters post on Wednesday) get those cassettes digitized, the "classic" lineup that played on "Morning Becomes Eclectic" still had both Ray Ganucheau and Carlo Nuccio, and Susan and Vicki, and was ragged and right. (Poor fuckers...nightowls all of them...playing at 10 am., about which they bitched loudly.)
Anyway...if I can digitize, I'll let y'all know.
Hate to be a contrarian. Goodstuff, but not great stuff. Me thinks the Continental Drifters was one of those bands that sounded on paper, based on their members, than that actual results of their sounds. Chalk this up to Midwestern expectations if you would like.
GLLinMO...just curious...did you ever see them live, especially before the first album? Or listen to the Nineteen Ninety Three album? They were a whole different thing, then...I'm not overly fond of the recorded stuff, but even when they were touring for the first album, they were still FUCKING HOT.
Oh, and also (and I don't know why I forgot to mention this in my other comments), rumor has it that *some* iteration of the band will be reuniting this summer, presumably to coincide with the release of the compilation. Fingers crossed that it's the Ray/Carlo/Holsapple/Psycho Sisters version. Hell, if original keyboardist Danny McGough came along, that'd be great too.
Thanks for reminding me what a great song I Can't Let Go is. Think I only ever heard Linda Ronstadt's version, which isn't at all bad, but the Drifters version here and the Hollies version which I have now heard, are terrific (sp?). As for Soul Deep, can't get past Clarence Carter's version but rediscovering ICLG has made my month, so I'm good
Once again, for me, the Evie Sands' version is the one that most conveys the "deeply and desperately in lust" sentiments of the song. "It feels sooo gooood, I can't let go". I need you baby, I want you baby, gotta have you baby. It's that age-old conflict between the heart and the mind, the flesh and reason, your brain and your pussy. Evie's version has it in spades.
The Hollies made a nice harmony-laden pop confection out of it, which is great for what it is. But it lacks that essential desperation. And don't get me started on Ronstadt who made a a career out of thinking that being emotive can be achieved simply by singing louder.
BTW, that's The Cookies (aka The Honey Bees) doing background vocals on the Evie Sands version.
RE: Soul Deep - Carter's version is nice and gritty with his trademark Muscle Shoals sound - but almost like a rubber stamp. In this case I prefer the white boy version. Its more uptempo approach and harmonies work for me. The production really weaves the elements together nicely. That said, I dig the hell out of Barry Beckett's organ touches on the Carter version.
VR
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