Tune du Jour: “Dancing in the Streets” – Martha and The Vandellas
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes: The Kinks vs. Grateful Dead vs. The Who
VOTE, COMMENT, then DO SOMETHING NICE FOR YOURSELF
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Was there ever a more fun brand of music than Motown?
The Original
And all this time I thought it was Martha and the Vandels. What a knucklehead …
Martha and The Vandellas:
Another Massive Hit
David Bowie and Mick Jagger:
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
Some real heavy hitters have taken this one on …
The Kinks vs. Grateful Dead vs. The Who
The Kinks:
Grateful Dead:
The Who:
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 
This is a weird song for me. I love the original and am totally unimpressed with every cover I’ve ever heard. Both the Kinks made this (in 1965) one of the last covers they ever recorded. By 1966, Davies had come fully into his own and never looked back, going on to become one of the greatest British song writers ever.
The Who did a few great covers – Summertime Blues and Young Man Blues – but only after they came into their own, which is somewhere around the time of A Quick One. Before that, most of the Who’s covers were slightly on the lame side, such as this one.
I’ve never liked the Grateful Dead and have never purchased an album or even a single of theirs. But for me, theirs is the best of this bunch. I think the female vocals and funky guitar licks help the song sound less like the Grateful Dead and more like a Motown single from the early ’70s.
When have The Kinks sounded so ineffectual? No strong, swinging beat, no horns, no party. Is there dancing in the street? I know this is very early Kinks but it sounds stiff, robotic and almost clumsy. If they love this song I don’t hear the proof. The Grateful Dead have more to work with in number of musicians and studio advancements but are obviously outside their sphere of comfort. Another misfire. Even though this is also the young Who their musical superiority is evident. Entwhistle’s bass alone improves this effort and it’s better musically and vocally to the others but also less than Martha and The Vendellas.
Two bands I absolutely love (The Kinks and The Who) and one that sometimes I like, sometimes I don’t, and all three covers here are meh. The song itself has never been a fave of mine, to be honest. The Dead feel totally out of their element here, and The Who barely sound like themselves (until the end, where I hear shades of Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere). I’m giving it to Ray and company, because…. well, just because.
None of these covers in the competition impressed me particularly. Bowie and Jagger had lots of fun doing it, which paralleled the joy Martha and the gals exuded on the original.
I’ll give an unenthusiastic vote to The Who based solely on the guitar work.
I like the original, but the covers missed the mark, even though we have some HOF acts.
This song is not in the style of any of these bands, and should not have been attempted.
That’s about as lame as anything I’ve heard by The Kinks. Same goes for the rest of ’em, really.
I voted Who due to Keith Moon’s drumming, and the instrumental flourish at the end.