Covers

Tributes & covers; Leonard's songs on the soundtracks and TV
lizjane
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Cover Versions

Post by lizjane »

Hi people! I've just joined this forum, and the reason is everyone should hear Jeff Buckley's version of Hallelujah. Maybe it's old hat and you've all talked about it before, but I think it's sensational. :D
Anne
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Covers

Post by Anne »

Jeff Buckley had a magical voice. I think Johnny Cash singing Bird on A Wire is deeply cool.
John the Shorts
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Post by John the Shorts »

2000% with you Linmag

JTS
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Paula
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Post by Paula »

Hi Lizjane - I can't stand that version of the song but I just wanted to say hello from Penge :D
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Kush
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Post by Kush »

Pavarotti is a great singer as long as he stays to the kind of music his voice is made and trained for, but if he started singing Robert Johnson, or Leonard Cohen, or Bob Dylan he'd be far off the track.
Tom (Still the Stiller),
I see what you are saying with the above extreme case (but perhaps not so implausible , I have heard P. Domingo singing Beatles).
However, I am always for experimentation and exploring new frontiers, more often than not with old and well-entrenched material. Perhaps something does not work but you won't know it unless you try it. Moreover, if you listen to something (that initially sounds crazy and weird) often enough, often one finds that while much of the original feeling may be lost there may be something else that's new.
Well all I'm saying is don't diss Pavarotti singing Robert Johnson :D .....who knows one may be surprised !!!!!! Isn't it Dylan who always disparages artificial boundaries in music ?

Following your lead in another thread I shall close this with a verse from Johnny Clegg's song Third World Child...

It's been a long long time
since they first came
And marched through our village
They taught us to forget our past
And live the future in their image

They said
You should learn to speak a little bit of English
Don't be scared of a suit and tie.
Learn to walk in the dreams of the foreigner
I am a Third World Child
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lizzytysh
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Post by lizzytysh »

Well, this morning on NPR, they did a story on how Woody Guthrie's daughter has possession of a huge number of songs [I want to say 600, but maybe it was 300 ~ huge, no matter which] that were never recorded. She has, at her discretion, been letting them out to various musicians to play and record. The most recent was to a German musician who came to the U.S. to explore her archives and selected 14 of them, which he then took back and sang/recorded in old-cabaret style. Apparently, the Guthrie purists [ahem, sound familiar?] were objecting fiercely to the style and to the tuba and whatever else were used, when Guthrie was so well known for, and they are committed to, his acoustic style.

However, she said that her dad was very open to and believed in the unboundaried aspects of music, and that she could hear in his lyrics a bigger, deeper, and different sound, as well. She said, his origins were in old Europe, that she hears it in these renditions, it seems to complete the circle, and that he would appreciate what she's doing. Some of the cabaret-style songs were recorded in English, as well. They played excerpts from both languages, and they sounded great....much depth. Then, a sample of his music for children was played and they said that he always said that creating music for children was where his real genius came through. So, there's another great checking in on the side of music without boundaries.

Another note of worth was that amongst the songs is one she finds eerie that he wrote about a hurricane coming through Manhattan and knocking down buildings. The date it was written was September 12, 1945. Two modern-day prophets now?
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Kush
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Post by Kush »

Well, first of all Lizzytysh...I don't believe in prophets, modern-day or ancient. :D
Having gotten that out of the way, your post was very interesting. I didnt know about this.....sure like to get my hands on it. Do you have the name of the artiste ? A friend recently gave me a CD of Brit cabaret artiste Barb Jungr singing Dylan in cabaret style - mostly with piano accompaniment. I also recently got a CD of Cisco Houston (Guthrie's singing partner) singing amongst other songs Deportee which Tom Stiller quoted.
I would really like some LC songs done by a reggae band (Culture ?). I think some of his songs would work really well....I'm Your Man, Anthem, Death of A Ladies Man, The Captain, Stories of The Street, So Long Mariane, Seems so Long Ago,Nancy, Bunch of Lonesome Heroes, Dress Rehearsal Rag, Famous Blue raincoat.
Well that's enough songs for an album I guess.
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lizzytysh
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Post by lizzytysh »

Nothing yet on it, Kush. Last night, I went to NPR's site and looked for it, but they generally don't have anything there till the next day. So, I'll be looking again. Check it out at http://www.npr.org and see what you can find. SOMETHING should be there. You can get audio of things and listen to the segments themselves, plus get hard copy of them elsewhere. I was listening in my head as I read the songs you've listed, and [at the risk of "sucking up" :lol: ] I think you're right....they lend themselves very well, and it would be great to hear them in that style, particularly for someone who really likes the reggae sound, at one time I'd have said loves.

That's okay, there are enough who do believe in prophets, we can make it without you :lol: .
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Kush
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Post by Kush »

I'd like to add that the first favorable version that we like of a song we somehow use as a reference point for all future versions. If we like a future version better than the original favorite it is perhaps becoz' the new version improves on certain facets of the original that we liked in the first place. If a version comes along that is radically different from the original favorite then we are less inclined to be favorable towards it.
On the other hand some songs pass me by until I hear a version that really attracts me to it and then I look at it differently. (e.g., I really started liking Came So Far for Beauty after hearing J Warnes version of it, after which I started paying attention to LC's version). Another example is perhaps Paula (who obviuosly prefers Dylan covers to the original, despite her protestations to the contrary) :D .

ok, don't know if I made sense but my point is to appreciate a radically different version of a song one has to get away from or temporarily delete the favorite reference point
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Paula
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Post by Paula »

Hi Kush - Its funny I don't really like anyone covering Leonard's songs. But as you say I do like a lot of covers of Dylan. I still 70% to 30% prefer Dylan doing his own work. I think you have it in a nutshell my first taste of Leonards works have always been him singing it whereas with Dylan Mighty Quinn I first heard done by Manfred Mann all along the watchtower - Jimi Hendrix- Turn turn turn - The Byrds so I think you are right it is whose version you heard first
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tom.d.stiller
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Post by tom.d.stiller »

Dear Kush,

you're right of course. No artificial boundaries! Tear down the walls!

As to the rest: de gustibus non est disputandum...

Tom
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Kush
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Post by Kush »

Didnt quite know where to put this so might as well put it here...it was on the PBS home page from some Dylan interview i guess:

Q: Why are some of your songs so long ?
Dylan: Well, see, I get paid by the word.

cheers.

p.s. I was expecting some flak for my suggestion of reggae covers of LC songs but none have materialized so far. Shall I assume that everyone agrees with me ? :D
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lizzytysh
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Post by lizzytysh »

When I listen to Sharon's rhythms on Ten New Songs with Here It Is, etc. I don't think it so far-fetched at all, so no flak forthcoming from this faction [got into the alliteration there :wink: ].
John the Shorts
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Post by John the Shorts »

Kush

I, for one, can't wait for the reggae artist who does a cover of Master Song

JTS
George.Wright
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Post by George.Wright »

or a rap song.................
Georges
I am a right bad ass, dankish prince and I love my Violet to bits.
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