Well, it's that time again...time to unveil a new spate of Joni covers!! I just *KNOW* that y'all are as excited as I am!
My thanks to the folks who helped me find these gems: Philip Fulham Stephen Elliott Jerry Notaro And now, on to the playlist: 1. The Bully Boys - Woodstock Medley: subtitled "The Paz/Kakki Special"! ;~) It's actaully a combination on Woodstock along with Long Time Gone, Suite Judy Blue Eyes, and a little Purple Haze thrown in for good measure. But it's a lot of fun and I'm a sucker for a fuzztone guitar. 2. Tahkus Ekedal - Both Sides Now: From the "Folk Music For Kids" CD, this is a very pretty version from a singer who definitely should change her name if she wants it to become a household word! 3. Margret RoadKnight - Marcie: I got this one from Margret herself! From a live tape recorded in Australia, Margret said that her inspiration to perform Marcie was hearing Doug Ashdown's version (from a couple of volumes ago). 4. Peter Mulvey - River: From a nice Christmas CD released last winter, this is a great folky melancholy version. 5. Morning - For Free: From the 70's, this one sounds like The Association or something...anyway you look at it, it's a version to "Cherish". 6. Elvis Costello - Edith & The Kingpin: Not the studio version that's rotting in the Reprise can, rather a live version from a performance last year with The Mingus Orchestra last year at UCLA (Elvis is the artist-in-residence there). A good match for Elvis' emoting vocal. 7. Nina Rousso - Both Sides Now: I don't know nothing about her, and this version is nothing to shout about. 8. Gaffers - Court & Spark: I'm probably the only person who flips over this one. Reminds me of the Red House Painters, very brooding moody version from this German band. VERY different from Joni's own. 9. Tony Campise - Goodbye Pork Pie Hat: An instrumental version of the Mingus melody, Tony's saxophone sounds like a good version to hear in a smoky jazz club. Some nice electric guitar as well. 10. Sandy Stubbert - California: The ONLY cover of this song (that I know of anyway). Sandy's take is very poppy & fun, even when she ends it with a "Help Me Rhonda" coda...don't know what that's all about, but it works OK. 11. Christine Ebersole - Turn Around/The Circle Game: Broadway diva does a great job with this track, that starts out with Turn Around and segues to TCG beautifully and continues the bittersweet theme. Very nice! 12. Heike Radler - Both Sides Now: Don't know much about Heike either, except that it's safe to say that English is not her native tongue as she sounds like Babawawa at times..."as every waiwy tawe comes weaw..." 13. Loaded Boxers - Big Yellow Taxi: The Boxers' goal is to do this one in less than a minute. They just miss here, but it's guaranteed to make you laugh as they speed-punk their way through it. 14. Vocalogy - The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines: Another JMDL exclusive! I procured the demo for this recording from the band after reading about it on their website. It's a swingin' Manhattan Transfer version, and it's really great - get's me tapping and whistling every time I hear it! 15. Lisa Theriot - The Urge For Going: From Lisa's folk CD released last year, a cleanly-pronounced version of one of Joni's finest melodies. And her husband is even a member of the JMDL! Check out the JMDL gallery! 16. June Tabor - The Fiddle & The Drum (live): Recorded on John Peel's radio show, June's voice is a great match for this song...like Joni, she sings it acapella. 17. Boots Randolph - Both Sides Now: About what you'd expect from Boots Randolph, a mostly instrumental version with some cheesy choral lines tossed in for good measure. 18. The Triban - Night In The City: Recorded over 30 years ago in Pontypridd, Wales, by a popular folk trio who throws some interesting harmonies in there. So there you have it...another collection of SMASH HITS by a variety of artists & styles...stay tuned to find out how to get a copy for yourself. Bob
