Single Song Sunday Returns

A while back I briefly attempted to start a regular feature called "Single Song Sunday" which, as the name suggests, featured different versions of the same song. It petered out almost immediately, but losing an hour in the UK today because of the clocks going forward has prompted me to revive it in order to ask the age-old question: "Who knows where the time goes?".

As you will all know, Sandy Denny wrote the song, and nobody will ever do a better version than the one she did with Fairport Convention on "Unhalfbricking" - her voice and Richard Thompson's guitar are an unmatchable combination. But there have been some valiant attempts, not least by Sandy herself. Here are two, the first with the Strawbs in 1967, before she joined Fairport, and the second from a solo session for the BBC from 1973.

"Who Knows Where The Time Goes" (1967) - Sandy Denny & The Strawbs

"Who Knows Where The Time Goes" (1973) - Sandy Denny

Of the others, it is worth mentioning the Judy Collins version, which came out before any of Sandy's versions were released (her sessions with the Strawbs were not released until the 1970s when both of them were established artists). I also like the 10,000 Maniacs attempt. I'm not so sure about Nina Simone though - normally I'm a fan but I find this a bit meandering to be honest.

 "Who Knows Where The Time Goes" - Judy Collins

"Who Knows Where The Time Goes" - Nina Simone

"Who Knows Where The Time Goes" - 10,000 Maniacs

"Who Knows Where The Time Goes" - Charlie Louvin

"Who Knows Where The Time Goes" - Kate Rusby

Her old sparring partner doesn't make a bad job of it either.

Single Song Sunday

I have been waist-deep in African sounds in recent months. As a result I have rather neglected my Single Song Sunday duties. But that Charity Chic fellow did a post last Sunday that has prompted me to get back to work. Thank you for the nudge CC.

The song I have chosen to relaunch the series is the Eddie Cooley and Otis Blackwell standard "Fever". There are many versions out there and we have selected ten corkers for you today.

Of course for every corker there is an equal and opposite clunker, such as Madonna's monstrosity from 1993 to which no decent person should be subjected. Modern Romance are almost as bad. You won't find any of that sort of stuff here.

We start with the original, and in my personal opinion probably still the best. Little Willie John took "Fever" right to the top of the R&B charts in 1956 with his version which sold over a million copies in the US alone.

Hopping ahead to 1958 we have the great Ms Peggy Lee with what many consider to be the definitive version of the song. It's certainly the one that has spawned the most imitators, almost all of the pale variety.

Fortunately for us there were plenty of artists who realised that copying Peggy was a fool's errand and decided to give the song their own spin. Like the two Latin acts that come next - Mexico's leading garage band Los Johnny Jets with their take from 1966, and Cuba's La Lupe whose vocals in her 1968 version defy description. 

In 1971 Zimbabwean blues-rockers Otis Waygood decided to give "Fever" a go. George may wish to note the presence of extensive jazz flute on this version. Whether George will be as impressed by the even more extensive vibraphone solos by Roy Ayers he will no doubt tell us in due course.

Roy's rendition was released in 1979, which seems to have been a big year for "Fever" fans. It was in the same year that old Link Wray took a bash at it and naughty Lizzy Mercier Descloux thought it would be big and clever to swap "fever" for "tumour". Turns out she was right. Slightly late to the party were The Cramps, who included this fine take on the tune on their 1980 debut album "Songs The Lord Taught Us".

As you would expect there were several candidates for the Mandatory Reggae Version. Grant Phabao & Lone Ranger nearly took the coveted spot but in the end I plumped for Susan Cadogan and her 1976 release produced by The Upsetter himself.

"Fever" -  Little Willie John

"Fever" - Peggy Lee

"Fiebre" -Los Johnny Jets

"Fever" - La Lupe

"Fever" -  Otis Waygood

"Fever" - Roy Ayers

"Fever" - Link Wray

"Tumour" - Lizzy Mercier Descloux

"Fever" - The Cramps

"Fever" - Susan Cadogan

Peggy Lee's version may be the definitive version but it was not the most successful in chart terms in the US. That honour belongs to The McCoys of "Hang On Sloopy" fame. They took the song to #7 in 1965 (Peggy only made it to #8). 

So here they are to lead out the cavalcade of cool videos. But we've saved to best until last.

Single Song Sunday

This Sunday our single song is "I'm Just A Country Boy". Best known through Don Williams' 1977 version, it actually started life as a Harry Belafonte B-side in 1954. I am not madly keen on Harry's version but it is included for historical reasons.

It wasn't just Harry. George McCurn (formerly of the Fairfield Four, gospel fans), Sam Cooke and Ronnie Lane all had a go before Don got round to it. After that, Alison Krauss changed it from the first person to the third person and Robert Ward changed the title completely for his excellent if ramshackle blues version, but it's the same song. Our Mandatory Reggae Version comes from Cornell Campbell.

There is allegedly a version by Richard Manuel from The Band which I imagine must be pretty good, but I couldn't find it. If any of you have it, any chance you could send it on over?

"I'm Just A Country Boy" -  Harry Belafonte 

"I'm Just A Country Boy" -  Don Williams

"I'm Just A Country Boy" -  Sam Cooke 

"I'm Just A Country Boy" -  Ronnie Lane's Slim Chance 

"I'm Just A Country Boy" -  George McCurn 

"I'm Just A Country Boy" -  Cornell Campbell

"You're Just A Country Boy" -  Alison Krauss 

"Silver And Gold" -  Robert Ward

And here is something that isn't the same thing at all.
 

Single Song Sunday

Its our first Single Song Sunday of the year and you can thank/blame (delete as applicable) Charity Chic for this one. A couple of weeks back he featured Gene Clark's version of the Gordon Lightfoot standard "If You Could Read My Mind" and a light bulb switched on in my head.

There are hundreds of versions out there but 90% of them sound pretty much the same and most of those that don't sound the same are fairly ropey. So I don't think this is one of the strongest entries in the series. But its OK.  

We start with my two favourite versions - the original and Johnny Cash - followed by a couple of country-tinged attempts, some supper club jazz from Salena Jones and then Viola Wills' disco version which was a minor hit in 1980. 

We then go on a brief European detour, calling in at Sweden and the Czech Republic, before returning to 1980 with a high school choir from Ontario (don't ask).

As is traditional we round things off with a Mandatory Reggae Version. Its barely even reggae to be honest, being a pretty straight cover of the Viola Wills version, but its the only one I could find. Pam Hall has made many fine records over the years but sadly this isn't one of them.

"If You Could Read My Mind" - Gordon Lightfoot

"If You Could Read My Mind" - Johnny Cash

"If You Could Read My Mind" - Jeannie C. Riley

"If You Could Read My Mind" - Jesse Dayton

"If You Could Read My Mind" - Salena Jones

"If You Could Read My Mind" - Viola Wills

"Tänk Om Du Kunde Läsa Mina Tankar" - Siw Malmkvist 

"Tím Víc Tě Mám Rád" - Karel Zich

"If You Could Read My Mind" - Mitchell District High School Glee Club

"If You Could Read My Mind" - Pam Hall

Single Song Sunday

Back by popular demand, here is our first Single Song Sunday of the year. The song in question? "It's Growing".

Written by Smokey Robinson, "It's Growing" was originally recorded by The Temptations. Released in 1965 as the follow-up to their first Number one, "My Girl", it did reasonably well, creeping into the US Top 20. But someone at Motown must have really loved the song, as they released two further versions, by The Contours (1967) and Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers (1968). Bobby is no relation to the much mellower James, who released his own version in 2008.

Otis Redding was clearly a Temptations fan, as having covered "My Girl" in 1965 he had a crack at "It's Growing" the year after. Rounding off our soul selections is a version by Margie Joseph, which came out on Atlantic Records in 1972 - maybe my favourite after the original.

We finish with not one but two Mandatory Reggae Versions. The first, by Busty Brown, is a Lee 'Scratch' Perry production from 1969. Going by what I can glean from the internet our old pal Jimmy Riley may have released a version around the same time. If he did, this one isn't it, but a more recent recording with Sly & Robbie.

"It's Growing" - The Temptations     

"It's Growing" - The Contours    

"It's Growing" - Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers    

"It's Growing" - James Taylor

"It's Growing" - Otis Redding    

"It's Growing" - Margie Joseph    

"It's Growing" - Busty Brown   

"It's Growing" - Jimmy Riley

Single Song Sunday

Following the worldwide acclaim for George's recent guest 'Single Song Sunday' I thought I should pull my finger out and do one myself. After reviewing the long list for all of a minute or two I opted for Gerry & The Pacemakers' "Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying". 

There are two reasons why perhaps I should not have done. The first is that that I had forgotten about the blues song "Don't Let The Sun Catch You Cryin'" (no 'g') first made famous by Louis Jordan. Both songs have been covered extensively and several cover artists stray onto the wrong side of the 'g/ no g' boundary, which added considerably to the amount of time required for weeding out.

The second is that you really only need Gerry's version (which I adore). But the work has been done now so we are going ahead.

We start with the original recording which, to my surprise, turns out not to be the one by Gerry and the lads even though they wrote the song. They gave first dibs to Louise Cordet, a singer who had toured with them and The Beatles, and her version came out in February 1964. It was only after Louise failed to bother the charts that the band decided to release it themselves.

Gerry's version was a relative failure in the UK when it was issued in April 1964. The band's first three singles all went to #1 and their fourth made it to #2 but this peaked at #6. However it was their first big hit in the US were it got to #4. a position they never subsequently bettered.

I am going to partially retract my earlier comment about only needing Gerry's version and add one more to my personal 'must haves'. That is the rendition by the always magnificent Rickie Lee Jones on her "Flying Cowboys" album (1989). We follow that with another iconic female singer, Ronnie Spector. Her take can be found on "English Heart", her final album that was released in 2016.

We go mildly Latin next, first with the ever reliable Jose Feliciano (from 1967) and then an obscure Latin Soul take credited to The Mumy. I have not been able to find any information about it but it sounds like it dates to the late 1960s and the label says it is produced by Pagan, Alvarez & Mingo. I suppose it is possible that Pagan is Ralfi Pagan, who performed with some success on the Fania label in the 1970s, but I have no proof that is the case. 

From Latin to Continental. We commence with a super smooth French version by Lucky Blondo from 1965 followed by a marginally less smooth Greek version from 1970 by The Olympians. Lucky (real name Gerard Blondiot) later went on to record in Nashville with The Jordanaires. The Olympians did not later go on to record an album on Daptone in 2016 - that was another band of the same name - but they did churn out a lot of singles.

We end in the traditional way with some MRVs. In fact we have a double dose for you today. The first is by Dave Barker (1970), produced by Lee 'Scratch' Perry with backing by an obscure band called The Wailers. The second is from 1982 and is performed by a man who sings so smoothly he is sometimes known as "the Jamaican Lucky Blondo", Mr Barry Biggs.

"Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying" - Louise Cordet

"Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying" - Gerry & The Pacemakers

"Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying" - Rickie Lee Jones

"Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying" - Ronnie Spector

"Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying" - Jose Feliciano

"Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying" - The Mumy

"Tu l'Oublieras Cette Fille" - Lucky Blondo

"Grapse St' Asteria T' Onoma Sou" - The Olympians

"Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying" - Dave Barker

"Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying" - Barry Biggs

If I Had A Hammer

Today I bring you the latest in the intermittent "Single Song Sunday" series, in which you gets lots of versions of the same song. On a Sunday. This time round it is Tim Hardin's much-covered classic, "If I Were A Carpenter".

This is also doubling as the Christmas post. What, you may ask, have loads of versions of "If I Were A Carpenter" got to do with Christmas? Well, Jesus was raised by a carpenter, and we have managed to dig out TWELVE different versions - one for each day of Christmas. That's good enough for me.

We'll start off with the original, followed by the two hit versions by Bobby Darin and the Four Tops, before gradually descending into chaos. Country, soul, heavy rock, reggae, sax solo, Czech pop - it's all here.

 "If I Were A Carpenter" - Tim Hardin

"If I Were A Carpenter" - Bobby Darin

"If I Were A Carpenter" - The Four Tops

"If I Were A Carpenter" - Johnny Cash & June Carter

"If I Were A Carpenter" - Bert Jansch

"If I Were A Carpenter" - Lee Dorsey

"If I Were A Carpenter" - Chicken Shack

"If I Were A Carpenter" - Emmylou Harris & Johnny Hallyday

"If I Were A Carpenter" - Winston Groovy

"If I Were A Carpenter" - King Curtis

"If I Were A Carpenter" - Los Buenos

"Kdybych já byl kovářem" - Petr Spálený

We'll be back between Christmas and New Year with a brief "Best of 2012". Until then, on behalf of all us at 27 Leggies Productions, let me join with some other Carpenters in wishing all our readers a very soppy Christmas.

Single Album Saturday

Later today I'm heading off to spend a bit of time with old Ma and Pa Goggins, but before leaving you in the lurch I thought I would try out a potential new series on you.

Regular readers will be familiar with our long-running but increasingly intermittent 'Single Song Sunday' series which - as the name suggests - features different versions of the same song. As a sort of variation on that theme, I thought I would have a go at cover versions of different songs from the same album.

I have started with a nice easy one in "The Beatles" (AKA The White Album). There are some right crackers here - I'm particular fond of Fats Domino's effort - and "Bungalow Bill" may sound better in Finnish because you can't tell how ridiculous the words are. As is traditional, John Holt rounds things off with the Mandatory Reggae Version.

"Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey" - Fats Domino

"Helter Skelter" - Siouxsie & The Banshees

"Savoy Truffle" - Ella Fitzgerald

"Viidakko-Jim (The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill)" - Eero Raitinnen

"Cry Baby Cry" - Ramsey Lewis

"I Will" - John Holt

Let me know if you think this is a series that is worth persevering with. I'm not sure it will be quite as straightforward trying to do "Fulham Fallout" by The Lurkers, or any of my many Gentle Giant albums, but I could give it a go.

We'll sign off with the big hit cover version from the White Album. See you in ten days or so.

Single Song Sunday

Single Song Sunday has returned - I would like to say by popular demand but that may be pushing it a bit. Anyway, this time out we have James Taylor's "Fire And Rain". 

James's original version came out in 1970, reaching the Top 3 in the US, and almost instantly became a modern-day standard. Johnny Rivers and R.B. Greaves had minor hits with it in the same year, which is also when Blood, Sweat & Tears released their version. 

In 1971 there was a whole wave of cover versions from soul stars, and it was also when our Mandatory Reggae Version appeared - it's not the only MRV out there by any means, but it's my favourite.

We round things off with Willie Nelson, some 70s English rockers, some punks and a man called Stoner who released his version on an album called "Ain't Nothin' Freaky". He was right, but compared to the efforts of Dido, Marti Pellow and Cliff Richard his is positively unhinged. 

"Fire And Rain" - James Taylor

"Fire And Rain" - Blood, Sweat & Tears

"Fire And Rain" - The Isley Brothers

"Fire And Rain" - Gladys Knight & The Pips

"Fire And Rain" - Bobby Womack

"Fire And Rain" - The Gaylads 

"Fire And Rain" - Willie Nelson

"Fire And Rain" - Hookfoot

"Fire And Rain" - Me First And The Gimme Gimmes

"Fire And Rain" - Geoffrey Stoner

 

Single Song Sunday

It has been a while since we had a Single Song Sunday. Let's rectify that with Van Morrison's "Crazy Love".

I've taken an executive decision not to include Van's original. He and his people get agitated about that sort of thing, and he is already highly agitated about Covid-19, lockdown and the like. I would not want to be responsible for tipping him over the edge.

So instead we'll kick things off with Jesse Ed Davis, a Native American session man who hung about Leon Russell, as you may be able to tell - his version has a certain Leon feel to it. It came out in 1970 and, as far as I can tell, may have been the first cover version to be released.   

Also released in 1970 was Esther Phillips' version. Esther did Van's "Brand New Day" around the same time, and that is well worth checking out. I suspect whoever arranged Rita Coolidge's rendition in 1971 may have been listening to Esther judging by the guitar work on the two versions. 

We follow Rita with two soul dudes, Nolan Porter and Eddie Floyd, and then we're off on a mini-tour of Europe - I'm clearly struggling to let go - which takes in Croatia, the Czech Republic, Finland and Italy. All four artists have appeared here previously, Helena Vondráčková as a member of The Golden Kids, the others in their own right.

We end as always with the Mandatory Reggae Version, but with a twist - it's Japanese reggae! You can find it along with many other gems on the evocatively titled compilation, Jap Jam International Volume 3.

"Crazy Love" - Jesse Ed Davis

"Crazy Love" - Esther Phillips

"Crazy Love" - Rita Coolidge

"Crazy Love" - Nolan Porter

"Crazy Love" - Eddie Floyd

"Život S Njim" - Josipa Lisac

"To Se Ti Pouze Zdá" - Helena Vondráčková

"Rakkauden Sain" - Kirka

"Amore Pazzo" - Furgone di Piufiglio

"Crazy Love" - Sister Kaya

Single Song Sunday

This time out on Single Song Sunday we have an old standard that has been recorded by at least three million artists in the 60+ years since it was written: "You Don't Know Me".

The first recording was by country star Eddy Arnold, who co-wrote it with Cindy Walker in 1955. The first hit version was by Jerry Vale the following year, but it is terribly cheesy so I am sparing you that. The classic version - and one of my favourite records of all time - is the one by Ray Charles, which made the Top Ten in both the US and UK in 1962.

You will have heard of most if not all of the other artists featured I expect - we've not exactly gone for the obscure stuff here. The Mandatory Reggae Version comes courtesy of The Heptones.

Many of us have probably found ourselves in the same position as Eddy, Ray, Patti and all the rest at some point in our lives. I know have. I thought of dedicating this post to the oblivious lady concerned using the standard formula for anonymous dedications, "they know who they are". But of course she didn't, so that would not have made any sense. Feel free instead to dedicate it to whoever you see fit.

"You Don't Know Me" - Eddy Arnold

"You Don't Know Me" - Ray Charles

"You Don't Know Me" - Patti Page

 "You Don't Know Me" - Jackie Wilson

 "You Don't Know Me" - Emmylou Harris

"You Don't Know Me" - Willie Nelson

"You Don't Know Me" - Allen Toussaint

"You Don't Know Me" - The Heptones 

Single Song Title Sunday

It has been a long time since we've had a proper Single Song Sunday here. This isn't a proper one either, really. Rather than a collection of cover versions, what we have for you is a selection of songs with the same - or very similar - title: "I (or I've) Got A Feeling".

Just like the real Single Song Sundays, we have something for everyone. Top notch Motown, folk, blues and R&B. The Mexican Beatles and a cover of the song by the real Beatles by some Serbian punks with a great name (the performance is less great but it was that or the Laibach version). Some groovy modern gospel. And the Mandatory Reggae Version courtesy of The Heptones.

"I Got A Feeling" - The Four Tops

"I Got A Feeling" - Los Dug Dug's

"I Got A Feeling" - Otis Spann

"I Got A Feeling" - Ricky Nelson

"I Got A Feeling" - Rev Matthew Mickens & The New Highway Travelers

"I've Got A Feeling" - Pentangle

"I've Got A Feeling" - Baby Washington

"I've Got A Feeling" - Elektricni Orgazam

"I've Got A Feeling" - The Heptones

"I've Got A Feelin'" - Big Maybelle 

That's a lot of feelings. And so's this, but stick with it.

Single Song Sunday

It has been a while since we've done one of these, but Single Song Sunday is back. This time out we are featuring Donovan's hippy standard, "Hurdy Gurdy Man".

We start with the original release from 1978,and then the rest proceed in chronological order. First comes Argentina's answer to Sonny & Cher who rushed their version out the same year, then Eric Mercury (no relation) injects a bit of soul into proceedings with this take from his 1969 album "Electric Black Man".

Next comes what is possibly my favourite version, by Steve Hillage from 1976 - heavy but still hippy, and check out the live version in the clip which goes full freak out. And we finish things off with a cover that rocketed to number 98 in the UK charts in 1990.

There are plenty of other versions out there but frankly they are all crap. And despite extensive searching I have been unable to find a Mandatory Reggae Version. Apologies.

"Hurdy Gurdy Man" - Donovan

"El Hombre Del Organito" - Barbara y Dick

"Hurdy Gurdy Man" - Eric Mercury

"Hurdy Gurdy Man" - Steve Hillage

"Hurdy Gurdy Man" - Butthole Surfers

Single Song Sunday

I had better start with an apology. I always knew that putting together different versions of the same song was not a remotely original idea. But I did not know that unconsciously I had borrowed the title of this series from Mr. BoyHowdy at "Cover Lay Down". If he gets to learn of this, I hope he will consider it a homage not a rip-off.

Anyway, back to the business of the day. You will all be familiar with "Try A Little Tenderness", but - like me - you may not have been aware that it was written way back when by three English songwriters, Harry Woods, Jimmy Campbell and Reg Connelly. It was first recorded by Ray Noble and His Orchestra in 1932, since when it has been covered by pretty much every crooner that ever crooned a tune.

I have tried to avoid the obvious versons that you will have, like those by Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin, but there are still plenty of good ones to choose from. We will start with what I think is the earliest version in my collection, by the delightfully named Little Miss Cornshucks, and finish off with a surprisingly sprightly rendition by a Welsh youth choir. In between we have the obligatory reggae version , the less obligatory calypso and disco versions, and some sublime moments from the likes of Charlie Rich and Etta James.

 "Try A Little Tenderness" - Little Miss Cornshucks

"Try A Little Tenderness" - Solomon Burke

"Try A Little Tenderness" - Etta James

"Try A Little Tenderness" - Charlie Rich

"Try A Little Tenderness" - Ohio Players

"Try A Little Tenderness" - Bitty McLean

"Try A Little Tenderness" - Mighty Sparrow with Byron Lee

"Try A Little Tenderness" - Cor Ysgol Glanaethwy

Single Song Sunday

Having received some slightly tart remarks about the five month gap between the two previous posts in the series, I am trying to do a bit better. This one arrives a mere six weeks after the last one.

I have always thought of today's song as a Motown standard, but it turns out that it was surprisingly unsuccessful when first released. The Four Top's version of "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever" only reached No. 45 in the US and No. 21 in the UK when it came out in 1966, thus making Nick Kamen's 1987 effort - No. 16 in the UK - technically the most successful version.

Any song has an immediate advantage when its sung by Levi Stubbs, and the original is still my favourite. But you can say the same for any song sung by Frankie Miller so I have put his 1976 single next. He runs them a pretty close second.

After that we have smorgasbord of sounds from 1968/69: some soul from Chuck Jackson, something a bit folkier from Dion, and then South African pop sensations The Square Set who had a local No. 1 with a cover of "Silence Is Golden" so are probably covering The Tremeloes' cover which came out in 1967.

Moving forward to the early 1970s we have some supper club soul from Leslie Uggams before handing over to The Band and Bryan Ferry to give the song a bit of welly. 

We finish off with a surprisingly good French version from 1967 from the man who co-wrote "My Way" and sang "Tears On The Telephone" and, of course, with the MRV. For the first time in this series we welcome the great Mr Delroy Wilson.

"Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever" -  The Four Tops 

"Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever" -  Frankie Miller 

"Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever" - Chuck Jackson  

"Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever" -  Dion 

"Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever" -  The Square Set 

"Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever" -  Leslie Uggams 

"Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever (live)" - The Band   

"Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever" -  Bryan Ferry

 "N'est-ce Pas Etrange?"  - Claude François

"Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever" -  Delroy Wilson   

Single Song Sunday

It's back! Our long-running but rarely sighted series once more ambles into view.

I was surprised to discover when preparing this post that it has taken 13 years and 66 episodes to get round to featuring a Bob Dylan song. I can only blame myself.

The song we have chosen to break Bob's duck is "Just Like A Woman". Originally appearing in June 1966 on his "Blonde On Blonde" album, it was released as a single in August the same year and struggled its way up to #33 in the Billboard charts.

Bob's own version of the song was not the first to be released as a single though. Over in the UK Manfred Mann recorded a cover within days of "Blonde On Blonde" coming out. Their version was released as a single in July, reaching the Top 10 in the UK and many parts of Europe.

"Just Like A Woman" was one of three Bob songs that the Manfreds took into the charts, and the next two versions in our list are also by regular Bob botherers. The Byrds recorded it in 1971 but it stayed in the vaults until it appeared on their 1990 self-titled 4 CD box set. Richie Havens recorded the song more than once - I have opted for the version on his 1972 live album "On Stage".

Also bringing it to you live (or at least live in the studio) is Van The Man. This version was recorded at the Pacific High Studios in San Francisco in 1971 and that session has been bootlegged many times over the years. I have it on an Italian bootleg called "Buonasera" - an album I believe may have been a formative influence on our old friend Furgone di Piufiglio.

Next up we have three versions of "Just Like A Woman" sung by actual women (where will this madness end?). It won't surprise you to learn that Nina Simone's take is the pick of the bunch, but I also like Bridget St' John's version. 

Nina's recording first appeared on "Here Comes The Sun" (1971) and can be found on numerous compilations of hers. I found Bridget's cover on a 3 CD collection called "From There / To Here - UK/US Recordings 1974-1982" from 2022. As far as I can tell was previously unreleased.

The final female version is by Charlotte Gainsbourg, ably supported by Calexico. It comes from the soundtrack album from Todd Haynes' 2007 film "I'm Not There". That is the one where he got actors to "dramatize the life and music of Bob Dylan as a series of shifting personae" (quote), including Christian Bale, Cate Blachett, Heath Ledger, Jeanette Krankie and Richard Gere among others.

We round things off with a Swedish interpretation from 1980 by one Ulf Lundell and the Mandatory Reggae Version from Mr Pat Kelly. For some reason when Pat and Duke Reid released this as a single in 1974 they decided to use the title "Nobody". I don't know why, perhaps they were trying to put Bob's royalty collectors off the scent. 

"Just Like A Woman" - Bob Dylan

"Just Like A Woman" - Manfred Mann

"Just Like A Woman" - The Byrds

"ust Like A Woman" - Richie Havens

"Just Like A Woman" - Van Morrison

"Just Like A Woman" - Nina Simone

"Just Like A Woman" - Bridget St. John

"Just Like A Woman" - Charlotte Gainsbourg & Calexico

"Precis Som En Kvinna" - Ulf Lundell

"Nobody" - Pat Kelly

Single Song Sunday

The series returns after a well-earned summer break and I think it may have caught the sun because there are several things about this edition that are not quite right.

The first is that it is all reggae - does that mean none or all of them count as an MRV? I don't know. The second is that technically the ten tracks below are not a single song. Most of them have the same rhythm track as the original record but a few just sample its most distinctive feature. But Single Plinky Plonk Sunday sounded a bit silly.

The original is "My Conversation", released in 1968 by The Uniques, then consisting of the sublime Slim Smith on lead vocals with Lloyd Charmers and Jimmy Riley on harmonies. There are some decent straightforward covers out there by the likes of Delroy Wilson but I have not included any because, frankly, what would be the point? The Uniques were given that name for a reason.

Instead we will skip forward to 1974 when Bunny Lee, who produced the original record, sold the rhythm track to Rupie Edwards who used it as the basis of one of the first ever single 'riddim' albums, "Yamaha Skank". Shorty The President represents them today. There have been several trillion 'riddim' albums since but very few as good as this one.

After that the 'plinky plonk' motif became ubiquitous for a while. The good folks at Riddimguide have identified well over a hundred examples and I suspect their list is far from complete. I won't go through the rest of the tracks one by one but they are in chronological order with two more from the 1970s, four from the 1980s and Beres from the 1990s.

King Tubby's dub version comes last because as far as I can tell it was not officially released until 1996 on a compilation called "King Tubby's Meets Scientist In A World Of Dub". The following year it appeared as a bonus track on a reissue of his 1975 classic album "Dub From The Roots" so my guess is that it is a mid-1970s cut.

I'll shut up now and hand over to the mighty Slim and the rest of the plonkers plinkers.

"My Conversation" - The Uniques

"President Mash Up The Resident" - Shorty The President

"Barnabus Collins" - Lone Ranger

"Cricket Lovely Cricket" - Jah Thomas

"Jah Forgive Them" - Leroy Smart

"Rocking To The A-Class Champion" - Johnny Clarke

"Its Good To Have The Feeling You're The Best" - Tippa Irie

"Don't Ease Up" - Eccleton Jarrett

"Hey Girl" - Beres Hammond & Josey Wales

"Conversation Dub" - King Tubby

Single Song Sunday (Celebrity Edition)

[Ernie writes: For what I think is the first time in our long-running but irregular series we have a guest post. And what a guest it is too - the famous contrarian goatherd after whom Edwyn Collins is said to have named his album "Gorgeous George". You can tell it is by George from the use of the word 'bobbins'. I have added a few comments in italics and some videos at the end but apart from that it is all his own work.]

Anita and Parsley (these two always Spend The Night Together)

[I believe this is a reference to Anita the goat and not Anita Pallenberg. I hope so anyway.]

The main rule for the series is, I think, obvious. I also believe that there should be an MRV, which I have adhered to. And that the versions should be interpretations, not simply straightforward covers. I am not sure if personal opinions about each version  are allowed, but if not it’s not a rule I can stick to.

[There is no rule against expressing opinions and the Mandatory Reggae Version isn't really mandatory, just preferred - we did not have one last time out. It is so anarchic here even Hagar The Womb would feel right at home.]

The original first. I first heard it when I bought the double album Rolled Gold, from Chalmers and Joy in Gellatly Street, for £3.99, in 1976. From the weakest side (3) of the album, track 2.

The second, with which you will all be familiar, is a fantastic glammed-coked-up cover, with that wild piano intro. A frantic, desperate, vocal from Bowie, giving a totally different mood than that whiny, pleading 20-year-old “please stay the night” feel that Jagger delivers.

Melanie Harrold, friend of Jasper Carrott, has a version. Not only a friend of Mr Carrott but a former singer with the Hank Wangford Band. A laid-back almost-funky interpretation. Cengis Yuksek gives an almost easy-listening version, almost-but-not-quite bossanova.

The fifth version might be described as a blue-eyed soul version, and is by The Bonemakers with Jenny Langer. It also might be nothing of the sort, but it’s very good. After that comes what I think is a northern soul adaptation by Jerry Williams and his Dynamite and Soul Band.

[The Jerry Williams record was made in Sweden which I think counts as 'northern' soul. Jerry's real name was Sven Erik Fernström. Fans of this weekend's song contest may be interested to know that this version was arranged by Lars Samuelson, who has a strong Eurovision pedigree.]

Penultimately is an utterly utterly fabulous version, from an album disowned by the artiste himself! The backing is provided by members of Rotary Connection,  some heavy, scuzzy psychedelic guitar work, and at about 27 seconds in comes that big, huge blues vocal from Muddy Waters. It becomes not a request, not a demand, but a fait accompli. This is just fantastic, and despite Mr. Morganfield’s protestations (“That Electric Mud record I did, that one was dogshit.””), this is a must-have album.

And the MRV is on Trojan records by Teddy and the Discolettes (who are not to be confused with Disco Tex and his Sex-o-lettes)

Either ACE Records or Cherry Red should put that collection above on a compilation album. 

Someone who goes by the name of Anthony McBazooka will not be featuring here. And not because the song is total bobbins, but because it belongs to the series Songs With The Same Titles But Are Different Songs. 

[There are currently no plans for such a series.]

And here are the songs:

"Let's Spend The Night Together" - The Rolling Stones

"Let's Spend The Night Together" - David Bowie

"Let's Spend The Night Together" - Melanie Harrold

"Let's Spend The Night Together" - Cengis Yuksek

"Let's Spend The Night Together" - The Bonemakers with Jenny Langer

"Let's Spend The Night Together" - Jerry Williams & His Dynamite & Soul Band.

"Let's Spend The Night Together" - Muddy Waters

"Let's Spend The Night Together" - Teddy & The Discolettes

Thanks to Ernie for posting, and I hope you enjoy all the songs.

[It has been an absolute pleasure. If anyone else fancies doing a guest post we would be delighted to receive them, just as long as the song in question hasn't featured here before.] 

Single Song Sunday

Today's single song is Cat Stevens' "The First Cut Is The Deepest". Fear not, we have avoided the Rod Stewart and Sheryl Crow versions; and we have failed to find the Keith Hampshire version, which romped its way to the top of the Canadian charts in 1973, making it the first Number One version of the song. Or so Wikipedia tells me.

We start with Cat's own version, although it was not the first to be released - that honour fell to P.P. Arnold. There are hundreds in not thousands of reggae versions. Most of them follow the same template but a few are a bit more "out there" - we have one of each. Then we finish off with Dale Hawkins who is best known as a real rockin' cat. Presumably at this point in his career he was trying out a new direction, and to these ears it suited him pretty well.

"The First Cut Is The Deepest" - Cat Stevens

"The First Cut Is The Deepest" - P.P. Arnold

"The First Cut" - J.C. Lodge 

"The First Cut Is The Deepest" - I-Roy

"The First Cut Is The Deepest" - Dale Hawkins

Newness Abounds

After last Sunday's Single Song Sunday another one of our exceedingly intermittent series makes a return today. This is the one were I share some of the best things sent to me by the nice people in Promoland over the last few months and encourage you to buy them. Links to Bandcamp are provided where available.

Two of the best albums I have received since the last time we did this have already been mentioned here after I attended gigs by the acts in question. The albums are "Strange Medicine" by Kaia Kater and "Chicken Dinner" by Luiz Bruno. Both have now been released into the wild and are just waiting for you to snap them up.

Our round-up of the rest starts with a man who deserves praise for a multitude of reasons. Gabriel Birnbaum's day job is in Promoland and he is responsible for alerting me to many things you have heard here over the years. He is also a fine musician in his own right, originally with Wilder Maker but now as a solo artist. His latest album "Patron Saint Of Tireless Losers" is out on 28 June.

You will have to wait until 12 July to get hold of "Time Is A Walnut" by Hannah Mohan, but trust me when I tell you it is well worth the wait. Formerly the front person for indie-pop band And The Kids, this is her first solo album and it has been racking up the plays here at Goggins Towers.

On the subject of indie pop, here are Lightheaded. Hailing from New Jersey and signed to the Slumberland labal whose roster includes The Reds, Pinks, & Purples, The Umbrellas and Jeanines (all of whom have featured here previously). They share some of those bands' influences as you can hear on "Combustible Gems" which came out last month.

Slumberland had a good month in May because they also released "New Town Dreams" by Neutrals. Also based in San Francisco the album's theme - "snapshots of mundane lived realities in the New Towns that proliferated in the UK during the '60s and '70s" - may tip you off to the fact that they are not originally from there. Those of you with a keen ear for accents may pick up a very slight hint of a Scottish one. 

You will search in vain for any hint of a regional accent from Cardiff's No Thee No Ess. On their latest album "Distant Country" they seem to have relocated in spirit to the West Coast (by which I mean Laurel Canyon not Llanbedrog), but they fit in quite nicely there. "Distant Country" came out earlier this month but does not seem to have made it to Bandcamp. You can find some of their earlier records there though.

Last but not least is Sonny Singh, a Brooklyn-based Sikh musician who was formerly the trumpeter with Red Baraat. His latest album "Sage Warrior" fuses devotional music with assorted other styles and has been developed in parallel with a book of the same name by Valerie Kaur. Both the book and the album come out in September, but the single "Pavan Guru" is already available.

"Drinking Year" - Gabriel Birnbaum

"Time Is A Walnut" - Hannah Mohan

"Moments Notice" - Lightheaded

"Stop The Bypass" - Neutrals

"Snow White" - No Thee No Ess

"Pavan Guru" - Sonny Singh

Other albums I've been sent that I have quite enjoyed include "Ego Ride" by Asha Jefferies, "Planet Perfect" by Energy Slime and "For Every Set Of Eyes" by J. Mamana. So here is a video from each of them.