Any Major Dude With Half A Heart

Volume 16 in the series, and no letting up. There are still many more fine soul covers in stock.

Unusually, we kick this one off with an instrumental “” but what an instrumental! King Curtis” cover of A Whiter Shade Of Pale, which also scores the opening sequence of the film Withnail & I. That film was set in 1969, but the song was actually released only in 1971, on Curtis” Live At Filmore West LP.

We”ve had a couple of soul cover mixes of Beatles songs; the overflow will be sprinkled over the next few mixes. Diana Ross” version of Come Together, from 1970, is quite excellent; see what you make of The Impressions” fairly straight cover of The Fool On The Hill.

Joe Simon, on the other hand, delivers a thoroughly reworked take on the Rolling Stones” Let”s Spend The Night Together.

I think I”ve gone on record as saying that every Kris Kristofferson song is best performed by the man himself. Here, Al Green is giving it everything to disprove my notion. Where KK”s version is melancholy about the break-up sex, Al is going to make the final night so memorable that she”ll change her mind about splitting (if it is indeed her who is agitating for separation; what do you think?).

Definitely outperforming the original is Maxine Weldon with her harp-dominated version of Fire And Rain.

It seems right to let the late Major Harris close off the mix with his version of My Way, a terrible song which in his hands is actually quite good once he goes into Philly Soul mode halfway through.

As always, the mix is timed to fit on a standard CD-R, for which homebaked covers are included. PW in comments.

TRACKLISTING
1. King Curtis – A Whiter Shade Of Pale (1971)
2. Diana Ross – Come Together (1970)
3. Joe Simon – Let’s Spend The Night Together (1976)
4. Hodges, James & Smith – I Who Have Nothing (1975)
5. New York City – Hang On Sloopy (1973)
6. Solomon Burke – Proud Mary (1969)
7. The Staple Singers – For What It’s Worth (1967)
8. The Impressions – Fool On The Hill (1969)
9. Jimmy Hughes – I Stand Accused (1967)
10. Al Green – For the Good Times (1972)
11. The Manhattans – By The Time I Get To Phoenix (1970)
12. The Temprees – We’ve Only Just Begun (1972)
13. Gladys Knight & The Pips – The Look Of Love (1968)
14. Maxine Weldon – Fire And Rain (1971)
15. Margie Joseph – Baby I’m A Want You (1974)
16. The Undisputed Truth – Killing Me Softly With His Song (1973)
17. Al Wilson – This Guy’s In Love With You (1968)
18. Major Harris – My Way (1974)

GET IT!

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More Covered With Soul

A couple of years ago I posted an intros quiz of TV themes; the link to it is working. Here is a second volume. All are themes of US shows from the 1980s and ’90s; all were broadcast throughout the world and are therefore universal. Each is  5-7 seconds in length.

The answers will be posted in the comments section by Monday (so please don”t post your answers). If the pesky number 8 bugs you, go to the Contact Me tab above to request the answers, or  better, message me on Facebook. If you”re not my FB friend, click here.

Intros Quiz ““ TV Themes Edition Vol. 2   (left click)

And for our German readers, here is a German TV theme intros quiz, covering the 1970s/80s. Answers also by Monday.

Intros Quiz – German TV Themes   (left click)

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More Intros Quizzes

It was carnage in January, as far as music deaths went. Strangely, none of the 30-odd new arrivals in music heaven (or hell) were big headline deaths.

Of course, Patti Page, who died on the first day of the new year, and Patty Andrews, the last surviving Andrews Sister who passed away on the second-last day of the month, were household names back in the day, but neither passing caused much of a stir. I suppose when you are 85 and 94, your deaths are sort of expected.

For funk fans, the deaths of Ohio Players singer Leroy “Sugarfoot” Bonner and Mandrill”s Lou Wilson was big news.  And fans of eclectic music that is rooted in blues will mourn the passing of Jef Lee Johnson, at only 54, and the quite remarkable Read more…