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The Great HTF Music Challenge (1 Viewer)

JohnRice

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I just thought this might be interesting, though Howie probably already knows them both. Not new to me either, but might be to others.

I just realized... less time elapsed between the original and SD's cover than has elapsed between SD's cover and now. Welcome to feeling old.

Duke Ellington - East St. Louis Toodle-OO




And Steely Dan's cover almost 50 years later.

Steely Dan - East St. Louis Toodle-OO

 
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BobO'Link

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I discovered Ellington's original due to Steely Dan covering it. I like 'em both quite well. Pretzel Logic is a favorite album (OK... I really, really, like *all* of Steely Dan's output and it's quite hard to select a favorite and will often just play through them all when I'm in a Steely Dan mood).
 

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John Dirk

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I just thought this might be interesting, though Howie probably already knows them both. Not new to me either, but might be to others.

I just realized... less time elapsed between the original and SD's cover than has elapsed between SD's cover and now. Welcome to feeling old.

Duke Ellington - East St. Louis Toodle-OO




And Steely Dan's cover almost 50 years later.

Steely Dan - East St. Louis Toodle-OO


I much prefer the cover in this case although I immensely respect and admire the original for what it is. Not sure what they mean by "The Jungle sound," in this context, but...
 

BobO'Link

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Iron Maiden, "Strange World" - Not bad but still rather generic metal ballad type stuff. I think I'd like the studio version better. The live was a bit too "echo" sounding for my tastes.

Skid Row, "Quicksand Jesus" - More generic/cliche metal ballad stuff. Had I heard this and "Strange World" directly back to back I don't know that I've have noticed when one ended and the other began. They're in the same key and tempo.

Freakstorm, "Shot Down In Flames" - It's an OK version, and the singer does a good job, but I'll take the AC/DC original over this any day. It's just hard to do better than Bon Scott and Angus Young on this one.

AC/DC - "Shot Down in Flames":
 

BobO'Link

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Here's one of my all-time-favorite songs from Simon & Garfunkel.

Simon & Garfunkel - "America":



It's also the inspiration for one of my favorite remakes.

Yes - "America" (listen closely to the bass line at 1:45 and you'll hear Chris Squire play the melody of "America" from the musical "West Side Story"):
 

BobO'Link

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This afternoon I watched The Pajama Game, one of my favorite musicals. Here are a couple of favorite songs from that one (these are the original Broadway play versions though are sung by the same performers as in the film).

John Raitt - "Hey There" (did you know his daughter is Bonny Raitt?):



Carol Haney - "Hernando's Hideaway":
 

BobO'Link

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And another pair of original and favorite remake. This time from M*A*S*H, the movie.

Johnny Mandel - "Suicide is Painless":



Ahmad Jamal - "Theme from M*A*S*H (Suicide is Painless)":
 

BobO'Link

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"Suicide is Painless" is one of the "AFI Top 100" film songs. Here are a few more I really enjoy from that list:

"The Shadow of Your Smile" (From The Sandpiper):



Dooley Wilson (aka Sam) - "As Time Goes By" (from Casablanca):



Audrey Hepburn - "Moon River" (from Breakfast at Tiffany's - Mancini wrote this for Hepburn):



Fred Astaire - "Cheek to Cheek" (from Top Hat - the clip incorrectly calls the song "Heaven"):



"Springtime for Hitler" (from The Producers 1968):
 
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jcroy

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Here's one of my all-time-favorite songs from Simon & Garfunkel.

Simon & Garfunkel - "America":



It's also the inspiration for one of my favorite remakes.


For some reason, I never really got into Simon & Garfunkel.

I listen more to Paul Simon's solo stuff:


Late In The Evening





Kodachrome

 

BobO'Link

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Paul Simon is an incredibly gifted song writer. I prefer his earlier work (Simon & Garfunkel and the early solo material) over the later stuff - basically the first three solo albums (not counting/including in those three albums "The Paul Simon Songbook" which is more S&G era material, though quite interesting and pretty good - with that one it'd be four albums). After that it's mostly scattered singles I like. I believe the last single from him I truly enjoyed was "You Can Call Me Al" from "Graceland" - though as a whole I didn't much care for that album.
 

BobO'Link

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Here's a group that's gotten missed so far... They had a few really big hits in the early 90s but then kind of faded (at least I didn't hear much more about them). Some of their material is, essentially, dance style music but with a nice, funky groove, and they have good lyrics (yeah, @John Dirk - I said lyrics!:D) - like they'd say on American Bandstand, "It has a good beat and is easy to dance to." :laugh: They also have some very tight harmonies. I only purchased their album "Funky Divas" on the strength of these three songs. Songs I still listen to. And they're quite different from each other...

En Vogue - "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)":



En Vogue - "Giving Him Something He Can Feel" (a cover of the Aretha Franklin song - they do it justice):



En Vogue - "Free Your Mind":
 

BobO'Link

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Here are a few more female singers with some really good songs...

Meredith Brooks - "Bitch":



Sophie B. Hawkins - "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover":



Jewel - "Who Will Save Your Soul":



Roberta Flack - "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face":



Delaney & Bonnie and Friends - "Groupie (Superstar)":
 

BobO'Link

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And posting "Groupie (Superstar)", written by Leon Russell, who was a member of Delaney & Bonnie at the time, leads me to post a few more he's written...

Leon Russell - "A Song for You":



Leon Russell - "This Masquerade":



Leon Russell - "Delta Lady":



Leon Russell - "Tightrope":



"Tightrope" was his biggest solo hit with the other 3 being covered by many, many, other artists.
 

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