Well, the ol' groundhog popped his head out of his hidey-hole and burst into "Chelsea Morning", so I guess it's time to announce the latest addition to the JMDL Joni covers family! 37 is a prime number, and that is most appropriate as this too is a prime collection of Joni songs performed by a plethora of performers. Contributors to this volume are:
Monica Cardinale Joseph Palis And here's what's on it: 1. White Rose - Michael: We know it as Michael From Mountains, this early 70's UK folk group was on a first-name basis with the song. 2. Inga Luehning & Volume - Black Crow: Dutch jazz group takes on with much success one of my favorite Joni songs. 3. Foster & Allen - Both Sides Now: This Irish guitar/accordion duet cranked out 100 songs on 1 CD, all medley-ized for your protection. We hear their cheesy take on BSN and fade out as they segue to "Secret Love". 4. Wayne Roland Brown - Woodstock: Don't know much about Mr. Brown, but this is an AWESOME psychedelic Doors-like treatment. 5. Counting Crows - Big Yellow Taxi: Enough's been said about this one, this is the non-Vanessa version, the "hidden track" from their latest release "Hard Candy". 6. Harry Beckett - Goodbye Pork Pie Hat: Brit trumpeter Beckett worked with Mingus in the 60's, and included this fine instrumental on his Mingus tribute CD. 7. Bud Shank with The Bob Alcivar Singers: Bud's a household name in the world of Jazz; his fine sax work has accompanied many of the greats. The sax here is great, the vocals are definitely dated. Still, a nice treatment of the franchise. 8. Ten Sharp - He Played Real Good For Free: A fairly recent recording, Ten Sharp is a male duet, and this was a bonus track included on a CD-single. 9. Mark Wise - Woodstock: This is one of my faves; I included it on my first "Sweet 16" compilation. Mark's got a nice rustic upbeat folkish sound, and this track includes fine fiddle work. Mark's originally from LA and recalls seeing Joni at the Troubadour way back when. 10. Tom & Judy - I Don't Know Where I Stand 11. Tom & Judy - Chelsea Morning The "Tom" here is Tommy Banks, a Canadian who must be a big Joni fan because his big band did a great version of BYT which we've heard previously in the collection. Both of these earlier "folk" covers are outstanding in my book. 12. Fascinating Screen Sounds - Both Sides Now: Answers the musical question "what if they had used BSN as the theme song to 'Midnight Cowboy' instead of "Everybody's Talkin' At Me"? 13. Cliff Richard - (You're So Square) Baby, I Don't Care: Cliff was never as big in the states as he was in Britain, where he was huge. Here he does his best Elvis while hordes of young girls scream their undying love. This one goes out to my favorite Cliff Richard fan, you know who you are! ;~) 14. Tracey Campbell - Big Yellow Taxi 15. Tracey Campbell - Woodstock Don't know much about Tracey, I believe she's from NZ or Australia. Anyway, she has a lovely voice, and these are both wonderful tracks in a light jazz/pop mold. BYT especially is very unique & beautiful. 16. Judy Page - Both Sides Now: Pretty much just another pop singer version. Another "page" in the history of Joni covers... 17. Family Four - Runt, Runt Runt I Ett Ekorrhjul 18. Family Four - Tidig Sommarmorgan I love foreign language versions, and these Swedish takes on The Circle Game & Chelsea Morning are certainly no exception. 19. Kevyn Lettau - You Turn Me On I'm A Radio: Kevyn's astounding physical beauty is outdone only by her superb singing. She graced our collection earlier with her very unique take on "People's Parties". This is another selection on my 'Sweet 16" CD. 20. Stella Ignacio - Twisted: I'll leave it to my buddy Joseph to give us info about Stella; this version of Twisted is definitely inspired by Joni's cover on C&S, listen to that note-for-note muted trumpet intro. 21. Ralna English - Both Sides Now: a one-a, and a two-a, and-a you all remember Ralna from the Lawrence Welk show...this particular track was taken from the soundtrack to the film "Changes". OK, so there it is...wow, 21 tracks, 21 hits - all on one high falutin', Joni-salutin' CD. One of the best of the lot if I do say so myself! Bob NP: Family Four, "Runt Runt Runt I Ett Ekorrhjul" (Hey, who you callin' a runt?) :~)
