You can blame Joe Bataan for this. At his London gig last week, Mr Bataan treated us to his version of "Crystal Blue Persuasion", and it reminded me of how many other good versions I know. So here they are.
We start with the Tommy James original, followed by the soul version from the Kelly Brothers, which is possibly my favourite of all. We have a double-headed Latin attack from Joe and Tito Puente, followed by the mandatory reggae version, before we give it the pop orchestral treatment courtesy of our new best friend, Frank Chacksfield.
"Crystal Blue Persuasion" - Tommy James & The Shondells
"Crystal Blue Persuasion" - The Kelly Brothers
"Crystal Blue Persuasion" - Joe Bataan
"Crystal Blue Persuasion" - Tito Puente
"Crystal Blue Persuasion" - The Heptones
"Crystal Blue Persuasion" - The Frank Chacksfield Orchestra
I haven't been able to find any clips of Tommy James performing the song when it first hit the charts in 1969, so you'll have to make do with this. I don't think you'll be too upset.
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I am constantly in awe of your Single Song Sunday Ernie given that if I even post two songs with the same title I invariably make a mess of it
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