Recently, I finally bought a download of the Doors’ album, The Soft Parade. Like a lot of fans, for a long time I didn’t care for the orchestration on many of the tracks, but more recently found myself liking it more and more. “Wishful Sinful” is a favorite.
Cut to a couple of days ago, when I was listening to a podcast interview with John Doe of X, and their cover version of “Soul Kitchen” came up for discussion. John had already talked about how the band got together noting Exene Czervenka’s highly individualistic way of harmonizing, as she tends to do fourths rather than thirds or fifths as in most popular music. So I now I can’t help but imagine “Wishful Sinful” as X would have performed it.
Come to think of it, “Laugh Laugh” by the Beau Brummels is another one they would have done well with, at least artistically if not commercially.
Switching to another old favorite group, I wish the Beatles had covered “Shop Around”, back when they were still including cover songs on the early albums. I’m pretty sure I know why they didn’t, actually: it had just been covered by another major British act, but still it would have been nice to hear.
Not that they’re my favorite band (matter of fact, nowadays, they’re far from it; but for many years during my late teens and early twenties, you could very easily earn my ire and enmity by saying a bad word about them), but I’ve always thought that Metallica were eminently cut out for covering Kiss’s “She” and “Black Diamond”.
Still, though, even if they were to cover either or both songs, they’d not come within spitting distance of the awesomeness achieved by Anthrax (who, you know, actually have a half decent drummer in the band, unlike Metallica) when they covered “Parasite”.
Oh, that reminds me. Johnny Cash was pitched “The Gambler” before Kenny Rogers. But apparently, he was in the midst of a drug addiction relapse, and in his addled state, turned the song down.
So, Johnny Cash’s version of “The Gambler” is, to my mind, one of the great pop culture what ifs.
I searched for some time to locate “The Door is Always Open” by the Kendalls. Turned out it was a Porter Waggoner song. They should have done it, his version drags a bit, they have a much brighter sound.
I am not – repeat not – kidding. I wish Cannibal Corpse covered more Sabbath than just Zero the Hero (the only one I know of – and because they totally kicked it up several notches) and covered some of the early metal roots stuff from say 1967-75; Steppenwolf, Tull and others. If I hit the Lotto, I would pay to have them cover “Locomotive Breath”.
… and here it is on Youtube. The original version of Belgium is on the album Rock On Honorable Ones!!, but there have been several alternate versions which appear on later albums.