Slow Down And Take Me To The River

Posted over 5 years ago

Artist:
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Talking Heads

I was beginning to add a comment to drewfonts mog about cover songs, when I realized I had written so much that it should probably be a new mog entirely:There are some covers that I like better than the original. Here's a quick Top Ten of some of my favorites:10) The Larry Williams classic "Slow Down" has been covered by a lot of artists including The Beatles. I've always been partial to The Jam's version from the album, In The City. It has great energy. 9) Billy Bragg covering The Left Banke's "Walk Away Renee". He plays the melody on the guitar, but tells a compelling story instead of singing the song. 8) The Candyskins with their version of "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield with an added sample from The Rolling Stones "Sympathy For The Devil". Luckily for them, they got permission and were not sued by The Stones like The Verve were for sampling a small part of a symphony's recording of "The Last Time" on their hit, "Bittersweet Symphony". Jagger/Richards received sole songwriting credit on the song. 7) The Red House Painters have done many covers, but my favorite is their interpretation of the KISS/Ace Frehley song, "Shock Me". I'd like it even more if they had changed the line "put on your black leather" to "take off your blue sweater".6) Nick Cave & PJ Harvey covering a traditional folk song known as "Henry Lee". The original version can be found on the 6 disc boxset in the big red box called Anthology Of American Folk Music. The original is a surprisingly dark song.5) Concrete Blonde's take on "Tomorrow, Wendy" by Andy Prieboy. Johnnette Napolitano's vocal is chilling and packed with emotion. Both versions were released at roughly the same time.4) Throwing Muses "Cry Baby Cry". Of course, I love the original by The Beatles, but Kristen Hersh's voice is amazing on this song.3) Camper Van Beethoven covering Status Quo's "Pictures Of Matchstick Men" - I love the way they use the violin.2) The Clash playing "Brand New Cadillac" by Vince Taylor & The Play-Boys. This song sounds so natural, I originally thought it was a Clash original that just sounded like a cover. David Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust" character was based on Vince Taylor.1) At the time that Talking Heads put out their version of "Take Me To The River", I was not aware of the original by Al Green. The Talking Heads version remains my favorite and is an excellent example of an artist making a song their own.

Comments (9)

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RobP says You roped me in by mentioning The Jam. Larry Williams was an excellent songwriter, and I think most of his best songs are better known from cover versions. As I'd have to look that up to verify, just take my word for it for now. Boney Maronie, etc. (Oh, I think he wrote Dizzy Miss Lizzy too, and the Beatles did a killer version of that.) This is an endless conversation because there are so many great covers out there and I don't know the post this one came from, won't bother bringing em up except I'll throw one out there - Hey Ya by the Supersuckers, a fucking blast. And way back when, I bought tickets to see the Talking Heads when they were touring behind their second album, playing some tiny college hall in San Diego. Somewhere between the time I bought tickets and the time of the show, Take Me To The River hit the charts. I think it was such a sudden thing that there weren't even hordes of scalpers outside, there were just tons of people crammed into this tiny hall who'd paid 5 bucks a ticket to see a band that now had a song on am radio. Not sure anyone involved got it, except it was great. I do prefer Al Green's version of Take Me To The River, though. No one sings like the Rev.

Permalink posted 10/05/2006
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audrey says I have not heard any of those covers, and they all sound awesome. Kristin Hersh, always ace, and I did not know that 'Heads tid bit either. I can't think of too many covers off the top of my head that make it better, but I can say that I haven't yet gotten sick of Chan Marshall's Everly Bros. cover.

Permalink posted 10/05/2006
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RobP says OK, Audrey, that's a fucking tease. Don't know that one, what's the song? (Oh, and have you seen her on Austin City Limits with Flamin Lips doing War Pigs? THAT is fuckin cool - don't know if it's released anywhere, though.)

Permalink posted 10/05/2006
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ivylander says Billy Bragg also did a worthy cover of "She's Leaving Home." Arrangement middling lame, but his voice was made for that song.

Permalink posted 10/05/2006
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audrey says Yeah, I've seen that on youtube. That's a hot cover. "Where's the blood?" Look for "All I Have to do is Dream." Second thought about it, I'd definitely say she improves the original.

Permalink posted 10/05/2006
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Jeromy says I'm about 50 50 on being familiar with that list. The Talking Heads being my favorite of the ones I know . . . But I'm already a Talking Heads fanatic. Another thread should be started on covers performed live. I saw the Dresden Dolls to a Black Sabbath medley. It was killer.

Permalink posted 10/05/2006
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schawe says totally agree on the RHP: Shock Me cover. Also did not know the Concrete Blonde song was a cover! Check out Cat Power's "Wild is the Wind" (Nina Simone original?) killer and david, thanks for the heads up abot mog.com

Permalink posted 10/07/2006
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that says I know and love #'s 6, 3, 2 & 1, though I'd call the Cave version of Henry Lee a reworking or reinterpretation more than a cover. In general, I'd say that I favor that sort of approach over the faithful recreation, though I do appreciate the ideological purity of say, the Cramps, who really know their rockabilly weridness, even if they do camp it up. (I love the Cramps - they put on one of the best shows I've ever seen.) A couple of my favorites: John Cale's radical reinterpretations of both Heartbreak Hotel and Streets of Laredo. I also think his straightforward piano/vocal version of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah is definitive. David Bowie doing Scott Walker's Nite Flights. The original has an angsty glory but Bowie's take is both more majestic and much sexier. Scott Walker doing Blanket Roll Blues, a brief blues from Tennessee Williams' Orpheus Rising. Bleak and haunting. Sometimes Scott sounds like a ghost. Grant Lee Buffalo's version of the Beach Boys' In My Room. The only Beach Boys cover I think I've ever heard that wasn't completely irrelevant. Grant Lee Philips is one of my favorite contemporary singers and I really like hearing him take on a song like that, what we would call a standard if the practice of great singers tackling a common body of work was still alive. Elvis Costello's Wild Horses, which I heard on a rough live recording, (with Lucinda Williams singing harmonies), blew me away. He's such an intensely passionate and fiercely intelligent singer. This one's pretty eccentric and indefensible, but I am a huge Andy Williams fan and I love his whole album The Way We Were, which is composed mostly of songs that are associated with female vocalists. It has Touch Me In The Morning,. I Won't Last A Day Without You and Killing Me Softly (With Her Song). It was recorded after his divorce from Claudine Longet, but before he had to endure her murder trial for shooting the skier she left him for. I think it was a brave choice for a heterosexual male vocalist and it paid off, for me, at least. Those are a few that spring to mind. Interesting topic - there's a lot that could be said about it. Thanks.

Permalink posted 10/12/2006
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jessicattivo says Ryan Adams cover of Wonderwall (oasis) makes me black out sometimes.

Permalink posted 10/31/2006