Friday, February 16, 2024

La Fin de la Semaine Essay Question: Special "It Was Sixty Years Ago Last Week" Edition

Ah yes. On Friday last in 1964, those four adorable mop tops from Liverpool first arrived on these shores and changed everything on earth forever blah blah blah/won't you boomers fucking give it a rest already/blah blah blah.

In any case, in honor of that whatever the hell it was, let's get immediately to business. To wit:

...and your favorite (or least favorite) cover of a Beatles song is...?

No arbitrary rules here, obviously, However, if you wanna broaden the question slightly to include covers of stuff by the individual Fabs in their solo careers, go for it.

In case, here are my top two, and one of each. I'll leave it for you to guess which is my most or least fave. Sneaky hint: I'm NOT fond of the one with B.J. Wilson on drums.

Heh.

And heh again.

Discuss/have fun.

And have a great weekend, everybody!!!

20 comments:

Gummo said...

People actually covered Beatles Songs?? I can't imgine -- they were such a flash in the pan!

Just goes to show - there's no act so obscure that someone won't find a tune in their castalog to reimagine.

paulinca said...

My all-time favorite, Richie Havens, made many great Beatles covers. Maybe Strawberry Fields Forever is my fave of his.
Joe Cocker always crushed Beatles songs. She Came in Through the Bathroom Window may just do it most for me.
Whoever took over for Ringo narrating Thomas the Tank Engine did pretty well, too. ;)

paulinca

MJConroy said...

Doris Troy- "Get Back" https://youtu.be/sEp4M2ri2hE?si=uoowSCZr4ojDH3w5

Worst (ignoring the obvious William Shatners, etc.):
Aerosmith - Come Together https://youtu.be/BjoN2yXwmoc?si=wG0UO2uWXM9G_4RH

Anonymous said...

favourite would be Marcia Griffiths covering Don't Let Me Down
Peter Frampton and Bee Gees butchering songs in Sgt Pepper movie soundtrack would be worst.
rs

John K said...

Favorite? Soldier Of Love by Marshall Crenshaw. Ok, technically an Arthur Alexander song but if not for The Beatles would Crenshaw ever have heard it?

mistah charley, sb, ma, phd, jsps said...

the story of jimi hendrix performing "sgt pepper's" two days after it was released is very cool

the rrhof performance of "while my guitar gently weeps" which ends with prince throwing his guitar up into the air also sticks in my mind

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWRCooFKk3c

but in terms of a body of work, the dutch tribute group "the analogues" has to take the prize, in my moderately informed opinion

pete said...

Billy J. Kramer doing "Bad to Me."

billy b said...

I am the Walrus - Spooky Tooth.

Anonymous said...

Mona Lisa twins- Drive my car. Jeff Beck- A day in the life

Phil Cheese said...

This is an easy one! Steve Wonder absolutely kills it with his cover of "We Can Work It Out." And Transformed-Man William Shatner sends us puking with his in rendition of "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds."

Allan Rosenberg said...

Here's today's favorite & least favorite.. I reserve the right to nominate new songs tomorrow.

Fav:

Inner Light - Junior Parker
Revolution - Nina Simone

Least:

Flying - The Residents (too skin crawling too even be funny.)

Captain Al

steve simels said...

What -- no love for the Weeklings' "I've Just Seen a Face"?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGlfZ6up7NI

Alzo said...

Best: Al Green: I Want to Hold Your Hand https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOY99k4uyMg

Mind-blowingly good: 801: Tomorrow Never Knows https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkGXUn0Kuuw

Down n Dirty winner: Lowell Fulson: Why Don't We Do It in the Road? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvIalLTJKjg

Adorable Mention: Dea Matrona https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u-F7bAjzg4

Worst: The Shat: Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds The Elton John and Miley Cyrus takes also suck, but this is the Plan 9 From Outer Space of Beatles covers.

cthulhu said...

There were several soul acts that covered Beatles songs in the ‘60s, some great, some not so great, but I think the Wilson Pickett cover of Hey Jude is fabulous. The Wicked Pickett just slays the lead vocal phrasing, the horn charts ate dripping with soul, the Muscle Shoals rhythm section has groove for days, and Duane Allman tears it up on lead guitar. Seriously, this is a keeper.

Marc said...

Early in his career, Bob Marley did a great version of And I Love Her.

Marc

getawaygoober said...

The Church - It's All Too Much

Allan Rosenberg said...

Saturday February 17th:

Favorites:

Otis Redding - Daytripper
Aretha Franklin- Let It Be

No least favorite today, I don't want to jinx my good mood this morning.

Captain Al

ChrisE said...

Favorite:

Don Henley actually does a good cover of "Yes It Is"; it's on the "Bridge School Concerts, Volume 1" album.

Least favorite:

That Joe Cocker cover of "With A Little Help From My Friends", which, IMO, is so slow and drawn-out that, in Mr. Simels' phrase, "it induces heavy fidgets."

Butch said...

Del Shannon..From Me to You.. 1963

komakino said...

Feelies - She Said, She Said