Who should sing who else?

Subject: Who should sing who else?
From: GUEST,Les in Chorlton, Manchester
Date: 19 Jul 03 - 10:15 AM

In another thread (The Watersons Frost and Fire) I have been trying to encourage eliza carthy to get her family to record songs by Richard Thompson.

What would you like to hear........... Fairport sing Brecht? What's your suggestions?

Subject: RE: Who should sing who else?
From: GUEST,Les in Chorlton, Manchester
Date: 19 Jul 03 - 02:05 PM

Is this a duff idea or a duff thread title? I've cut the hedge, mowed the lawn and bought 2 sets of mandola strings ans still no responses. How about Bernard Wriggly sings Jonie Mitchell or Maddie Prior sings Tom Waites?

Subject: RE: Who should sing who else?
From: Amergin
Date: 19 Jul 03 - 02:26 PM

rick fielding singing axl rose.....

eric bogle singing bob dylan....

Subject: RE: Who should sing who else?
From: Santa
Date: 19 Jul 03 - 02:44 PM

I would like to hear Phil Och's The Crucifixion sung without that awful effect on the record. Preferably by that choir who sang it at the end of the TV programme on Phil's life, broadcast many years ago.

Subject: RE: Who should sing who else?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 19 Jul 03 - 07:16 PM

Bob Dylan singing George Formby would be my choice.

But a serious choice - and I mean it - would be Martin Carthy singing Ekvis Presley. That's on the basis of hearing him sing "Heartbreak Hotel" on a documentary, and doing a cracking job of it.

Subject: RE: Who should sing who else?
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 19 Jul 03 - 07:26 PM

Nice one Amergin - I really enjoy Bogle's "Do You Know Any Bob Dylan"...

No no a thousand times no
I'd rather see my life blood spilling
I'll sing anything, even god save the king
But I just won't sing any Bob Dylan...

Jon (not a fan of Dylan's singing)

Subject: RE: Who should sing who else?
From: Bob Hitchcock
Date: 19 Jul 03 - 08:17 PM

Well I would like to hear Joan Baez sing Marylin Manson, or perhaps the other way round.

Subject: RE: Who should sing who else?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 19 Jul 03 - 10:33 PM

Yeah, I went to an Ontario folk club where the MC loved singing that particular Eric Bogle song. I went on after him and sang Dylan songs just to annoy him... :-) I like Eric Bogle, though.

Subject: RE: Who should sing who else?
From: Blackcatter
Date: 19 Jul 03 - 11:36 PM

For those of us who never saw Eric Bogle in his early, cutting his teeth years, that song and the explanation he has in the liner notes has always been a bit of a tease.

The "Australian Bob Dylan" as Bogel was suppoedly known is awfully hard for me to imagine and I would love to here how he covered the Jewish Okie.

Subject: RE: Who should sing who else?
From: Bert
Date: 19 Jul 03 - 11:52 PM

I would like to hear Garth Brooks (or anyone else for that matter) sing Bert Hansell;-)

Subject: RE: Who should sing who else?
From: GUEST,Les in Chorlton, Manchester
Date: 20 Jul 03 - 02:58 AM

Perhaps us humble posters can contribute some to the music we love. Coss-overs can be really effective. Almost anyone sining Dylan can be worth listening to and Coope, Boys and Simpson can beathe life it all kinds of stuff.

I really think Waterson-Carthy-Brass Monkey could do justice to Richard Thompson and let us hear great songs in a new way. So, join in and bother eliza (see ealier in the Watersons Frost and Fire thread).

Subject: RE: Who should sing who else?
From: Jeri
Date: 20 Jul 03 - 09:36 AM

Les, I've been thinking about your question. That's why I haven't responded before now.

I think the resistance is because nobody can do Richard Thompson's repertoire like Richard Thompson. One of the reasons we think performers are good is because they can choose good songs, We trust their taste.

It's hard to find two performers or groups who would sound good swapping whole repertoires! Swapping individual songs is another matter. Bringing lesser known songs by lesser known songwriters (including "Anon.") into the light of day surprises and delights us. It would be a lot easier, for me anyway, to say which songs we'd like to hear certain performers sing, but the performers I enjoy are usually one step ahead of me already.

...and to be completely self serving, I wish somebody'd sing The Wheel of Time.

Subject: RE: Who should sing who else?
From: GUEST,New York City
Date: 20 Jul 03 - 09:58 AM

nobody can do Richard Thompson's repertoire like Richard Thompson

Well, there wouldn't be much point in doing someone else's songs just like them. The point in doing others' song is to bring something different to it.

Although I have enormous respect for his abilities, I'm not a big fan of Richard Thompson's solo recordings. I much preferred Linda's vocals when they worked together. I do, however, really like some of his songs that have been done by other artists. Some of my favorites are:

Shawn Covin & Loudon Wainwright III (duet)- A Heart Needs A Home
Tom Lewis- Down Where The Drunkards Roll
Rude Girls- The Dimming Of The Day
Martin & Jessica Ruby Simpson- How Will I Ever Be Simple Again
June Tabor- Pharaoh.

Subject: RE: Who should sing who else?
From: GUEST,Boab D
Date: 20 Jul 03 - 11:18 AM

Tony Blair singing Billy Connolly's
Im asking you sergeant where's mine
And mean every word he sings now that would be great.
Dylan

Subject: RE: Who should sing who else?
From: GUEST,Les in Chorlton, Manchester
Date: 20 Jul 03 - 11:50 AM

Jeri has a good point. Almost any re-recording of Beatles stuff fails to do anything for me with the exception of Barbara Dickson. But Martin Carthy has always sang songs from the best modern writers and now I come to think of it sings New St George by Richard Thompson on an Albion Band album.

I started the thread about Frost and Fire because I was reminded of its emotional effect. Thompson has written lots of very powerful songs that are strong enough to enjoy re-interpretation and see the 2 coming together.

I was also reminded fo something I read on an Oyster Band cover that the number of traditional English songs is large but it does have an upper limit. Only so many versions of something or other can bring pleasure? Carthy sings Heartbreak Hotel what do people make of that?

Subject: RE: Who should sing who else?
From: Phil Cooper
Date: 20 Jul 03 - 12:37 PM

Speaking of Garth Brooks, I think he would do a fine job on several of Stan Rogers' songs (Field Behind the Plow, Lies). I love other people's versions of Richard Thompson songs. The problem is more with some of Thompson's fans who can either slam a version of a song because it's not like Richard's, or criticize a version for being too much like his, except not pulled off exactly right (face it, who can match the guitar solos?)

Subject: RE: Who should sing who else?
From: kendall
Date: 20 Jul 03 - 01:16 PM

If it is a good song, and the singer is competent, how does it matter who did it first?

Subject: RE: Who should sing who else?
From: Allan C.
Date: 20 Jul 03 - 01:26 PM

Hey Bert...me too.

Subject: RE: Who should sing who else?
From: GUEST,Les in Chorlton, Manchester
Date: 20 Jul 03 - 02:10 PM

To be fair to well known singers they must hundreds of daft ideas from people like me.

Subject: RE: Who should sing who else?
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Jul 03 - 02:41 PM

Stuttering John recite Amergin's poetry.
(Probably sound better too!)

Subject: RE: Who should sing who else?
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Jul 03 - 03:04 PM

which amergin?

Subject: RE: Who should sing who else?
From: Jeri
Date: 20 Jul 03 - 08:52 PM

Dick Gaughan & 'Vincent Black Lightening'? Pretty good guitar on that. I'm actually at a loss. I have recordings of Thompson's songs by Gaughan, Norma Waterson, Cooper/Nelson/Early (Buy Phil's CD!) and others. Not one Thompson recording (need to remedy that), although I've heard him on the radio. NYC has a point - the reason I like RT's songs is because I've heard them first from other people. I was referring to a singer or group 'doing' Richard Thompson - a big chunk of repertoire.

Les, everybody comes up with at least a few daft ideas, but maybe well known singers may hear about a song or artist they'll eventually love because of suggestions from people. Word of mouth is still a good way to spred the news.

Subject: RE: Who should sing who else?
From: Phil Cooper
Date: 20 Jul 03 - 09:07 PM

Jeri,

    Thanks for the CD plug. I actually like the way we do Dimming of the Day there. As usual, I take a few chords out of the mix.

Subject: RE: Who should sing who else?
From: Mooh
Date: 21 Jul 03 - 03:30 PM

I'd like to hear...

...Bob Dylan sing "I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing"...

...the Voice Squad do anything by the Beach Boys...

...John Renbourn play Wipe Out and Walk Don't Run as if they were written 300 years earlier...

...the Stones play Like A Rolling Stone (wait, they did, and I waited years for it to happen) or maybe All The Way From Memphis...

...Natalie MacMaster play Little Wing...

...come to think of it, how about Tony McManus playing All The From Memphis with Maddy Prior on vocals?...

...All Along The Watchtower by The Chieftains with Mick Jagger as guest vocalist...

I need to get some air. Mooh.

Subject: RE: Who should sing who else?
From: Mooh
Date: 21 Jul 03 - 03:32 PM

By the by, there's a cool Mott The Hoople bootleg which opens with American Pie. Mooh.

Subject: RE: Who should sing who else?
From: Phil Cooper
Date: 22 Jul 03 - 06:23 PM

Mooh, what about Sean Keane singing Mott's "I Wish I Was you Mother?"

Subject: RE: Who should sing who else?
From: GUEST,Murkey
Date: 06 Sep 04 - 06:34 PM

I've yet to hear anyone do Richard Thompson as well as Richard Thompson, except Linda of course!

BTW, Martin Carthy's recording of Heartbreak Hotel is on Signs of Life.

Subject: RE: Who should sing who else?
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 06 Sep 04 - 11:13 PM

I'd like to see Garth Brooks do some Steve Goodman, maybe because Garth Brooks looks a little like Steve Goodman. Anyway, we don't have Steve Goodman around any more to do his own material.

I'd like to see Willie Nelson do some Greg Brown, Bill Staines, or John Gorka, because they write the kinds of songs he could do well (actually, he can do anything well), and they deserve to be known outside the folkie community.

I'd like to see Jewel [Kilcher] do some ... well, anybody but herself. How about Billie Holiday? Not that I think she would necessarily do it well, but it would be an improvement on her own material.

I'd like to see Whitney Houston do some blues, maybe Bessie Smith, Ethel Waters, Alberta Hunter, or of course, Billie Holiday. I think she could do it well, and somebody ought to be doing their material.

Subject: RE: Who should sing who else?
From: Midchuck
Date: 07 Sep 04 - 07:31 PM

It's not hard to sing Dylan better than Dylan does - a cynic would say it's almost unavoidable - but the best I've heard yet is Tom Russell, on the new album, Indians Cowboys Horses Dogs, singing "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts," with help from Joe Ely and Eliza Gilkyson (sp?). Before that, I would have said Tim O'Brien's Red on Blonde was the best treatment of Dylan by someone else.

Re Richard Thompson, the best known this side of the pond is Del McKoury and his band doing "59 Vincent Black Lightning," which won Song of the Year at the IBMA thing. But a few weeks ago, the local Public Radio folk show played a recording of The Five Blind Boys of Alabama doing "Dimming of the Day," that just made my socks roll up and down.   Icoudn'fugginbelieveit! Icoudn'fugginbelieveit! I didn't even know they recorded any secular music.

Peter.