Tune du Jour: “For No One” – The Beatles
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes: el Son Cubanos vs. Ian McCulloch vs. Anne Sofie von Otter and Elvis Costello
VOTE, COMMENT, then CURB YOUR DOG
CoverMeImpressed.com CoverMeImpressed.com CoverMeImpressed.com
So Where Are the Strong,
And Who Are the Trusted,
And Where is the Broccoli, Sweet Broccoli!
The Original
The Beatles:
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
el Son Cubanos vs. Ian McCulloch vs. Anne Sofie von Otter and Elvis Costello
el Son Cubanos:
Ian McCulloch:
Anne Sofie von Otter and Elvis Costello:
SPACE
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. It is your solemn responsibility to decide which cover song prevails. In other words … Which Side Are You On?!!?
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
cover me impressed 
Wow. A song from my favorite album by my favorite group. I liked all 3 covers. I have heard several of the salsa-and-merengue-flavored Beatles covers from the Here Comes El Son album. They seem to be hit or miss. But IMO this one is a hit. I like the usage of the Cubano trumpet in place of the French horn flourishes. And i especially like the Latin guitar playing arpeggios in the background in place of the harpsichord that is used in the original. I bet Paul McCartney likes it too.
I also enjoyed the Cubano version quite a bit. It narrowly missed winning my vote. However, I was not very impressed with the van Otter / Costello collaboration. Frankly, I found it boring. I’m sure it would have been much better had someone only woken EC up prior to recording. Obviously that leaves Mr. Bunnyman himself (Oh to hold such an epithet!). That furry little guy received my vote!
I expected to vote for the version Elvis Costello was involved in, but I was also underwhelmed by it. El Son Cubanos get the vote for putting a new and different spin on an old classic.
It’s nice that we have such divergent opinions on these things. Revolver is also my favorite Beatles album. I enjoyed all three versions. Somehow, I thought the Anne Sofie von Otter/Elvis version was very nice, and it got my vote. Frankly, I thought the Ian McCullough version was gonna be the best, but I was charmed by Anne Sofie.
As I listened to el Son Cubanos I found myself transported to a beach side bar in Ole Mexico with nothing more important to do than read Bukowski and see how many mango daiquiris I could drink…Vive la el Son Cubanos!