Any Major Dude With Half A Heart

EDIT: Reposted to mark Sly’s death on June 9, 2025.

Last week, on 15 March 2023, it was Sly Stone’s 80th birthday. It passed me by until I saw a friend mentioning it on Facebook, expressing his surprise that the man born Sylvester Stewart was still alive. And it indeed seems to be a miracle, given Sly’s unwholesome lifestyle as a younger man.

Sly’s use of cocaine — stored in a violin case — was so prolific that it destroyed his nasal cavities. Apparently, his party trick was to insert a shoelace up one nostril and pull it out through the other. When Sly appeared at the Grammys in 2006, he looked ready for knocking on heaven’s door. But 17 years later, at 80, he’s still with us. Stand!

His body of work merits Any Major Songbook, kicking off with a collaboration of the man himself with Buddy Guy and John Mayer, from an album of collaborations with well-known names.

Some tracks here are by acts whose decision to cover Sly & The Family Stone is not surprising. But one name you might not have immediately thought of as featuring on this mix when you saw the title is that of James Last. The German bandleader was the perpetrator of much disposal easy listening fare, but it’s not well-known that the baton-swinger Last could be dangerously funky, as he is on Sing A Simple Song. Nor would you have expected venerable Big Band leader Woody Herman to cover a track called Sex Machine, his first name notwithstanding.

The bonus tracks include an early, pre-Family Stone track which Sly co-wrote and produced for Bobby Freeman in 1964. C’mon And Swim was a #5 pop hit in the US, and thus Sylvester’s first chart outing. He had been involved in music since he was a child, singing gospel music with his siblings Loretta, Freddie and Rose. The latter two would become members of Sly & The Family Stone, and are also survivors of their band’s militant hedonism pf the 1970s. Their solitary single as juvenile gospel singers, released in 1952, featured on Saved! Vol. 1.

Sly & The Family Stone are important as a musical act, having integrated various genres to create their funky music, using a drum machine when that was still nascent technology, and so on. And they were one of the first major multiracial act to score hits — much to the chagrin of the Black Panthers, who demanded the two white members be replaced. That wasn’t Sly’s way. His way was to advise abstention from the use of racial epithets.

This collection exceeds CD-R length, though tracks 1-19 are timed to fit on one, and so covers made be mice elf are included, as is the above text in a PDF. PW in comments.

1. Sly & The Family Stone with Buddy Guy & John Mayer – You Can Make It If You Try (2005)
2. Bettye LaVette – Thankful N’ Thoughtful (2012)
3. Manhattan Transfer with Chaka Kahn – Hot Fun In The Summertime (1995)
4. Dr John – Thank You (Falletin’ Me Be Mice Elf Again) (1994)
5. Billy Paul – Everyday People (1970)
6. The Ghana Soul Explosion – Family Affair (1973)
7. The Nineteenth Whole – You Caught Me Smilin’ Again (1972)
8. Al Jarreau – Somebody’s Watching You (1976)
9. Gladys Knight & The Pips – Everybody Is A Star (1971)
10. The Jackson 5 – Stand (1969)
11. Ike & Tina Turner – I Want To Take You Higher (1970)
12. The Three Degrees – You’re The One (1970)
13. Love Childs Afro Cuban Blues Band – Life And Death In G&A (1975)
14. James Last – Sing A Simple Song (1972)
15. Bar-Kays – Dance To The Music (1971)
16. Gene Harris – Don’t Call Me Nigger, Whitey (1974)
17. Dillard-Hartford-Dillard – The Same Thing (1980)
18. The Colourfield – Running Away (1987)
19. Maceo Parker – In Time (1990)
Bonus Tracks:
20. Bobby Freeman – C’mon And Swim (1964)
21. Eric Burdon & The Animals – I’m An Animal (1975)
22. George Howard – Just Like A Baby (1998)
23. Diana Ross – Le Lo Li (1976)
24. Simply Red – Let Me Have It All (1987)
25. Mercury Rev – If You Want Me To Stay (1992)
26. Woody Herman – Sex Machine (1969)

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Previous Songbooks:
ABBA
Ashford & Simpson
Barry Gibb Vol. 1
Barry Gibb Vol. 2
Bill Withers
Billy Joel
Bob Dylan Volumes 1-5
Brian Wilson
Bruce Springsteen
Burt Bacharach & Hal David Vol. 1
Burt Bacharach & Hal David Vol. 2
Burt Bacharach’s Lesser-Known Songbook
Carole Bayer Sager
Carole King Vol. 1
Carole King Vol. 2
Chuck Berry
Cole Porter Vol. 1
Cole Porter Vol. 2
Elton John & Bernie Taupin
George Harrison
Gordon Lightfoot
Hank Williams
Holland-Dozier-Holland
John Prine
Jimmy Webb Vol. 1
Jimmy Webb Vol. 2
Jimmy Webb Vol. 3
Kris Kristofferson
Lamont Dozier
Laura Nyro
Leonard Cohen
Neil Diamond
Paul McCartney Vol. 1
Paul McCartney Vol. 2
Pete Townshend
Prince
Rod Temperton
Rolling Stones Vol. 1
Rolling Stones Vol. 2
Sly Stone
Steely Dan
Stevie Wonder Vol. 1
Tom Waits

More Songbooks
More Covers Mixes
More CD-R Mixes

A couple of years ago a reader suggested that I compile a Songbook on The Who’s Pete Townshend. I thought it was a good idea, and set to the task of putting together such a thing. Then other tasks got in the way. But as Pete’s 80^th birthday on May 19 approached, I finished the job, and here it is.

For all the windmilling, feedback-drenched guitar solos and smashed musical instruments, the real genius of Pete Townshend resides in his songwriting. Even as a youngster barely into his twenties, Townshend was writing lyrics that cut straight to his psyche —neurotic, inquiring, defiant.

Unlike many of his peers, Townshend wasn’t just writing about cars and girls and drugs — though there was some of that too. His lyrics addressed themes of identity, transcendence and disillusionment, challenging the grey British post-war social compact and expressing the frustrations felt by a generation of young people at the oppressive nature of the status quo, while also questioning the reaction to the reactionaries.

Townshend could deliver hard jabs in short songs. My Generation was the snarling anthem of youthful rebellion, but it went deeper than sloganeering, expressing the fear of fading relevance before you’re even an adult — and thus hoping for an early death. Well Pete got old before he’ll die.

Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of The Who performing at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, on October 10, 1976. (Creative Commons)

As the 1960s turned into the ’70s, he also developed a taste for the bombastic and epic. Tommy, released in 1969, wasn’t the first rock opera but it was the one that proved the form could work, artistically and commercially. Then came 1973’s Quadrophenia, which some regard as his masterpiece, and perhaps his most personal work with The Who.

Won’t Get Fooled Again from 1971 might well have been a punchy singalong anthem — Townshend retained the endless intro because the song was supposed to be part of another rock opera, Lifehouse. That was going to be a multi-media project based on the teachings of the Indian spiritual leader Meher Baba (who claimed to be the Avatar, or God in human form, of the age). Hence the title Baba O’Riley, like Won’t Get Fooled Again on the excellent Who’s Next?, the album that featured songs from the abandoned project (the O’Riley of the title is the minimalist composer Terry O’Riley).

Townshend solo work was more reflective, interrogating themes of faith, failure, and self-inquiry — with all his personal demons, some widely publicised and discomfiting, there was much to explore. The featured Rough Boys, from 1980, might get you dancing footloose.

If all that makes Pete seem like a humourless old character, well… One song that has made people laugh is Squeeze Box — discussion of which by a pair of parents was a highlight in the wonderful Freaks & Geeks TV series — with its lyrics of, “She goes in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out, she’s playing all night and the music’s all right. Mama’s got a squeeze box, Daddy never sleeps at night.” Well, Pete has denied any double entendre: “It’s not about a woman’s breasts, vaginal walls, or anything else of the ilk.” So apparently it is about playing the accordion.

It has been said that if Keith Moon was the chaos in The Who, Townshend was the conscience — a storyteller, a philosopher, and a bit of a crank.

As always, the mix is timed to fit on a standard CD-R (that is, without the bonus tracks), and includes home-windmilled covers, and the above as a PDF. PW in comments.

1. The Who – Who Are You (1978)
2. The Jam – So Sad About Us (1978)
3. Sweet – My Generation (1974)
4. Keith Moon – The Kids Are Alright (1975)
5. Ramones – Substitute (1994)
6. Rush – The Seeker (2004)
7. The Smithereens – Tommy (2009)
8. The Chieftains with Roger Daltrey – Behind Blue Eyes (1992)
9. Bettye LaVette – Love Reign O’er Me (2010)
10. Richie Havens – Won’t Get Fooled Again (2008)
11. Michelle Schmitt – Love Ain’t For Keeping (2011)
12. Laura Branigan – Squeeze Box (1983)
13. Elton John – Pinball Wizard (1974)
14. Tina Turner – I Can See For Miles (1975)
15. Yvonne Elliman – I Can’t Explain (1973)
16. David Bowie – Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere (1973)
17. Jennifer Warnes – We’re Not Gonna Take It (1969)
18. London Symphony Orchestra with Merry Clayton – The Acid Queen (1972)
19. Sylvie Vartan – Ce soir nous sommes la pour vous (Join Together) (1972)
20. I Pooh – Ora che cosa farai (La-La-La-Lies) (1966)
21. The Spontaneous Generation – Pictures Of Lily (1968)
22. The London Philharmonic Orchestra – Baba O’Riley (1998)
BONUS TRACKS:
23. Pete Townshend – Rough Boys (1980)
24. Green Day – A Quick One While He’s Away (2009)
25. Natalie Imbruglia – Let My Love Open The Door (2015)
26. Billy Fury – Long Live Rock (1973)
27. The Amboy Dukes – It’s Not True (1967)
28. The Pudding – Magic Bus (1966, original version)

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Previous Songbooks:
ABBA
Ashford & Simpson
Barry Gibb Vol. 1
Barry Gibb Vol. 2
Bill Withers
Billy Joel
Bob Dylan Volumes 1-5
Brian Wilson
Bruce Springsteen
Burt Bacharach & Hal David Vol. 1
Burt Bacharach & Hal David Vol. 2
Burt Bacharach’s Lesser-Known Songbook
Carole Bayer Sager
Carole King Vol. 1
Carole King Vol. 2
Chuck Berry
Cole Porter Vol. 1
Cole Porter Vol. 2
Elton John & Bernie Taupin
George Harrison
Gordon Lightfoot
Hank Williams
Holland-Dozier-Holland
John Prine
Jimmy Webb Vol. 1
Jimmy Webb Vol. 2
Jimmy Webb Vol. 3
Kris Kristofferson
Lamont Dozier
Laura Nyro
Leonard Cohen
Neil Diamond
Paul McCartney Vol. 1
Paul McCartney Vol. 2
Prince
Rod Temperton
Rolling Stones Vol. 1
Rolling Stones Vol. 2
Sly Stone
Steely Dan
Stevie Wonder Vol. 1
Tom Waits

More Songbooks
More Covers Mixes
More CD-R Mixes

Today, May 13, Stevie Wonder turns 75 — a good moment to start a three-part Songbook dedicated to the great gamechanger.

These three Songbooks will feature the great Stevie classics, along with a bunch of songs he wrote for others. In fact, we kick off with one of those: Jermaine Jackson’s Let’s Get Serious, which also features Wonder on vocals. This is the only one of the songs written for others on this volume, but there will be quite a few more on the other two.

Stevie’s reign as a resident genius was relatively short, about a dozen years. That brilliance was already clear when he was a teenager in the 1960s, but it truly hit its stride when Wonder — barely out of his teens — demanded and received creative control. Through his twenties and into his early thirties, he produced some of the most astonishing soul music ever made.

For all intents and purposes, Stevie Wonder abdicated his throne in 1982 following the release of Original Musiquarium Vol. 1, a greatest hits collection covering his adult years, rounded out with four superb new tracks — including the lovely ballad Ribbon In The Sky, the blistering Frontline, and the magnificent Do I Do. The latter, a ten-minute workout in classic Stevie mode, closes Side Four rather abruptly — a fitting bookmark for the most creatively fertile period of Stevie’s career.

Then came the Mother’s Day schlock of 1984’s I Just Called to Say I Love You — a nadir in Wonder’s artistic output but also his commercial peak. I still recall that afternoon in 1984 when the radio presenter announced he’d be playing Stevie Wonder’s brand-new single — and the sense of betrayal I felt when I heard that ditty.

The same man who had created Superstition had now put out a nursery rhyme that sounded like it was recorded by a wedding singer. And people who didn’t get Superstition bought that drivel in droves — the same people who, a year later, would buy Jennifer Rush’s traumatising The Power Of Love, and a year after that, Chris De Burgh’s unforgivable Lady In Red. Wedding singer fare, indeed.

In truth, though, I Just Called… isn’t quite as awful as that. It is the arrangement that is teeth-grindingly bad. Listen to John Prine’s totally sincere, slowed-down country-folk version on this collection, and you’ll find a pretty decent song buried in there.

Still, my disappointment notwithstanding, I bought the Woman In Red soundtrack — which was more or less a Stevie Wonder album. A few bright spots aside, it felt like a declaration of artistic surrender.

I haven’t had much use for the follow-up, 1985’s In Square Circle, nor for Stevie’s next big hit, Part-Time Lover or the mawkish Overjoyed. Apart from the Jungle Fever soundtrack and the beautiful ballad For Your Love from 1995’s agreeable Conversation Peace album, none of the later releases has really made much of an impression. Unsurprisingly, not much from the post-1982 period will feature over the three volumes.

Anyway, who needs anything new when the old stuff never really ages? And there is still so much to rediscover in the Stevie Wonder songbook!

Most of the songs in this set were written by Stevie Wonder alone. Three are co-writes: Uptight (Everything’s Alright) and My Cherie Amour (with Henry Cosby and Sylvia Moy), and Never Had A Dream Come True (with Syreeta Wright).

The other two volumes will follow in the coming months, leading up to a Songs In The Key Of Life Revovered collection for its 50th anniversary in September 2026. It’ll be the Year of Stevie!

As always, the mix is tined to fit on a standard CD-R — though that would mean missing out on the long but blistering bonus track — and includes home-uptighted covers as well as the text above in an illustrated PDF. PW in comments.

1. Jermaine Jackson – Let’s Get Serious (1979)
2. Sister Sledge – As (1977)
3. Rosetta Hightower – Signed Sealed Delivered (1971)
4. The Bar Kays – I Was Made To Love Her (1972)
5. Jackie Wilson & Count Basie – Uptight (Everything’s Alright) (1968)
6. The Jackson 5 – Never Had A Dream Come True (1970)
7. S.O.U.L. – My Cherie Amour (1972)
8. Marlena Shaw – You Are The Sunshine Of My Life (1973)
9. Donny Hathaway – Superwoman (1972)
10. Ahmad Jamal – Superstition (1973)
11. Ray Charles – Living For The City (1975)
12. José Feliciano – Golden Lady (1974)
13. Luther Vandross – Creepin’ (1985)
14. Paul Johnson – Heaven Is 10 Zillion Light Years Away (1987)
15. Incognito – Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing (1992)
16. Nancy Wilson – Ribbon In The Sky (1984)
17. Mel Tormé – All In Love Is Fair (1980)
18. John Prine – I Just Called To Say I Love You (2018)
BONUS TRACK:
19. Ray Barretto – Pastime Paradise (1981)

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Previous Songbooks:
ABBA
Ashford & Simpson
Barry Gibb Vol. 1
Barry Gibb Vol. 2
Bill Withers
Billy Joel
Bob Dylan Volumes 1-5
Brian Wilson
Bruce Springsteen
Burt Bacharach & Hal David Vol. 1
Burt Bacharach & Hal David Vol. 2
Burt Bacharach’s Lesser-Known Songbook
Carole Bayer Sager
Carole King Vol. 1
Carole King Vol. 2
Chuck Berry
Cole Porter Vol. 1
Cole Porter Vol. 2
Elton John & Bernie Taupin
George Harrison
Gordon Lightfoot
Hank Williams
Holland-Dozier-Holland
John Prine
Jimmy Webb Vol. 1
Jimmy Webb Vol. 2
Jimmy Webb Vol. 3
Kris Kristofferson
Lamont Dozier
Laura Nyro
Leonard Cohen
Neil Diamond
Paul McCartney Vol. 1
Paul McCartney Vol. 2
Prince
Rod Temperton
Rolling Stones Vol. 1
Rolling Stones Vol. 2
Sly Stone
Steely Dan
Tom Waits

More Songbooks
More Covers Mixes
More CD-R Mixes

In the In Memoriam for February, I mentioned that I might have compiled a Sings Covers mix to mark the death of Roberta Flack, but for lack of time. I have still lacked time, but due to popular demand (by one commenter), I have put together this collection of songs covered by Flack.

Other than a couple of LPs in her 1970s prime which included several interpretations of other people’s songs, and a few covers albums later in her career, Flack was not much of a covers artist — but when she took on a song, she often made it her own.

The obvious examples of that are the two big hits: Killing Me Softly (With His Song) and The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face. Flack invested such intimacy into these songs that hers are the definitive versions, no matter how many times radio DJs play the annoying Fugees cover (no time, please!). Both songs feature here in live versions recorded in Edmonton, Canada, in 1975.

Several tracks here are covers recorded with Donny Hathaway. They are very good, and their You’ve Got A Friend is a contender for the best version of the song. But only one of them eclipses any other interpretation: I (Who Have Nothing). It’s not a song that evokes much emotion in me in any other version. Flack and Hathaway’s invest in the song just the right measure of desperation and intensity.

The most comprehensive reworking here may be the Bee Gees’ To Love Somebody. Flack slows down the song, which by 1971 had already been covered many times, and turns it into an epic soul ballad. I have a hunch singers like Al Green might have taken note — Green went on to turn another Bee Gees song, How Can You Mend a Broken Heart, into an epic soul ballad.

There are two Leonard Cohen covers. Flack’s cover of Suzanne is a nine-minute journey, building up to marvellous swirling strings and Flack injecting an African vibe into the proceedings. Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye, from Flack’s 1969 debut First Take, features a rather lovely piano solo over a quiet but pretty funky bassline.

Flack’s stab at Bob Dylan’s Just Like A Woman — in the gender-switch, Flack is the woman who is “just like” — is exquisitely phrased and sung, which is not something one would necessarily say of Dylan.

One song here was originally an instrumental, Grover Washington Jr’s Mister Magic, to which Flack sang the lyrics of William Salter to the great tune of Ralph MacDonald. Washington had recorded his nine-minute fusion classic in November 1974 and released it on his Mister Magic LP in February 1975; Flack released her version in March 1975. But (and you just knew there was a “but” coming!), much of Flack’s album had been recorded before November 1974. I’m not sure whose version is the original and which is the cover.

Credits give no clue. MacDonald played on both versions, and Salter wrote a lot for both Flack and Washington (often with MacDonald). For the latter, there were tracks like Just The Two Of Us and Be Mine Tonight; for Flack, songs like Trade Winds, Where Is the Love, I’m The One, and Here’s To Love (her lovely collaboration with Sadao Watanabe).

For fans of the “Sings Covers”, I have two in the works, including one that will feature a song featured here.

As always, the pre-“bonus tracks” playlist is timed to fit on a standard CD-R. The lot includes home-softly-killed covers and the above in a PDF. PW in comments.

Names in brackets are either the acts who first recorded the particular song, or had a hit with it. The years are, obviously, the release dates of the cover by Roberta Flack.

1. Compared To What (1969, Les McCann)
2. You’ve Got A Friend (with Donny Hathaway) (1972, Carole King)
3. Mr. Magic (1975, Grover Washington Jr.)
4. You Are Everything (1978, The Stylistics)
5. To Love Somebody (1971, Bee Gees)
6. First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (live) (1975, Bonnie Dobson)
7. If Only For One Night (with Peabo Bryson) (1980, Brenda Russell)
8. I Who Have Nothing (with Donny Hathaway) (1972, Ben E. King)
9. Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye (1969, Leonard Cohen)
10. Just Like A Woman (1970, Bob Dylan)
11. Killing Me Softly (With His Song) (live) (1975, Lori Lieberman)
12. Do What You Gotta Do (1970, Johnny Rivers)
13. This Time I’ll Be Sweeter (1977, Martha Reeves)
14. Bridge Over Troubled Water (1971, Simon & Garfunkel)
15. Will You Love Me Tomorrow (1971, The Shirelles)
16. Baby I Love You (with Donny Hathaway) (1972, Aretha Franklin)
Bonus Tracks:
17. The Impossible Dream (1970, Jack Jones)
18. Let It Be Me (1970, Everly Brothers)
19. You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling (with Donny Hathaway) (1972, Righteous Brothers)
20. Suzanne (1973, Leonard Cohen)
21. It Might Be You (1994, Stephen Bishop)
22. Thrill Is Gone (1994, B.B. King)

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Previously in Sings Covers:
Al Green Sings Covers
Aretha Franklin Sings Covers
Bruce Springsteen Sings Covers
Diana Ross Sings Covers
Gladys Knight Sings Covers
Tina Turner Sings Covers

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On Saturday, December 7, Tom Waits turned 75, which is a good occasion for a Songbook. In this case, though, the idea was mooted a while ago by reader Karsten, who noted in January that the singer-songwriter’s jubilee was this year — rather than by my own brilliant foresight.

I am certainly not alone in finding Tom’s voice difficult to navigate. It isn’t just that his voice lacks melodic loveliness, but on the output of half his career, he sounds like he is in pain. That voice — which, of course, some people cherish — apparently is not the result of an injury or illness. According to Waits, his unique voice developed over time through a combination of factors, including years of singing in smoky bars, performing late-night gigs, and experimenting with different vocal styles.

This rough, growling voice became his trademark, and he embraced it as part of his artistic persona. It certainly gives his songs a unique personality, which is a good thing, given the range of genres these songs cover, from Weil-Brecht Lieder to honky tonk.

But… the voice is an acquired taste, and I’ve not managed to acquire it, at least not wholesale. Of course, there are the earlier albums — songs like Ol’ 55 or San Diego Serenade — and some older Waits songs I do love. His version of Way Down In The Hole is by far my favourite of the five versions used as themes of The Wire (though I feature Steve Earle’s version here), and I love the gospel of Come On Up To The House or the loveliness of the great love song Picture In The Frame.

For those who are dissuaded from exploring Waits’ by his voice, this collection of covers (and, in the case of the Crystal Gale song, an original written by Waits) might serve as a good introduction to the man’s repository of songs, one that reveals the man’s genius, especially as a lyricist.

It includes the obvious songs, such as Downtown Train (covered here by Bob Seger, though I also recommend the Everything But The Girl version), I Hope That I Don’t Fall in Love With You, Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis, (Looking For) The Heart Of Saturday Night, Tom Traubert’s Blues, and Jersey Girl, made famous by Bruce Springsteen’s live cover.

Some other better-known songs didn’t make the cut, for lack of covers that I liked. But at 34 tracks, I think this set provides a fair overview of Waits’ catalogue. All are written by Waits, four of them with his wife Kathleen Brennan (they are marked in the ID3 tags, two of them I namechecked above). I think it’s fair to say that Waits’ output after 1980 is greatly influenced by his wife, who herself is a musical artist.

Of the songs here, Jersey Girl tends to be dismissed by Waits afficionados; I struggle to understand that. It’s a perfectly lovely song, even if it sounds more like the lovechild of Springsteen and Van Morrison than cutting-edge Waits. I also like Waits’ 1980 original. It’s dedicated to Kathleen, so it seems a bit churlish to spurn it.

The lot ends with an aptly titled Waits original, Midnight Lullaby, from his 1973 debut album, Closing Time. It closes with the wonderful lines, “When you are much older, remember when we sat/At midnight on the windowsill, and had this little chat/And dream/Come on and dream/Come on and dream/And dream, and dream/Come on and dream.”

Tracks 1-21 are timed to fit on a standard CD-R, and the lot includes the above text in an illustrated PDF and home-wired covers. The image used on the cover is by ch_stencil. PW in comments.

1. Ramones – I Don’t Want To Grow Up (1995)
2. Grievous Angels – Cold Cold Ground (1998)
3. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band – Jersey Girl (1981)
4. Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band – Downtown Train (1989)
5. Eagles – Ol’ 55 (1974)
6. Crystal Gayle – Take Me Home (1983)
7. Jerry Jeff Walker – (Looking For) The Heart Of Saturday Night (1976)
8. Barbi Benton – San Diego Serenade (1976)
9. 10,000 Maniacs – I Hope That I Don’t Fall In Love With You (1992)
10. Willie Nelson – Picture In A Frame (2004)
11. Johnny Cash – Down There By The Train (1994)
12. Sarah Jarosz – Come On Up To The House (2009)
13. Steve Earle – Way Down In The Hole (2007)
14. Blind Boys of Alabama – Jesus Gonna Be Here (2002)
15. Dave Alvin – Blind Love (2006)
16. Neko Case – Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis (2000)
17. The Holmes Brothers – Train Song (1998)
18. Elvis Costello – Innocent When You Dream (1995)
19. Los Lobos – Jockey Full Of Bourbon (2004)
20. Norah Jones – The Long Way Home (2004)
21. Bettye LaVette – Yesterday Is Here (2012)
BONUS TRACKS
22. Floyd Dixon – Blue Skies (2000)
23. James Taylor – Shiver Me Timbers (2009)
24. Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes – New Coat Of Paint (1984)
25. T Bone Burnett – Time (1986)
26. Tim Buckley – Martha (1973)
27. Rod Stewart – Tom Traubert’s Blues (Waltzing Matilda) (1992)
28. Robert Plant & Alison Krauss – Trampled Rose (2007)
29. Linda Thompson – Day After Tomorrow (2007)
30. Nanci Griffith – Please Call Me, Baby (2006)
31. Mary Foster Conklin – Broken Bicycles (2000)
32. Ute Lemper – Grapefruit Moon (2006)
33. Anna Ternheim – Anywhere I Lay My Head (2005)
34. Tom Waits – Midnight Lullaby (1973)

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Previous Songbooks:
ABBA
Ashford & Simpson
Barry Gibb Vol. 1
Barry Gibb Vol. 2
Bill Withers
Billy Joel
Bob Dylan Volumes 1-5
Brian Wilson
Bruce Springsteen
Burt Bacharach & Hal David Vol. 1
Burt Bacharach & Hal David Vol. 2
Burt Bacharach’s Lesser-Known Songbook
Carole Bayer Sager
Carole King Vol. 1
Carole King Vol. 2
Chuck Berry
Cole Porter Vol. 1
Cole Porter Vol. 2
Elton John & Bernie Taupin
George Harrison
Gordon Lightfoot
Hank Williams
Holland-Dozier-Holland
John Prine
Jimmy Webb Vol. 1
Jimmy Webb Vol. 2
Jimmy Webb Vol. 3
Kris Kristofferson
Lamont Dozier
Laura Nyro
Leonard Cohen
Neil Diamond
Paul McCartney Vol. 1
Paul McCartney Vol. 2
Prince
Rod Temperton
Rolling Stones Vol. 1
Rolling Stones Vol. 2
Sly Stone
Steely Dan

More Songbooks
More Covers Mixes
More CD-R Mixes

While updating all the links to the previous 24 Covered With Soul mixes, I did a count of the number of tracks that have featured in the series. It amounted to 499 (including a few duplicates). So with this collection, we exceed the 500 mark.

Many of the previous 499 inclusions are superb interpretations or even complete reworkings of well-known songs, mostly from the pop and rock genres (the exceptions were the Motown edition and the Soul Covered With Soul mix). A few were included as curiosities rather than on their musical merit. On the present volume, I think all tracks are very good.

As always, of course, there are some unexpected choices: The Pointer Sisters covering Steely Day, Billy Paul covering The Doobie Brothers, the recently late Marlena Shaw covering Skylark’s rather forgotten but wonderful Wildflower (which featured on Any Major Hits From 1973 Vol. 1), and Gladys Knight taking a disco classic and making it her own… Of course, the first song on Volume 1 was a cover of The Doobie Brothers, Listen To The Music by the Isley Brothers (later also covered by Candi Staton on Vol. 10).

The Millie Jackson song, Loving Arms, was a hit for Dobie Gray but was originally recorded by Kris Kristofferson & Rita Coolidge. In a lovely twist, Kristofferson later did a song titled Anybody That Don’t Like Millie Jackson — which Millie also covered. Of course, Millie Jackson is one of the most prolific soul interpreter and reworker of country music — something that might be remembered by those who see novelty in Beyoncé dabbling in country (her Cowboy Carter album is very good, by the way).

Here are some stats of 25 times Covered With Soul.

The most-covered song in the series is The Beatles’ Something, with six inclusions. Kim Weston on this mix totally reworks the song, as did Isaac Hayes on Vol. 15, the second of the Beatles editions. The versions by Bloodstone, Diana Ross, Ronnie Dyson and Martha Reeves & The Vandellas are also fine interpretations.

Another Beatles song has been covered five times: Come Together. James Taylor’s Fire And Rain has been covered five times as well.

Bread’s Make It With You has been included four times, including on the present mix by Earth, Wind & Fire, as has been The Four Seasons’ Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, and the perennial Fever.

The most prevalent year of release of the 500+ tracks is 1970, with 97 inclusions. That’s followed by 1972 with 73; 1971 with 60; 1973 with 46; and 1968 with 35.

The artists featured most often with different songs are Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross (four of them with The Supremes), and Gladys Knight & The Pips, with 8 each. Both Aretha and Gladys caught up with Diana by virtue of their inclusion in this mix.

On top of all that, the former two had the Aretha Sings Covers and Diana Ross Sings Covers mixes dedicated to them; one of those is in the works for Gladys. Other “Sings Covers” mixes are those for Al Green (features 6 times) and Tina Turner (7).

Coming in with 7 inclusions: Cissy Houston, The Dells, Esther Philips, Zulema, Billy Paul, and Tina Turner (with and without Ike). The latter two feature on the present mix.

With 6 inclusions: Al Green, Margie Joseph, Roberta Flack (twice with Donny Hathaway), and Ronny Dyson. Again, the latter two feature on the present mix.As mentioned, all Covered With Soul mixes are back up. Like all of them, the present mix is timed to fit on a standard CD-R and includes covers. The above text is also included in PDF format. PW in comments.

1. Billy Paul – Takin’ It To The Streets (1977)
2. Pointer Sisters – Dirty Work (1978)
3. Aretha Franklin – Love The One You’re With (1971)
4. Ike & Tina Turner – Son Of A Preacher Man (1971)
5. Millie Jackson – Loving Arms (1975)
6. Gladys Knight & The Pips – I Will Survive (1981)
7. Womack & Womack – Angie (1983)
8. Randy Crawford – I Stand Accused (1979)
9. Ronnie Dyson – Sara Smile (1977)
10. Isaac Hayes & Dionne Warwick – My Love (1977)
11. Marlena Shaw – Wildflower (1973)
12. Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway – For All We Know (1972)
13. R.B. Greaves – Whiter Shade Of Pale (1970)
14. Barbara Jean English – Love Story (1972)
15. Baby Washington – Breakfast In Bed (1969)
16. Kim Weston – Something (1971)
17. Jr. Walker & The All Stars – Holly Holy (1970)
18. Earth, Wind & Fire – Make It With You (1972)
19. Dee Dee Bridgewater – Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word (1978)

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In a genre teeming with great lyricists, Kris Kristofferson may well be country music’s eternal poet laureate. A friend once remarked: “There is no human emotion for which there is no Kristofferson song,” and he’s probably right. With his death at the age of 88, Nashville should build a monument to the man!

Much is made of KK’s career in the military (he was an army brat) and how he abandoned that to become a janitor at Nashville’s Columbia studios. But before he joined the army, he had been a Rhodes scholar in English at Oxford. It’s safe to say that Kristofferson knew his way around poetry.

Clearly, he knew his way around creating a good melody as well. So he created superb songs for other people, but had no confidence in his own voice to sing them. It was Johnny Cash and producer Fred Foster who virtually forced Kristofferson to give himself a chance as a recording artist. It turned out that KK was, in fact, a great singer. He was not a “good” singer in the vein of a George Jones, but his growly baritone was filled with character, emotion and warmth. The famous critic Robert Christgau differed, finding that KK was “the worst singer” he had ever heard. “He has no relation to key… no phrasing, no dynamics, no energy, no authority, no dramatic ability, and no control of the top two-thirds of his six-note range.”

With critics like Christgau sniping — not entirely without cause and yet completely missing the point — KK’s first album, eponymously-titled and released in 1970, was not an immediate success. Christgau was a fool on many things, and he was rarely more foolish than he was on KK. It was one of the great debut albums by anybody.

Re-released a year later as Me And Bobby McGee, it did better business. As it should; just look at some of the songs on that album: Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down, For The Good Times, Me And Bobby McGee, Darby’s Castle, Help Me Make It Through The Night, To Beat The Devil, Best of All Possible Worlds, Just The Other Side of Nowhere, Blame It On The Stones, Casey’s Last Ride…

I may be sabotaging the present collection of songs when I say that every version of a Kristofferson song is best when it is sung by him, with the possible exception of Mr And Bobby McGee — though even there, I prefer the sad yearning in Kristofferson’s voice to Janis Joplin’s histrionics.

That is not to say that Kristofferson songs have no value in their covers or, indeed, their original versions recorded by others. Because KK’s versions are not elaborately arranged, and melodically quite uncomplicated, they lend themselves to fruitful interpretation across genres. This mix is evidence of that. It starts off with a soul singer doing KK – a third of tracks here are soul covers – and closes with a trio of rat packers.

Rest in peace, KK!

As ever, this mix is timed to fit on a standard CD-R and includes home-devilbeating covers, and the above in an illustrated PDF, which also includes the links to previous Songbooks.

1. Thelma Houston – Me And Bobby McGee (1972)
2. Hank Ballard – Sunday Morning, Coming Down (1970)
3. Millie Jackson – Loving Arms (2014)
4. The Little Willies & Norah Jones – Best Of All Possible Worlds (2006)
5. Mark Chesnutt – Lovin’ Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again) (2010)
6. David Wood – From The Bottle To The Bottom (2009)
7. Bobby Bare – Darby’s Castle (1972)
8. Justin Tubb – Jody And The Kid (1972)
9. Ray Price – When I Loved Her (1971)
10. Percy Sledge – Help Me Make It Through The Night (1970)
11. Al Green – For The Good Times (1972)
12. Sam Baker – Sugarman (1968)
13. Booker T. – Why Me (1974)
14. Rita Coolidge – The Burden Of Freedom (1974)
15. Waylon Jennings – To Beat The Devil (1972)
16. Johnny Cash – Casey’s Last Ride (1985)
17. Willie Nelson – The Pilgrim: Chapter 33 (1979)
18. George Jones – Come Sundown (1984)
19. Frank Sinatra – Nobody Wins (1973)
20. Dean Martin – Just The Other Side Of Nowhere (1972)
21. Sammy Davis Jr. – Please Don’t Tell Me How The Story Ends (1982)

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Previous Songbooks:
ABBA
Ashford & Simpson
Barry Gibb Vol. 1
Barry Gibb Vol. 2
Bill Withers
Billy Joel
Bob Dylan Volumes 1-5
Brian Wilson
Bruce Springsteen
Burt Bacharach & Hal David Vol. 1
Burt Bacharach & Hal David Vol. 2
Burt Bacharach’s Lesser-Known Songbook
Carole Bayer Sager
Carole King Vol. 1
Carole King Vol. 2
Chuck Berry
Cole Porter Vol. 1
Cole Porter Vol. 2
Elton John & Bernie Taupin
George Harrison
Gordon Lightfoot
Hank Williams
Holland-Dozier-Holland
John Prine
Jimmy Webb Vol. 1
Jimmy Webb Vol. 2
Jimmy Webb Vol. 3
Lamont Dozier
Laura Nyro
Leonard Cohen
Neil Diamond
Paul McCartney Vol. 1
Paul McCartney Vol. 2
Prince
Rod Temperton
Rolling Stones Vol. 1
Rolling Stones Vol. 2
Sly Stone
Steely Dan

More Songbooks
More Covers Mixes
More CD-R Mixes

Today, September 23, Bruce Springsteen turns 75. Even by today’s standards, when the age of 75 doesn’t indicate inevitable decrepitude, Springsteen clearly is in extraordinary shape. He’s still touring at full power, with three-hour concerts. Those years of working out — that man had guns! —  are clearly paying off now.

No doubt Bruce, like any ageing person, has his health issue. But it seems he is The Boss of enlarged prostates, or whatever physical deterioration may afflict him! Even the peptic ulcer thing he had earlier this year quickly fucked off when it saw that The Boss has things to do.

When I reviewed Springsteen’s autobiography Born To Run in 2017, to go with the Bruce Springsteen Songbook,  I noted: “Here is a man who knows his strengths and his limitations, and how to balance them. He knows his value and has no need for false modesty, even when he explains why he took the decision to be the boss of his backing band, the E Street Band.” That self-awareness has assured that Springsteen’s career has been reasonably free of embarrassing moments and misjudgments.

With a huge treasury of his own songs, Bruce has little need to resort to the work of others. When he does, it is either for charity or tributes, or they are performed for the sheer fun of it at concerts. So this mix of Springsteen singing covers comprises mostly live recordings. Springsteen is eclectic in his choices, covering all sorts of things, from soul classics and protest folk to hard rock and even punk anthems.

Two covers here are of his own songs, so they’re strictly speaking not really covers. Because The Night was inexplicably rejected for inclusion on the Darkness On The Edge Of Town album, and was instead released by Patti Smith, who had a massive hit with it in 1978. Fire was written and first recorded by Bruce’s pal Robert Gordon in 1977, but became a hit the following year for The Pointer Sisters.

There are a couple of highlights on this mix. The version of Purple Rain was recorded at a concert in Brooklyn two days after Prince’s death in April 2016. It opened the concert and it’s magnificent, with a superb guitar solo by Nils Lofgren.

I really like the version of Highway To Hell recorded in 2014 in — of course —, Australia. Again, there’s some fine guitar work. I’ve loved the cover of Jimmy Cliff’s Trapped ever since I heard it performed in concert in 1985. I was delighted when it appeared later that year on the b-side of Springsteen’s Santa Claus Is Coming To Town single. The version here is from a 1985 concert in LA.

The version of Chuck Berry’s You Never Can Tell, recorded in Leipzig, Germany, in 2013, is improvised, as the lead-in shows. It is thoroughly enjoyable, and clearly the band is having royal fun.

The playlist ends with Twist And Shout, a snappy number in the hands of The Isley Brothers or The Beatles, but in Bruce’s rendering it’s a sweat-drenched eight-minute-plus workout that was a staple of E Street Band gigs for a long while.

As always, the playlist is timed to fit on a standard CD-R, and includes home-bossed covers and the above text in a handy PDF. PW in comments.

1. Because The Night (1985, Patti Smith Band)
2. Trapped (1985, Jimmy Cliff)
3. Chimes Of Freedom (1988, Bob Dylan)
4. Who’ll Stop The Rain? (1980, Creedence Clearwater Revival)
5. Fire (1978, Pointer Sisters)
6. Jersey Girl (1981, Tom Waits)
7. Bring ‘Em Home (2016, Pete Seeger)
8. Give My Love To Rose (2002, Johnny Cash)
9. This Land Is Your Land (1980, Woody Guthrie)
10. Rhinestone Cowboy (2019, Glen Campbell)
11. I Wish It Would Rain (2022, The Temptations)
12. Gypsy Woman (1994, The Impressions)
13. Purple Rain (2016, Prince)
14. Highway To Hell (2014, AC/DC)
15. London Calling (2009, The Clash)
16. Good Lovin’ (2009, The Rascals)
17. Summertime Blues (1978, Edie Cochran)
18. Turn Back The Hands Of Time (2022, Tyrone Davis)
19. War (1988, Edwin Starr)
Bonus Tracks
20. Nightshift (2023, The Commodores)
21. Stayin’ Alive (2014, The Bee Gees)
22. You Never Can Tell (2013, Chuck Berry)
23. Twist And Shout (1978, Isley Brothers/The Beatles)

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Previously in Sings Covers:
Al Green Sings Covers
Aretha Franklin Sings Covers
Diana Ross Sings Covers
Gladys Knight Sings Covers
Tina Turner Sings Covers

More Mix CD-Rs

After two volumes of The Beatles in French (Vol. 1 and Vol. 2) and The Beatles in Italian, here are The Beatles covered in Spanish. Except for one track — a cover of Blackbird from 1978 — all cover versions are more or less contemporaneous with the originals.

Most of the tracks here are by acts from Spain; not all of them suggest that Spanish music in the 1960s was ready to conquer the world of pop.

Six acts are from Mexico: Los Babys, Los Apson, Los Renis, Juan ‘El Matemático’, Los Moskas and the excellently-monikered Los Loud Jets.

Los Speakers were from Colombia, and two acts from Argentina: Los 5 Latinos and Sandro Y Los De Fuego. The latter was led by Sandro Ocampo, one of the biggest stars in Argentinian pop.

The French-Italian singer Caterina Valente is probably the best-known act here, collaborating with Trinidad-born, Venezuela-raised, British-based and Spanish-deceased easy listening bandleader Edmundo Ros (whose 100-years-long life is really fascinating).

The timeline-outlier here is the Spanish soft-rock band Laredo, which had a big hit in 1977 El Último Guateque. They released their debut album in 1975; after their third album, Laredo broke up in 1979. Singer José Antonio García Morato Soto went on to write and produce children’s albums, winning two Grammy for Best Children Album.

The most interesting track of the lot: She Loves You in flamenco style! A Spanish cover of Happiness Is A Warm Gun is a bit left-field — good thing it was made in Mexico, not Franco-era Spain!Como siempre, la mezcla está programada para caber en un CD-R estándar e incluye una portada hecha en casa y el texto anterior en un PDF ilustrado. Contraseña en la sección de comentarios.

1. Los Sirex – Please Please Me (1964)
2. Dino – Torna Con Me Sulla Luna (I Saw Here Standing There) (1965)
3. Olympia – Lo Tendrás Amor (From Me To You) (1965)
4. Emi Bonilla Y Su Cuadro Flamenco – Ella Te Quiere (She Loves You) (1964)
5. Adolfo Ventas Jr. – Todo Mi Amor (All My Loving) (1964)
6. Dúo Rúbam – Solo Quiero Apretar Tu Mano (I Want To Hold Your Hand) (1964)
7. Los Gratsons – Aquella Noche Fué (A Hard Day’s Night) (1964)
8. Francisco Heredero – Conocerte Mejor (I Should Have Known Better) (1965)
9. Los Beta – Que llorar (I’ll Cry Instead) (1965)
10. Los Babys – Si Cai (If I Fell) (1966)
11. Los Apson – Y La Quiero (And I Love Her) (1964)
12. Los Reno – Mucho Dinero (I Feel Fine) (1965)
13. Los Blue Diamonds – Ocho Días A La Semana (Eight Days A Week) (1965)
14. Sandro Y Los De Fuego – Perseguiré Al Sol (I’ll Follow The Sun) (1965)
15. Los Mustang – Socorro! (Help!) (1965)
16. Los Telstars – La Noche Anterior (The Night Before) (1966)
17. Los Tiburones – Perdí Tu Amor (I’m Down) (1965)
18. Sandro Y Los De Fuego – Boleto Para Pasear (Ticket To Ride) (1965)
19. Grupo 15 – Chica (Girl) (1966)
20. Los 5 Latinos – Michelle (1966)
21. Los Sprinters – Hemos De Salvar (We Can Work It Out) (1966)
22. Los Speakers – Buen Viaje (Day Tripper) (1965)
23. Bruno Lomas – Dentro De Mi Vida (Got To Get You Into My Life) (1966)
24. Los Tonks – Penny Lane (1967)
25. Juan ‘El Matemático’ – Sargento Pimienta (Sgt. Pepper’s…) (1967)
26. Los Mustang – La Ayuda De La Amistad (With A Little Help From My Friends) (1967)
27. Caterina Valente & Edmundo Ros – El Tonto En La Colina (The Fool On The Hill) (1969)
28. Los Loud Jets – La Felicidad Es Un Arma Caliente (Happiness Is A Warm Gun) (1969)
29. Laredo – Mirlo (Blackbird) (1978)
30. Las Moskas – Oh Querida (Oh Darling) (1970)
31. Los Loud Jets – Vengan Juntos (Come Together) (1969)

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More Beatles stuff
More Covers Mixes
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Today, June 25, it is 40 years since the release of Purple Rain. It gives me some pause to think that as 1984 is to us today, so was 1944 to 1984. I don’t think any music from 1944 sounded still fresh in 1984. Purple Rain — and a lot of music from that era — still is relevant today.

Before I get accused of being one of the “Everything was better in my day” brigade, I ascribe that to the progressive generational culture blur which has meant that a lot of the music from “my day” has never really gone away, has been more easily accessible than old stuff was back then, and has never ceased to be influential on contemporary artists. The music of 1944 was a different country in 1984 — just listen to the Hits From 1944 mix.

I loved Purple Rain when the LP came out. Even the track on the album which I like least, Electric Blue, has great moments (that spoken intro, that keyboard riff, that guitar middle bit). Of course, When Doves Cry is the stand-out track, though I suspect the title number is now the more famous one. Still, Doves might well have been the best song of 1984, maybe of the whole 1980s (if one wishes to be so foolish as to determine a “best” song of the decade).

The album changed the industry in some way when Darling Nikki prompted Tipper Gore, who 16 years later would be a few hanging chads away from becoming the First Lady, to campaign for the advisories on album covers that would commend LPs to kids in search of music with naughty sex words.

I have written about Purple Rain before, in a piece that pitched that album in a track-by-track contest against Michael Jackson’s Thriller, the best-selling album of all time versus the most perfect pop album of the 1980s. You know who wonm and it made some MJ fans cry in the comments section (remember those?). My love for Purple Rain has remained undiminished; I don’t think I shall ever listen to Thriller in full again… Coincidence of dates are meaningless, but it raises an eyebrow that Jackson died on the 25^th anniversary of the release of Purple Rain.

The Prince vs Michael Jackson rivalry was really just based on the coincidence of age. They were contemporaries, born three months apart in 1958. But MJ was not really the best point of measure for Prince. Surely that is Stevie Wonder, another prodigious and prolific musical genius who also played any instrument. Both were capable of moments of timeless genius, and both could also drop total clunkers.

It is quite remarkable that Prince started to hit his stride pretty much as Stevie’s genius was exhausted, a handing-over of the baton. Tellingly, while Purple Rain was riding high, Stevie issued the deplorable I Just Called To Say I Love You, an unwitting declaration of unconditional surrender.

Purple Rain was a perfect album, but it was not a great movie. Prince certainly was no thespian. As a drama, Purple Rain is pretty bad, but as a compilation of music videos — albeit interrupted by a bad script being performed poorly — it is glorious. Even if Morris Day and The Time rather threaten to steal the show (that dance routine during The Bird might be the best bit in the whole movie).

So to mark the 40th anniversary, here is Purple Rain Recovered. It kicks off with a rather splendid orchestral version of Let’s Go Crazy, the other stand-out track on a great album. I struggled to find good covers for a couple songs, so one is a live recording from 1985 by Prince & The Revolution, and another I’ve recycled from the Any Major Prince Songbook which I posted in June 2023. Incidentally, I have plenty of material for a second volume of that; maybe I’ll hold on to that until the 10th anniversary of Prince’s death in 2026 (if I’ll still be doing this blog then).

Obviously the mix fits on a standard CD-R, includes home-gonecrazied covers, and the above text in a PDF. PW in comments.

1. Midnite String Quartet – Let’s Go Crazy (2016)
2. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings – Take Me With U (2009)
3. Mariah Carey feat. Dru Hill – The Beautiful Ones (1997)
4. Prince & The Revolution – Computer Blue (live) (1985)
5. Rihanna – Darling Nikki (2011)
6. Damien Rice – When Doves Cry (2005)
7. Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs – I Would Die 4 U (2015)
8. Bob Belden feat. Jimi Tunnell – Baby I’m A Star (1994)
9. Etta James – Purple Rain (2006)

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More Recovered albums:
What’s Going On (Marvin Gaye)
Blue (Joni Mitchell)
Tapestry (Carole King)
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (Elton John)
Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Bruce Springsteen)
Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars (David Bowie)
Every Beatles album

More Cover Mixes
Previous great album covers
More CD-R Mixes