Tune du Jour: “She’s Got Everything” – The Kinks
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes: The Romantics vs. The Real Kids vs. Eleanor Rigby
VOTE, COMMENT, then SELF-ACTUALIZE
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The Original
The Kinks:
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
The Romantics vs. The Real Kids vs. Eleanor Rigby
The Romantics:
The Real Kids:
Eleanor Rigby:
SPACE
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. It is your solemn responsibility to decide which cover song prevails. In other words … Which Side Are You On!??!
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
cover me impressed 
So, it’s no secret that The Kinks are my favorite band, and this song has been an underrated gem for ages. That classic bass riff, Nicky Hopkins’ wild piano, and a neat guitar solo near the end. I was excited about this one.
I’ve always liked The Romantics, and they played an outsized role during our time in Gainesville. But I must say, I’m not impressed with their version. None of it really gels for me. I particularly don’t like that they used guitar for the opening riff instead of the bass.
Ditto the Real Kids. They’re a hard rocking punk-ish band from Boston, so I expected a sped-up version, especially at a live show, but this was a bit too fast for my liking, and I don’t like the vocals, and again, the guitar steals the bass line.
I gave it to Eleanor Rigby. They adhered to my bass line requirement, and I kinda like her vocals. Overall, none of the covers were stellar, that last one gets my vote.
Arnie, I think you might have accidentally voted for The Romantics.
That would be a travesty!
One more comment: I do like the homage the Real Kids pay to the Kinks by making the album cover resemble an earlier Kinks album, Kinda Kinks, even down to the label (Norton) resembling the original label (Reprise).
The Romantics’ version was too generic. Nothing added as their own. And I will never forgive them for those red vinyl suits, although their one hit, That’s What I Like About You, was excellent fun!
I really liked The Real Kids’ sped-up raw take.
But Eleanor Rigby got my vote. They gave it a little bit of their own element and, truth be told, I tend to be partial to female vocals.
To be fair, the Romantics did have a second hit, “Talking in Your Sleep”, but it was pretty forgettable, which is probably why you forgot it.
I learned this song from that Romantics album. Although YouTube shows this as part of Face to Face, it wasn’t on that record and seemed obscure at least to the American market. It’s so infectious that it should have been a hit for someone. I would like it by Eleanor Rigby if it was theirs but it bored me next to the others. Romantics version is very solid. Good first half if slightly too well mannered. Weak guitar solo that seems like it was only there because it was supposed to be. From the whispered bridge on it improves significantly and finishes strong. Never heard of Real Kids but I chose them. It took some adjustment to the audience recording. The drums and rhythm guitar tends to drown out much but they never quit on the backing vocals. I’m a sucker for a good melody and beat played with ferocity. A shot of tequila and a bull rush. The excitement level topped the others
I learned this song from that Romantics album. Although YouTube shows this as part of Face to Face, it wasn’t on that record and seemed obscure at least to the American market. It’s so infectious that it should have been a hit for someone. I would like it by Eleanor Rigby if it was theirs but it bored me next to the others. Romantics version is very solid. Good first half if slightly too well mannered. Weak guitar solo that seems like it was only there because it was supposed to be. From the whispered bridge on it improves significantly and finishes strong. Never heard of Real Kids but I chose them. It took some adjustment to the audience recording. The drums and rhythm guitar tends to drown out much but they never quit on the backing vocals. I’m a sucker for a good melody and beat played with ferocity. A shot of tequila and a bull rush. The excitement level topped the others
I played that Romantics album in the dorm quite a bit, especially when I had visitors. A lot of catchy, up-tempo tracks made it a party favorite.
As noted, this wasn’t originally included on Face To Face. I don’t think I had it on CD by The Kinks until I bought the deluxe edition years later.
I first heard it on The Kink Kronikles, which I had on vinyl in the seventies.
Real Kids’ version suffered from poor sound quality, and Eleanor Rigby failed to impress. I voted Romantics.