Beech Tree News Network

A lot can be learned by listening to certain SiriusXM stations.  If you’re a music nut like me there isn’t a much better station than Little Steven’s Underground Garage.  The DJ’s are very knowledgeable.  They play great classic Rock N Roll among other genres.  One of my favorite segments is Michael De Barre’s Daily Doubletake.  This is where he plays a song done by the original artist proceeded by a remake.  Sometimes they dig really deep, playing an original that you had no idea was the actual original. 

I’m sure a lot of people thought that Elvis was the first to record “That’s Alright, Momma”.  I know I did.  Bluesman Arthur Crudup wrote and recorded the song that would become Elvis’ big hit.  He also wrote two other early Elvis hits. Crudup was said to be Elvis’ favorite songwriter: he went onto record Crudup’s “My Baby Left Me” and “So Glad You’re Mine”, both in 1956.  Elvis certainly remained true to Crudup’s version.  Head to Apple Music if you’d like to hear the original. 

The Tremeloes are an English beat group founded in 1958 in Dagenham, Essex and are still active today.  Their 1967 album Here Come The Tremeloes included a song called “Here Comes My Baby”.  In that same year, Cat Stevens covered the song.  Even before that, however, a group called Sons of Admirals recorded the song in 1965.  The latest recording of the song was by the Mavericks in 1995.  When a song is so good artists from all genres want to cover it, you know it’s a keeper.

“First I Look At The Purse” was originally done by The Contours in 1965 on Motown Records’ Gordy label.  It was written by Smokey Robinson and Bobby Rogers, authors of the Temptations’ very first hit single “The Way You Do The Things You Do”.  The song reached #57 on Billboard Hot 100.  It was covered by The J. Geils Band on their self-titled debut album in 1970.  The song has also been covered by Rod Stewart, Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen, The Cortinas and Nashville Pussy.

The late, great legendary Tom Petty covered several songs over his illustrious career.  Granted, they were mostly from live shows.  The two that stand out are “Mystic Eyes” and “Psychotic Reaction”.  “Mystic Eyes” was originally done by a group called Them from their album called The Angry Young Them in 1965.  There are another couple songs you might know from that album, “G-L-O-R-I-A” and “Baby Please Don’t Go”.  Tom Petty covered “Mystic Eyes” for his Live Anthology album.  He also covered “Psychotic Reaction by Count Five, originally done in 1966.  Tom’s Live Anthology album was released in 2009.

This is one of those articles I have to cut myself off at some point.  I could write and write.  I’ll return to this remakes series soon.