Tune du Jour: “Knock on Wood” – Eddie Floyd
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes: Alton Ellis vs. The Saints vs. David Bowie
VOTE, COMMENT, then DO SOMETHING NICE FOR YOURSELF
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The Original
Eddie Floyd:
Most Popular Cover
Amii Stewart:
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
Alton Ellis vs. The Saints vs. David Bowie
Alton Ellis:
The Saints:
David Bowie:
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 big hit by Amii Stewart … not impressed … maybe it was the shitty video … had to stop it midway through. 😦
Alton Ellis typically delivers reggae, which is what I expected hear. A pretty straightforward take. Not bad.
The Saints … The Most Primitive Band in the World … never heard that epithet before … I like it. Nice punk (primitive?) interpretation of the song.
I don’t think that I’ve ever heard Bowie approach this genre before. He pulls it off quite well.
I’m going to give it to The Saints. The other two covers were competent but nothing special nor creative (and not nearly primitive enough 🙂 )
I’ve heard the Eddie Floyd version countless times since childhood, but I wouldn’t have been able to name him as the artist.
There are plenty of hits by one-hit wonders from past decades where I couldn’t identify the artist, even if I’ve heard the song plenty.
I don’t remember the cover by Amii Stewart, nor do I recognize her name.
It seems I’ve seen the name Alton Ellis on reggae compilations, but visiting his entry on Allmusic, I didn’t recognize any of his song titles. I was disappointed in his bland and uninspired version.
I’ve heard of bands adopting an intentionally lo-fi approach for effect. Early Guided By Voices is an example of an act that successfully explored this. The Saints proudly call themselves “primitive”. That sounded like it was recorded on a cheap 1970s cassette recorder/player which was left inside a suitcase in a nearby building. I think we need a more primitive word than “primitive”.
You guys know and love Bowie more than I, and although he’s covering a mid-sixties song from Stax Records, he wins today’s competition by default.