Reggae Covers Of Famous Songs

[ACEtone]

Rainy Night in Georgia
- can't remember the original artist but there's a slack Prince Buster version 'Rainy Night in Big 5' - Watty Burnett's version 'Rainy Night in Portland' is just marvelous (it's on the Upsetter Open the Gate set). Also Ken Parker and the Gladiators.
An English group with the unfortunate name of 'the Crusaders' had a best forgotten hit with it 1981.
It's a crackin' song with the right vocalist and backing.

Holly Holy. I don't recall ever really hearing the Neil Diamond version but frankly who needs to?
Reggae versions include, John Holt, The Fabulous Flames and yet again a slack version by Prince Buster titled 'Fishy Fishy. I'm sure there are many others.

And then of course there is the little drummer boy bizarrely transformed into 'Wreck a Pum Pum' or should this be classified as an adaptation? Probably.

Fiddler on the Roof - from the annoying musical redeemed by the incomparable Soul Brothers on the Hot Shot album.

Raindrops Keep Falling (from the flim?) Dennis Brown. Actually listening to this album (No Man Is An Island) for the first time. Fairly flat sounding backing. Nice enough but a bit lack lustre. DEB sounds well good though. Good pressing!

Daddy's Home - the original by who? - J. Mittoo's 'Dad Is Home' converts the unctuous vocal original in to a cool organ workout. Jackie wins hands down.

Can't Get Used to Losing You - Andy Williams I think. I'm listening to the Alton Ellis cut on Jamaica Today the Seventies. UB 40 (gack!), probably lots more.
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One of the most intriguing and difficult (for me) Jackie Mittoo collections is Jackie Mittoo in London.
Covers are
'Something Stupid' Nancy and Frank Sinatra

'Whiter Shade of Pale' Manfred Mann - 'I was feelin' kinda seasick...' quality lyrics directly transposed my JM into fairly dull melody lines. Unfortunate he wasn't playing a hammond for these tracks. Probably a Vox or Farfisa - reedy and shallow sounding.

'Massachusetts' Brothers Gibb. I was horrified when I first heard this years ago. Why cover this track and so badly? Or so I thought at the time. It is still weak as all hell but I sort of like the amateur quality. Again a proper organ would have elevated his playing to another level.

'Darker shade of Black' a version/adaptation of the beatless Beatles' Norwegian wood. This track is a corner stone-foundation-rock on which so many other tracks have been built. Never Mind the Beatles, Here's Jackie Mittoo! His role in this track seems to have been mainly as arranger as the organ is just a few nice bursts at certain moments.

'Winchester Cathedral' the New Vaudeville Band
you can see what kind of shite this fake band foisted upon record buyers and tv viewers here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv_RfFmJ5nA
Not a real band, miming singing and playing to the hit record as backing track etc. The Winchester track is about 3-1/2 minutes in. Jackie does us a favour by breaking it down to the melody and a somewhat stodgy riddim, but nice enough in its own way...

The remaining tracks but one could be covers but I just don't know what of: 'who done it' 'midnight special' 'how soon'

The final track 'Soul Finger' is a cover of the Bar-Keys instrumental with shouting in the background (in the Bar-Kays version I mean). Very short though. Dexy's Midnight Runners also covered this in rather copyist fashion too back in 80 something.
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and there are a million more I suspect. Great thing about Jamaican musicians of the time - real lovers of music, all kinds of music - really open ears - a lesson to us all when we get hung up on purist notions.
Though someone did point out the horror of the cover by Sharon Isaacs on Build the Ark of the dubious gushing nonsense put forth by Albert Morris - covered by lots of other fools too.
Perhaps Watty Burnett could put a gravelly patina of respectability on this dog of a track!

Where is Watty these days?

[luis rodigues coelho]

just to help you with a few more great reggae covers ;

- steel pulse, "brown eyed girl"
- ziggy marley, "people get ready"
- gregory isaacs, "house of the rising sun"
- eric clapton, "swing low, sweet chariot"
- eric clapton, "knocking on heavens door"
- judy mowatt, "knocking on heavens door"
- inner circle, obladi oblada
- wailing souls, "love her madly"
- steel pulse, "can't stand losing you"beres hammond, "these arms of mine"
- judy mowatt, "i shall be released"
- ziggy marley, "drive"

hope i was any help
one love
peace

[Roots_Rocker_Matt]

Little Roy's Ticket to Zion is a kinda half cover of the Beatles Ticket to Ride. Slighty same lyrics and music, but definatley a unique take on the song.

[Kyle]

Easy Star All-Stars have done 2 reggae cover albums

Dubside of the Moon (Darkside of the moon by pink floyd)
Radiodread (OK Computer by Radiohead)

[=Nilo82=]

There's a nice compilation named "impressed by the impressions" which features covers of impression songs in the rocksteady-era. So many Impression and Curtis Mayfield covers out there, you could make another compilation easy..

And concerning the "exodus" tune: i bought that "jamaica jazz" album out of studio1 - now i got 3 versions that sound completely different but are most likely played by the same musicians..

[hans]

Rainy Night in Georgia
- can't remember the original artist but there's a slack Prince Buster version 'Rainy Night in Big 5' - Watty Burnett's version 'Rainy Night in Portland' is just marvelous (it's on the Upsetter Open the Gate set). Also Ken Parker and the Gladiators.
An English group with the unfortunate name of 'the Crusaders' had a best forgotten hit with it 1981.
It's a crackin' song with the right vocalist and backing.

Miss Randy Crawford ft. The Crusaders @ Rainy Night In Georgia
http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=r9RAbrjYZh8

[DUDLEY 1NE]

Hornpipe Rocksteady / [popeye theme song RS style]

[ACEtone]

How about 'Summer Breeze' - Jackie Mittoo's version of the 1972 Seals and Croft song?
Another perfect example of the cover version redeeming the unctuous original!
And it's Jackie himself on vocals - sweet!

[Ed]

John Holt "Pledging my love" (Johnny Ace)

And two version from spanish artists:

Daniel in the Lion's Den "Dancing in the Sun" (Los Diablos "Un rayo de sol")

Prince Buster "Wreck a Pum Pum" (Raphael "El Tamborilero")

[Jason Allen]

As bad as this might sound......

I really like Jacob Miller's cover of the Stylistics' "You Make Me Feel Brand New."