Tune du Jour: “Green, Green Grass of Home” – Johnny Darrell
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes: Delroy Wilson vs. Pine Valley Cosmonauts feat. Kelly Hogan vs. John Otway
VOTE, COMMENT, then DO SOMETHING NICE FOR YOURSELF
CoverMeImpressed.blog CoverMeImpressed.blog CoverMeImpressed.blog
The Original
Johnny Darrell:
Most Popular Cover
Tom Jones:
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
Delroy Wilson vs. Pine Valley Cosmonauts feat. Kelly Hogan vs. John Otway
Delroy Wilson:
Pine Valley Cosmonauts feat. Kelly Hogan:
John Otway:
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 
Such a venerable old classic.
Otway’s Green Grass of Home remains the most maniacal cover that I have ever heard. And I love it for it. It’s beautiful in its own bizarre way … a masterpiece of lunacy …
Delroy Wilson offers a respectable reggae style version.
And then there is Kelly Hogan. By now most of you know my love for Kelly. Such an attractive, witty woman who was always so gracious and kind to me whenever I ventured into her world. And that voice! So versatile, sweet, sultry, seductive …
Obviously my vote goes to Kelly and the Pine Valley Cosmonauts.
What a standard this became. I was astonished at the number of big names who have recorded a version when I went to YouTube. I’ve never heard of Johnny Darrell but I found his take so boring I couldn’t finish it. Tom Jones does a terrific job here. One of his best moments in my estimation. Delroy Wilson is so cool that he gets mentioned in the first verse of White Man In Hammersmith Palais. Unfortunately he doesn’t live up to his reputation here. I hoped for better. Dave Alvin ups the ante next. I saw him open a show in 1993 that followed with Joni Mitchell on her 50th birthday then Bob Dylan. He founded The Blasters with brother Phil, replaced Billy Zoom in X, was a Knitter among others. Thought my vote would go there. However this Otway version gets me every time. I hadn’t heard it in years but it owns me. I hear bits of Toy Dolls mania, a brief Dylan nod and it surprises as it shuffles from the graveyard to the asylum.
Oh! I listened to the wrong Pine Valley Cosmonauts version of Green Grass! Side by side on YouTube, one is sung by Dave Alvin and the other entitled Green Green Grass of Homez is led by Kelly Hogan. I chose the version without the z in it. I was wondering why I didn’t hear her at all in the song I heard. She shines here.
John Otway in a landslide.
Didn’t care for Johnny Darrell’s original. Even though I’m a big fan of sixties country, not much to recommend here.
Delroy Wilson’s version wasn’t bad, but I’m not sure this song lends itself well to reggae.
Kelly sings well, and I’m a fan of Jon Langford, but it’s a pretty straightforward reading.
We haven’t seen Otway appear on this site for a while, and it seems you were settin’ your old buddy up for an easy win.
Sorry to be a real Debbie Downer here, but I hate this song. I hate the original, I dislike Tom Jones’s cover version, and I didn’t like any of the covers. I didn’t particularly like Otway’s cover, but at least he mangled the song, which made me kinda happy. He got my vote.
so that felt like a two man-woman race between Otway and Kelly,
had to go with Ms Hogan, maybe cause I had not heard her version, and Otways many many times.
Kelly Hogan sounded like she could have charmed the pants off of the Grand Ol Oort crowd (granted a horrid vision, my apologies),just a beautiful performance by your ol pal, I believe you used to follow her with a band in Atlanta???