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Five Good Covers: For Your Love (The Yardbirds)

Posted by Frank Minishak at 3:00 pm No Responses »

Sep 292017

Five Good Covers presents five cross-genre reinterpretations of an oft-covered song.

“For Your Love” was where English teen Graham Gouldman’s songwriting trilogy for the Yardbirds began. The band’s pivot away from their R&B roots to a more “experimental-yet-accessible” sound kicked off in 1965 when they picked up three Gouldman-penned tunes. “For Your Love,” the first single to be released, became an immediate hit in the UK (#1 on NME) and reached #6 in the US and #1 in Canada. It’s become known as one of the great classics of the British Invasion and paved the way for the similar success achieved by Gouldman’s other contributions, “Heart Full of Soul” and “Evil Hearted You.”

The band made a concerted effort to create a unique arrangement for the song. Gouldman and rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja are both on the record citing the song’s “weirdness” due to elements like the (accidental) addition of the now-signature minor chord harpsichord introduction, bongos, and a bowed bass. The end product sounded like two songs fused together; one with an ancient or middle eastern feel, the other, an R&B standard. Legendary guitarist Eric Clapton can be heard playing on the bridge, his final recorded notes with the Yardbirds before leaving the group after the song’s release (to be replaced by Jeff Beck).

We’ve identified over 60 verified covers of the song. Gouldman fans can find the first recording of his own song in our covers review of The Yardbirds’ Greatest Hits. For this global hit, we’ve selected five additional favorites and a bushel of bonus tracks for you to enjoy…
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Bob Seger Covers Lou Reed on New Album (But Doesn’t Make It Easy to Find)

Posted by Ray Padgett at 1:04 pm 2 Responses »

Sep 272017

Bob Seger has written any number of classic rock standards, but in recent years he’s turned increasingly towards covers. He promoted his last album, 2014’s Ride Out, with a cover of Wilco and Billy Bragg’s “California Stars”. The previous one launched with a version of Tom Waits’ “Downtown Train.” Now he’s just announced a follow-up, I Knew You When, with a cover of a relative Lou Reed deep cut, 1989’s “Busload of Faith.”

Where Reed’s original was a gritty punk-poetry diatribe, Seger blows it up into a white-man soul anthem. A horn section, backing chorus, and furious guitar solo brings a huge Seger sound that evokes one of his 1970s records. Well, with one difference: He changes Reed’s lyric “you can’t depend on the churches” into a timely “you can’t depend on the president.” Continue reading »

Portland Trio Joseph Covers The Rolling Stones and Tears for Fears on New EP

Posted by Angela Hughey at 12:17 pm No Responses »

Sep 252017

Feeling like fall where you live? We’ve got a couple covers just for you. As the air turns colder with chai and pumpkin spice lattes gracing local coffee boards, try a little Joseph with your cuppa. Their new EP Stay Awake features two fantastic covers: “Moonlight Mile” originally by The Rolling Stones and “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears. Continue reading »

Five Good Covers: Heart Full of Soul (The Yardbirds)

Posted by Frank Minishak at 4:00 pm 1 Response »

Sep 222017

Five Good Covers presents five cross-genre reinterpretations of an oft-covered song.

In early 1965, nineteen-year-old Graham Gouldman – then playing guitar and singing with his Manchester, England band mates in the Mockingbirds – fortuitously connected with another fowl-named rock band. The London-based Yardbirds, barely two years formed, decided to record three of Gouldman’s compositions. By year’s end, “For Your Love,” “Heart Full of Soul,” and “Evil Hearted You,” had all become smash hits and contributed immensely to the bands’ early success.

Our featured song, the second single released by the burgeoning supergroup, was the first with Jeff Beck on lead guitar. Beck, who replaced Eric Clapton over creative and other differences, was credited with introducing Indian/Eastern stylings to rock music with his sitar-inspired lead guitar work on the track. His fuzzbox sound on the signature melody line would become a Beck trademark and helped usher in the psychedelic rock sound of the ‘60s. These key ingredients, combined with Gouldman’s arrangement and lyrics, made “Heart Full of Soul” a top 10 hit for the Yardbirds on both sides of the Atlantic, reaching as high as number 2 in the UK.

The song has inspired over 50 verified covers, including a version the multi-talented Gouldman included on his second solo album, which we featured in our review of The Yardbirds’ Greatest Hits.

Here’s a look at five more varieties along with some additional notables…

The Killers Cover David Bowie’s Classic “Fame”

Posted by Angela Hughey at 1:00 pm No Responses »

Sep 212017

Recently, The Killers took to the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge to plug their upcoming album release. Fittingly, they coupled their new song “The Man” with an iconic, similarly egotistic hit by David Bowie. If you’ve heard The Killers’ new song, you might be able to guess the Bowie song that they seamlessly transition to. And what a transition.

“Fame” is an excellent fit for Brandon Flowers’ piercing tenor. His voice is as instantly recognizable as Bowie’s, and he sings the classic with the same gusto as the original. The band and back up singers are fully invested, covering every instrumental solo and breathy “Fame” that you anticipate. Continue reading »

Tom Heyman Keeps Pub-Rock Alive with Bobby Fuller Four Cover (Premiere)

Posted by Ray Padgett at 10:00 am 2 Responses »

Sep 212017

Early rock-and-rollers The Bobby Fuller Four get covered a lot. Well, one of their songs does: “I Fought the Law.” To know much else, you’d have to be a superfan. And Tom Heyman is.

The longtime sideman for Chuck Prophet, John Doe, Alejandro Escovedo, and more returns to his pub-rock roots on upcoming solo album Show Business, Baby. In addition to a bunch of original tunes that sound like they could be 1960s deep cuts, a pair actually are: Dion’s “Daddy Rollin’ In Your Arms” and The Bobby Fuller Four’s “Baby My Heart.” Continue reading »

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