Tune du Jour: “I’ll Be There” – The Jackson 5
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes: Me First & The Gimme Gimmes vs. The Replacements vs. D.A. Sebasstian
VOTE, COMMENT, then do SOMETHING ELSE EQUALLY AS SUBSTANTIAL
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“Free markets will not prevail without unfettered competition among cover songs.” – Milton Friedbyrd
I’ll Be There was written for the Jackson 5 by Berry Gordy, Hal Davis, Willie Hutch and Bob West. The Jackson 5 recorded it for Motown Records in September 1970. I’ll Be There became the Jackson 5’s fourth #1 hit in a row, making them the first black male group to achieve four consecutive #1 pop hits.
The most successful single ever released by the Jackson 5, I’ll Be There sold 4.2 million copies in the United States, and 6.1 million copies worldwide. It replaced Marvin Gaye’s I Heard It Through the Grapevine as the most successful single released on Motown in the U.S., a record it held until the release of Lionel Richie’s duet with Diana Ross, Endless Love (1981). Outside the U.S., I Heard It Through the Grapevine remained Motown’s biggest selling record with worldwide sales of over seven million copies.
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The Original
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The Jackson 5:
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Another #1 Hit Version
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Mariah Carey & Trey Lorenz:
Mariah Carey included I’ll Be There as a last-minute addition to her MTV Unplugged setlist (1992), after she had been informed that most acts on the show commonly performed at least one cover. Carey’s label, Columbia Records, had not planned to release the unplugged version of I’ll Be There as a single but after receiving large-scale requests they relented. I’ll Be There became Carey’s sixth #1 single in the U.S., and her biggest hit elsewhere at the time.
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THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
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Me First & The Gimme Gimmes vs. The Replacements vs. D.A. Sebasstian
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Me First & The Gimme Gimmes:
Well they do claim to be the greatest cover band in the world…
The Replacements:
From a legendary live and muddled show, which was captured on the very rare album, The Shit Hits the Fans. The fiasco was unprofessionally recorded at The Bowery, in Oklahoma City on November 11, 1984, and provides a representative sample of The Replacements in all their inebriated glory.
D.A. Sebasstian:
Front man for Seattle’s industrial rock band, Kill Switch…Klick, D.A. Sebasstian provided this tune for the cover song compilation album, Teen Feeding Frenzy. Love the fade-out on this gem.
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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?!!?
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Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.