cover me impressed

Tune du Jour: “I’ll Be There” – The Jackson 5

THE CLASH of Cover Tunes: Me First & The Gimme Gimmes vs. D.A. Sebasstian

Peruse, Comment and Vote (I Beseech, Implore and Urge Thee, respectively)

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“Free markets will not prevail without unfettered competition among cover songs.” – Milton Friedbyrd

The Jackson 5 recorded I’ll Be There for Motown Records in September 1970. It became the Jackson 5’s fourth #1 hit in a row, making them the first black male group to achieve four consecutive #1 pop hits.

The most successful single ever released by the Jackson 5, I’ll Be There sold 4.2 million copies in the United States, and 6.1 million copies worldwide. It replaced Marvin Gaye’s I Heard It Through the Grapevine as the most successful single released on Motown in the U.S., a record it held until the release of Lionel Richie’s duet with Diana Ross, Endless Love (1981). Outside the U.S., I Heard It Through the Grapevine remained Motown’s biggest selling record with worldwide sales of over seven million copies.

The Original

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The Jackson 5:

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Another #1 Version

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Mariah Carey & Trey Lorenz:

Mariah Carey included I’ll Be There as a last-minute addition to her MTV Unplugged setlist (1992), after she had been informed that most acts on the show commonly performed at least one cover. Carey’s label, Columbia Records, had not planned to release the unplugged version of I’ll Be There as a single but after receiving large-scale requests they relented. I’ll Be There became Carey’s sixth #1 single in the U.S., and her biggest hit elsewhere at the time.

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THE CLASH of Cover Tunes

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Me First & The Gimme Gimmes vs. D.A. Sebasstian

It’s been hours since Me First & The Gimme Gimmes were represented on CMI and, quite frankly, I’ve been receiving a lot of complaints over the perceived slight. So without further ado …

Me First & The Gimme Gimmes:

Me First & The Gimme Gimmes is a recipient of CMI’s universally coveted title of Uni Victor Melodious Maximus in Adversarial Replication. Among the title’s myriad of rewards and benefits, perhaps most desirous is that it bestows upon the recipient the eminently yearned for privilege of having one’s name appear in print media in bold yellow.

Me First & The Gimme Gimme’s triumphal performance in CMI’s THE CLASH of Cover Tunes competition is detailed below:

10/15/2013 – “The Boxer” (Simon & Garfunkel) – Me First & The Gimme Gimmes (60%) stymie Material Issue (40%)

D.A. Sebasstian:

Don’t know what to say about D.A. Sebasstian other than that before hearing his version of “I’ll Be There” on a covers compilation disc, I had never heard of the guy. But his cover was easily the best on the album. Great fun, tremendous cover:

Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. Only one cover tune will live to play another day and it is your solemn responsibility to decide which one prevails. So tell me … Which Side Are You On?!!?

Also, keep in mind that if you should spontaneously self-actualize while playing a cover then you could – and probably should – nominate it for Top 10 (i.e. “Impeccable”) consideration.

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