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Bobby_Jim
Guest
“First We Take Manhattan” by REM is better than the Leonard Cohen original.
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LegoGE1947
Guest
Didn’t Duane Allman play on the Derick and Dominoes recording of “Layla” (That was the one with the beautiful Coda at the end )?
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Edmundus1581
Guest
Did Paul McCartney play on the Beatles recording of Hey Jude?
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migueltojose
Guest
Yes - he was also a session player. He played on a cover of Hey Jude with Wilson Pickett and Eric Clapton heard it and sought him out. It was known as the “Layla sessions”. Duane and Eric = Derek. Hence the name.
Derek Trucks was named after this derivation. Butch Trucks an original Allman Brother drummer is Derek’s uncle.
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migueltojose
Guest
More on the “Layla” tangent:
After the breakup of Cream, Clapton tried his hand with several groups, including Blind Faith and the husband-and-wife duo Delaney and Bonnie. In the spring of 1970, he was told that Delaney and Bonnie’s backup band was leaving the group. Seizing the opportunity, Clapton formed a new group, which became Derek and the Dominos.
In mid-to-late 1970, Duane Allman joined Clapton’s fledgling band as a guest. (He was asked to stay but wouldn’t leave the Allman Brothers Band.) Clapton and Allman, already mutual fans, were introduced at an Allman Brothers concert by recording engineer Tom Dowd.The two hit it off well and soon became good friends. Dowd said of their guitar-playing chemistry: “There had to be some sort of telepathy going on because I’ve never seen spontaneous inspiration happen at that rate and level. One of them would play something, and the other reacted instantaneously. Never once did either of them have to say, ‘Could you play that again, please?’ It was like two hands in a glove. And they got tremendously off on playing with each other.”
Clapton originally wrote “Layla” as a ballad, with lyrics describing his unrequited love for Pattie Boyd, (George Harrison’s wife at the time) but the song became a “rocker” when Allman reportedly composed the song’s signature riff. With the band assembled and Dowd producing, “Layla” was recorded in its original form. The recording consisted of six guitar tracks: a rhythm track by Clapton, three tracks of harmonies played by Clapton against the main riff, a track of slide guitar by Allman, and one track with both Allman and Clapton playing duplicate solos.
Shortly afterward, Clapton returned to the studio, where he heard Gordon playing a piano piece he had composed separately. Clapton, impressed by the piece, convinced Gordon to allow it to be used as part of the song. Reportedly “Jim took that piano melody from his ex-girlfriend Rita Coolidge” and never gave her credit.
“Layla’s” second movement was recorded roughly a week after the first, with Gordon playing his piano part, Clapton playing acoustic guitar and slide guitar, and Allman playing electric and bottleneck slide guitar. After Dowd spliced the two movements together, “Layla” was complete.
Due to the circumstances of its composition, “Layla” is defined by two movements, each marked by a riff. The first movement, which was recorded in the key of D minor for choruses and E major for verses, is centred around the “signature riff”, a guitar piece utilising hammer-ons, pull-offs, and power chords. The second part of the riff is commonly believed to have originated from Allman, an adaptation of the vocal melody from Albert King’s “As the Years Go Passing By” from 1967’s album Born Under a Bad Sign. The first section contains the overdub-heavy guitar solo, a duet of sorts between Allman’s slide guitar and Clapton’s bent notes. By placing his slide at points beyond the end of the fretboard, Allman was able to play notes at a higher pitch than could be played with standard technique. Dowd referred to this as “notes that aren’t on the instrument!”
The second movement, Jim Gordon’s contribution, is commonly referred to as the “piano coda.” Originally played in C major, the tape speed of the coda was increased during mixing. The resulting pitch is somewhere between C and C sharp. The piano interlude at the end of the song is augmented by an acoustic guitar, and is also the accompaniment to the outro-solo. The same melody is played on Allman’s slide guitar, albeit one octave higher. Gordon does not improvise or deviate from the piano part; Clapton and Allman are the ones who improvise the melody. The song ends with Allman playing his signature high-pitched “bird call” on his slide guitar.
Personnel
Eric Clapton – lead vocals, lead guitar, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar
Duane Allman – slide guitar
Jim Gordon – drums, percussion, piano
Carl Radle – bass
Bobby Whitlock – organ, piano, background vocals
Parsed from Wikipedia and other bona fide references…
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LegoGE1947
Guest
I have heard other songs where some of the instruments sounded part of an octave higher than the other instruments. An example, on some Tijuana Brass songs, the bass guitar sounds a bit higher octave than the other instruments. There is an instrumental called “Festival Time” by The San Remo Golden Strings where there is also a bass guitar that sounds slightly out compared to the other instruments
youtube.com/watch?v=dnBA02MWqwQ&feature=kp
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migueltojose
Guest
Interesting. I will listen.
Bobby Darin does a great cover of Louis Armstrong’s ‘Mack The Knife’ from the play Three Penny Opera. They are both great.
And (gasp) - Anne Murray had a good cover of the Beatles ‘You Won’t See Me’ from the Rubber Soul Album.
Trisha Yearwood nailed Jon Ims’ ‘She’s In Love With The Boy’…
It’s still great to hear the originals though. Different emotion. Rawer. Less polished.
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LegoGE1947
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To me Bobby Darin’s Mack the Knife was the first version I ever heard:shrug: That Anne Murray “You Won’t See Me” is my favorite of that song. I’m not a big fan of Trisha Yearwood, but think I have heard her sing “In Love With The Boy”
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thequietsinger
Guest
I’m glad you enjoyed it!Very good! I don’t know the original so can’t compare, but I enjoyed that.
The theme of the song is the man’s version of one of my favourite country songs…
Jessi Colter… I’m not Lisa… :bighanky:… I don’t think anyone even tried to cover it!
While we’re in Nashville, I’ve got to mention:
Emmylou Harris.* Rose of Cimarron.* The original is by Poco, and is very good, but I think Emmylou adds something and makes it memorable.
i1.ytimg.com/vi/1JlYA4jXqF8/mqdefault.jpg
And finally a cover which just hit’s it out of the park…
i1.ytimg.com/vi/yqXvHXJvk44/mqdefault.jpg
To Know Him is to Love Him, by The Trio. Orig by The Teddy Bears
Ooh, I love Emmylou Harris, especially her cover of that song! Thank you for sharing!
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christofirst
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How about the same artist’s live recording versus their studio recording of the same song? Normally, I almost always prefer the polished studio version, but a few exceptions come to mind:
One is Bob Segar’s Travelin’ Man/Beautiful Loser off of Live Bullet, which for me has a lot more energy than the original studio recordings of either song, but still has a finished sound.
Another are the three big hits off of Cheap Trick’s *Cheap Trick At Budokan *release; *I Want You to **Want Me, Ain’t That a Shame *(itself a remake of the Fats Domino hit) and Surrender
Same goes for most of the hits off of Frampton Comes Alive! * by Peter Frampton, especially Do You Feel Like We Do,* which also has the quality sound of the studio but with a lot more energy and spontaneity than the original.
One is Bob Segar’s Travelin’ Man/Beautiful Loser off of Live Bullet, which for me has a lot more energy than the original studio recordings of either song, but still has a finished sound.
Another are the three big hits off of Cheap Trick’s *Cheap Trick At Budokan *release; *I Want You to **Want Me, Ain’t That a Shame *(itself a remake of the Fats Domino hit) and Surrender
Same goes for most of the hits off of Frampton Comes Alive! * by Peter Frampton, especially Do You Feel Like We Do,* which also has the quality sound of the studio but with a lot more energy and spontaneity than the original.
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LegoGE1947
Guest
Yes. Olivia Newton-John’s studio original of “If Not For You” is better than a concert version she recorded at the Sydney Opera House.
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migueltojose
Guest
Soundwise - studio music just sounds a lot better… sometimes the emotion from a live recording comes across…
Paul McCartney’s live version of “Maybe I’m Amazed”
Bruce Springsteen’s live version of “Jersey Girl”
Sometimes live versions just downright stink.
I saw Led Zeppelin in 1974 and they were pretty bad. What a shame. You’d think it would’ve been the prime time to see them… but no… maybe they just had a bad night… I heard Jimmy Page was a heroin addict at the time… that might’ve had something to do with it…
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LegoGE1947
Guest
Most any big band music from the 30s and 40s always sounded better in concert than in the recordings, so I’m told. That was because technology was not as advanced then as now.
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christofirst
Guest
I must agree with you on Maybe I’m Amazed.
The Stones, too, in their live recordings often disappoint me. I don’t know what kind of vocal range Mick has, but in live recordings it really seems like he is trying to save his voice.
Speaking of Led Zeppelin, one of my favorite cover bands is Dread Zeppelin. I won’t say their covers are better than Led Zeppelin’s originals (some of which are covers themselves), but they certainly put a creative and humorous spin on them.
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M-Dent
Guest
Great blues cover,
Call It Stormy Monday - T-Bone Walker (1947)
Call It Stormy Monday - Allman Brothers (1971 )
An obscure ballad,
Wild is the Wind - Johnny Mathis (1957)
Wild is the Wind - David Bowie (1976)
A song I never liked,
Come as you are - Nirvana (1991)
I found this melancholy cover somewhat interesting,
Come As You Are - Civil Twilight (2011)
Call It Stormy Monday - T-Bone Walker (1947)
Call It Stormy Monday - Allman Brothers (1971 )
An obscure ballad,
Wild is the Wind - Johnny Mathis (1957)
Wild is the Wind - David Bowie (1976)
A song I never liked,
Come as you are - Nirvana (1991)
I found this melancholy cover somewhat interesting,
Come As You Are - Civil Twilight (2011)
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randomuser
Guest
The already-acoustic “Swing Life Away” by Rise Against when the audience is singing along word for word - *‘we live on front porches and swing life away / we get by just fine here on minimum wage / if love is a labor I’ll slave to the end / I won’t cross these streets until you hold my hand / etc.’ * For such a flawless, inspiring song I’m surprised it’s not more well-known - live version trumps the recorded version every time I hear it.
manygift1spirit
New member
I second (and third and fourth) this.
Patty Smith’s Because the Night also runs circles around Bruce’s original.
Joan Jett’s Crimson and Clover improves upon the original, although forget by whom.
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LegoGE1947
Guest
Tommy James &The Shondells did Crimson & Clover about 1967(?)
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Pax2u
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M-Dent
Guest
My wife has a similar opinion as yours.
The Johnny Mathis version was certainly more melodically driven. The strings and background vocals supporting the vocal – with the harmonica offering a little counterpoint.
In the David Bowie cover – the placement of the drums and strumming of the acoustic guitar draws the focus to the percussive more than the melodic. Almost flirting with a Bossa Nova feel. The producer (Harry Maslin ) commented he found Bowies vocal performance as an, “an ornate, meandering reading.”
As a guitarist I found the Bowie version had more interesting elements. Yet, I can see how it can be heard as quite dronish.
I would like to hear the song produced in the current contemporary country pop vein.
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