What the hell? Pachibel's Canon on Kazoo?

Remember the Jimi Hendrix Coke/Pepsi commercial where the young Jimi could have opted for an accordian instead of the Strat? Great commercial, funny content. But then, you get people who have to try...Let me begin by admitting that I am a Gibson guy. I've owned a bunch of them over the years, as well as Epiphones and during the days when Ibanez was ripping them off, I even had one of their Hummingbirds. Today, I have only one Gibson, a Songwriter and two Epiphones -- a cherry red Casino and a gorgeous cherry-burst Les Paul Ultra 2. So, I am a denizen of their website, and if you are interested in music and are interested in learning, hearing and just saying "wow" at times, it's a great place to go. They're more eclectic than Crusader AXE with some of my music postings.

Well, that said, they have a new feature that I thought could be fun, but they've already run out of steam. Called "The Daily Throwdown," their blogger throws up something by, oh, Chet Atkins and then something similar, ideally the same song, by Martin Barre. I pick those two because they are radically different in style, texture and everything else, but their playing on Bouree is just plain cool. Compare, contrast and argue as to who nailed it better. Jimmy Page versus Clapton in the ES 333 days for Eric; how about Derek Trucks versus Lee Roy Parnell? Get the idea...here's one that makes sense, Scotty More versus James Burton

However, when you compare artists, you have to have some common ground. Comparing Piss Christ to The Last Supper ain't gonna work -- not just different mediums, eras, and times but different worlds. I believe that there is a line between interpretation and simply transposing. If I chose to do Gloria like Ricky Lee Jones does it instead of harsher and slammier like Them did it, I'm still doing the same song. But, if I sing Morrison's lyrics to Leonard Cohen's music, I'm just screwing them both. And myself. If I have something that radical to say, maybe I ought to write my own goddamn song.

So, Joan Baez got some perspective on here relationship with Bob Dylan in the 60s during the time around the Rolling Thunder Review, and she wrote Diamonds and Rust. Incredible song...profound things about love, loss and acceptance. There are people I'd like to hear cover it sometime -- Elvis Costello, Dianna Krall, Susan Tedeschi, KD Lang. The Indigo Girls could have fun with it. I'm sure there are an infinite number of people who could cover it and have something to say through their interpretation. You know who would be wonderful?-- Marianne Faithful accompanied by Mark Knopfler! Emmylou with Ry Cooder...lots of opportunities. Emmylou with Robbie Robinson and Levon Helm...

And then, there's Judas Priest. Shit. You can take lyrics from a song and sing it with a totally different structure, tone and intent, but that doesn't make it the song. Baez song defines lost love and could have been; it is a masterpiece. Judas Priest's version is interesting to their fans, boring and repetitious to Baez purists and musicians who resist metal and to my mind, just plain silly. The video is belligerent posturing and creepiness. It's like playing Heartbreak Hotel on a dulcimer -- you can do it, but why the hell do you want to? It's possible to do something worthwhile and true to yourself if the song is as universal as this one...for example, this...

Comments

[drip]

Great idea Axe, but I think Mavis and the good Dr are singing a different song altogether. This may bolster your point, but it is a little hard to compare and contrast. Much as I like Rickie Lee Jones, Mavis Staples is likely to make even the best singer blush at a comparison, so maybe it is just as well.

[Crusader AXE]

Hey, I admitted I got it wrong, and the hobbits ate my note. The Typepad hobbits appear to have a vested interest in my infallibility. Fuck a bunch of hobbits. Sounds like a song...