In the 6 th volume of soul covers, we have the great Grady Tate's interpretation of the Theme of M*A*S*H and versions of songs previously recorded by Gil Scott-Heron, Bob Dylan, Big Brother & the Holding Company, Elvis Presley, James Taylor, Righteous Brothers, Tammy Wynette, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Joe South, Rolling Stones, Credence Clearwater Revival, James Brown, Cream , Peggy Lee, The Beatles, The Flamingos, Julie Andrews, Nat 'King' Cole, Billy Joel and Cat Stevens. Quite a mixed bag. This mix features a fair number of country songs remade as soul songs, showing how close the two [...]
The third Covered In Soul compilation may draw from the most eclectic original material yet. So in the space of four songs we move from Grateful Dead favourite Casey Jones via The Beatles to a Barry Manilow song and a Roy Orbison song reinvented by Al Green. A couple of show tunes get the soul treatment. Sammy Davis Jr's wonderful I've Gotta Be Me is lovely in Vivian Reed's hands, while I would regard the Supremes and Temptations collaboration on The Impossible Dream more as a curiosity (hence its position as a postscript). The previous two mixes featured [...]
The last ever photo of the Beatles together, as far as I know. Ringo and Paul wave goodbye, George looks exceedingly pleased, and John looks for Yoko (or perhaps Allen Klein). Tomorrow, 10 April, marks the 40th anniversary of Paul McCartney announcing the offcial disbandment of The Beatles. Of course, the Beatles were finished long before that. The final session for the Abbey Road album was, as the song had it, The End. And the guys knew it. Still, nothing was announced until 10 April 1970, when Paul unilaterally declared the Beatles kaputt. There [...]
Generally I'm wary of cover versions, especially if the song being covered is already well known in its original form or is otherwise identified with a particular artist. There is not much you can do to improve on, say, Bridge Over Troubled Water other than to strip the song down and rework it completely. Not many artists have succeeded in doing so. But for an example of how a well-known song can be totally reworked, one might look to Otis Redding's version of Try A Little Tenderness ( originally recorded by Bing Crosby ). Or listen to what Donny Hathaway [...]
I thought that this series would come to a natural end with 1979, but the early 1980s were not as deficient as one might imagine. The difference resides in the volume of quality and the widening chasm between the great and the utterly abject in the '80s. A lot of bad soul music was created in the '80s, and the genre has never recovered. The next couple of installments of Any Major Soul will, I hope, highlight the bright spots in a declining genre. The two opening tracks, by Clyde Milton and Sam Butler , [...]
And so I'm saying goodbye to lodging on the sofas of Wordpress and Blogger, and move into my own home, with my own domain and my own armchair. Please bookmark it and, if you are a fellow blogger, amend the link: www.halfhearteddude.com The presentation here is a work in progress. Some of the things Wordpress used to do for me automatically, I now must do myself. It's a bit like leaving the caring landlord who painted your walls (but evicted you for putting a nail into the wall for [...]
The title-track of Grady Tate's 1970 my-woman-left-me record is a real bummer. The poor man goes home to an empty house every night, eats t.v. dinners standing up, drinks milk from the carton, because "why dirty up a cup?" An excerpt from the liner notes is an apt summation of the tone of the album: Grady sings of bewitchery. Of bitchery. Of last night. Of lost hope. Grady Tate - After The Long Drive Home
Sure, they're naive and optimistic almost beyond belief, but they were the first exposure I had to American history, and they still make me happy. Besides, they're catchy . Right-click individually, save, and sing along! Rockin' and a-rollin, splishin' and a-splashin, over the horizon, what can it be? There's gonna be fireworks, on the Fourth of July! Well, the shot head 'round the world was the start of the Revolution-- We the People.... [...]
Any Major Dude With Half A Heart
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Knickers - My Baby's Just A Baby EP review
