Home > Beatles, Covers Mixes, Mix CD-Rs > Any Major Beatles Covers: 1968-70

Any Major Beatles Covers: 1968-70

April 23rd, 2010 Leave a comment Go to comments

The third mix of Beatles covers, covering the period between the White Album (partly covered in the second mix) to the final album. The most significant song here is the Beach Boys’ live recording of Back In The USSR, with Ringo Starr guesting. The song was, of course, Paul McCartney’s satire of the Beach Boys. One imagines it was a find piss-take, because by 1968 the Beach Boys had long left the girs-cars-surf scene behine (well, except Mike Love, who never really got past it).

Two songs here, by George Benson and by Booker T & the MGs, come from full reworkings of Abbey Road, while Count Basie comes from a tribute album to the Beatles, and the I Am Sam soundtrack, which consisted of Beatles covers, has been represented on all three mixes. Knowing how a succession of easy listening merchants have sucked the soul out of Something with cheesy arrangements and over-arrangement (yes, Sinatra, too), the notion of Shirley Bassey giving the song a go seems discouraging. Despite a lavish arrangement and moments of enthusiastic emoting, it is a quite splendid interpretation which segues nicely into Nina Simone’s much sparser, and utterly beautiful take of the other Harrison masterpiece on Abbey Road. Simone’s 1971 Here Comes The Sun LP, an album of covers, is well worth seeking out.

More than on the previous compilation of Beatles covers, the 1990s are well represented. It wasn’t planned that way, but Dionne Farris’ version of Blackbird is rather lovely, and Alison Krauss’ tender bluegrass interpretation of I Will, with that sweet voice, is angelic.

I had hopes of putting together a sequence of covers of the Abbey Road side 2 medley. I had enough covers, but not consistently the quality I was looking for. Other songs presented me with dilemmas: Amen Corner’s Get Back, or the Main Ingredient? Randy Crawford’s Don’t Let Me Down or Phoebe Snow’s? Aretha Franklin’ Let It Be or Clarence Carter’s? I hope I’ve made good choices. Incidentally, when I set out to put together the three mixes I set myself a rule not to have any artist represented twice.

TRACKLISTING
1. Beach Boys – Back In The USSR (live) (1984)
2. Tuck & Patti – Honey Pie (1990)
3. Dionne Farris – Blackbird (1994)
4. Alison Krauss – I Will (1995)
5. Micah P. Hinson – While My Guitar Gently Weeps (2009)
6. Phoebe Snow – Don’t Let Me Down (1976)
7. Billy Bragg – Revolution (1997)
8. The Main Ingredient – Get Back (1970)
9. Count Basie – Come Together (1970)
10. Shirley Bassey – Something (1970)
11. Nina Simone – Here Comes The Sun (1971)
12. George Benson – Oh Darling (1970)
13. Booker T and the MGs – I Want You (1970)
14. Elliott Smith – Because (1999)
15. Joe Cocker – She Came In Through The Bathroom Window (1969)
16. Ben Folds – Golden Slumbers (2002)
17. Dobby Dobson – You Never Give Me Your Money/Carry The Weight (1971)
18. Loose Salute – The End (2009)
19. Rufus Wainwright – Across The Universe (2002)
20. Neil Finn & Liam Finn – Two Of Us (2002)
21. Clarence Carter – Let It Be (1970)
22. Gladys Knight & The Pips – The Long And Winding Road (1971)

GET IT!  (PW in comments)

.

More great Beatles stuff:
Beatles Recovered: A Hard Day’s Night
Beatles Recovered: Beatles For Sale
Beatles Recovered: Help!
Beatles Recovered: Rubber Soul
Beatles Recovered: Revolver
Beatles Recovered: Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club  Band
Beatles Revovered: Magical Mystery Tour
Beatles Recovered: White Album
Beatles Recovered: Yellow Submarine
Wordless: Any Major Beatles Instrumentals
Covered With Soul Vol. 14 – Beatles Edition 1
Covered With Soul Vol. 15 – Beatles Edition 2

Any Major Beatles Covers: 1962-66

Any Major Beatles Covers: 1967-68
Any Major Beatles Covers: 1968-70
Any Bizarre Beatles
Beatles Album tracks and B-Sides Vol. 1
Beatles Album tracks and B-Sides Vol. 2
Beatles Reunited: Everest (1971)
Beatles Reunited: Live ’72 (1972)
Beatles Reunited: Smile Away (1972)
Beatles Reunited: Photographs (1974)

Categories: Beatles, Covers Mixes, Mix CD-Rs Tags:
  1. halfhearteddude
    April 23rd, 2010 at 00:46 | #1

    PW = amdwhah

  2. Geoviki
    April 23rd, 2010 at 02:50 | #2

    This has been an awesome series! Thanks so much for all the work.

  3. ian
    April 23rd, 2010 at 12:53 | #3

    Good Job and great choices

    It is downloading as I type.Cant wait to get it on the ipod

  4. James
    April 23rd, 2010 at 13:01 | #4

    I *love* Elliot Smith’s version of “Because.” It has been a favorite of mine for years.

    So I guess no one has covered “Polythene Pam,” eh? :)

    Thanks for all of your hard work!

  5. April 23rd, 2010 at 20:54 | #5

    nice work again dude

  6. April 26th, 2010 at 22:24 | #6

    Nice choices. Lots of hard work, all appreciated.

  7. matthew rake
    April 27th, 2010 at 11:40 | #7

    great selection – phoebe snow’s ‘don’t let me down’ and ben folds very faithful rendition of ‘golden slumbers’ are two of my fave songs of all time.

    who is singing on the gladys knight track? v soulful voice.

    thanks again.

  8. Asli Jat
    May 1st, 2010 at 06:13 | #8

    Thanks once again …

  9. Rhod
    May 4th, 2010 at 08:52 | #9

    Thanks for this great series some wonderful interpretations. Great listening

    Regards

    Rhod

  10. W
    May 7th, 2010 at 23:30 | #10

    Great set, you’ve got some real rarities here. Thanks! W.

  11. Danilo
    June 7th, 2010 at 15:06 | #11

    Thank you so much. Great series.

  12. Stinky
    June 9th, 2017 at 16:05 | #12

    Great collection! Thanks!

  13. Alexander
    January 10th, 2023 at 08:25 | #13

    The link id dead. Reupload, please! Thanks a lot!

  1. No trackbacks yet.