AMPEX Records: She Comes In Colors

Our second post from AMPEX Records features Fever Tree from Houston, Texas. The group began in 1966 as a folk band, but by 1967 they had adopted psychedelic music as a genre. Fever Tree first recorded several singles with Mainstream Records – the first label for the Amboy Dukes and Big Brother and Holding Company. By 1967, they had moved to UNI Records where they had their greatest success with the single “San Francisco Girls (Return of the Native). This 1968 release only charted at #91.

After two albums on UNI, the band moved to AMPEX in 1970 and recorded several singles and the album “For Sale.” Today’s selection is the first of two singles for AMPEX – a cover of Arthur Lee and Love’s “She Comes in Colors.” Lee wrote this song about a girl he knew that always dressed in flowing colored outfits. It is thought that “She Comes in Colors” inspired the Rolling Stones “She’s a Rainbow.”

Although I like the original better, I think Dennis Keller’s vocals on Fever Tree’s redition are superior to Arthur Lee’s on Love’s version. You decide.

Tommy Keene: Shake Some Action

If you’ve followed the San Francisco band the Flamin’ Groovies, you’re familiar with the title cut from their 1976 album “Shake Some Action.” While it was not domestically released as a single, it came to be one of their best known songs from their most popular album. What most folks don’t know is that the familiar version was the second time the Flamin’ Groovies had recorded the song. A seminal version was laid down in 1973; and although released in the UK in 1978, it was finally issued in the US in 2002 on their CD “Slow Death: Amazing High Energy Rock N’ Roll 1971-73!”

Since “Shake Some Action” was a signature cut for the Flamin’ Groovies, who would have thought to cover this song – well, Tommy Keene did and he released his version in 1993. Keene, who originally hailed from the Washington, DC area, had played drums in one of Nils Lofgren’s early bands before striking out on his own as a multi-instrumentalist.

This particular cut comes from Keene’s “The Real Underground” – a collection of new and previously unreleased cuts. “Shake Some Action” features Keene on guitar and vocals. You’ll hear him shine on the first solo. Eric Peterson provides the second lead guitar solo. The tune also features Brad Quinn on bass and backup vocals and John Richardson on drums.

As with most of the cuts on the LP, “Shake Some Action” was recorded at Hit and Run Studios in Rockville, Maryland. Keene produced this power pop rendition that does justice to the Flamin’ Groovies’ album rock classic.

David Bowie: China Girl

As we continue looking at the music of David Bowie, 1983’s “China Girl,” although co-written by Bowie, was a cover of an earlier recording by the other author: Iggy Pop. Written in Berlin in 1977, it was based on Pop’s fascination with a beautiful Vietnamese woman. “China Girl” was the second of four US singles from Bowie’s extremely popular “Let’s Dance” album. It followed the #1 title track by peaking at #10 on the Hot 100 and at #3 on the rock tracks.

“Let’s Dance” was Bowie’s first solo top 40 hit since 1975’s “Golden Years”; however, his duet with Queen on “Under Pressure” from 1981 charted at #29. Bowie’s 1983 treatment of “China Girl” was much more palatable to the public than his production of the same song on Iggy Pop’s album “The Idiot.” More on that below.

The difference might be attributed to a number of factors. One of these is that production duties entirely belonged to Nile Rodgers formally of the dance band Chic and a popular session guitarist and producer. While Rodgers plays guitar on this cut, the lead was played by the legendary Stevie Ray Vaughan. Vaughan’s inclusion on the “Let’s Dance” LP gave album rock credibility Bowie’s project as it generally a dance/pop album.

This is much like Eddie Van Halen’s performance on Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” – which garnered some AOR play on stations that normally wouldn’t play a Jackson cut. The only difference is that album radio more readily accepted this new style for Bowie, as he had always been an album rock artist despite popularity on the pop charts.

Iggy Pop's Original

Although Bowie didn’t stray too far from Iggy Pop’s original in structure, the arrangement was greatly improved for the remake. Released as a single in some countries, Iggy Pop’s version failed to chart anywhere. I cannot find any information if RCA released as a 45 in the US – if so, it was only a promotional release.

Bowie was the sole producer on the cut and plays keyboards, guitar, piano, saxophone, and xylophone, as well as providing backing vocals. By listening to the original, you can see why Bowie’s 1983 version was the hit.

Stiff Records: I Go To Pieces

Probably the most atypical of Stiff Records’ recording artists was the 16 year-old singing wonder Rachel Sweet. In 1978, Sweet was signed to Stiff-Columbia and may have been the only artist on this version of the Stiff Records label. Her first US single from her 1978 album “Fool Around,” was a cover of the Del Shannon composition, “I Go to Pieces.”

Peter and Gordon had the original hit with the song which peaked at #9 in the US in early 1965. It was the first hit for the duo that hadn’t been written by The Beatles and the third biggest US hit for Peter and Gordon.

Rachel Sweet’s 1979 release didn’t do nearly as well. While if failed to chart in the US, it barely made it into the Australian Top 40 by peaking at #36. While “I Go to Pieces” was Sweet’s debut single on Stiff in the US, it was not the case in the UK. Her remake of Carla Thomas’ “B-A-B-Y” was released first in the UK and made some headway at #35; however, when released as her second Stiff-Columbia single in North America, it too failed to chart.

Sweet’s only US hit proper was a duet with Rex Smith in 1982 after she left Stiff, but was still under contract with Columbia Records. This remake of Robert Knight’s “Everlasting Love” peaked at #32.

While Sweet’s version of “I Go to Pieces” was a fitting introduction to American audience, her talent and the excellent production of this pop single was not enough to put her into the winner’s circle. A number of reasons could be attributed to this. By 1979, musical tastes had changed and pop music was challenged by disco and new wave on the Top 40 front.

Stiff was still an unknown label in the US and because the label was largely regarded as a punk/new wave label this too may have impeded her success. With the co-marketing of Stiff and Columbia, the Columbia promotions department may not have pushed this single to radio as they might have with an artist just signed to Columbia proper.

Finally, some have suggested that, despite her colossal talent, her young age may have been negatively received by radio programmers who were catering to young adult women as the key demographic. We may never know, but enjoy it anyway.

J-Man and Keith: 20th Century Boy

Back from a short vacation, I’m ready to rock with “Reading Between the Grooves.” Since today is my father’s birthday, I’ve picked a song that was used in Verizon’s Father’s Day commercial from last month.

Sounding a great deal like T-Rex’s 1973 original recording of “20th Century Boy,” the cover by J-Man and Keith captures the soul of Marc Bolan. The cut was released just weeks before Father’s Day in May 2014.

Original Recording from T-Rex

The original T-Rex recording was originally issued only as a single and did not appear on CD until 1994 when it was added as a bonus track to the 1973 album “Tanx.” The single did quite well in Europe; however, I cannot find any documentation that it was released as such in the US. If it was, it failed to chart.

Gary Moore: Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood

I’ve been thinking about this song for a couple of weeks. In a faculty/staff development session at Mountain State University, my coworker Vanessa Thompson and I burst into an impromptu version of the Animal’s version of “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood.” So, I thought I would find a decent cover of the song – without having to revert to Santa Esmeralda’s disco treatment of the tune.

I stumbled on the late Gary Moore’s version last week and, although it is true to The Animals’ arrangement, it is heavier.

The Animals’ Version

This 1965 single by The Animals was not the original version of the song. It was first recorded during the previous year by Nina Simone – whose version is quite laid back by comparison. Eric Burdon and crew charted at #15 in the US and the single was released on the American version of the album “Animal Tracks,” which was totally different from the original UK album of the same name.

For those who care about such things, keyboardist Alan Price is playing a Vox Continental combo organ; bassist Chas Chandler utilizes a Epiphone Rivoli bass guitar, and guitarist Hilton Valentine is strumming a 1962 Gretsch Tennessean.

Deep Purple: Lalena

Here’s a cover going back to 1969 from Deep Purple’s self-titled third LP. This album is my favorite of the four Tetragrammaton albums by the band; however, I have to admit – my copy is a UK import on Harvest Records. It has the strangest cover of any album by the band as it features a black and white photo of Hieronymus Bosch's painting “The Garden of Earthly Delights.”

My favorite tune on the album is their interpretation of Donovan’s ballad “Lalana” which is pronounced “Laleña .“ Rod Evans voice is just perfect and Ritchie Blackmore’s subtle use of a volume pedal at the end of the tune almost sounds like a sitar. This was the only cover on an album that featured primarily original material by the band. It was also the last album to feature the original lineup of the band.

I realize that I used this tune back last year in a post dealing with the "Deep Purple before Smoke on the Water"; however, I felt that this cut deserved a bit more exposure.

Donovan’s Original Version

Although it wasn’t a hit, Donovan’s original of “Lalena” was my favorite song of his. Here’s his original recoding of the tune.

David Bowie & David Gilmour: Arnold Layne

I got thinking about early Pink Floyd this weekend because I stumbled upon a comedic video on YouTube that satirized the late Syd Barrett – the originator and genius behind the band. Due to increasing mental problems which were exasperated by the use of hallucinogens, Barrett’s actions became radically unpredictable. He would participate in weird behavior during concerts and at times not even show up for the show.

While not officially fired by the band, they elected to not pick him up for a gig and he was phased out of Pink Floyd being replaced by his friend David Gilmour. Previously, Gilmour had substituted for the missing Barrett on a number of occasions and finally became the band’s official fifth member prior to Barrett's departure. Pink Floyd was in the midst of recording their second LP, “A Saucerful of Secrets” and a handful of singles when Barrett was relieved of his responsibilities with the band.

Although recorded in the same sessions that produced their debut LP, “Piper at the Gates of Dawn,” “Arnold Layne” did not show on a Pink Floyd album until the release of the compilation “Relics” in 1971. As the band’s initial single, it failed to chart in the US, but gained some momentum in the UK and The Netherlands where it charted at #20 and #30 respectively.

In 2006, David Gilmour began reprising “Arnold Layne” during his tour that year. Two live recordings of the song were captured from the Royal Albert Hall performances. One featured Gilmour on vocals and was released as a single. Gilmour’s version did slightly better than the original as it charted at #19 in the UK.

A second version featured David Bowie on vocals and is our Monday Cover tune today. Bowie previously covered Pink Floyd’s second single, “See Emily Play” in 1973 for the album “Pin Ups.” This LP featured Bowie recording covers of music by The Pretty Things, Them, The Who, The Kinks, The Yardbirds, The Easybeats, The McCoys, and Pink Floyd.

While Bowie did a good job on “See Emily Play,” I like his rendition of “Arnold Layne” much better. David Gilmour joins on harmony vocals. If the keyboard parts sound strangely familiar, it is the late Richard Wright who as a member of Pink Floyd played on the single.

The Original by Pink Floyd

4 Non Blondes: Misty Mountain Hop

If someone would have said in the early 1970s that there would be a vocalist that could rival Robert Plant, I would have laughed. But then again, I hadn’t heard of Linda Perry and 4 Non Blondes. Today we feature their cover recording of “Misty Mountain Hop.”

The song starts off with the opening piece from another Zep tune – “Black Dog” and moves into the characteristic electric piano part. The sound is a little different than the piano on “Led Zeppelin IV,” and I believe that is because it appears to be a Wurlitzer Electric Piano with the tremolo turned up part way, while the instrument played by John Paul Jones (according to the live videos and its bell like sound) was a Rhodes Piano.

4 Non Blondes released their cover on Atlantic Records’ 1995 album: “Encomium: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin.” “Misty Mountain Hop” was also released as a single for this short lived San Francisco band, but the single failed to chart.

Led Zep Original

Kicking off side two of Led Zeppelin’s best selling fourth album is their version of “Misty Mountain Hop.” Need I say anything more?

Radney Foster & Pat Green: Texas In 1880

It is not often where I feature an artist who covers his own song; however, today’s selection is one of those rare occasions. I love this song and even learned it in 1987 when it was the third of four singles from Foster & Lloyd’s self titled debut album. I remember seeing them on Austin City Limits and within a few days, I bought the cassette and played it death while on the road. I was reminded of this because the cassette just surfaced about a month ago.

The duo was made of Bill Lloyd and Radney Foster. Note the spelling of his name is RAD-ney; I wonder if he had a dollar for every time in his life that he was called either Randy or Rodney how rich would he be. Anyway, Foster and Lloyd broke on the scene with their debut LP and garnered three top ten singles and “Texas in 1880” which peaked on Billboard’s Hot Country Charts at 18. The album charted at #33 on the Country Album Charts. This was a fairly good showing for a debut record.

Foster & Lloyd had a unique country-rock sound reminiscent in places of The Byrds’ country-rock period and harmonies that were compared to the Everly Brothers. I always wondered why they never could sustain their run at the charts. Were they too late with their sound missing the fledgling country-rock era of the 70s or too early missing the “country is cool” phase of the 90s? Perhaps the promotional department of RCA Nashville didn’t know what to do with this band. I guess we will never know for sure.

Another duo, Brooks & Dunn, were country chart favorites from 1991 until they called it quits last year. If Foster & Lloyd had waited four years to hit the scene would their stab at the charts have been any different? Speaking of Brooks and Dunn, what if Radney Foster and Kix Brooks teamed up – they could be known as Foster Brooks. I guess you have to be of a sufficient age to appreciate that joke.

In 2001, Radney Foster and Pat Green covered the old Foster & Lloyd 1987 hit and tried a run at the charts. I would imagine that Foster saw the potential in his own song that he chose to rerecord it and see if it could do better the second time around; however, it didn’t as it only charted at #54 on the country charts. The album, “Ready for the Big Show” failed to chart.

The arrangement mirrors the original; however, an addition of an organ, mandolin, piano, and slide guitar (probably a lap steel) add to the newness of this version. It also features the harmony vocals of then up-and-coming country artist Pat Green. In a few years, Green would have his own hit with “Wave on Wave.”

The Foster & Lloyd Original

As stated earlier, I loved this song the first time I heard it in Austin City Limits, although I have no partiality towards cowboys, rodeos, or the decade of the 1880s. In fact, I’ve never been to a rodeo and have no plans of every attending one – it is the music and not the subject of the song that grabbed me.

Although missing the instrumentation of the cover, this song is fine the way it is and it doesn’t need anything else. Guitars, bass, and drums are enough for this 1987 hit. By the way, Foster and Lloyd have reformed as of the end of last year. Expect the release of their new CD "It's Already Tomorrow" sometime this spring.

Concrete Blonde: Crystal Blue Persuasion

I intended to have Concrete Blonde’s cover of Tommy James and the Shondell’s “Crystal Blue Persuasion” last Monday; however, both Sunday and Monday were very busy days and I didn’t even get a post up for that day. Concrete Blonde’s version was recorded in 1993 for a compilation that supported the “In Defense of Animals Foundation.”

The band fronted by bassist Johnette Napolitano (her last name just rolls of the tongue) took its name from a pejorative term for 80s hair bands who used so much hairspray that their hair was like concrete. Napolitano’s voice is almost indistinguishable from Tommy James’ voice in places. It’s not an exact copy, but it is close.

Tommy James & the Shondells’ Original

I always loved this song – it’s probably in my top 10 favorites from 1969. When Eddie Gray, Tommy James, Mike Vale wrote the song, the band had just converted to Christianity and were studying various passages out of the Bible. In an interview a number of years ago, James thought that it was Revelation 19 that inspired him and Vale to write the lyrics. I think it is more likely that he was inspired by Revelation 21 and 22. Those two chapters fit with the theme of the song much better.

Others in the Shondells’ organization suggest that imagery from Ezekiel and Isaiah were used for the lyrical content in addition to passages from Revelation. You’ll be hard pressed to find an exact correlation with any specific biblical passage; however, I've always thought the song had a spiritual connection because of the following lyric at the key change:

Maybe tomorrow,
When he looks down
On every green field,
And every town
All of his children,
And every nation
They'll be peace and good, brotherhood–
Crystal blue persuasion.

I always thought the organ on this song sounded like a Young Rascals tune. The production on this recording is fantastic, but it took a great deal of work to create this master piece as Tommy James explained in a 2009 interview with Song Facts:

We went in and had a set of drums, we had guitars, we had keyboards, and by the end, we just realized we had totally overproduced the record. It just was not "Crystal Blue Persuasion" anymore. It was a nice track, but wasn't right. So we had to produce the record, and then we had to un-produce the record. And one by one we just started pulling the instruments out, until we ended up with a conga drum, a bongo, a tambourine, a flamenco guitar, and a very light-sounding bass.

We took out the drums completely. We took out all the keyboards except one, which was a Hammond, and ended up with about four instruments on it. Suddenly it became "Crystal Blue Persuasion," the song that we had written. It has kind of an effervescent sound about it, a lot of atmospherics that just weren't there when it had all those instruments on it. Suddenly when you emptied out the record it sounded like "Crystal Blue" again.

It had that light airy sound, which it needed to be right. And it took us about 6 weeks to do all that. It really was a very intricate un-production, pulling all the things out. Actually, it was tougher than putting them in because you didn't want to mess up the record, but you wanted to empty it out. So it came out and went #1 for us.

The horns were later added to the single mix of “Crystal Blue Persuasion.”

Eric Clapton: Knockin' On Heaven's Door

I don’t know how many of you remember this little played single from 1975, but almost two years after Bob Dylan released the original single from the movie “Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid,” Eric Clapton recorded his reggae inspired interpretation of “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.” Clapton’s cover only made it 38 on the charts while Dylan’s original just barely missed the top 10 peaking at #12 in the fall of ’73.

I remember the first time I heard Dylan’s version. It was a weekend in September 1973 and a fellow student Kevin Yeager and I drove back from college in Kentucky to our home in Pennsylvania as our first vacation from school as freshmen. I am not sure what precipitated such an early trip home from school, but several of us piled into Kevin’s white 64 Ford Galaxy 500 and made that 300 mile trek.

There were two memorable events from the radio that Friday – hearing “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” and learning the news that Jim Croce had passed away in a plane crash the night before. Incidentally, it was the same week that former Byrd/Flying Burrito Gram Parsons had died as well and I can remember reading the strange story that appeared in Saturday’s paper of how his body was stolen and was burned in the desert by two of his friends. I clipped the article for a current events scrapbook for my World Civilization class.

It’s kind of strange – Gram Parsons – then Jim Croce – and the song “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.” I never made any connection of the three until now and am amazed that nearly 40 years later it is a clear today as it was then.

Back to Clapton; his single was not released at the time on an album, although it later appeared on “Time Pieces: The Best of Eric Clapton” in 1982. Always cognizant of singles that were not album releases, I normally bought these 7 inch discs that might just never surface on an LP. I purchased my copy at one of the three outlets in Grayson, KY that sold singles – “the Sundry Store.” The other two record haunts in that small town of less than 4,000 was the “DJ Record Shop” and “Ralph’s.” I made my rounds every week to each one.

¬

Clapton added his talents to another version of this song that he produced, played guitar, and sang back-up. Randy Crawford provided the accompaniment vocals that are the focus of the tune and David Sanborn the memorable saxophone parts. This version appeared on “Lethal Weapon 2” soundtrack.

Dylan’s Original

It’s rare to find a Dylan studio original on YouTube and I am afraid this recording won’t last long before either Dylan’s management or Sony has it pulled. But in the meantime, enjoy this classic from 1973. It is really showcases Dylan’s ability to take a simple chord progression (G-D-Am7-Am7; G-D-C-C) and turn it into a thing of greatness. There’s only one thing wrong with this song – it’s too darn short.

Warren Haynes & The Dave Matthews' Band: Cortez The Killer

A few weeks ago before I got the flu, Greg Rector requested a song for a Monday cover tune – Warren Haynes with the Neil Young LP cut “Cortez the Killer.” I can’t tell you when I first heard Haynes with “Government Mule.” It may have been on late night TV or at a performance of Mountain Stage Radio Show.

Haynes, who is performing here with the Dave Matthews Band, is known for his participation in the jam band scene where he has performed as a member of Government Mule, the Dicky Betts Band, the Allman Brothers Band, and as a special guest of the Dave Matthews’ Band and the Grateful Dead.

Neil Young & Crazy Horse’s Original

From Neil & Crazy Horse’s 1975 release of “Zuma,” here’s the original version of “Cortez the Killer.”

Lyrics

He came dancing across the water
With his galleons and guns
Looking for the new world
In that palace in the sun.

On the shore lay Montezuma
With his coca leaves and pearls
In his halls he often wondered
With the secrets of the worlds.

And his subjects
gathered 'round him
Like the leaves around a tree
In their clothes of many colors
For the angry gods to see.

And the women all were beautiful
And the men stood
straight and strong
They offered life in sacrifice
So that others could go on.

Hate was just a legend
And war was never known
The people worked together
And they lifted many stones.

They carried them
to the flatlands
And they died along the way
But they built up
with their bare hands
What we still can't do today.

And I know she's living there
And she loves me to this day
I still can't remember when
Or how I lost my way.

He came dancing across the water
Cortez, Cortez
What a killer.

Greg Hawkes: Eleanor Rigby

The timing of this recording’s feature on Reading Between the Grooves has no connection to yesterday’s baritone uke feature. I had been planning on using Greg Hawkes’ ukulele cover of The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby” and had promised a co-worker that I would feature it during the near future. She is a personal friend of Hawkes and had not heard this 2008 recording from his CD “Beatles Uke.”

Hawkes was the former keyboardist of The Cars and may be the shortest male rock n’ roller. He stands 5’ 2” tall which is one inch shorter than guitarist Nils Lofgren. In this video featuring four incarnations of Greg Hawkes wearing a Chairman Mao type outfit, Greg plays all four sizes of ukulele. Three of which are made by the C.F. Martin Company of Nazareth, PA. They include the soprano, tenor, and baritone models. The pineapple shaped concert model is made from an unknown (to me) manufacturer. I tried finding the brand on this one, but several companies make pineapple shaped ukes.

The difference between the various ukes is not that great and for the most part sopranos, concerts, and tenors are only differenced in size and are all tuned G C E A with the G sting an octave higher. This tuning is the infamous “My dog has fleas” tuning. This is a fourth higher than the guitar. Some variations include a tuning fifth higher than guitar for the soprano version (A D F# B) and some prefer to use a lower G string on the larger tenor uke.

The size differences are 13” for sopranos, 15” for concerts, and 17” for tenors. The much larger (19”) baritone ukulele is tune like the four high guitar strings as D G B E. The baritone uke does not employ an octave sting.

The Beatles Original

A departure from previous recordings, Eleanor Rigby features Paul McCartney on lead and harmony vocals and John Lennon and George Harrison singing harmony. Ringo Starr does not perform on the cut; however, he did provide some of the song’s lyrical content as did Beatle friend Pete Shotton.

The instrumentation is a string octet that included four violins, two violas, and two ‘cellos. The single was a double sided number one hit with “Yellow Submarine” in most countries. In the US, “Yellow Submarine” charted at #2 and “Eleanor Rigby” placed at #11.

Gruhak: Love Me Two Times

A little late post due to a busy weekend, but I hope today’s featured cover tune is worth the wait. I wanted to do a song in honor of Valentine’s Day, so I thought what song would fit the occasion? My first choice was a cover of The Beatles’ “And I Love Her”; however, having featured the Fab Four twice last week it seemed, well, -- like overkill. Scratch that one.

So I thought long and hard about what love song fit my mood of the day and the first thing that popped into my mind was a tune made famous by The Lizard King himself, Jim Morrison and his band The Doors. The song was selected and now to find a fitting cover which seemed more difficult that I would have imagined.

Aerosmith

The first cover I considered was by Aerosmith. While their instrumentation was great, Steven Tyler’s vocals seemed to strain more than normal on this number. I did like his harp playing, but his vocals wouldn’t get him a slot on American Idol with this rendition. Sorry Steven, I generally like your hits and your covers (i.e., “Train Kept A Rollin’,”), but this one – hmmm, I’ll have to think about it.

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

I next listened to Joan Jett. This was more to my liking, but being the critic that I am, I felt that her vocals were slightly buried in the mix and too compressed. Tweaking that channel would have made her version nearly perfect. In fact the Blackhearts keyboardist even was playing a Rhodes Piano Bass ala Ray Manzarek. As much as I liked the idea of the use of a vintage keyboard, I’m thinking that perhaps there are others worth investigating.

Gruhak

After listening to two dozen covers of this song, I think I’ll go with Gruhak from Croatia. Their name is Croatian slang for “a loud and obtrusive person.” While the keyboard part is not the same as Ray Manzarek’s original, that’s not a problem. It works. As I can gather from their website, the keyboardist is not a member of the band – at least not currently. What can you say about a band whose lead vocalist is named Boris? These guys are looking for gigs – hire them now. If their original songs are as good as this cover, they need to be signed.

The Original by The Doors

Released as The Doors’ fourth single and peaking at 25, “Love Me Two Times” was written by the band’s guitarist Robby Krieger. It was about a soldier shipping off to Vietnam and seeing his girl for the last time. Krieger is an interesting guy as rumor had it that he never changed his strings on his guitar. Urban legend or not? – even Snopes doesn’t confirm or deny this piece of musical trivia.

John Densmore kept the beat going as Ray Manzarek played the keyboard parts and bass on a Rhodes Piano Bass during their live performances. On this recording from the “Strange Days” album, however, Doug Lubahn is playing bass guitar. Manzarek utilized a clavinet and not a harpsichord which is often misstated when this song is mentioned. Of courses, the lead vocals were by the legendary Jim Morrison.

Gary Moore: Red House

I heard last night that guitarist Gary Moore had passed away in Spain while on vacation. Not only known for his three stints with Thin Lizzy, Moore had a semi-successful solo career. Sadly, he never reached the renown that matched his talent.

In honor of Moore and to fulfill our Monday Cover feature, I have selected a live concert recording of his covering Jimi Hendrix's “Red House.” It really showcases Moore's talent as a guitarist and vocalist. It was recorded at Wembley Arena in 2004. Rest in Peace Gary – the world will miss your talent.

Jimi Hendrix Original

Chet Atkins & Leo Kottke: Sleep Walk

Late start tonight on this blog post – I was very busy last evening and fell asleep before doing the post. Today’s Monday cover is one I discovered a couple of months ago of guitar greats Chet Atkins and Leo Kottke doing the classic Santo and Johnny hit from 1959: “Sleep Walk.” This recording comes from 1988.

The interesting guitar that Chet is playing is a Brazilian made Del Vecchio Dinâmico nylon string resonator guitar. The Del Vecchios have a beautiful tone; however, from what I have read is that the more recent models typically have intonation and action problems. If one is in decent enough shape, a good guitar tech can get one to play well. Del Vecchio also made steel string resonator models.

Unfortunately, as Chet Atkins friend Earl Klugh discovered, It is sometimes easier to have a good luthier make a Del Vecchio copy. Speaking of copies, Conrad Guitars made a Del Vecchio copy in the early 1970s. I remember seeing one in a music shop in Huntington, WV. I can’t swear of its quality, but Conrad typically made guitars for department store sales as were many Japanese manufactured instruments of the era.

Casa Del Vecchio Ltda. of São Paulo, Brazil is still in business and only makes one resonator model – a 10 string (five courses) Viola Dinamica Especial. The strings are in five courses and it appears to be of a smaller body than a typical guitar. It is painted a wild green and yellow. I would imagine that the tuning is similar to a 10 string mandolin (C G D A E).

Santo and Johnny’s Original

The Farina brothers took this original instrumental to the top spot for two weeks in 1959. Santo played a triple neck Fender console steel guitar. Each neck had eight strings and the tuning possibilities were endless.

I never tried playing this song until recently, but quickly realized that it was not your typical progression as the fourth chord was a minor rather than a major fourth. It gives “Sleep Walk” its unique character.

Eric Clapton & Billy Preston: Isn't It A Pity

On November 29, 2002, a group of musicians gathered on the first anniversary of the death of George Harrison at the Royal Albert Hall to celebrate the life and music of George Harrison in what was called “The Concert for George.” The title was a play on George Harrison’s own benefit for the Bengali people with his Concert for Bangladesh in 1971. The proceeds from the concert went to George’s own Material World Charitable Foundation.

Today’s cover song is by Eric Clapton and Billy Preston who do a version of George’s song “Isn’t it a Pity” from his “All Things Must Pass” album. Marc Mann plays the slide guitar that is reminiscent of Harrison’s original recording. The young man that looks surprisingly like a young George Harrison playing the acoustic guitar is George’s son Dhani Harrison.

Dhani is playing George’s custom made Zemaitis acoustic guitar with the heart shaped sound hole. The prototype of this guitar was designed by Eric Clapton and was a 12-string that Dhani’s father borrowed when he recorded “My Sweet Lord.” Clapton’s model was named “Ivan the Terrible.” George had six and 12 string models in this style but they were less ornate than Clapton’s prototype.

George Harrison’s Version One

Written during the “White Album” sessions, the song was not used by The Beatles, but would later surface on “All Things Must Pass” and as a double A-sided single along with “My Sweet Lord.” It appeared as the final cut on side one of the album.

George Harrison’s Version Two

George included a second, slower, and shorter version of “Isn’t It A Pity” on “All Things must Pass.” It appears on side four of the three disc set and is not as well known as the initial version.

Robert Palmer: Respect Yourself

I first heard late Robert Palmer during the summer of 1974. This was between my freshman and sophomore year of college and I was back home working my old job at McDonalds in North Versailles, PA.

I had been hired the year before as the store’s first employee, since heading to Kentucky for my education, I was extended the invitation by management to come back and work college breaks – which I did until 1975.

As part of the closing crew that summer, I was often in the back of the store washing the various utensils used that day. Management allowed those in the back to listen to the radio to pass the time. One night, WDVE in Pittsburgh featured Robert Palmer’s debut LP “Sneaking Sally through the Alley.”

I liked his style, but never did purchase this first album. Several years passed and he had a string of hit singles starting with “Every Kind of People” that showcased the influence of American soul music in his vocal stylings.

Today, we feature Robert Palmer doing a cover of a Staple Singers hit “Respect Yourself.” He is accompanied by The Root Canal on this number for Danish Television. Palmer’s single release of the tune peaked at #45 on the UK charts in 1995.

The Staple Singers Version

Written by the late Luther Ingram and Mack Rice, “Respect Yourself” became a signature hit for the Staple Singers in 1971. Although only peaking at #12 on the Hot 100, the song placed at #2 on the Hot Soul Singles Chart the same year. The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section who played on hits by Aretha Franklin and Wilson Picket were enlisted to play on this classic oldie.

Mac McAnally: Little Martha

One of the greatest little instrumentals of all time is found on the Allman Brothers’ LP “Eat A Peach.” Recorded just weeks before Duane Allman’s death in October 1971, “Little Martha” is just over two minutes in length and is what Leo Kottke has referred to as “possibly the most perfect guitar song ever written.”

Mac McAnally explains why he had difficulty learning this tune that was recorded in open E tuning (EBEG#BE) as he appeared on the Bob and Tom syndicated radio show.

The guitar Mac is playing is a Resolectric from the National Resophonic Guitar Company. According to National website, the guitar’s specs are as follows:

The current model uses an audiophile-quality Highlander preamp to mix both the magnetic and piezoelectric pickups. A Jason Lollar P-90 pickup sits in the neck position, and a Highlander piezo transducer is fitted under the saddle. The output of each pickup is controlled by independent volume knobs, with a master volume knob to control the instrument's overall output level. A 3-way toggle switch selects which pickups are active. The solid mahogany body is capped with a figured maple top bound in ivoroid. The figured maple neck clears 14 frets to the body, highlighted with a diamond inlaid, rosewood fretboard.

It’s a great sounding guitar that beats the original National Resophonics of the 50s and 60s to pieces. I know as I have one. Mine is from 1958 and I bought it during the summer of 1976 at B&B Loans in Charleston, WV for $85. I love my Resophonic, but alas it not electric and has only 12 frets to the body.

Allman Brothers’ Original

Played by Duane Allman and Dicky Betts, the title “Little Martha” was inspired by a grave at the Rose Hill Cemetery in Macon, GA. It is the same cemetery that provided the inspiration for the Dicky Betts’ tune “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” and the same cemetery where Duane Allman and Berry Oakley would be laid to rest.

Little Martha Ellis was one month shy of her 13th birthday when she died in 1836. A full sized statue of the little girl whose name would be immortalized a century and a half later stands watch over her final resting place in Macon.

It appears that the original pedestal for the statue was replaced at some time in the recent past. For more on her grave site, see her Find A Grave memorial.