I know “We’ll Sweep Out the Ashes in the Morning” from the Gram Parsons/Emmylou Harris cover from his 1973 album GP. As far as I can tell the Carl and Pearl Butler 1969 version is the original.
Category: Music covers
Covers: Soulful Strut/Am I the Same Girl
I didn’t know this! I was familiar with “Soulful Strut” by Young-Holt Unlimited. Young and Holt were members of Ramsey Lewis’s trio who formed their own band. Here’s more on “Am I The Same Girl” which was recorded first.
Covers: Mission Bell
“Mission Bell” was a hit for Donnie Brooks in 1960. The cover I know best is by Fleetwood Mac on their excellent 1970 album Kiln House. It was an odd choice for them – most of the rest of the album is 1950s style, country, blues or rock. It’s the weakest song on the album. I would call the original version pop. Check out the bizarre cover by Tiny Tim.
Covers: Feelin’ Sad
This was inspired by the Peter Guralnick article in the previous post. He talks about how Ray Charles covered Guitar Slim’s “Feelin’ Sad” and later arranged the session that produced Guitar Slim’s huge and outstanding 1954 hit “The Things that I Used to Do”.
Covers: Devil with a Blue Dress On
“Devil with a Blue Dress On” was originally recorded by its co-author Shorty Long in 1964 but was not a hit until Mitch Ryder covered it in 1966.
Covers: Glad and Sorry
Covers: Without You
“Without You” is a Badfinger song from 1970 best known from the 1971 cover by Nilsson. It’s ironic that Nilsson was a fine songrwriter but two of his biggest hits were covers – this and “Everybody’s Talking”.
Covers: Stranger in the House
“Stranger in the House” is an Elvis Costello song that he recorded with George Jones in 1978. He also released an earlier solo version. Costello has such a great understanding of many types of music so it’s no surprise he could write a fine country song.
Covers: I’m Shakin’
The original version was by Little Willie John from 1960. The cover I know best is by the Blasters from 1981.
Covers: That’s Where It’s At
“That’s Where It’s At” is an excellent 1964 Same Cooke record but it was not one of his big hits. I like the version by the Holmes Brothers. Lou Rawls, who had done backing vocals for Cooke and Bobby Womack, who played guitar on the original version, also covered it.
I am not sure if the Sims Twins version (on Cooke’s SAR label) was released before Cooke’s version or not. I am guessing that it was. Johnnie Taylor, who also recorded for SAR, covered it on Stax.
Sad! 