Tune du Jour: “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” – The Beatles
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes: The Smithereens vs. Alex Chilton vs. The Dickies
VOTE, COMMENT, then DO SOMETHING NICE FOR YOURSELF
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The Original
The Beatles:
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
The Smithereens vs. Alex Chilton vs. The Dickies
The Smithereens:
Alex Chilton:
The Dickies:
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 
The Smithereens do covers very well and this is no exception. Excellent cover.
You can kind of feel the love and reverence that Chilton puts forth for the song and it results in a great cover from the heart.
I find The Dickies’ cover particularly interesting. It’s easily the most serious cover that I have heard them do. There’s no goofing around or parody going on. Again it shows a level of reverence for the song and The Beatles.
Chilton’s version is live and thus a bit “raw”. I like the emotion that it exudes. He gets my vote.
All three covers here are very good, all giving the song the respect it deserves.
I love the Smithereens, and they do a good job, but somehow it feels a bit formulaic.
Alex Chilton’s live version is great here. I’m impressed with how he hits the high notes. And you can feel the passion in this live version. I was going to choose it, but…
I listened to The Dickies’ version last, expecting a non-serious kinda parody, and was surprised to hear them do a pretty professional job. They ended up getting my vote because they cranked up the guitars without over-doing it.
The version by The Smithereens was good, but sounded too much like the original. I almost wish I knew what the band members look like, so I could judge the bobbleheads for accuracy.
I voted for Chilton partly because I’m already a fan of Big Star, and I like his vocals.
The Dickies may have outperformed all others today, and may well sue me. If so, I’ll appear in court wearing a Big Star T-shirt.
Smithereens: so steady, so well sung, so reverent. So lacking in joy, sass and excitement. Hand claps, drums and guitars all buried to feature vocals. The wax museum version.
The Dickies? I expected a very speedy, jokey version cover. Was this recorded recently? Are they still together? Any original members? Nice recording. Buzzsaw guitar ala Bob Mould.
Alex Chilton: Lively, human, enthusiastic and fun! He reaches for places he doesn’t get but the excitement meter moved more than the others.
Can’t say enough about this song. This is the one that started me down the music road.
All 3 versions are good. Special props to the video for the Smithereens. The shots of the bobbleheads and the audience in the video are in the exact same time and sequence as when the Beatles sang this song on the Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964. Quite clever and amazingly accurate.