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Day 104 – Live – I Walk The Line (Johnny Cash)

July 14, 2011 by Farhang

“I Walk the Line” was written by Johnny Cash and recorded in 1956. It was performed with the help of Marshall Grant and Luther Perkins, two mechanics that his brother introduced him to following his discharge from the Air Force. The unique chord progression for the song was inspired by an accidental backwards playback of guitar runs on Cash’s tape recorder while he was in the Air Force stationed in Germany.

The cover was released by Live on November 2004 as part of their Greatest Hits compilation.

and here’s the original

P.S. This cover was posted before as a daily pick, we figured it approrpaite to re-post it as part of “Do Judge The Cover” month.

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Day 103 – Sinead O’Connor – Downpressor Man (Peter Tosh)

July 13, 2011 by Farhang

“Sinner Man” is an American traditional spiritual song that has been recorded by a number of performers. The song dates to the turn of the 20th century but most modern recorded versions derive from the 1956 recording by Les Baxter, further changes and additions were codified in 1959 by the folk music group the Weavers.

A different version entitled “Downpressor Man” was recorded by Peter Tosh & The Wailers in 1971 (“downpressor” meaning “oppressor” in Rastafarian vocabulary). The song featured Tosh on lead vocals and Bunny Wailer on background.

Sinéad O’Connor covered Peter Tosh’s single on her 2005 album Throw Down Your Arms. You judge her cover:

and here is the original:

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Day 102 – Helter Skelter – U2 (The Beatles)

July 12, 2011 by Ehsan

Paul McCartney was inspired to write the song after reading a 1967 Guitar Player magazine interview with The Who’s Pete Townshend where he described their latest single, “I Can See for Miles,” as the loudest, rawest, dirtiest song the Who had ever recorded. McCartney then “wrote ‘Helter Skelter’ to be the most raucous vocal, the loudest drums, et cetera” and said he was “using the symbol of a helter skelter as a ride from the top to the bottom—the rise and fall of the Roman Empire—and this was the fall, the demise.”

Helter Skelter has been covered by dozens or rock bands since then. One of the most notables of these cover version’s is U2’s:

Here’s the original song:

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Day 101 – The White Stripes – Jolene (Dolly Parton)

July 11, 2011 by Farhang

One of the greatest songs of the modern times, Dolly Parton wrote and released this classic in ’73. It was a smash hit and became one of Dolly’s best-known songs. “Jolene” tells the tale of a housewife confronting a voluptuous seductress who she believes is trying to steal away her husband and begging her “please don’t take my man”.

and here is the original:

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Do Judge The Cover Month

July 11, 2011 by Farhang

After one hundred days of randomness, we’re gonna give this baby a bit more structure. To start, for the remainder of the month of July, we will focus on cover songs and specifically those that we think are better than the original. If you have any suggestions, we love to hear from you!

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