Showing posts with label Top of the Pops. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Top of the Pops. Show all posts

Thursday, 14 December 2023

Ride On Time

 
Cover version of the month #93
The Bamboos cover Black Box

What was the best selling single of 1989?

Was it Jason Donovan with Too Many Broken Hearts? The Bangles gorgeous Eternal Flame? All Around The World by Lisa Stansfield? Maybe Like A Prayer by Madonna with the super sexy video? 

Nope ... it was Ride On Time by Black Box, an Italian house track that sold over 850,000 copies as it topped the charts for 6-weeks!

Ride On Time came out in the heady days of July 1989, a time that many classed as the second summer of love. House music was everywhere; in clubs and fields all over the country and it was crossing into the charts. 

With vocals by Heather Small, who went on to join Mike Pickering's M-People, Ride On Time was absolutely perfect for soundtracking the times. Small's vocal is deep, powerful and soulful, repeated time and time again so people can sing on first listen.

Piano house chords sound sublime, there are instrumental passages, a little breakdown with the glorious;

 Cause time won't take my love away

And then back into the beats and piano chords. Ride On Time is euphoric pop music, perfect for the charts, the radio and the clubs. The song still sounds super fresh, energetic and exciting over 30-years down the line.

Daniele Davoli from Black Box has said that Ride On Time was the group's attempt to create a song with the power of Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple with a dance beat!

I'm not sure how to judge him against that - but he created a winner! 

Originally released with a sample of Loletta Holloway's Love Sensation. The band thought she was singing ride on time, when in fact Holloway sings want you right on time. But they stuck with Ride On Time.

Their luck was in. Paul Oakenfold was in Italy looking for Italo-house records and discovered their pressings, subsequently buying up all the copies he could get his hands on.

The rest ... as they say ... is history. The song just blew up and rightly so, it's a classic of its time.

I stumbled across The Bamboos cover of Ride On Time after listening to the band The Allergies on Spotify. Algorythms kicked in and before I knew it I was googling to see if this was the original version of Ride On Time.

It turns out that it is a cover from Hard Up, The Bamboos 2021 album. 

The Bamboos are a soulful deep funk outfit from Australia who have progressed to incorporating hip-hop, psychedelic pop and cinematic music into their sound. They've been releasing music since 2004 and have developed considerably since that time, getting their music into computer games and on to TV shows like Greys Anatomy.

The Aussies remain pretty true to the original, just funking it up a little with live instruments rather than samples. The big vocal is still there, the piano chords are still vital, but the beats and percussion sound live, the bass groove is sublime, holding it all together and allowing huge horns to come in.

It's an absolute delight. An inspired choice of cover.

Enjoy.

The Black Box original and The Bamboos cover version are added to my Everything Flows Cool Cover Versions playlist on Spotify which also features all of the songs below. Search for the title or CLICK HERE

Black Box - official video

The Bamboos - official video

Previous covers of the month blogs

13. Hurt
39. ABBA-esque
40. Jumpin' Jack Flash
64. Lola
82. Drop
87. Indian Rope Man + bonus Strawberry Fields Forever + This Wheels On Fire


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Sunday, 20 August 2023

Cum On Feel The Noize

 

Cover version of the month #90
Oasis cover Slade

Cum On Feel The Noize was Slade's 4th number 1 single when it came out in 1973. Written by Noddy Holder, the bands loveable rogue of a frontman, and bass player Jim Lea, the song was produced by Chas Chandler, once of The Animals and also former manager of Jimi Hendrix.

Holder was inspired by the feeling and the noise that Slade generated from their live shows. 

What a glorious noize indeed! Holder's cry of baby, baby, baby at the start generates an energy that never drops. If anything it rises as Holder repeats And I don't know why, and I don't know why twice in the verse(s) before leading to a chorus made for concerts, playgrounds and terraces alike. It's a fantastic noisy, brashy and fun guitar pop single.

So cum on feel the noize

Girls grab your boys

We'll get wild, wild, wild

Perfect then, for Oasis. It feels like the song could have been written for them, or by them. 

Oasis covered a number of songs through the years. Their cover of The Beatles I Am The Walrus helped attract attention in their early years and it remained a staple part of the bands set through the glory years, closing their triumphant Knebworth shows with John Squire guesting on guitar.

But, for me, Cum On Feel The Noize is (by far) their best cover. Oasis play and sing it with real gusto. It sounds like they are relishing the performance, they tear through it and Liam Gallagher's voice is incredible. 

Oasis generated their own wall of sound/noize in that 94-95 period and they perfected it with this cover version. Liam singing girls grab your boys, we'll get wild, wild, wild is spine tingling. For me, 1995-96 was peak Liam Gallagher, his voice strengthened from constant touring. He just goes for it ... and nails it.



Oasis fly through the song, it's a brilliant choice of cover, a little left-field given their Beatles obsession, and they deliver a performance that really captures the energy of the band. 

Released as a b-side to Don't Look Back In Anger, the band ended up playing it on Top of the Pops, check Liam having fun with the so you think my singing's out of time section!

I've also included a link to Noel singing it on Later with Jools from 1995 when Liam was away for an MOT as he'd been out partying. 

Slade - Top of the Pops 1973

Slade - fan video

Oasis - Later with Jools 1995, Noel on vocals

Oasis - Top of the Pops, 1996

Oasis - Maine Road, 1st night

Oasis - official audio

The Slade original and Oasis cover version are added to my Everything Flows Cool Cover Versions playlist on Spotify which also features all of the songs below. Search for the title or CLICK HERE

Previous covers of the month blogs

13. Hurt
39. ABBA-esque
40. Jumpin' Jack Flash
64. Lola
82. Drop
87. Indian Rope Man + bonus Strawberry Fields Forever + This Wheels On Fire
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Saturday, 11 February 2023

Loser


Trust me #49 Loser by Beck

I remember adverts in the NME and Melody Maker with the line I'm a loser baby so why don't you kill me and a release date. The lyric intrigued me. This was a time where singles were promoted for a good couple of months before their release. 

And then I heard it. Loser by Beck was like nothing I had ever heard before. And the video was like nothing I had ever seen before.

Opening with a dirty slide guitar riff over funky hip hop beats, we're then introduced to Beck through the opening line.

In the time of chimpanzees I was a monkey

Beck doesn't let up, letting loose with an incredible flow of stream of conciousness/oddball lyrics.

The chorus begins with soy un perdedor which literally translates (in Spanish and Portuguese if my googling skills are up  to scratch) to I'm a loser. The chorus is repeated twice with Beck throwing in ad libs in between -  double barrel buckshot / get crazy with the cheese whiz

Soy un perdedor

I'm a loser baby, so why don't you kill me?

I was very fortuantate to see Beck play King Tuts in Glasgow in November 1994 (I have ticket number 4) and I have vague (but fond) memories of being right down the front. Tuts was absolutely rammed. Health and safety wasn't a common phrase back in 1994! People seemed to be literally hanging from the ceiling.

Subsequent trips to Tuts would lead me to discover the bench along the far side that people would use to stand on for a better view. But the 18-year old me was right down in the mix.

Beck danced, breakdanced and generally just looked super cool. I'm not sure if I have experienced anything quite like it since. 

I went with my old friend Grant Mitchell who was deeply into American independent music. From memory he had some of Beck's pre Mellow Gold releases. I distinctly remember a mixtape he made me with a great song It's All In Your Mind which came out on his One Foot In The Grave album. It was completely acoustic and raw. Really beautiful. Beck had been around for a while on the anti-folk scene before breaking through. I'm not sure if this was before or after Tuts.

Loser was a complete breakthrough single for Beck. It was everywhere. He just didn't seem to give a flying f**k about things which made him even cooler. One of the b-sides was a song called MTV Makes Me Want To Smoke Crack, but he was on MTV all the time.

It's 30-years since the small label Bong Load had 500 copies of Loser pressed as a 12-inch single for released in Mach 1993. It blew up an major labels were soon chasing Beck's signature. 

Re-released in January 94 in the USA and February 94 in the UK and Europe, Loser blew up and things were never the same for Beck again. 

Loser official video

Loser on Top of the Pops 

Loser live at Reading Festival 1995

MTV Makes Me Want To Smoke Crack

A list of all previous songs I've blogged about in my Trust Me feature are listed below, along with links to each blog. Loser join them.

I've also collated them all into a playlist on Spotify that you can find by searching for Everything Flows - Trust Me , or you can CLICK HERE

Previous Trust Me blogs

1. Something On Your Mind by Karen Dalton
1A. Crimson and Clover by Tommy James and the Shondells
2. I Am, I Said  by Neil Diamond
3. Where's The Playground Susie?   by Glen Campbell
4. If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lighfoot
5. Gimme Some Truth by John Lennon
6. Gone With The Wind Is My Love by Rita and the Tiaras
7. In The Year 2525 by Zager and Evans
8. The Music Box by Ruth Copeland
9. The Ship Song by Nick Cave
10. Sometimes by James
11. I Walk The Earth by King Biscuit Time
12. Didn't Know What I Was In For by Better Oblivion Community Centre
13. When My Boy Walks Down The Street by The Magnetic Fields
14. The Man Don't Give A F**k by Super Furry Animals
15. All Flowers In Time Bend Towards The Sun by Jeff Buckley and Liz Fraser
16. Are You Lookin' by The Tymes
17. A Real Hero by College & Electric Youth
18. Feelings Gone by Callum Easter
19. Sunday Morning by The Velvet Underground
20. Did I Say by Teenage Fanclub
21. Don't Look Back by Teenage Fanclub
23. Belfast by Orbital
24. Clouds by The Jayhawks
25. Dreaming Of You by The Coral
26. Everlasting Love by Love Affair
27. Walk Away Renee by The Left Banke
28. Teenage Kicks by The Undertones
29. Shaky Ground by Sneeze
29. Rill Rill by Sleigh Bells
30. I Can Feel Your Love by Felice Taylor
31. The State We're In by The Chemical Brothers w/ Beth Orton
32. Sunshine After The Rain by Ellie Greenwich
33. Losing My Edge by LCD Soundsystem
34. Mondo 77 by Looper
35. Les Fleurs by Minnie Riperton
36. Rat Trap by The Boomtown Rats
37. How High by The Charlatans
38. I Can't Let Go by Evie Sands
39. Pop Song 89 by R.E.M.
40. Summertime Clothes by Animal Collective
41. There She Goes by The Las
42. We're Going To Be Friends by White Stripes
43. Autumn Sweater by Yo La Tengo
44. Sister Rena by Lomond Campbell
45. Revolution by The Beatles
46. Lazarus by The Boo Radleys
47. Wrote For Luck by Happy Mondays
48. American Trilogy by The Delgados



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Friday, 27 May 2022

Rat Trap

Trust Me #36

From 1998 - 2005 I spent a considerable amount of time travelling on the Glasgow Manchester United Supporters bus down to Old Trafford. I was extremely fortunate to see the reds regularly through an unbelievable period in their rich history. Fate played a role. I even managed to get a ticket for the 1999 Champions League Final in Barcelona! I blogged on that HERE back in 2019.

Beckham, Scholes, Keane, Giggs, Ole, Ruud, Ronaldo's debut (first time round) and some incredible games ... what a time to be alive! I had a League Match Ticket book and thought I would have it forever. But things change, I fell in love and we were extremely fortunate to go travelling around the world for a year, before getting married and settling down to have kids. The trips to Manchester became less and less frequent.

I met loads of great people that became (and remain) friends. As well as bonding over football and United, there were loads of serious music fans on the bus. So I was delighted to be encouraged to make mixtapes for the bus, leading on to CD's. They now have a portable bluetooth amp up the back of the bus!

Dave Sharkey, an exiled Mancunian who runs the bus, would always say 'get the punk tape on' when we were travelling back up to Glasgow and I discovered some cracking tunes as a result of it.

One of them really blew me away, Rat Trap by Bob Geldof's Boomtown Rats. I remember buying their Greatest Hits on CD the week after hearing this song on the bus.

Rat Trap by The Boomtown Rats is simply perfect. There is romance, realism, social commentary, cultural references (Top of the Pops), hooks, horns and vivid lyrics that paint a picture just flow effortlessly out of Geldof throughout.

The bass groove, the keyboards, the developing story, the way the song rises and falls. Rat Trap is the sublime sound of a band in full flight. 

Upon writing this blog I learned that it was the first punk/new wave song to reach number 1. It replaced Summer Night's by John Travolta & Olivia Newton John's which had been number 1 for 16-weeks. Geldof and his band ripped up pictures of the duo to signal change. 

Enjoy.

Top of the Pops 1978

Live at Hammersmith Odeon 1978

A list of all previous songs I've blogged about in my Trust Me feature are listed below, along with links to each blog.

I've also collated them all into a playlist on Spotify that you can find by searching for Everything Flows - Trust Me , or you can CLICK HERE

There was a lot of rocking going on that night

Cruising time for the young bright lights

Just down past the gasworks, by the meat factory door

The five lamp boys were coming on strong


The Saturday night city beat had already started

And the, the pulse of the corner boys just sprang into action

And young Billy watched it all under the yellow street light

And said "tonight of all nights, there's gonna be a fight"


Billy don't like it living here in this town

(He says) the traps have been spring long before he was born

(He says) "hope bites the dust behind all the closed doors"

And pus and grime ooze from its scab crusted sores


There's screaming and crying in the high-rise blocks

It's a rat trap Billy, but you're already caught

And you can make it if you wanna or you need it bad enough

You're young and good-looking and you're acting kind of tough

Anyway it's Saturday night time to see what's going down

Put on the bright suit Billy, head for the right side of town

It's only 8 o'clock but you're already bored

You don't know what it is but there's gotta be more

You'd better find a way out, hey kick down that door

It's a rat trap and you've been caught


In this town Billy says "everybody's trying to tell you what to do"

In this town Billy says "everybody says you gotta follow rules"

You walk up to those traffic lights

You switch from your left to right

You push in that button and that button comes alight

And hits you


Walk, don't walk, walk, don't walk

Talk, don't talk, talk, don't talk

Walk, don't walk, walk, don't walk

Talk, don't talk, talk, don't talk


Hey Billy take a walk, take a walk, take a walk

Billy take a walk, take a walk, take a walk

Billy take a walk, take a walk, take a walk

Hey Billy, take a walk with me


Take a walk that leads to me

Sweet high school blues


Oh little Judy's trying to watch Top of the Pops

But Mum and Dad are fighting don't they ever stop?

She takes off her coat and walks down into the street

It's cold on that road, but it's got that home beat

Deep down in her pockets she finds 50p

Hey is that any way for a young girl to be?

I'm gonna get out of school, work in some factory

Work all the hours God gave me, get myself a little easy money

Now, now, now na na


Her min's made up, she walks down the road

Her hands in her pockets, coat buttoned 'gainst the cold

She finds Billy down at the Italian cafe

And when he's drunk it's hard to understand what Billy says

But then he mumbles in his coffee and he suddenly roars

"It's a rat trap Judy, and we've been caught"


Rat trap, you've been caught

In a rat rap, you've been caught

In a rat rap, you've been caught

In a rat rap, you've been caught


Previous Trust Me blogs

1. Something On Your Mind by Karen Dalton
1A. Crimson and Clover by Tommy James and the Shondells
2. I Am, I Said  by Neil Diamond
3. Where's The Playground Susie?   by Glen Campbell
4. If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lighfoot
5. Gimme Some Truth by John Lennon
6. Gone With The Wind Is My Love by Rita and the Tiaras
7. In The Year 2525 by Zager and Evans
8. The Music Box by Ruth Copeland
9. The Ship Song by Nick Cave
10. Sometimes by James
11. I Walk The Earth by King Biscuit Time
12. Didn't Know What I Was In For by Better Oblivion Community Centre
13. When My Boy Walks Down The Street by The Magnetic Fields
14. The Man Don't Give A F**k by Super Furry Animals
15. All Flowers In Time Bend Towards The Sun by Jeff Buckley and Liz Fraser
16. Are You Lookin' by The Tymes
17. A Real Hero by College & Electric Youth
18. Feelings Gone by Callum Easter
19. Sunday Morning by The Velvet Underground
20. Did I Say by Teenage Fanclub
21. Don't Look Back by Teenage Fanclub
23. Belfast by Orbital
24. Clouds by The Jayhawks
25. Dreaming Of You by The Coral
26. Everlasting Love by Love Affair
27. Walk Away Renee by The Left Banke
28. Teenage Kicks by The Undertones
29. Shaky Ground by Sneeze
29. Rill Rill by Sleigh Bells
30. I Can Feel Your Love by Felice Taylor
31. The State We're In by The Chemical Brothers w/ Beth Orton
32. Sunshine After The Rain by Ellie Greenwich
33. Losing My Edge by LCD Soundsystem
34. Mondo 77 by Looper
35. Les Fleurs by Minnie Riperton


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Monday, 30 August 2021

Tainted Love


Cover version of the month #70 - Soft Cell cover Gloria Jones

Tainted Love is a song that instantly reminds me of McChuills, my favourite pub in Glasgow. I was something of a regular circa 2001-2010 and at the end of a Friday or Saturday night Tainted Love would often be one of the last songs played, causing those remaining to dance on the small stage or occasionally on tables.

McChuills would play the original version by Gloria Jones, released back in 1965 as the b-side of My Bad Boy's Comin' Home, an obscure single that failed to chart on either side of the Atlantic.

However, as anyone with the faintest of interest in Northern Soul will know, British DJ's obsessed with Motown and soul music would soon be taking trips to America and scouring record shops and warehouses for singles - bringing them home and playing them at clubs like the Wigan Casino. Ian Levine was perhaps the most famous, coming home from trips to Miami and New Orleans with boxes of records. Levine and others would often cover the label of their records, so fans and other DJ's couldn't try and track down their own copies.

However, in the case of Tainted Love, it was the DJ Richard Searling who bought a copy of the single in 1973, flipped to the b-side and played it in Va Va's in Bolton and then at the Casino.

It's not hard to hear why Searling and the northern soul crowd fell so hard for Tainted Love; the blast of horns from the very start ushers in a constant walking bassline, a driving Motown beat and a hard rhythm guitar, handclaps and soaring vocals with cool backing vocals. 

From the Michael Ochs archive

The lyrics, written by Ed Cobb, tell the tale of a girl looking to get away from an old love that has become tainted. They are written in an incredibly open and graphic way. 

Sometimes I feel I've got to, run away, 

I've got to, get away from the pain you drive into the heart of me

What an opening couple of lines! Cobb, through Jones voice, tells of how the love was going nowhere, the lights been lost and the realisation is causing sleepless nights. The lyrics, throughout the song, are sheer poetry.

Then the chorus, another couple of incredible lines to open it;

Once I ran to you (I ran)

Now I run from you (Now I run)

The tainted love you're giving

I gave you all a girl can give you

Take my tears and that's not nearly all, tainted love, tainted love

The second verse just emphasises the first, the second chorus sounds more definite and then there is glorious bridge into another chorus.

I know you will hurt me so

If I do not pack my bags and go

The song begins to fade at only 2 minutes 10 seconds with Jones voice at its best. Jones rerecorded Tainted Love in 1976 following the love displayed to the song through the northern soul scene, but it is a poor version in comparison to the original, the kick, the urgency, the hurt and the soul (the very essence of the song) just isn't there.

A few years down the line, in 1981, Marc Almond and David Ball, otherwise known as Soft Cell, recorded Tainted Love and it was released as their second single on Sire/Warner Bros. The duo reached number 1 after a theatrical front man performance by Almond on Top of the Pop pushed the song towards the top.

It's amazing how Soft Cell deconstruct the song. They keep the structure but remove horns, guitar, bass and drums, replacing them with synths and drum machines.

Originally written by a man, it's now sung by a man, it's interesting to hear it from a male perspective, with Almond singing I gave you all a boy could give you , even more so as Almond was openly gay - not something that was very common in 1981. So it added another dimension to the song that comes across in the video as Almond sings touch me baby tainted love towards the end, his eyes mirroring his suggestive vocals.

The Soft Cell version is a bold and brilliant cover version, but for me the original is unsurpassed, it has a zip and energy that can't be replicated or bettered.

See below for a full list of songs to feature in my cover version of the month blogs. You can also search for Everything Flows Cool Cover Versions for my Spotify playlist or CLICK HERE.

Gloria Jones 1965 original

Soft Cell video

Soft Cell Top of the Pops


Previous covers of the month

13. Hurt





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Sunday, 22 August 2021

Teenage Kicks

Trust me #28

The Undertones began playing Teenage Kicks, written by guitarist John O'Neill, in 1977, recording it as a demo in early 1978. The tape was sent to a number of record companies and to John Peel at the BBC.

Legend has it that Peel burst into tears upon hearing the song, not only playing it on his show, but offering to pay to send the band into a studio, in June 1978, to record it properly. Released on Belfast label Good Vibrations (check the film), Peel played the song again, Seymour Stein from Sire Records heard it and promptly (after his A&R man watched the band on their local turf) signed the band for £10,000. By October 78 the band were playing it on Top of the Pops - VIDEO

Picture by Larry Doherty

Peel often noted the song as his ultimate favourite (and he had heard a lot of songs!), even having the lyrics inscribed on his gravestone.

Quite a story ... quite a song!

Lets get into the song. It really is power punk pop perfection. Slamming into a ferocious guitar riff, The Undertones roar through verse-chorus-verse-chorus in under a minute, beginning with the incredible line a teenage dream's so hard to beat.

Teenage lust, desire and innocence pour out of the song. Fergal Sharkey delivers an exceptional vocal performance, audibly shaking with intensity at times and I still love the way he yells alright after the second chorus, into a short 15-second instrumental - just the same driving power chords.

Then the band just rip through the song again leading into another short instrumental followed by one more chorus. It's all over in under 2 and a half minutes. It's electrifying pop, the energy is infectious, the way the band just rip through the song is sensational, even on first listen you'll be singing a-long.

Teenage Kicks is simply sensational and must surely be one of the best debut singles of all time.

You can listen to all the songs I've featured in my Trust Me series in a playlist by searching for Everything Flows Trust Me on Spotify or by CLICKING HERE

You can also read about the previous songs I've written about by clicking on the links below, underneath the lyrics.

A teenage dream's so hard to beat

Every time she walks down the street

Another girl in the neighbourhood

Wish she was mine, she looks so good


I wanna hold her, wanna hold her tight

Get teenage kicks right through the night


I'm gonna call her on the telephone

Have her over cause I'm all alone

I need excitement, oh I need it bad

And it's the best I've ever had


I wanna hold her, wanna hold her tight

Get teenage kicks right through the night


Previous Trust Me blogs

1. Something On Your Mind by Karen Dalton
1A. Crimson and Clover by Tommy James and the Shondells
2. I Am, I Said  by Neil Diamond
3. Where's The Playground Susie?   by Glen Campbell
4. If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lighfoot
5. Gimme Some Truth by John Lennon
6. Gone With The Wind Is My Love by Rita and the Tiaras
7. In The Year 2525 by Zager and Evans
8. The Music Box by Ruth Copeland
9. The Ship Song by Nick Cave
10. Sometimes by James
11. I Walk The Earth by King Biscuit Time
12. Didn't Know What I Was In For by Better Oblivion Community Centre
13. When My Boy Walks Down The Street by The Magnetic Fields
14. The Man Don't Give A F**k by Super Furry Animals
15. All Flowers In Time Bend Towards The Sun by Jeff Buckley and Liz Fraser
16. Are You Lookin' by The Tymes
17. A Real Hero by College & Electric Youth
18. Feelings Gone by Callum Easter
19. Sunday Morning by The Velvet Underground
20. Did I Say by Teenage Fanclub
21. Don't Look Back by Teenage Fanclub
23. Belfast by Orbital
24. Clouds by The Jayhawks
25. Dreaming Of You by The Coral
26. Everlasting Love by The Love Affair
27. As Long As I've Got You by The Charmels



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Friday, 25 June 2021

Walk On By

 


Cover version of the month #68

Isaac Hayes and The Stranglers cover Dionne Warwick

I've recently been enjoying listening to the lush arrangements of Isaac Hayes, digging into his back catalogue and marvelling at his exceptional recordings, style and delivery. In addition, I've also been making a series of 60-minute playlists/mixes and one that I'm working on opens with his sensational version of Walk On By. 

We'll come back to that though, lets get back to the original. Composed by the legendary partnership of Burt Bacharach and Hal David in 1963, Dionne Warwick recorded the song in the December of that year, releasing it in 1964.

It's a stunning example of what can be delivered through a 3-minute pop song. Warwick begins singing in 5-seconds and by the end of the first delivery we know exactly what the song is about - a broken heart, someone who hasn't got over it.

If you see me walking down the street

And I start to cry each time we meet

Walk on by, walk on by

Heart strings are tugged on the second verse


Make believe, that you don't see the tears

Just let me grieve

In private, cause each time I see you

I break down and cry

The piano melody introduced as Warwick sings cry is just simply sublime. Strings are then introduced for the third verse

I just can't get over losing you

And so if I seem, broken and blue

Walk on by, walk on by

Bacharach really does conjure a masterpiece with his arrangement,  the little (don't stop) backing vocals that he brings in after each walk on by as the song develops. David matches it with his lyrics.

There is a short instrumental from 1 minute 43 seconds to 1-minute 56 seconds, that almost fades to nothing, then Warwick comes back in singing like an angel foolish pride, that's all I have left, so let me hide, the tears and the sadness you gave me, when you said goodbye.

Warwick lifts the song for the closing section, as she twists the melody beautifully, injecting more pace in between the glorious don't stop backing vocals.

Walk On By is an absolute masterpiece of a song, pop perfection. Check the live version below - Warwick looks incredible, oozing confidence and belief.

Dionne Warwick - Walk On By

Live in 1964

5-years later, in 1969, Isaac Hayes chose Walk On By to open his Hot Buttered Soul LP, an album that came to my attention in my younger days as artists like Massive Attack and Portishead would rave about it (and mine it and other Hayes songs for samples). 

Hayes quadruples the length of the song! So he has plenty of time to stamp his own mark on it!

The instrumental intro is over 2-minutes long, the strings pull you in immediately, like your heart strings are actually being played. Hayes and his band slow things down to bass and drums, there is fuzzy electric guitar piercing the air, leading to psychedelic sounds, all over a heavy funk bass and groove.

Things build again before Hayes begin singing in a hushed voice, changing the melody to suit him, he really does sound broken-hearted.

Heavenly backing vocals are introduced, the guitar could cut the air like a knife at times, it's lovingly fuzzy at others, strings are punchy at times, soaring at others. If Warwick's version is a 3-minute pop masterpiece, then Hayes cover is an impeccable example of what you can do if you have the space, time and budget to let your imagination run wild.

Hayes sings with such care, I particularly love his vocals when he sings of tears and the sadness, backed by his glorious backing singers, who are just as important to this song as Isaac himself.

You think it's coming to an end at 7-minutes and then it is lifted, the strings take centre stage, the drums pick up the pace and Hayes begins to play with the walk on by melody.

A hammond organ is introduced to the jam after 9-minutes as the strings are eased out, the guitar kicks in, it's simply wonderful music. I imagine this was all cut live and the tape just kept rolling - sublime.

Isaac Hayes - Walk On By (full length)

Live from Montreux 2005

In 1978 The Stranglers covered the song, stamping their own take on things by speeding and (post) punking things up, injecting a sense of urgency through Hugh Cornwell's vocals before taking the song on a completely different direction thanks to an extended instrumental section, pinned down by a throbbing bass that allows keyboard and then guitar to go a little crazy.

This lasts from 1-minute 26 seconds when, after the last walk on by, Cornwell ad-libs I'm just going for a stroll in the trees, through to 5-minutes 34 seconds. I love the harmonies The Stranglers introduce at all the right times. It's an outstanding cover version, there is a real edge to it

Check below for a full list of songs to feature in my cover version of the month blogs. You can also search for Everything Flows Cool Cover Versions for my Spotify playlist or CLICK HERE.

The Stranglers full length version

The Stranglers on Top of the Pops

Previous covers of the month

13. Hurt
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