Covers of Solo Beatle Songs

World Party also did #9 Dream.

 

Perhaps we've discussed this already, but a portion of this (only a portion) was included on the vinyl bootleg "Oriental Nightfish". I don't recall ever seeing video of it. I wonder if the clip you saw is the source of the audio on the bootleg.

 

Here's the clip. I've never seen any more of the show.

 

Can I mention Tom Petty's version of Handle With Care at the Concert for George.

 

Didn't George Benson do an album of covers?

 

I see Jealous guy mentioned five times by different artists but this is the winner:

 

MOJO mag put out a CD of Harrison songs entitled Harrison Covered.
1 –Show Of Hands (3) If I Needed Someone 3:38
2 –Webb Sisters, The I Need You 2:50
3 –Ron Sexsmith Give Me Love 3:05
4 –Richie Havens Here Comes The Sun 3:38
5 –Alessi's Ark The Ballad Of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll) 3:40
6 –Lanterns On The Lake Long Long Long 3:03
7 –Jonathan Wilson Featuring Graham Nash Isn't It A Pity 5:37
8 –Emmy The Great All Those Years Ago 3:23
9 –Hurray For The Riff Raff My Sweet Lord 3:56
10 –Peter Bruntnell Think For Yourself 2:23
11 –Iain Matthews So Sad 3:47
12 –Joe Brown That's The Way It Goes 3:37
13 –Trevor Moss & Hannah-Lou Your Love Is Forever 2:57
14 –Felice Brothers, The Behind That Locked Door 3:20
15 –Yim Yames* Love You To

 

Here is a favorite of mine. Cat Stevens and Klaus Voorman

 

Thanks for the clip. I haven't owned "Oriental Nightfish" for about 25 years, but it's sufficiently burned into my brain. I believe that the clip and the audio on the bootleg are one and the same (minus the snippet of "Sweet Little Rock and Roller", of course).

 

spock's beard beware of darkness

 

He did The Other Side Of Abbey Road and has covered "Here, There and Everywhere" but no solo Beatles songs as far as I know.

 

Oh My Love - Jackson Browne

 

Perhaps it's just me, but I see a VERY different level of commitment in some of the covers mentioned, and I don't mean "level of commitment" in terms of the musical performance. I don't know that I can explain this very well, but here goes...

It's a pretty big tip of the hat when an artist who normally writes their own material chooses to record a studio cover of a song. So someone like Bowie doing Working Class Hero for an album is pretty significant in my book.

The next level down has a couple variations. Maybe it's putting the studio track out as something like a b-side (my World Party/#9 Dream option above). Or maybe it's comparable to someone doing an "all covers" album and including songs by that artist. The Marc Cohn examples above fit that category. I can't recall if it got mentioned here, but the Cowboy Junkies also did an album of (mostly) covers with "Isn't It A Pity" and "I Don't Wanna Be A Soldier".

Appearing on "tribute" albums is a far less prestigious version of a cover, to me. I don't doubt that Neil & Tim Finn are McCartney fans, but I'd be more impressed if their song popped up on their own disc, rather than some generic tribute. I also sometimes think artists just want to attach their names to a project they feel might be successful to gain exposure, so I'm a little more suspicious of those kinds of contributions. Slightly OT example, but Miley Cyrus covered Bob Dylan on that recent 4cd covers album for Amnesty International...

Also less dubious "honors" to me are the one-off cover songs that can have similar motives to the above. Kylie Minogue doing "Help" at the 1990 Lennon concert, anyone?

In both of those cases, the promoter or executive producer or whatever may have inserted some of their own choices and/or coaxed a performer to do a song, when that performance might otherwise not have existed/occurred.

When "evaluating" a cover, I guess I sort of consider all those things. I might enjoy seeing ____ do a solo Beatle song (assuming it's well done), but I'm going to like it a lot MORE if it's given more prominence by HOW it's released, if that makes any sense.

 

Ozzy Osbourne did a covers album a few years back that included Lennon's "Woman" ( as well as "In My Life").

 

Does anyone know of a good studio cover of My Sweet Lord aside from the Billy Preston version?

 

This guy did a whole EP of Harrisongs as a tribute to George.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribute_To
Very low-key:

 

Hmm I guess my problem with My Sweet Lord covers is that the majority don't tend to add anything new to the song. Most of them just sound like the original.

 

Will you recognize this one?

 

Or this one ?

 

An unusual choice for a cover version, George's "Ballad Of Sir Frankie Crisp" as covered in 1973 by the French king of cover versions, the recently departed Richard Anthony.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7q93p_richard-anthony-tout-la-haut-1973_music

 

Here's a less-common cover tune from recent years:
http://www.amazon.com/Sunshine-Life-Me-Lenny-Pickett/dp/B00BBNKS8E?tag=viglink20252-20

 

Cowboy Junkies - Isn't it a Pity and I Don't Want to be a Soldier

 

Cass Elliot's version of "My Love".

 

Concrete Blonde on their debut album doing Beware Of Darkness