COVERS
VA - Wecanworkitout, Covers & Cookies of Lennon, McCartney & The Beatles [2005] (2 x CDs)
Beatles covers are a dicey proposition at best. Even the most ingenious and unique rendition seems destined to suffer in comparison to the original, and the potential for failure is virtually limitless, either way, it's an idea as sound as remaking Citizen Kane with Pauly Shore in the title role. And yet artists are drawn to the Lennon/McCartney songbook like bees to honey, their desire to cover these songs best likened to a creative death wish -- We Can Work It Out assembles 16 of these kamikaze missions, and believe it or not, despite the inevitable wreckage there's also a handful of survivors. Setting loose these familiar songs in jazz and funk modes far removed from the Beatles' original recordings enables greater room for personalization and innovation, and the artists featured here are hardly slouches, either, Ike & Tina Turner (who know a thing or two about making covers their own, ask John Fogerty) deliver a gritty, low-down version of "Come Together," Stevie Wonder invests "We Can Work It Out" with the boundless optimism and sensitivity of his own music, and Earth, Wind & Fire update McCartney's Motown tribute "Got to Get You Into My Life" in accordance with the updated rules of the soul handbook. A bonus-mix CD courtesy of 4hero's Marc Mac rounds out a set far better than it has any right to be.(AMG review by Jason Ankeny)
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Track lists
CD1
01 Al Green - I Want To Hold Your Hand 2:18
02 Deidre Wilson Tabac - Get Back 2:25
03 Harvey Avenue - I Feel Fine 3:09
04 Marshall Williams - Norwegian Wood 2:22
05 Byron Lee & The Dragonaires - Live & Let Die 2:58
06 Ramsey Lewis - Back In The Ussr 3:15
07 Earth, Wind & Fire - Got To Get You Into My Life 4:02
08 Chocolate Snow - A Day In The Life 4:17
09 Jimmy James - Good Day Sunshine 2:48
10 Ike & Tina Turner - Come Together 3:35
11 5th Dimension - Ticket To Ride 4:10
12 Stevie Wonder - We Can Work It Out 3:15
15 London Jazz Four - Things We Said Today 2:51
16 5 Stairsteps - Dear Prudence 3:33
CD2
01 Work It - Intro 0:44
02 Stevie Wonder - We Can Work It Out 3:11
03 Al Green - I Want To Hold Your Hand 1:59
04 Deidre Wildon Tabac - Get Back 2:38
05 Harvey Averne - I Feel Fine 2:58
06 Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 - Daytripper 3:38
07 London Jazz Four - Things We Said Today 2:43
08 Ike & Tina Turner - Come Together 3:40
09 Byron Lee & The Dragonaires - Live & Let Die 2:57
10 Marshall Williams - Norwegian Wood 2:11
11 Earth, Wind & Fire - Got To Get You Into My Life 3:57
12 5 Stairsteps - Dear Prudence 3:46
13 Ramsey Lewis - Back In The Ussr 3:09
13 Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 - Daytripper 3:08
14 Chocolate Snow - A Day In The Life 4:13
14 Jose Feliciano - She's A Woman 5:10
15 5th Dimension - Ticket To Ride 3:53
16 Jimmy James - Good Day Sunshine 2:42
17 Jose Feliciano - She's A Woman 5:08
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Thanks BB.
ReplyDeleteYes they set the bar very high, but that's why they invented the pole-vault!
Let's not forget the Beatles early albums are full of covers.
Hold it, they had a load of originals and as early as 1964 (A Hard Days Night) they published a whole LP with only Lennon/McCartney originals. To say the early albums are full of covers is a bit exaggerated it seems.
ReplyDeleteHi Frank
DeletePlease Please Me 6 covers
With The Beatles 6 covers
Beatles For Sale 6 covers
Help has 2 covers
Twist & Shout ep has 2 covers
Long Tall Sally ep has 3 covers
And the Decca Audition was 12 covers out of 15 tracks
Sounds like a lot to me.
Reference this at "https://earlybeatlessongs.weebly.com/", which may provide some clarity, or just further exacerbate the situation. 😁
ReplyDeleteThanks, hedspace.
DeleteNice link.
Cheers.
Lemonflag is right regarding the early Beatles as a mostly covers band (but did the Stones do anything different with their brand of - covered - R&B up to 1965? ). And the Liverpudlians were very good at it! I've just finished listening to the nearly 400 (!!) live tracks from the LOST Album series (Dec 30, 2023 - big thanks for that, BB, belatedly). It is baffling to hear them doing the old warhorses Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Richard Penniman etc. over and over again: in more and more extreme, even hostile live concert settings! In 63 and 64 they were amazing, 65 and 66 shows the Fab Four being worn out to the hilt. However, the one or two tracks they always could fall back on (and “have some fun tonight”), were Twist and Shout & Dizzy Miss Lizzy … Best, TC
ReplyDeleteHi TC.
DeleteI agree with your observations. Everyone started with a cover of some sort, interpreting and reimagining the works of greats before them, some lucky enough to be recorded for our ears. Their influences
were made clear by this practice. “Twist and Shout” and “Dizzy Miss Lizzy” are indeed iconic tracks that never fail to energize a crowd. It’s interesting how some songs can become a reliable fallback to lift the spirits of both the performers and the audience. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and insights. It’s always a pleasure to discuss music and its history.
Cheers.
Great comp BB - so many surprises! Many thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI agree Phillip.
DeleteIt's a great listen anytime.
Cheers.