Tune du Jour: “River Deep Mountain High” – Ike & Tina Turner
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes: The Animals vs. The Flamin’ Groovies vs. The Easybeats
VOTE, COMMENT, then DO SOMETHING NICE FOR YOURSELF
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The Original
Ike & Tina Turner:
Another Big Hit
The Supremes and The Four Tops:
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
The Animals vs. The Flamin’ Groovies vs. The Easybeats
The Animals:
The Flamin’ Groovies:
The Easybeats:
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 great soulful and heartfelt song!
The grainy black and white video of Ike & Tina Turner and their dancers was great fun. It was obviously from such a bygone era.
Even though it apparently was a big hit, I don’t think that I ever heard The Supremes and Four Tops’ version. I can listen to The Supremes sing all day long and The Four Tops are always formidable. So, I much enjoyed hearing it.
I think that the first time I heard this song was probably The Animals’ version. It’s long but luscious. The whole song is so emotionally driven and I love the homage to Tina Turner towards the end of it. It is first rate in every way. The Flamin’ Groovies and Easy Beats? They do very good covers. But for me, The Animals own this song.,
Here I go again, making uncool confessions: I’ve never been a big fan of soul music. There’s a lot that I do like, but I’m very picky about it. James Brown? No. I recognize the talent. I just don’t like it. Same with Ike and Tina Turner. I know he was talented, and I know Tina’s a legend. I just don’t like their music. That said, I don’t really like this song. So, a seven minute cover by The Animals, as much as I like the Animals, did nothing for me. The Easybeats also didn’t resonate. I went with the Flaming Groves because punkifying the song switched it to a genre I do like, and even though I don’t like the song itself, their version was tolerable.
I grew up with The Supremes and Four Tops version. Hard to argue with Diana Ross and Levi Stubbs. They are first rate but Tina Turner was an absolute force. Too real and unscrubbed to be on Motown. Underappreciated for a long time before finally reaching a proper audience. As feral as Iggy in the early days. The Easybeats scale back the grandeur and just play it. The vocals are pretty good but the musical support didn’t impress. Flamin’ Groovies have Chris Wilson in howling form. Very spirited vocals but the band sound like they are playing hard to escape the fog of overproduction. Eric Burdon is atop notch frontman. He often improvises lyrics as he added “like Aretha Franklin needs to sing”. I enjoyed the lengthier version, the Tina! Tina! Tina! background chants and the electric piano. They got my vote.