Showing posts with label cover versions playlist. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cover versions playlist. Show all posts

Thursday, 2 October 2025

If I Had a Boat

Cover version of the month 115

Kieran Hebden and William Tyler cover Lyle Lovett

Driving west in the Autumn sunshine in late September, Huw Stephens announced he was playing a song from a new album by Kieran Hebden (Four Tet) and William Tyler. It was an edited (radio) version of their song If I Had a Boat which opens their album 41 Longfield Street Late 80's.

I was instantly spellbound by the atmospheric finger picked acoustic guitar riffs mixed with ambient textures. This gorgeous instrumental was the absolutely perfect soundtrack as I drove towards the setting sun.

After the song finished playing, Huw announced that it was a cover of a Lyle Lovett song. As soon as I stopped driving, I checked it out. 

Lovett's original was the opening song on his 1988 album entitled Pontiac. The lyricss are based on a true story about Lovett once trying to ride across a pond on a pony and wishing he had a boat.

The acoustic riff and slide guitar that Hebden and Tyler have stretched and played with is there, although, other than the intro, it is largely hidden behind the vocal melody and story that Lovett is telling by song.

And if I had a boat, I'd go out on the ocean

And if I had a pony, I'd ride him on my boat

And we could all together, go out on the ocean

I said me upon my pony on my boat

Lovett's song has a beautiful naive quality to it. The lyrics, melody and guitar are quite dreamy. Hebden and Tyler take that dreaminess and take it to the next level with their combined skills.

The cover version begins in a cool, calming and relaxing manner. You don't need a boat to drift off, this is gorgeous. Acoustic guitar is gently teased and eased into the ambient textures. 

At 2-minutes 40 seconds, everything drops out to leave finger picked acoustic guitar, sounding warm, Autumnal and as if it is being played in a golden haze. Think Embryonic Journey by Jefferson Airplane.  Wow. I could listen to this all day.

So too, could Hebden and Tyler. Well, at least for 11-minutes! 

Tyler, former guitarist with Lambchop, takes Lyle Lovett's guitar riffs and jams and expands them. Pedal steel with reverb comes in and then as the song edges past 6-minutes 30 seconds, Hebden brings the ambience back as the guitar fades a little and somehow seems to transform into synth sounds that bubble along for another 3 dreamy minutes. It's an utterly sublime cover - magical.

Lovett's original and the Hebden and Tyler cover of If I Had a Boat are added to my Everything Flows Cool Cover Versions playlist on Spotify which also features all of the songs listed 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
92. Valerie
101. Shout!




Posted by at 1 comment:
Labels: , , , , , , , , ,

Monday, 28 April 2025

Marianne Faithfull covers Lennon, McCartney and Harrison

Cover version of the month # 108-110

Marianne Faithfull covers Lennon, McCartney and Harrison

I took a bit of a dive into Marianne Faithfull's back catalogue following her death at the end of January and discovered some wonderful songs I had never heard before, including LOADS of brilliant cover versions.

Marianne's version of Dylan's It's All Over Now Baby Blue is really cool, but this blog is going to focus on 3 covers of songs written by John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison.

But before I start, I'd never seen the photograph above before! I discovered it while looking for an image to head this blog. What a super cool, utterly gorgeous woman Marianne Faithfull was! Effortless! Her hair, eyes, style, face ... stunning!

I'm A Loser 

Written in the whirlwind of Beatlemania but dripping with self-doubt and introspection, I’m a Loser was one of the first hints that The Beatles were evolving beyond simple love songs. Lennon, clearly inspired by Dylan, delivers a folk-tinged lament on failure and regret, wrapped in the kind of catchy melody that The Beatles had long since perfected. Were the lyrics about his marriage/relationship with Cynthia?

The harmonies are tight, there is a country tinge and twinge to the song and groove that you can imagine Ringo in particular being fond of. In fact, I would say that upon revisiting this song, it is probably more suited to Ringo. However, perhaps it was just too personal for John to give away. 

George picks a neat guitar solo and Lennon plays harmonica to help the groove. Lennon, it could be said, sounds perhaps a little too jovial whilst singing this song.

I'm a loser

And I lost someone who's near to me

I'm a loser

And I'm not what I appear to be

Originally released on Beatles for Sale in 1964, I’m a Loser would swiftly be followed by a more stark confession from Lennon with the single and title track of the next album - Help! This time, Lennon leaves the listener in no doubt that he means it.

A year on from The Beatles version, in 1965, Marianne Faithfull took I’m a Loser and turned it into something completely different. Faithfull's voice is firm, yet delicate and melancholic, full of heartbreak. There is more of a zip to the song, indeed this cover shaves 15-seconds off the already short (2.5 minutes) original.

Faithfull was only 18 at the time of recording her version, but already her voice carried a wisdom beyond her years. Her cover hints at the kind of raw emotion she would later become known for. 

Reading back through her tough life in the aftermath of her break up with Jagger, when she was living on the streets of London and addicted to heroin, the lyrics become a little haunting. Yet, as with everything Marianne Faithfull seemed to touch, there is beauty. You feel every word.

Yesterday

So much has been written about Paul McCartney's Yesterday that I'm really not sure if I can add anything helpful in this blog. But I'll give it a go!

Quite simply, it's a masterpiece! Paul singing over an acoustic and a string arrangement seemingly played on heart strings. McCartney is heartbroken, pining for his love and yesterday when, love was such an easy game to play.

Marianne Faithfull takes Paul's poetry and portrays the heartbreak and heartache perfectly. Released on her 1967 album Love In A Mist, Faithfull's voice is angelic, backed by gentle piano and a choir who sound heaven sent. Quite simply, this is as good as it gets. Sublime. 2-minutes 15 seconds of perfection.

Beware of Darkness - George Harrison

Written by George Harrison and released on his stunning 1970 album All Things Must Pass, Beware of Darkness beautifully captures Harrison's spiritual energy and empathy, the lyrics are both deeply personal and universally resonant.

George's delivery is gentle but urgent, his voice full of quiet authority. You believe him. The song, like much of All Things Must Pass, is awash in Phil Spector’s signature production—big, spacious, reverb-heavy—but at its core, it remains an intimate, almost prayer-like composition. Beware of Darkness has a really beautiful and pure feeling to it.

Where Harrison’s version warns you about darkness, Marianne Faithfull sounds like she’s already deep inside it. Faithfull recorded the song back in 1971 for an album Masques, but this sat unreleased until 1985 when it was released as part of compilation album called Rich Kid Blues. 

Faithfull strips away the warmth of Harrison’s original and replaces it with something raw and fragile. Spector's rich production is replaced by something sparse, stark, almost ghostly. The lead guitar is exquisite.

I get a little chill listening to Faithfull's cover. Marianne's voice, weathered and worn by experience, carries a depth that makes every word feel lived-in. She doesn’t just sing the warning—she has lived through it. Faithfull was only 25 when she recorded the song, but was struggling with addictions. Following her break up with Jagger, Marianne lost custody of her son, attempted suicide and was living on the streets of London. Masques was recorded to try and help her, the record label rejected it.

Faithfull's cover versions and The Beatles and George Harrison originals are added to my Everything Flows Cool Cover Versions playlist on Spotify which also features all of the songs listed 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
92. Valerie
101. Shout!

Posted by at 1 comment:
Labels: , , , , , , , , ,

Wednesday, 28 July 2021

Walk Away Renee

 

Trust Me #27 - Walk Away Renee by The Left Banke 

Cover version of the month #69 The Four Tops cover The Left Banke

Just imagine being a teenager in 1965 and forming a band with your friends. Countless kids around the world, were doing it, inspired by the likes of The Beatles and The Stones. Picking up guitars and seeing what wonderful noises they could create.

16-year old Michael Brown (real name Lookofsky) didn't quite pick up a guitar, he played keyboards and he also wrote songs. As son of violinist and arranger Harry Lookofsky, it was clear from the off that he had a remarkable talent for music, helped by unlimited access to his Dad's studio. 

Brown formed a band with George Cameron (drums), bass player and singer Tom Finn, Steve Martin Caro on lead vocals an Jeff Winfield on guitar. They called themselves The Left Banke. They never really had a settled line-up, partly because even in his teens - Brown wanted to follow Brian Wilson's lead and stay at home to write while his band went on the road - they weren't up for it! By the time they put their differences behind them, momentum and label confidence had been lost. And so The Left Banke have a small but perfectly formed discography.


Sometime I'll get around to writing some blogs on the greatest debut singles of all time, after all, this blog is named after one! But perhaps nothing could beat Walk Away Renee by The Left Banke, especially when you consider that the band were teenagers at the time.

Released in July 1966, Walk Away Renee is one of a number of songs Brown wrote about Renee Fladen-Kamm, then the girlfriend of his friend and band mate, Tom Finn. Amazingly, Fladen-Kamm was at the recording of the single, Brown had to wait for her to leave in order to play his parts.

Renee Fladen-Kamm 

In just 2-minutes and 46 seconds, The Left Banke produce heart aching pop music of the highest quality. Everything tugs on heart strings. At the age of just 18, Steve Martin Caro has no God given right to sound so beautifully heart broken, while the strings, harpsichord and flute are utterly perfect, giving a sense of maturity to this band of teenagers.

The poetic lyrics speak of empty sidewalks, where perhaps lovers once walked, of tears, of pain, rain, names in a heart drawn on the wall, of being haunted and of a realisation that the writer can't follow Renee, it's not to be.

Astounding, outstanding, magical. 

Walk Away Renee by The Left Banke


Yet it was many years before I knew of The Left Banke. I always thought this was a song by The Four Tops, indeed it was probably one of the first songs I heard from my Mum's small but tasteful vinyl collection when I got my first record player, she had a decent collection of soul music for an introduction.

Their version was released in 1968 and you don't get a much higher stamp of approval than a cover by one of Motown Records finest groups, particularly as it remains very true to the original. For me, there is more hurt and heartache in Levi Stubbs vocals in comparison to the original, the beat is classic Motown.

This might be the only time in my cover version of the month feature (so far) where I think the original and the cover version are both equally amazing.

Four Tops - Walk Away Renee 

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.

Also 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.

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

Previous covers of the month

13. Hurt



Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , ,

Thursday, 11 March 2021

Lost In Music

Cover version of the month #65
The Fall cover Sister Sledge

I recently read Renegade, Mark E Smith's autobiography. I'm not a huge fan of the band by any means, but I did take some time to try a little bit more of their back catalogue as a result of reading the book.

And I discovered a number of cover versions that they have recorded, including an outrageous version of Lost In Music by Sister Sledge from their monumental 1979 album We Are Family.

Written by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of Chic, this sublime slice of disco house heaven was produced during a period where the duo could literally do no wrong. Everything they touched turned to gold. Check what they were involved with in the late 70's with Chic and Sister Sledge, it is just insane, then through to working with Bowie, Diana Ross and Madonna (among others) in the 80's.

Lost In Music is utterly stunning pop music. The song stretches out to 4 minutes 40 seconds, allowing Rodgers and Edwards to pull every kind of trick they have learned to create something magical. 

What are their tricks? Well there is a teasing 30-second intro, then we're straight into a double chorus that you can sing after only one listen. And there are plenty of other opportunities through the rest of the song to do just that.

The vocals and production are crystal clear, the stabbing piano/keys sounds instantly familiar and Rodgers just grooves along in his unique style, somehow playing lead and rhythm guitar simultaneously.

I've been in a club when this song has come on, if played at the precise moment, then there is nothing better, the crowd are lost in music and singing-a-long, meaning and believing every sing word they sing. It is absolutely perfect for a club.

We're lost in music, feel so alive

I quit my nine to five

We're lost in music

Rodgers & Edwards captured the NYC disco and club scene perfectly in so many of their finely crafted songs. No wonder, if you read Rodgers autobiography it sounds like he pretty much lived in some of the clubs! He certainly lived for clubbing, lived for music. He still lives for music. I've caught his Nile Rodgers and Chic shows a couple of times and I think they may well be the most uplifting shows I have ever experienced.


In 1993 The Fall decided to cover Lost In Music. They rip through it, with Mark E Smith adding his own little twist by declaring I'm Lost In Music. That simple shift from we're to I'm just personalises the song.

I'm no expert on Smith and The Fall, but I know how prolific he was and from what I have heard and read, he was lost in his own world, his own music, his own vision and dreams for The Fall.

Smith snaps, snarls and drawls his way through the song. When he half sings, half shouts I'm so alive, he actually sounds like he couldn't give a flying f**k. When he sings caught in a trap, no looking back it sounds like he is resigned to recording the cover version, rather than enjoying it.

Yet I'm strangely drawn to it. It's got a raw punk edge, it is a strange and brave song to cover. Why did they cover it? I haven't been able to track that down.

Anyway, I enjoy it and it is cover version of the month #65. Check the original, a sublime re-edit by Dimtri From Paris, the cover by The Fall and also a live version.

Lost In Music by Sister Sledge

Lost In Music, Dimitri From Paris extended re-edit

Lost In Music by The Fall

Lost In Music by The Fall, live on The Beat

And after posting this blog Duglas T Stewart of the BMX Bandits kindly tipped me off on this very atmospheric version by Anita Lane. 

Click (or search for) Everything Flows cool cover versions on Spotify for a playlist of the covers I have blogged about and read on for a full list and links to previous cover of the month blogs. 

Previous covers of the month

13. Hurt


Posted by at 1 comment:
Labels: , , , , , , , ,

Monday, 1 February 2021

Talking In My Sleep

 

Cover version of the month #63

The Bangles cover The Rain Parade

The Rain Parade formed back in 1981 and soon generated a name for themselves among the Paisley Underground scene that was creating a buzz in California. Counting David Roback, who later went on to form Mazzy Star, in their line-up, The Rain Parade wrote melodic and moving guitar pop that gave a hefty nod to 60's bands like The Byrds.

Debut album Emergency Third Rail Power Trip was released in 1983, opening with the dreamy, chiming Talking In My Sleep, a song I only discovered around 18-months ago. I fell for it and enjoyed digging into the bands small but perfectly formed back catalogue.

After tweeting the song last week, Stuart Jackson replied saying that I should check out The Bangles version. I duly did and I was blown away.

The Bangles have a history with The Rain Parade as Susanna Hoffs had previously been in a band called the Unconscious with Roback.

Fast forward to 2018 and 4 of the bands from the Paisley Underground scene got together to cover each other for an album titled 3 x 4, released on Yep Roc Records.

The guitar riff that opens Talking In My Sleep just sounds fresh and exciting, the beat and bass lock in behind it create a flowing groove that then has hushed vocals sprinkled over the top.

Talking In My Sleep allows plenty of room for the band to jam, there is a glorious rush of an instrumental section after the second verse, from 1 minute 16 seconds, through to the start of the third verse at 2 minutes 5 seconds.

Part of the beauty of this song is that there are only 3-verses, but the song is stretched to 3 minutes 49 seconds to allow the band time to play. The instrumental after the third verse is a full 80-seconds in length and it's just perfect, it sounds thrilling, fun and pure.

Lyrically the song seems simple, but the the repetition of sleep, sleeping, dreams and dreaming in the first verse just adds to the dreamy, blissful, guitar pop psychedelia vibe.


The Bangles 2018 cover version remains very true to the original, the guitar sound is pushed even more to the fore and Susanna Hoffs vocals are crystal clear dreamy, rather than the original's more shy / blurry vocal. It's absolutely gorgeous, I've been playing it a lot this week, hope you enjoy.


I know, I'm talking in my sleep

Sleeping in my dreams

Dreaming on my feet

I don't know what it means

There's something in my head

But it don't frighten me


I heard, a knocking at the door

I crawled across the floor

And tried to let you in

But you were gone before

I could turn a key

And almost certainly


I find that people leave their homes

To find a place to go

I've seen them on the street

But I don't wanna stop

I thought I couldn't speak

And I wanted to go home

The Rain Parade verison

The Bangles version

Search for Everything Flows cool cover versions on Spotify for a playlist of the covers I have blogged about and read on for a full list and links to previous cover of the month blogs. 

Previous covers of the month

13. Hurt


Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)