Jun 262020
 

John HartfordOn the Road: A Tribute to John HartfordSongwriter, banjo-picker, old-time fiddler, dancer, tv star, radio dj, and, perhaps most importantly, professional riverboat pilot. Welcome to the weird, wide world of John Hartford.

Hartford was a cross between Bill Monroe and Mark Twain—he titled one of his albums Mark Twang. He was among the first to join hippie sensibilities with hillbilly ways. During the late ’60s and early ’70s, Hartford was both a vivid reminder of America’s past musical heritage, and also a harbinger of things to come; he shaped contemporary music almost in spite of himself. “Newgrass,” which in turn fed into the jam band phenomena, is basically Hartford’s concoction (though mandolinist Sam Bush gets some credit too). Even Americana, as it is currently defined, is impossible to imagine without him—the blockbuster O Brother, Where Art Thou project has Hartford’s fingerprints and spirit all over it.

So a new John Hartford Tribute album is most welcomed, and now we have one in hand: On the Road, from LoHi Records. It’s a dang good tribute album, too, starting with the opening cut (by Hartford’s co-conspirator Sam Bush), and never letting up.
Continue reading »

Aug 212018
 
posthumous aretha franklin covers

Last night’s VMAs surprised many by omitting any sort of musical tribute to Aretha Franklin. You’d think if anyone could pull that together with a few days notice, MTV could – but honestly, I get it. There have been fewer memorial covers of Aretha Franklin than we saw for Tom Petty, Prince, Leonard Cohen, and many others. Even Chris Cornell earned more in-concert tributes, and Aretha’s career of hits goes back decades further than his.

Why is that? Certainly Aretha is no less beloved than these others; eloquent and moving tributes in other forms continue to pour in hourly. My guess: Aretha is first and foremost known as a singer, maybe the greatest ever (Rolling Stone said she was). Though certainly no songwriting slouch (pretty much every part you’d sing along to in “Respect,” she added herself), Aretha may simply be too daunting vocally for many musicians to attempt.

Luckily, not all musicians. Here are the best posthumous Aretha Franklin covers we’ve seen so far. Hopefully more are coming! Continue reading »

Apr 272018
 

‘The Best Ever’ series counts down our favorite covers of great artists.

fleetwood mac covers

Lindsey Buckingham is out of Fleetwood Mac for reasons that, a few weeks later, remain as enigmatic as many of the band’s best songs. He was fired – or quit? – amid reports that he wanted to work on a solo album while everyone else wanted to tour. This after reports a couple years ago that he wanted to do a Fleetwood Mac album and Stevie didn’t. Their professional lives today are as complicated and messy as their romantic ones once were.

And let’s be honest: He’ll be back in a few years for a dramatic “reunion tour.” But why wait that long to celebrate this great band? We decided to use the excuse of the recent news to pay tribute to one of the most cover-able bands of all time. And lord knows we’ve paid tribute before, full album tributes to Rumours and Tusk and much more (a bunch of links a the bottom).

But now, just as we did with the Talking Heads last month, we’re looking at the entire catalogue, ranking the top thirty covers of Fleetwood Mac songs from any album or era. There’s no specific Lindsey-focus or anything. Though the majority of songs are from the the classic lineup (including a number from Lindsey’s passion project Tusk), a handful come from the band’s blues beginnings before he or Stevie joined. If the record sleeve said “Fleetwood Mac,” it was fair game for artists to reinterpret – and boy, have they ever. Without further ado, thirty artists who listened carefully to the sound, then played the way they felt it. Continue reading »

Jan 072014
 

Old And In The Way was the gateway album for legions of dedicated Deadheads into the world of bluegrass. The 1975 album’s personnel was a perfect pairing of old and new: Vassar Clements, David Grisman, Peter Rowan, John Kahn and Jerry Garcia. If it was Garcia’s presence – playing banjo, by the way – that boosted sales, it was the chemistry of the group and their musicianship, along with song selection, that kept people listening. Continue reading »

Jul 012008
 

Readers of my other blog will know I traveled hundreds of miles to see Tom Waits last month (missed it? Read about night one and night two.) His tours are a rare event, but he’s a concert performer unlike any other, aggressive and wild, stomping and growling his way through songs both harsh and touching. So to celebrate the event, for this month’s album I’m doing a personal favorite, his ’99 comeback release Mule Variations that earned him his first Grammy for Best Alternative Album (in response he quipped: “Alternative to what?”) It’s one of my favorite sets this site has seen, and I hope you’ll agree. There’s nothing like a good Waits cover though, so if you know of others I missed, drop a comment!

Shane Nicholson – Big in Japan
Jazzy organ and a young vocalist make this a smooth cover you could take home to mom.

Viktor Lazlo – Lowside of the Road
The first few bars sound as down and dirty as the original, until the female soul singer begins dueting with the bourbon-soaked Lazlo. One drunkenly warbles, one beautifully soars, and it works perfectly.

The Cottars – Hold On
This bouncy bluegrass take on one of Tom’s signature tunes may seem a little upbeat from this number that’s not as inspirational as the title suggests, but they have such a beautiful sound all is forgiven.

New Monsoon – Get Behind the Mule
In a live take from ’05 (don’t worry, it’s soundboard) they jam-band this one all the way out, brining some much-needed energy to what I would consider one of the album’s only weak tracks.

Trey Anastasio and David Byrne – House Where Nobody Lives
Lots of accordion here by Byrne, but the highlight is the sensitive chorus harmonies from a singer more known for extended freak-outs than nuance.

Railroad Earth – Cold Water
Who knew Tom’s songs would work so well in bluegrass treatment? The closest you’ll hear to a Waits jig tune. Can Pickin’ On Tom Waits be far behind?

Ramblin’ Jack Elliot – Pony
Folk veteran and Bob Dylan compatriot is apparently still going on this banjo and mandolin take that combines Venice with Appalachia. Don’t know exactly what I mean by that, but it sounds right.

Hexnut – What’s He Building?
They combine free jazz and screamo metal in their stuff, but the most terrifying thing about this cover is that I think that lead singer’s a girl. Sounds like The Exorcist.

Night Call – Black Market Baby
A special surprise, right here is the first place you’ll hear this live take, generously provided by the band themselves (check out their website for more). Faithful to the original, with a jazz touch and a beautiful sway in the vocalist’s voice.

3 Green Windows – Eyeball Kid
Tom Waits as hair metal, huh? I dig it. My favorite part is how they substitute “chillun” for children. And if you like the sound, you can download their whole album for free at their site.

Pearl Jam – Picture in a Frame
Eddie Vedder’s voice is perfect for this one, rough but emotional with only Mike McCready’s acoustic behind him. Big Waits fans, they’ve covered quite a few songs, “Hold On” and “Rains on Me” among them. Listen to more here.

Ben Sollee – Chocolate Jesus
I was lucky enough to discover this gem in a four-volume compilation of live Waits covers I made a while back, it’s god a soaring vocal that turns into some excellent freestyle rap on the subject of candy idols. Download the first three volumes here and here.

Solas – Georgia Lee
Though a studio recording is readily available on The Edge of Silence, I prefer this live recording. The vocal highlight of this set, it’s a little less overwrought than the studio take.

The Cat Mary – Filipino Box-Spring Hog
An unexpected iTunes discovery, the instruments blend together smoothly with some subtle keyboard riffs. I just wish it wasn’t all so echoey though.

Pascal Fricke – Take It With Me
A youtube star in his own right, Pascal (otherwise known as waitswatcher) has covered half these songs, and many more, in his heartbreaking instrumental arrangements. Best of all, you can download two discs worth here. I recommend “Hoist That Rag,” “You Can Never Hold Back Spring” and “If I Have to Go” for starters.

Gurf Morlix – Come On Up to the House
Tom Waits seems the last person to do gospel, but this is the closest he gets since “Way Down in the Hole.” Gurf (heh heh) goes in a different direction in this rough recording, staticy and distorted in a way that only adds to the edge of the performance.