Another extremely close contest last week. A last minute intervention by Spence in favour of The Man in Black led to a 7-6 victory (if my arithmetic is correct) over Laughing Len with their versions of Bird on A/The Wire
So afte a shaky start Johnny is on a roll with the score now being Cash 4 The Rest 2.
Another tricky one today and one which I suspect could go either way. Johnny is up against Nick Cave with his interpretation of The Mercy Seat taken from American III:Solitary Man.
I know that there is a lot of love out there for Mr Cave and the original is pretty stunning.
However as you may have come to expect I am going for Johnny again this week as there is just something about him singing songs which have religious references that gives him a slight edge.
Others, I'm sure, will choose to disagree. This one will go to the edge.
Back to Saturdays next week
Johnny Cash - The Mercy Seat
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - The Mercy Seat
Nick Cave today. Even Johnny Cash can beat his version.
ReplyDeleteCor lummy, as my old Mum would've said. This is a very tough call indeed. I'll get back to you.
ReplyDeleteJohnny Cash
ReplyDeleteSt. Nick, but only just.
ReplyDeleteThis is tough- part of me says Cash but I think Nick shades it.
ReplyDeleteNick. Again, a simply stunnng version by Cash, but the Cave version is terrifying.
ReplyDeleteI would have been extremely surprised if you had not gone for Nick, Robster!
DeleteI do hate to be so predictable...
DeleteIt's Johnny for me this week but have been enjoying Nick Cave's soundtrack on the new series of Peaky Blinders.
ReplyDeleteThere are only one or two songs from the entire American Recordings series that might be better than this one. Gotta go Johnny this round.
ReplyDeleteSorry I missed last week. I would have voted Len, so that would have made it even-Steven.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, this week... I want to call a draw. Too close to call, surely? Both versions are amazing. Still, if there was a gun to my head... I think I'd go with Johnny.
You're a very cruel man CC. Nick Cave.
ReplyDeleteVery hard. Hmmm. No option but to abstain, sorry!
ReplyDeleteIt's Johnny for me this week mainly I suppose cos he's up there high in the vocal. Far be it for me to criticise the songwriter but Nick seems to take too much time getting to his crescendo
ReplyDeleteDear CC
ReplyDeleteI've no real right to offer my thoughts on any of this series given that I didn't read them when posted.
But, having read the outcome of this vote, I must protest in the strongest possible terms!
'The Mercy Seat' is one of the greatest of Nick Cave's songs. It's a song that he has adapted and revised in the live setting over the years, performing it in a range of styles, therefore keeping it fresh and enjoyable. In recent times, he's gone back to the angry, twisted and bitter ending, but only after building it up slowly from a sad sounding ballad. Nick can do no wrong with this song and nobody, not even the great Johnny Cash, can better him.
I'm using the powers vested in me, as the Godfather of Blogging (as bestowed on me by Jonny the Friendly Lawyer), to declare the result of this vote as null and void.
I look forward to the matter being rectified in a future posting.
Yours sincerely
JC