April 23rd, 1963. That's the day The Beatles first hit America with My Bonnie, which sold poorly. Beatlemania was still a couple years away. But in honor of this very important occasion, today Scott's gonna talk about his favorite Beatles covers. He's starting with a good one...
Booker T. and the MG's - Medley
This smooth, organ-heavy tribute to Abbey Road brings out the music and takes away the lyrics. If you're one of those people who always get mad as you try to figure out what that bathroom window thing was all about, maybe you'll like this version better.
Remember, if you don't see your personal favorite cover on the list inside, we want to hear about it in the comments!
But before we begin, remember our new Spotify playlist will be featuring a great selection from last week's Music Monday comments. The theme of the mix this time is Our Favorite Songs When We Were Nine and it's a great one. Just don't start reminiscing until you check out our current Music Monday after the jump! See you inside…
801 - TNK (Tomorrow Never Knows)
It seems only logical that a band with Brian Eno would focus on one of the tripper Beatles songs. The nice mix of prog-style production with the accessible and familiar melodies made this an underground hit, and even today owning a copy is one of those hipster badges for those "in the know." Plus it's just catchy, isn't it? Throw this on the car stereo and go for a little nighttime drive.
Prince - While My Guitar Gently Weeps
To be absolutely fair, this is also Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Steve Winwood and George Harrison's son doing a tribute to the late Beatle, but somewhere about 3:30 Prince steps up and, well, at that point it's pretty much just rhythm guitar for everybody else. An absolutely scorching cover made better by the grins they all share.
Billy Bragg - She's Leaving Home
There's something about Billy Bragg's accent that brings a different sense of loss to this classic track. Instead of the Sgt. Pepper sheen, here it's more like a story you've overheard at a bar. I think that makes this cover a bit more tragic than the original, but in a very pretty way.
Beastie Boys - I'm Down
Why is there no actual cover art? Because this sonce never really got released! Recorded for License To Ill, this Beatles cover got shelved over sample issues (Michael Jackson owned the rights, and supposedly hated The Beastie Boys and wouldn't let them clear the sample) so it really only exists on bootlegs. Which is sad, because it's really as wild as The Beatles were themselves. Remember, Paul's got drug charges and arson on his record. Surely he would have been okay with four troublemakers from Brooklyn.
Okay, it's your turn. Hit the comments and show off your knowledge of Beatles covers. After that, swing by our Turntable.fm room. And, as always, images are from each song's corresponding Wikipedia page and are here under fair use.
