OvC: Round II Results & Round 3

The votes are in and Round 2 of Original versus Cover ended in a deadlock. Lifted by Gwen Stefani's vocal work, the Brian Setzer Orchestra was able to hang in there with the King and Ann-Margret. This edition made me realize that the original will almost always have an advantage over the cover version ... just by virtue of being the original. It's the version we're familiar with so it leaves the covering artists scrambling to stack up.

Yes, that was Gwen Stefani's distinctive voice. You may know her better as the lead singer of No Doubt or more recently as a very successful solo artist. Or, for you Utah Jazz fans who still have no idea who I'm talking about, she sings the Sweet Escape (the woooo - hoooo song played during almost every time out). As Paige pointed out in a comment, I really like her voice (not necessarily all of her music). It's unique and has a very distinctive quality.

I didn't vote this week but I suppose I'm called on to break the tie. I like Elvis and A-M's sultry approach but I've got to come down on the side of the Brian Setzer Orchestra.

On to the Round III, this week's song is Summer Wine. Written by Lee Hazlewood in 1966, he originally performed with Suzi Jane Hokom. However, it wasn't until 1967 when Hazlewood was joined by Nancy Sinatra that the song became popular.

The challengers bring strong resumes to the game. Bono of U2 is joined by The Corrs, four Irish siblings. Of course, Bono himself is Irish. This is a strong performance by Andrea Corr, who has since ventured off from her sisters and brother on a solo career. I'm usually not a Bono fan but his styling seems near-perfect for this piece and the story it tells.

Let the voting begin.

Original vs. Cover, Round II

Well, here it is ... Round II of Original versus Cover. In this edition, we have Elvis and Ann-Margret teaming up in the original of You're The Boss. Elvis and Ann-Margret cut the track while filming Viva Las Vegas in 1964. The track along with two others never made it into the movie.

The cover is performed by The Brian Setzer Orchestra. Paige has suggested that this music is "way too cool" for me. But I point out that I picked up the Setzer Dirty Boogie (1998) CD many years ago after seeing Zoot Suit Revue live. At the time the "big band" sound was making a mainstream mini-comeback. I was surprised when I first listened to the CD. I hadn't heard You're The Boss before but immediately liked it. The female vocalist literally jumps off the track for me. Many of you probably recognize the distinctive pipes. She went on to tremendous success as the lead vocalist of a pop group and has since ventured off on a solo career. I'll wait until voting is over to let you know who it is ... if you don't already know.

Original versus Cover

Well, the results of the inaugural Original versus Cover are in and it wasn't very close. Terry Jack's version of Seasons in the Sun eclipsed Blink 182's and Nirvana's. However, the voting wasn't without controversy. An astute reader, RaddyRad, called into question whether the clips were really Blink 182 and Nirvana (see comments) After some research, I found that the Nirvana version was definitely genuine but questions remain about the Blink 182 version. The artists in the clip may actually be Me Too and the Gimme Gimmes. RaddyRad correctly suggests that the posted clip doesn't "sound like Blink 182" and further offers that Blink hasn't done a cover. But if you believe Wikipedia there is a Seasons in the Sun cover by GOB featuring Blink 182. So I'm left wondering if the clip I posted is, in fact the GOB cover. I tried finding video to match my audio clip for verification but wasn't unsuccessful.

I hope everyone had fun with the OvC. Round II should be posted shortly.

Test Marketing a Non-running Feature

Okay, I'm trying something new. It's a non-running poll. Periodically I'll pick a song that I like and put it on the blog. I'll also add a cover of the original. Your mission should you choose to accept it - choose the version you like best. There's a polling feature to the right.

I'm starting off with Seasons in the Sun originally released by Terry Jacks in 1973. More recently Blink 182 and Nirvana reworked the original. Which do you like best?

For some reason as a young kid, my good friend Curt Poll and I always used to sing this while riding along in the hay hauling truck. The things that stay in a person's mind!