Tuesday, May 19, 2009

10 Greatest Covers Ever (Part 2)

continued from last post

3) Red Cadillac and a Black Mustache- Bob Dylan

Warren Smith was a singer and guitarist signed to Sam Phillips's Sun Records in the 50's. Never as popular as his label mates Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins or Roy Orbison, he nevertheless releasead some great records. This was one of them and Bob Dylan covered it on a Sun Records tribute album in 2001. Dylan, if anything, has always had great taste in music, and with this song he finds the poetry in every rockabilly line.

"Who you been loving since I've been gone?
A long tall man with a red coat on,
trifling baby you been doing me wrong,
who you been loving since I've been gone?

Now who's been playing around with you?
A real cool cat with eyes of blue
Good for nothing baby why can't you be true?
Who's been playing around with you
Who's been playing around with you

Somebody saw you at the break of day
Dancing and a dining at the cabaret
He was long and tall he had plenty of cash
He had a red cadillac and a black moustache

He held your hand and he sang you a song
Who you been loving since I been gone
Who you been loving since I been gone?"


And to paraphrase Samuel Johnson, "If this be not poetry, then where is poetry to be found?".





4) Mountain Of Love- Bruce Springsteen

Mountain of Love was originally written and recorded by a rock singer named Harold Dorman in 1960 and it went to number 21 on the charts. Four years later Johnny Rivers re-recorded it and it went to number 9. In 1975 Bruce and the E Street Band played a show at the Main Point in Bryn Mawr Pennsylvania that was broadcast on the radio and the second song they played was Mountain of Love. It's a widely bootleged show that was never released, but here's why John Landau called him the "future of rock and roll". "Standing on the mountain looking down on the city" you can't help but have visions of saviors and prophets.





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