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Sunday 6 December 2015

Some Sunday Soul


I recently picked up Motown 50 - Yesterday,Today, Forever a Motown top 50 or in my case a top 26 given that CD 1 was missing.
CD 3 also contains a bonus (and I use this word loosely) of ten Motown cover versions.

Stevie Wonder can do very little wrong with the possible exception of I Just Called to Say I Love You. On this CD he does a passable version of The Door's Light My Fire.
Unfortunately the same cannot be said of Smokey Robinson & the Miracles who murder Jimmy Webb's classic Wichita Lineman.
I must look out and post the classic Glen Campbell version

More Soul next Sunday

Stevie Wonder - Light My Fire

Smokey Robinson & the Miracles - Wichita Lineman

9 comments:

  1. I hadn't heard Smokey's version of 'Witchita Lineman' before and refused to believe that it could be as bad as you insinuated. Crikey. I'll never doubt your word again.

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  2. Swede, it's god-awful. I lasted about 30 seconds. Stevie Wonder - bit of a nothing track, really, sounds like a filler.

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  3. I don't even think I will risk listening to it

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    Replies
    1. Wrong, Drew. Wrong, CC. The Swede and myself have suffered, why should Drew be spared?

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  4. There is only one Wichita Lineman and it is the greatest single recording in the history of popular music (in my humble opinion). All the other versions - even Johnny Cash's - pale beside it.

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  5. Ouch! It's entertaining (in a perverse sort of way) to hear bad versions of great songs, CC, so thanks for posting these.

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  6. Hmmm?....Smokey's take is almost deserving of a 'so bad it's good' honour. The orchestration is all over the shop. Can't understand how he let that lone through.

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