Tune du Jour: “Here Comes the Night” – Lulu
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes: David Bowie vs. The Exciters vs. Dwight Yoakam
VOTE, COMMENT, then DO SOMETHING NICE FOR YOURSELF
CoverMeImpressed.blog CoverMeImpressed.blog CoverMeImpressed.blog
Just to clarify, Them was the first to record the song in October 1964, however, they did not release it until March 5, 1965. Lulu released her version in November 1964.
The First Release
Lulu:
Definitive Version
Them:
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
David Bowie vs. The Exciters vs. Dwight Yoakam
David Bowie:
The Exciters:
Kerry, I threw you a bone here. Thought you would appreciate some Dwight Yoakum …
Dwight Yoakam:
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 
Well, Bowie’s version was a bit bland, and Yoakam’s was a bit too twangy. The Exciters’ version had a nice steady beat and those old timey vocals. They got my vote. Not crazy about the song, in general.
Van is in my personal Mount Rushmore. A co-worker found out I was a lifelong record collector and forced me to choose four faces for my imaginary mountain.
As RDubbs predicted, this was an easy win for Yoakam.
The only song I can think of by The Exciters is “Tell Him”, which I like a lot. I like a lot of the so-called Girl Group acts of the sixties, and this was another goodie.
I have three of these versions on CD or LP but I didn’t realize that right off since only the Van Morrison version stays in my mind. I voted for the one I hadn’t heard before. The Exciters really bumped up the tempo and added some horns making me think they could have been popular on the early Ska movement. Good arrangement, well executed. Dwight Yoakam followed the Them style and it was solid but added not much new. Bowie sounded so campy that I kept thinking Tim Curry must have mined this era for his Rocky Horror prep.
Just really like what The Exciters did with it (even if they did change some lyrics around).
This song sounds like it was written for Exciters, as it fits their arrangement perfectly. Easy call.