The cover song is a tricky thing.

On the one hand, it’s nice to hear a new version of a great song. On the other hand, you don’t want some hack (a.k.a., “Kid Rock”) screwing up a classic.

In today’s Ticket, I asked Tommy Emmanuel, the Australian guitar virtuoso who frequently covers other artists, what he thinks makes for a good cover. As a rule, he said, he likes to stay true to the original composition.

I tend to think the best covers are those that offer a drastically different interpretation — so much that, with new lyrics, they could almost be a different song.

Joe Cocker always did a great job with this, as did Ritchie Havens. The worst covers (did I mention Kid Rock?) merely repeat the original, hoping younger audiences haven’t heard it and will mistakenly think it’s an original.

That said, There are some great covers out there. I recently discussed some of my favorite Beatles covers. Here are some of my favorite non-Beatles covers:

* “Blinded By the Light,” Manfred Mann’s Earth Band. Bruce Springsteen’s original was a Jersey Shore party song. The Manfred Mann cover is moodier, with fewer lyrics and — interestingly — with “Chopsticks” thrown into the musical bridge. And, to set the record straight, the line is: ”revved up like a deuce” – not, you know.

  * “Oh Pretty Woman,” Van Halen. The original was typical Roy Orbison — painfully lonely and yet wonderful. But Van Halen rocked it up. With David Lee Roth at the lead, they also did a great cover of “You Really Got Me” by the Kinks.

* “The Night They Drove Ole Dixie Down,” Ritchie Havens. The Band’s version, while great, came off a little too happy sounding. The Havens cover is dark and haunting, as a story about the Civil War ought to be.

* “Ol’55,” Eagles. On one live recording, Glenn Frey told the audience that writer Tom Waits didn’t like this cover — until the royalty checks flowed in. The Eagles’ great harmonies ratcheted this one up a notch.

* “Twisting the Night Away,” Rod Stewart. While a somewhat faithful cover of the Sam Cooke tune, Stewart’s unique voice makes it different.

* “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” Marvin Gaye. Here’s a song that had three great versions — the soulful original by Gladys Knight and the Pips, the sexier cover by Gaye and the rocking (not to mention longest) version by Creedence Clearwater Revival.

* “Proud Mary,” Ike and Tina Turner. Speaking of Creedence, Tina Turner turned their river rock classic into a great soul tune.

* “All Along the Watchtower,” Jimi Hendrix. Lots of Dylan songs were better when covered by others (take “If Not For You” by George Harrison, for example). But Hendrix’s guitar took this one to another dimension. Dylan’s version is wimpy by comparison.

* At Last,” Stevie Wonder. This is an old standard probably most notably recorded by Etta James. But Stevie’s version was much bouncier, matching the joyful intent of the song.

* “I Shot the Sheriff,” Eric Clapton. This cover brought Bob Marley to mainstream audiences.

* “Me and Bobby McGee,” Janis Joplin. The original by Kris Kristofferson is very slow and country-sounding. Joplin’s is a wild ride that ends in a frenzied instrumental.

* “Delta Lady,” Joe Cocker. The Leon Russell original just didn’t have any heart. Cocker did it with white English guy soul. 

ShareThis

When I was a kid, I had a thing for mustaches.

Not in a weird way, mind you; I just liked mustaches.

In fact, whenever I started to draw a picture of a guy, he’d inevitably wind up with  this thing that looked like a cat tail above his mouth. Nothing fancy. Just your tasteful, little-bit-of-hair-above-the-lip-but-not-too-crazy mustache.

And, of course, I wanted one of my own. But unlike my friend Mel — who had a full beard and mustache in the 7th grade — I couldn’t grow facial hair. So the best I could do was make a fake one — usually with yarn or whatever fell on the floor after a haircut.

So you can imagine how excited I was when Yankee slugger Jason Giambi sported a retro ’stache, thinking, from a scientific standpoint, that more hair would help his hand-eye coordination. And then you could imagine how disappointed I was when I learned he’d shaved it because, contrary to everything we’ve learned, mustaches really can’t help you hit a baseball better.

Back in the day, the Major Leagues was always a reliable place to find a good mustache. So much that some have even made lists of top ten baseball mustaches. (What — no Reggie Jackson?)

There have been good mustaches on TV and film, except that, really, when you talk about actor mustaches, there’s really one that’s far superior to all others.

In music, the Eagles gave us great mustaches. But check out this facial hair by Lindsey Buckingham. But, of course, just like everything else in music, the Beatles ruled when it came to facial hair.

So I’ve had this mustache for about 15 years now. My wife and daughter have never seen me without it. Heck, I could have a tattoo* on my lip, and they’d never know.

So I recently told myself that maybe it’s time, like Jason Giambi, to give it up. To go smooth. To hack the ’stache and be free of it all. 

I said that to myself. But then, all of the sudden, I was like: “Why are you talking to yourself?” And then I added: “About mustaches?”

And it was then and there that I decided to keep the mustache. Because, like Lionel Richie, I believe in the mustache. I see value in the mustache as a cultural icon. And I know I must carry on that tradition.

Because, really, when all my heroes let me down (both John Oates and Tom Selleck have shaved) who will be left to carry the torch?

* of a mustache

ShareThis

Old bands never die — they just go to Wal-Mart.

Much to the chagrin of independent record stores – and people who hate Wal-Mart — Journey and AC/DC are the latest bands to offer new CDs exclusively through the mega-store.  

According to this story in the New York Times, we can expect even more groups, possibly even Fleetwood Mac, to ink exclusive deals with Wal-Mart.

The reason: Well, duh.

When Journey appeared at the Mid-State Fair a few years ago, they were has-beens giving away their latest, self-released CD, “Generations,” at gigs. Through Wal-Mart, their new CD, “Revelation,” has sold over 104,000 copies in a week.

And that’s without Steve Perry!

When I interviewed Journey guitarist Neil Schon in 2005, he seemed resigned to being in a nostalgia band that played to loyal fans.

“It’s still fun,” Schon said. “We’ve got a great built-in audience, regardless of whether we’re getting played on TV or the radio.”

Yet now they’re back on the charts for the first time in years. (“Revelation” has outsold “Generations,” by 1400%.)

Of course, the Eagles have never had problems selling records. Yet, they too saw the benefit of a Wal-Mart exclusive. When the band released its last album, “Long Road Out of Eden” solely to Wal-Mart, it sold roughly three million copies. And while the Wal-Mart CDs sell for less (around $12), the band keeps more of the profit (around $5 per CD).

Now do you see why they do it?  

Given the power of the chain and the potential for bigger band profits, I’d expect to see more Wally World exclusives. So if you love the Eagles but loathe Wal-Mart, you’ll either have to bite your tongue or keep listening to “Hotel California.”

Speaking of the Eagles, I recently thumbed through “Heaven and Hell: My Life With the Eagles,” by former guitarist Don Felder. The band reportedly tried to prevent Felder from publishing the book, which details sex, feuds and egos. But it made it to the shelves. Having been fired, you might expect Felder to be a bit bitter, and indeed he is, sarcastically calling band leaders Don Henley and Glenn Frey “The Gods.” Still, it’s a fun look into the normally tight-lipped band.

And, yes, Wal-Mart has the book. Just not exclusively.

Photo: www.journeymusic.com

ShareThis