Thank you for the distraction. I'm open to anything to run away from the seething cauldron of social media political chatter, but this was better than just "anything." Like Hans Christian Andersen put it, "When words fail, music speaks." Great stuff (and I've just discovered Brad Mehldau recently).
This is great! Many thanks for the curated list(ening). One of the things I miss about the way music tech has changed is the vanishing art of making mixed tapes/playlists for friends.
What a fun list! That cover of Thriller is indeed incredible. This is probably sheer blasphemy but I personally prefer Rod Stewart and Jeff Beck's cover of People Get Ready to the original Impressions version with Curtis Mayfield. Pure 80s AOR gold!
I haven’t heard that in a long time I’ll have to give it another listen. I never got into Rod Steward that much although I love his cover of “I know I’m losing you”. I would’ve included it here if it weren’t so famous already.
Oh man from the moment my Dad brought home a VHS of Rod Stewart's anthology of 80s music videos (he saw it at a yard sale and figured we kids would laugh at the 80s campiness) I became a massive Rod fan. He hit a brick wall creatively if not commercially with his awful standards albums in the 2000s, but before that he was one of rock's foremost interpreters of other people's songs. His cover of Tom Waits' Downtown Train was a big hit, he's got a really interesting version of Dylan's Sweetheart Like You, and all sorts of other gems.
Many great selections here! I screamed when I saw "Manic Depression"; when that album came out, I was still a musician in the scene and all the guitarists were apoplectic —of course— at the choices and personnel and so on. When I'd say "yo but the Jeff Beck / Seal 'Manic Depression' is so good that it's really the definitive version of that song" they were not pleased, but it is! It is! And I obviously have a soft spot for the tune.
A large % of my most fertile creative years were spent making songs in Mario Paint, too!
The Seal/Beck version is quite clearly superior and should be the new standard. But I don’t take that as a slight against Hendrix, rather it’s all the more to his glory. Like a Bodhisattva of compassion, he gave us his own version which he knew (in his glorious wisdom) was not yet perfect, but would guide those who came after him, like Seal/Beck, to the greatest heights of spiritual achievement. Or something like that.
Thank you for the distraction. I'm open to anything to run away from the seething cauldron of social media political chatter, but this was better than just "anything." Like Hans Christian Andersen put it, "When words fail, music speaks." Great stuff (and I've just discovered Brad Mehldau recently).
Dude! The Class of 99 - had not heard that! So awesome. Always fun to see the person side of our healthcare gurus. Hope you continue these posts!
Wonderful, Martin.
This is great! Many thanks for the curated list(ening). One of the things I miss about the way music tech has changed is the vanishing art of making mixed tapes/playlists for friends.
I miss mixtapes too! Maybe I’ll start making some mixtape posts for Substack, it’s less work than writing psychiatry stuff :)
The gravity of my offense at your description of Pure Imagination as creepy is indescribable. Shame on you!
Oh it’s definitely at least a little creepy and you know it.
What a fun list! That cover of Thriller is indeed incredible. This is probably sheer blasphemy but I personally prefer Rod Stewart and Jeff Beck's cover of People Get Ready to the original Impressions version with Curtis Mayfield. Pure 80s AOR gold!
I haven’t heard that in a long time I’ll have to give it another listen. I never got into Rod Steward that much although I love his cover of “I know I’m losing you”. I would’ve included it here if it weren’t so famous already.
Oh man from the moment my Dad brought home a VHS of Rod Stewart's anthology of 80s music videos (he saw it at a yard sale and figured we kids would laugh at the 80s campiness) I became a massive Rod fan. He hit a brick wall creatively if not commercially with his awful standards albums in the 2000s, but before that he was one of rock's foremost interpreters of other people's songs. His cover of Tom Waits' Downtown Train was a big hit, he's got a really interesting version of Dylan's Sweetheart Like You, and all sorts of other gems.
Many great selections here! I screamed when I saw "Manic Depression"; when that album came out, I was still a musician in the scene and all the guitarists were apoplectic —of course— at the choices and personnel and so on. When I'd say "yo but the Jeff Beck / Seal 'Manic Depression' is so good that it's really the definitive version of that song" they were not pleased, but it is! It is! And I obviously have a soft spot for the tune.
A large % of my most fertile creative years were spent making songs in Mario Paint, too!
The Seal/Beck version is quite clearly superior and should be the new standard. But I don’t take that as a slight against Hendrix, rather it’s all the more to his glory. Like a Bodhisattva of compassion, he gave us his own version which he knew (in his glorious wisdom) was not yet perfect, but would guide those who came after him, like Seal/Beck, to the greatest heights of spiritual achievement. Or something like that.
Nice
Check out Billie Jean by the civil wars
I'll include Nick Drake's covers of Milk and Honey and Blues Run the Game (both original to Jackson C. Frank).