Showdown: Southbound - The Doobie Brothers

I recently wrote a Showdown post looking at a 2009 album of rerecords and a few new songs by Spinal Tap. I enjoyed comparing the classics with the new material so figured I'd do it again with another collection of rerecords, although this time dealing with hits by Classic Rock group The Doobie Brothers. However, unlike the Spinal Tap post, these rerecords are of tracks from different albums across the band's career as opposed to just one.
The rerecords in question are all from Southbound, a 2014 compilation featuring a variety of guest musicians from Rock and Country backgrounds.

So here's how this works, for anyone unfamiliar with Showdown posts from the past. I go through the tracklist of Southbound, first writing about the original Doobie Brothers song before comparing it with the rerecording, ultimately offering my verdict on which track is "best". At the end, I'll tally up the scores and see whether I prefer the original songs or Southbound on average. It's as simple as that!
Below is a Spotify playlist containing all the originals and rerecordings. Normally, I'd embed the playlist at the bottom of the post but I feel like it's better placed here, since the only thing that can be spoiled here is the overall outcome of my verdicts (found at the bottom of this post), not the songs I've chosen to write about. Anyway, let's get listening!



ROUND ONE: Black Water
Original - Ahhh, what a great song to start with. I love "Black Water" and would call it my favourite Doobie Brothers track. Great mystical introduction, awesome acoustic guitar riff and when those drums come in? Damn, they sound great. I've heard rerecordings and covers of this song in the past where they fuck the drums up by going for power instead of quality; thankfully, the original still exists and makes for an underrated tune by the Doobs.
Rerecording - OK, introduction aside, this is a damn fine rerecording. The mystical sound is still there but the percussion sounds like it belongs in an R&B track, not this. Luckily, guest musicians Zac Brown Band prevent the song from nosediving and add some great slide guitar accompaniments, not to mention some damn fine vocals (I assume). It feels more like a Rock song than the original, something that some listeners will prefer and others won't.
VERDICT - To be honest, I was always gonna give the win to the Original purely because, as I said, it is my all-time favourite Doobie Brothers song. However, this is a damn fine cover. The introduction might be weak but they improved the "hear some funky Dixieland" section and truly made the song come alive with Southern flair in the outro. If you like "Black Water", I whole heartedly recommend seeking out the rerecording.

ROUND TWO: Listen To The Music
Original - I used to find this song a little generic...but then I played it on Rock Band and noticed all the great guitar melodies buried underneath the vocals. There's also a decent little solo at the end that reminds me of The Allman Brothers Band, although nowhere near as awesome to play/listen to. Much like "Black Water" and the lion's share of Doobie Brothers hits, it's a great Summer song that's perfect for driving down country lanes with the top down and the sun beaming down.
Rerecording - Not entirely sure how I feel about that intro. Reminds me a little of "Once In A Lifetime" - Talking Heads but once the acoustic guitar riff comes in, things start to sound a little more Doobie. Joining the band this time are Country musicians Blake Shelton and Hunter Hayes on guitar and vocals, presumably contributing to the more commercial sound the song has this time. It's a decent rerecord with some nice instrumentation and far superior production values.
VERDICT - I like both versions but I think I'm gonna give the win to the Rerecording. All the aspects of the song that work are either present or improved, from the vocal harmonies in the chorus to the extended guitar solo in the outro. Thumbs Up! Wait, that's the wrong post format.

ROUND THREE: What A Fool Believes
Original - Meh, I've never really cared for this song (even if it was co-written by Kenny Loggins). The piano and synth combo sounds like something from a show for toddlers and the vocals in the chorus from Michael McDonald are also a little off-putting. It's too close to Yacht Rock for me to enjoy it as much as other Doobie Brothers hits but this Captain & Tennille knockoff works as generic background Pop, I suppose.
Rerecording - Ugh, the piano introduction is even worse here. Luckily, guest vocalist Sara Evans makes this song work with the naturally higher pitched vocals that carry more passion than the male vocalist. His voice sounds laughable when paired with Sara's, although they could only work with the source material. This song is just utter shite, even when reworked with modern recording technology and additional instruments.
VERDICT - Both versions are terrible but I guess the crappy song recorded with better technology with a talented guest vocalist sounds better than the original. The win goes to the Rerecording.

ROUND FOUR: Long Train Runnin'
Original - I imagine this song was created after the success of "Listen To The Music" forced the band to write a similar track...or maybe I'm on my own in thinking this sounds a lot like "Listen To The Music" but either way, I'm not overly fond of this song. Don't get me wrong, I think it's OK but I would never choose to listen to it if given a choice of Classic Rock songs. Maybe it's the harmonica solo or maybe it's the choice of minor key the song's written in but yeah, not a highlight of the band's career in my eyes.
Rerecording - Another song with two guest musicians, although I actually know these guys! Toby Keith and Huey Lewis! Not only do they bring some great vocals to the song but Huey's harmonica solo is a bit more complex than the original, even if when all's said and done it's still a harmonica solo and therefore pointless. However, the biggest improvement is the change in key. Tuning it down makes it sounds much better.
VERDICT - Isn't it obvious? Rerecording wins it again.

ROUND FIVE: China Grove
Original - Whilst this song is still Summer-y, it definitely feels more like a Rock song than some of their acoustic-driven tracks. The guitar riff is the song's greatest strength although the piano sounds neat in the background too. Vocals are serviceable and the guitar solo's pretty sweet for a Doobie Brothers song, although the lyrics are a little flawed. Whilst the idea of a sheriff with a samurai sword may have tickled the band when they wrote it, they neglected to consider that samurais are Japanese, not Chinese. Way to go Doobs, you just outed yourselves as horrible racists and now have 24 hours to apologise on Twitter or face pain of death.
Rerecording - OK, I went into this round thinking "I like "China Grove", the original will totally win it"...but after listening to this cover, I'm not so sure. The delay on the iconic riff in the introduction followed by the punchier, stadium percussion really amplifies the Rock elements of this song for the better. I'm not sure exactly how much guest musician Chris Young added to the track, as his voice doesn't stand out as much as previous vocalists, but I'm still impressed over how awesome the band managed to make this classic of theirs.
VERDICT - God, it's tricky. If I could give it to both, I definitely would...well, I mean, I could give it to both since it's my blog and therefore my rules. But then I've created rules about awarding the point to both and I don't think I've done it before so I shouldn't really start here...although I guess there's nothing wrong with awarding the point to both, or neither. Where was I going with this? Oh fuck it, the Rerecording gets it again. It's as good if not ever so slightly better than the original.

ROUND SIX: Takin' It To The Streets
Original - I think the main reason I've never given this song enough attention is because it sounds like Yacht Rock from the start. Thankfully, things start to pick up a bit just before the chorus with the bit that uses a similar descending chord sequence to "10538 Overture" - ELO (I'm sure all of you will know exactly what I'm referring to with that comparison). Even if it does sound like the theme for an 80s sitcom of the same name, I still like this song. It's lively and has a decent if not slightly forgettable saxophone solo.
Rerecording - Of all the rerecordings I've heard so far, this one is probably the closest to the original. There are a couple of small differences here and there, mostly in the vocal department thanks to guest artist Love And Theft, but the piano intro is spot on and the guitars are still appropriately used...until the solo comes in. Turns out a guitar solo actually helps this song more than a saxophone solo, although there's no prizes for predicting that. It's a shame the outro doesn't have the organ from the original, although the bridge they added kinda works so it's not all bad.
VERDICT - You know what I'm gonna say. The Rerecording wins another round! If it's not apparent yet, I definitely recommend Southbound.

ROUND SEVEN: Jesus Is Just Alright (With Me)
Original - Lyrics aside, this song's pretty good. It comes from Toulouse Street, a brilliant album with many classics and great deep cuts, and even if the chorus comes across as a little tacky, the guitar riff used near the start and after the FIRST awesome guitar solo is straight out of a Blue Oyster Cult song. Combine that with the rest of the music and you end up with something like Santana only without the air of pretentiousness. I recommend listening to this song if you like Classic Rock with a Latin flair; worst thing that happens is you dislike the song but get a laugh at the line "Jesus is my friend" in the middle eight.
Rerecording - Normally, I'd appreciate the transformation of any song into a fully-fledged Rock track but I'm not entirely sure it works here. This might be because I've heard a lot of Southern Rock rerecordings so far and turning a song that stands apart from the Doobie Brothers' back catalogue into something relatively generic by the album's standards isn't the best decision they could've made. It's a solid rerecording, though. Guest musician Casey James gives the vocals some extra weight and the change in key gives the song a Bachman-Turner Overdrive quality, which I will always be happy about.
VERDICT - Despite the fact that the rerecording was a good listen, I'm giving the win to the Original this time. The guitar solos in the original are more significant to me and as I said, the musical variety from the band that actually works really well should be rewarded over playing it safe.

ROUND EIGHT: Rockin' Down The Highway
Original - Another great Classic Rock song by the Doobs. Great riff, fantastic chorus, fun little solo and all-in-all, a top notch track to enjoy. I would argue that this song is probably better than "China Grove" if you're after good old fashioned Rock, although "China Grove" does have a damn fine riff and solo. However, that doesn't change the fact that I really like this song and would definitely put it up there among my favourites by the band. Oh, and you know what album it's from? Toulouse Street. Totally an underrated album.
Rerecording - Oh man, this rerecording? This rerecording right here? I fucking love it. Not surprising when the guest musician is Brad Paisley, an excellent Country guitarist with his own unique sound and style. I love how the change in key and added backing vocals in the chorus make it sound like a Styx song (yeah, I meant that as a positive; deal with it), giving it that extra burst of energy. The only downside is the guitar solo; it's not bad but it's definitely not one of Brad Paisley's best. He lets loose towards the end but it kind of blends into the rest of the music rather than standing out.
VERDICT - As much as I love the rerecording, I'm giving the win to the Original. Again, comparing the talents of the band at the time of the original recording and rerecording, I feel like The Doobie Brothers gave more. They turned up the guitars and gave us some top notch Classic Rock whereas the rerecording has a partially phoned in solo. All in all though, I do really like both versions a lot.

ROUND NINE: Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While)
Original - Another fun Classic Rock tune! The increase in production values in comparison to their earlier material really makes this song come alive, as there's no way this track would work the same without the backing vocals, brass and strings. But hey, let's look at the song from a creative perspective; the chorus is perfect, the guitar solo rocks and if your foot isn't tapping by the end, you're probably in a wheelchair...or just not into this kind of music, definitely one of the two.
Rerecording - Even if the gospel backing vocals are the only holdover from the original that isn't part of the standard band, this rerecording is still pretty good! I think the lion's share of this song's high quality comes from the addition of chords in the chorus alongside the vocal melody, as I fucking love that change. I'm assuming that change came with guest musician Tyler Farr but either way, I'm glad they did it. Meanwhile, the rest of the song is good although not quite as joyous as the original.
VERDICT - The rerecording definitely has more of a Country vibe to it, which will probably make it better to those who prefer that kind of Southern music. However, I'm giving the win to the Original for reasons stated above. Looks like the Doobs from the 70s are making their comeback!

ROUND TEN: South City Midnight Lady
Original - Back to the softer acoustic based Rock songs now. The music is soft and the melodies are perfect for relaxing in your back garden during the Summer, just how the Doobs should be enjoyed. It's not the kind of song that I'd get into but it's a nice little tune with some strong vocals and a great little outro. I suppose it's good that they chose a slower, more sensitive song to appear on the album to show off their versatility and to mix things up a little.
Rerecording - Another faithful rerecording enhanced with modern recording technology and guest musicians, this time Jerrod Niemann. Since I'm not a big fan of the song in general, it's not the kind of track I take pleasure in when it comes to seeking out all the little touches that make it enjoyable. That being said, it's a song that already had Southern Rock/Country elements so a cover on this album is either redundant or necessary depending on your taste in music. For me, it's redundant.
VERDICT - Yeah, the Original wins by a hair. I don't like either version that well but the rerecording doesn't add anything that makes it worth listening to, in my opinion.

ROUND ELEVEN: You Belong To Me
Original - More Yacht Rock, presumably stuck at the end because it's fucking Yacht Rock. I'm not entirely sure what The Doobie Brothers were thinking when they wrote this song; it sounds like it was put together in a couple of hours with Michael McDonald using it as an excuse to wail over the top of a few repeated keyboard chords. It's very easy to listen to this song without actually listening to it, if that makes sense.
Rerecording - Straight away, we have slightly heavier percussion and slower tempo before guest vocalist Amanda Sudano-Ramirez comes in...and Vince Gill helps. Unfortunately, the backing vocals in this song are still annoying (ARE STILL ANNO-HOY-II-ING) and the limp nature of the song hasn't been beefed up in the rerecording, once again making it a weaker choice than some of the previous tracks. But hey, I guess The Doobie Brothers only have so many hits and they're not gonne rerecord deep cuts.
VERDICT - Even though I hate both versions, I'm giving the win to the Rerecording because Amanda's voice works well and the fact that it's now an actual duet might make fans of generic Yacht Rock more inclined to listen to it.

ROUND TWELVE: Nobody
Original - One of the first Doobie Brothers songs and another one that I like quite a lot. It's got a Wild West vibe to it and acts as a neat little introduction to the band that would go on to write songs like "China Grove" and "Rockin' Down The Highway", as there's an electric guitar solo at one point. It's hardly a bold entrance onto the music scene but it's clearly a song that the Doobs are fond of, as Southbound isn't the only time they've rerecorded this track. They had another stab at it in 2010 for the World Gone Crazy album. It was good there too!
Rerecording - The last song on the album and even though the introduction (listed as a separate track for some reason) sets the bar high with a slightly slower, Bluesier feel, the actual song is a weaker version of both the 2010 rerecording and 1971 original. The final guest musician, Charlie Worsham, does what the majority of guest acts have done (very little of significance) but the guitar solo sounds good, if you're a fan of the original. All in all, it would've been neat to have that slower version to contrast with the 2010 version, even though the slower introduction is borrowed straight from the 2010 rerecording, but I suppose it wouldn't have been very Country now, would it.
VERDICT - If I was deciding between the original and the World Gone Crazy version, this might have been a tricky decision. However, as things are, the win goes to the Original and I highly advise you listen to that song instead of this disappointing end to Southbound.

FINAL SCORES:
Originals - 6
Rerecordings - 6

I guess some of the Original wins were a little generous but in a surprise outcome, it's a direct tie. Seriously, when I started this post, I was certain that the Rerecordings would win this with a landslide majority but here we are. In all seriousness though, whilst a lot of the originals are great, I cannot understate how fucking good Southbound is until the last three songs. I would rate it 8 or 9 out of 10 if it were a Shout Out post or flat out review but since it's a Showdown, I'm just gonna recommend it to you on the condition that you stop listening once you finish "Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While)".

Showdown: Cover Versions

It's taken me a long time to write this post, even though it's incredibly basic in principle. Last time I wrote a Showdown post, I was weighing up the tracks on Whitesnake's Purple Album against the Deep Purple originals. I had planned on writing more Showdown posts between now and then but never really knew what to write about. However, after hearing a decent Rock cover version of a new Pop song last night, I had an idea.
In this first post of (hopefully) quite a few, I'll be looking at select cover versions and comparing them to the originals in the Showdown format. Instead of just throwing in a bunch of random covers that I prefer/hate, I've decided to limit my choices either to iconic tracks that have lesser known but equally strong covers OR popular songs that are actually covers of originals most people might not even know about.
Since I wrote about non-Rock songs last week, I'll be limiting this post just to Rock/Metal songs and covers. If I get around to writing another of these in the future, I'll include Pop and other non-Rock genres then. Also, if it isn't obvious, I'll be discussing the original, then the cover, then my verdict on which is better. Time to get this fight started!

ROUND ONE: You Really Got Me
The Kinks - One of this band's signature songs and a damn good one at that. It's considered to be one of the earliest "Hard Rock" tracks in existence but regardless of whether you think it's Hard Rock, Garage Rock or just plain old Rock, it's a hell of a song. Heavy guitar riff (for the 60's), catchy chorus AND verse, fitting solo, all in the space of just over 2 minutes.
Van Halen - A solid cover with great vocals from David Lee Roth that helped propel the band to success when promoting their debut album. By and large, it's a pretty faithful cover except for a couple of differences after the second chorus. Eddie Van Halen beefs up the guitar solo to include more tapping and after he's finished, the final verse is a bit of a comedown with softer drums and no guitar melody. Considering it's only a short song, you shouldn't really need to slow things down in the middle.
VERDICT - An easy decision for me but honestly, both songs are good. However, the comedown in the Van Halen cover sort of spoils it for me. I like a song that can keep things consistent from start to finish without needing a breather in the middle so I'm awarding this win to The Kinks.

ROUND TWO: Blinded By The Light
Bruce Springsteen - I've made my thoughts on Bruce Springsteen perfectly clear on the blog before but this song isn't completely terrible. His voice doesn't sound as bloated as it usually does but I'm still not in love with the track. It sounds like too much of a cruise ship performance for me to really enjoy it, although I do prefer Bruce's original lyrics in the chorus.
Manfred Mann's Earth Band - It might be about as faithful as a pissed up Italian whose wife is away for the weekend but this is the version everyone knows, and with fairly good reason. "Wrapped up like a douche" confusion aside, it's a catchy little number that's easily more memorable than the original, thanks to the soft chorus after building up through the verses. This band took a mediocre cover and made it special, which is always the sign of a good cover, regardless of your opinion of how good either song actually is.
VERDICT - Bruce was always going to lose this one in my books but at least here, I can back up my prejudice against this rubbish vocalist. The lyrics might be better in the original but practically the entire song is better to listen to during the cover, so Manfred Mann's Earth Band win this one hands down.

ROUND THREE: Hurt
Nine Inch Nails - Up until the last episode of Rick And Morty season 2, I wasn't really feeling this song. It's a slow burner but definitely rewarding if you sit and properly listen to it, although the minute of static noise at the end kind of stops this song from being one you want to listen to all the way through repeatedly. Still, the vocals are dripping in the amount of self-loathing that a song like this deserves. A powerful tune by a band I normally wouldn't care for.
Johnny Cash - Can we count Country music in this post, since it's technically not Rock? Ah whatever, it's close enough. There's been confusion in the past about whether this was the original or not but the pain behind the song is still there, albeit having moved from anger to depression. It might be less powerful than the original when it comes to the instruments that are used but it's equally as powerful when it comes to how the song actually sounds.
VERDICT - Tough one, this. They're both excellent in their own right and I would recommend both songs. However, since the Johnny Cash cover doesn't have the wasted minute at the end, I'm awarding the win to Johnny Cash this round. Maybe some of you will prefer the NIN original because of that minute where you get to just sit and reflect but for me personally, I'd rather spend that time listening to something new. Also, whilst I'm on the subject of great Johnny Cash covers, do give his rendition of "Cat's In The Cradle" - Harry Chapin a listen!

ROUND FOUR: Paranoid
Black Sabbath - An iconic Metal (or Rock, depending on your genre qualifications) song that is easily recognisable and arguably overplayed in comparison to other Black Sabbath tracks. I've always found the solo a bit dodgy on this recording, not because of the notes that are played but rather the actual sound of Iommi's guitar playing. It's also quite a flat song once you're used to other Rock tracks of the same decade so whilst I loved it when I first heard it, it's definitely one that's lost magic over time.
Megadeth - There are a couple of covers of this song but I've chosen Megadeth because it's one of the first covers I heard of this track. The tempo's a little faster, the guitar's a little heavier and the vocals are a lot better. I can't say I regard Ozzy's vocals highly but Dave Mustaine's just seem to fit better with this song. The only flaw in this track is the ending, which gets a little silly and ruins what I would've otherwise called a perfect cover.
VERDICT - Purists will no doubt find a million ways in which the Black Sabbath version trumps any and every cover but I would much rather listen to the cover in almost any given situation over the original. I still like the original but if I had to choose a winner, it'd be Megadeth.

ROUND FIVE: Knockin' On Heaven's Door
Bob Dylan - A song that's been covered an inordinate amount of times by a variety of artists but ultimately, this recording is the source. Bob Dylan's soft, soulful song about a sheriff hanging up his guns has a poignant quality to it that I've yet to hear in any other cover. It really does sound like the swan song of a man who's reached the end of the line and is ready to accept his fate. Not only is it a fantastic track where Bob Dylan actually sings instead of whines but it's one that really shouldn't have been covered to a lesser degree by any band, especially not these fuckknuckles...
Guns N' Roses - Gone is the sombre tranquillity from the original, gone are the simple guitar melodies or battle-fatigued vocals and gone is any shred of quality that Bob Dylan's recording had. Rather than perform a song with the emotion it deserves, Axl decided to shout and mewl all the way through it whilst Slash enjoys an unnecessarily long jerk-off sesh as the band make this song all about fucking them. Listening to this again to prepare for this post has made me hate Axl even more than I did before, as I bet it was him who wanted to cover/ruin this track in the first place.
VERDICT - Do I even need to say it? Some of you might think I chose this track just to have a dig at GNR but I reckon I could choose any cover of this song, whether it's Eric Clapton's shitty Reggae version or Avril Lavigne's stripped-back B-side, and still give the win to Bob Dylan. However, that being said, I will rarely miss the opportunity to stab and twist the knife into Axl Rose's vocal work.

ROUND SIX: Baby, Please Don't Go
Big Joe Williams - A Blues song from the 1930's, Big Joe Williams' original is stripped back and lacking in any kind of power but that's to be expected, really. It's still a decent Blues song but combine the poor recording quality with the basic structure and it's unlikely to strike a chord with you, unless you're a Blues fanatic. Again, this track has been covered a hell of a lot and most covers will probably be better than the original so in a complete contrast to the last example, I've decided to pick a cover that didn't make me want to punch the vocalist.
Aerosmith - The added bass, drums and additional guitar melodies really make this track. The driving rhythm and fast pace give it an edge that Big Joe never could've pulled off with a nine-stringed guitar and his foot. Perhaps the aggression in the vocals doesn't fit to perfection with the lyrics but this is definitely a song for a more contemporary Rock audience. Blues fanatic or not, you have to love that bass though.
VERDICT - I'm not a massive fan of old Blues songs as they do little to captivate me but even if I did like the original, I'd have to be crazy to not award this to Aerosmith for a top quality cover.

ROUND SEVEN: Can't Find My Way Home
Blind Faith - Maybe this isn't a notable Rock song but it's been covered more times than a piss-stain on a white carpet and I still love it as much as I did when I first heard it. Everything about it is simple yet so, so effective. However, it's the vocals that really shine here, although the high pitch might put some listeners off. Luckily, I'm not one of those listeners and this song will always hold a special place for me. For this comparison, I've picked a cover that does something...a little different with the cover.
Black Label Society - Whilst I like a few of this band's heavier songs off the same album, this cover feels inappropriate. It starts off well with strings and piano but when Zakk Wylde sounds like he does, I'm not sure why they chose to cover a song that requires delicate vocals. Not only that but towards the end, Zakk decides to turn it into slosh by mindlessly shredding all over the fucking place. If Zakk was feeling a little insecure about his skills and wanted everyone to know that he's a shit-hot guitarist, he should've picked a different song to whack it out to.
VERDICT - A poor choice of cover for BLS, although it could've worked if Zakk Wylde stuck to the piano like a good boy. There are a few bands who have covered this song that may have stood a better chance than the one I chose (such as Styx and Stuffy Shmitt) but Blind Faith definitely trump Black Label Society on this one.

ROUND EIGHT: Born To Be Wild
Steppenwolf - A solid driving anthem and another contender for the earliest "Hard Rock" track in existence but it's also had its fair share of covers over the years. Crunching guitar riffs and a short but strong chorus are usually what make these songs stand out, and that's certainly the case with this easy rider too. It's just a shame the track fades out during what sounds like a good solo too.
The Cult - Why the fuck did they slow the tempo down? Maybe they wanted it to sound more like one of their songs but if that were the case, surely they would've played at their standard 140 bpm instead of fucking about with the song. Also, is it me or does Ian Astbury sound like he's taking the piss with his vocals on this one? I love him as a vocalist and the Electric album is definitely in my good books but this cover really brings both him and the album down.
VERDICT - If someone were to write a book about how to record a good cover version, Rule #1 should be "Don't cover Born To Be Wild or Gimme Some Lovin" as I've never heard a solid cover of either of those two tracks, and The Cult's recording should act as a black flag for any other bands who think they can get away with a shitpoor/experimental cover of an iconic song. Steppenwolf all the way here.

ROUND NINE: Hanging On The Telephone
The Nerves - I feel like this should be common knowledge by now but the version of this song you probably know is actually a cover of a track by The Nerves. As far as the music, structure and vocals goes, it's all pretty sound. There's nothing really wrong with the song but it's all just a bit flat, if you ask me. There's nothing about it that stands out if you've heard the cover as it's pretty much just the same verse/chorus over and over until the end. Good effort but I can see why the Blondie cover is the preferred track.
Blondie - A perfect example of how someone has taken a song and made it their own. Blondie's cover adds a few extra instruments and a brief middle-eight that spices things up a tad. Overall, it's a short and punchy tune that's faithful to the original in all the places that count and different enough to make it better to listen to.
VERDICT - Opinion is a deciding factor for most of these songs but when a track is improved by a tidy solo or perhaps more fitting instruments, it's not exactly a difficult decision to make. Blondie may not be a fantastic band outside of their well known Rock singles but they easily win this round.

ROUND TEN: Summertime Blues
Eddie Cochran - Time to end on another Blues Rock track and what better than another short number that's had a string of covers. The bizarre thing about this song is that I've never heard a cover which keeps the same tempo as the original which, in my opinion, make this song enjoyable. The bouncing rhythm, low vocals and clean guitar riff without any complications make this a great gem from the 50's, which is something you won't hear me say that often.
Rush - Yep, Rush are one of the bands who have covered this one. I was tempted to use the more well known covers by either The Who and Blue Cheer but to be honest, they all make the same mistake in going overboard with the heavy riffing and slowing down the tempo so it's irrelevant as to which one I compare with the original. I suppose I should add "Summertime Blues" to the list of songs that no band should ever cover, if this is the standard.
VERDICT - Please let me know if a band has recorded a truly faithful cover of this track, as I'd be willing to give it a shot. Until that date, it's fair to say Eddie Cochran will always be superior.


If you have any covers that you recommend over the originals that I've listed in this post, let me know. I'll probably return to cover versions in a Showdown post sometime in the future although I'll happily welcome recommendations of tracks to listen to for that as well.