They Can Be Good the Second (or Hundredth) Time Around - Cool Covers Write-Off

I’ve only participated in a handful of write-offs in my nearly four years with Epinions, but this is the third I’ve tackled this week. What can I say: they’re fun, and nice to happen upon when I’m stuck for figuring out what to review next! I have taken up kokladj’s challenge of coming up with a list of ten favorite cover songs. I’ll say just ten cover songs that I like; I know as soon as I’ve submitted the list I’ll think of a couple that should have made the list and displaced a couple others. I’m so bad at picking favorites! After you read mine, check out some of the other entries: kokladj, teamfreak16, sublimist03, shilmafone, pmills1210, insomniac1587, speeddemon531, plorentz, cryptosicko, lambchops, jeff_wilder78.

Well, since it’s one of only two Clay Aiken covers on a widely distributed album at this point, I’m going to have to mention Bridge Over Troubled Water, since I’ve gotta put Clay on here. It’s not my favorite cover of his, but I do think he does a really nice job with it. While Simon and Garfunkel’s version will always be my favorite, Clay’s approach to the song is very different, with much more of a Gospel feel to it (when he performed it on the Jerry Lewis Telethon Monday, he added a “my lord” to the second verse). It’s triumphant and showcases his voice and range marvelously, as well as being a great match to his personality. I really hoped he would perform this song, and I’m glad he did. Originally on Simon and Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water album, this is available as a single along with This is the Night.

I recently saw Maid in Manhattan and discovered a gorgeous cover of Simon and Garfunkel’s Kathy’s Song by the late Eva Cassidy. This song is generally a Paul solo effort in the Simon and Garfunkel canon, though Art performs it in concert now. Eva’s vocals are haunting in what Art calls Paul’s most beautiful love song, and her acoustic guitar, like Paul’s in the original, suits her singing very well. The only bad thing about this track is that she only recorded an abbreviated version of the song, containing only three of the six verses. Still, very, very nice. You can find the original version on Simon and Garfunkel’s Greatest Hits, and Eva’s on her album Time After Time.

Art Garfunkel is a toughie, since he has recorded so many brilliant covers throughout his solo career, but I don’t want to fill my list with just him. These include, among others, When a Man Loves a Woman, So In Love, Goodnight My Love, and pretty much all of the Songs From a Parent to a Child album. I’m going to go with I Only Have Eyes For You, not necessarily because it’s my favorite, but because it is the one I have heard the most versions of. It seems every time I turn around I hear another rendition of this song on the TV or a movie, and I still think Artie’s is the best. Very smooth and romantic. One album you can find it on is Garfunkel, while it’s the title song of the Flamingos’ I Only Have Eyes For You. (I think this was the first version, but as I said, there have been many.)

Before I leave Artie altogether, I’m going to mention What a Wonderful World, which isn’t just him but also Paul Simon and James Taylor. Talk about a terrific trio! It was recorded in the mid-1970s, so it’s a reunion of sorts for Simon and Garfunkel, but Taylor adds even more rich layers to their harmonic sound. (He also collaborated with Garfunkel later for the Everly Brothers’ Cryin’ in the Rain.) It just seems like it’s three old buddies getting together and singing a song they enjoyed listening to when they were younger. It has a very different sound to it from the original, very mellow and slow as opposed to snappy and danceable, and they really milk the harmonies for all they’re worth. When I first got Watermark, the Art Garfunkel album containing the song, I thought it would be a cover of the Louis Armstrong song. But this is even better, and I like the irony that Art, an architecture and mathematics major in college, sings “don’t know much about algebra.” Sam Cooke’s original can be found on his compilation album Best Of.

The Irish Rovers have also done many great covers, but I’m going to mention Rhymes and Reasons because that is a song by one of my all-time favorite singers, John Denver, but I like their version better. In fact, I may have heard it first; I wouldn’t be surprised if I heard Denver’s version when I was very young, but the first time I remember encountering this song was on The Irish Rovers Greatest Hits. It’s a tender song of hope and peace in typical Denver fashion, with just a bit of a hippie-ish ring to it, as we are urged to follow the example of “the children and the flowers.” The Rovers supplement their version with natural sound effects such as singing birds, running water, and the laughter of children, and the ensemble of Irish voices doesn’t hurt at all either. Denver’s original version is available on his Country Roads Collection.

Speaking of John Denver, I’m partial to his cover of Fire and Rain on Poems, Prayers and Promises. I don’t know if I would say I like it better than James Taylor’s version; they are actually rather similar. Both have extraordinarily mellow voices, similar timbre, perfect pitch. It’s just nice to hear Denver’s take on this plaintive song about an adolescent dealing with the death through suicide of his close friend. Taylor’s version can be found on his Greatest Hits.

I just mentioned House at Pooh Corner in my Nitty Gritty Dirt Band review, but I’ll stick it in here as well. Their cover of this Kenny Loggins song, which is featured on his album of the same name, is my favorite track on Will the Circle Be Unbroken II. It’s a rowdy, electrified version of Loggins’ lullabye-like tune, written at a time when he was standing on the brink of adulthood and reluctant to leave childhood behind. Loggins’ version is wistful, but the Nitty Gritty folks pump it so full of energy that it seems getting back to the Hundred Acre Wood is entirely possible, and they’re going to make sure it happens!

Bob Dylan is a brilliant songwriter, but let’s face it, he doesn’t exactly have one of the most pleasing voices in recent music history. I think he has every right to sing the songs he wrote and it’s great that people appreciate hearing the tunes straight from the source, but I personally find his voice grating, very irritating to listen to. Blowin’ in the Wind, from The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, is one of Dylan’s most famous songs – it’s always the first one I think of – but I think Peter, Paul & Mary do it far more justice than the artist himself does. Theirs is what I always have considered the definitive version, complete with its rich harmonies and simple accompaniment. They sing with true passion, and their voices blend beautifully for a truly resonant cover. You can find it on The Best of Peter, Paul & Mary.

The first time I heard John Lennon’s Merry Christmas / War Is Over, it was on Neil Diamond’s The Christmas Album. It’s very nice, complete with a tambourine and a chorus of children. For the most part, Neil sings the Christmas part, while the kids sing the “war is over” part as a counter-melody. It starts out very quiet and simple and builds to a grand and jubilant conclusion. Very nice, and one of my favorite tracks on the album. Lennon’s version is available on his Shaved Fish album.

The Muppets introduced me to Kokomo, one of my favorite Beach Boys songs. It’s featured on Muppet Beach Party and is just a really fun rendition of a song that’s pretty nifty to begin with. It’s even more fun with the video; lots more, in fact, because of all the crazy things the Muppets are doing in the background on the sunny beaches the song describes. I actually happened across this song as a promo for a Muppet sing-along on another video I had purchased. The Muppets do a bang-up job; I think I like this version better than the original, which is also great and can be found on the Beach Boys’ Greatest Hits.

Well, that does it for me. Ten covers that I especially like. Check out the other reviews in this Write-off for a wide variety of covers. It’s always fun to see another artist redo an already terrific song. Add your own entry and spill the beans on which song remakes especially impressed you!