DAILY DIRT: There’s one group that should be considered the king of quality remakes

Daily Dirt for Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024

Not a bad career for Eric Clapton, eh? See thought No. 2 for more … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,135 of The Daily Dirt.

1. Most of us refer to them as remakes, when a singer or group releases a song originally put out by another artist.

In the recording business, these are more commonly referred to as “covers,” and in my humble opinion the following are the best ever from this genre:

The best cover group of them all: UB40. The English group, formed in the late 1970s, made a career out of covering hit songs from other artists and bands, and it worked quite well.

There are three UB40 hits that stand out above the rest. In Daily Dirt medal-worthy fashion they are:

Gold medal: “Can’t Help Falling in Love With You” (Elvis Presley). This also had a tremendous black-and-white video to go along with it back in the 1990s. UB40 lead singer Ali Campbell had a somewhat nasally sound that was just perfect for the group’s reggae-infused style — and its most successful covers. Campbell’s delivery is so unique and any of the group’s offerings are easily identified. This one, however, stands out above all the rest.

Silver medal: “Red, Red Wine” (Neil Diamond). Honestly, I never cared much for Diamond’s original, but UB40 — and Campbell — took what had been a run-of-the-mill hit for Diamond and turned into a tapestry of sound and lyrics.

Bronze medal: “Here I Am” (Al Green). Green was famous for his smooth delivery, and Campbell did him justice. 

Honorable mention: “I Got You Babe” (Sonny and Cher). Chrissy Hynde of the Pretenders sang Cher’s part with Campbell.

Here are the rest of my favorite covers, in no particular order:

• “Once Bitten, Twice Shy” by Great White (Ian Hunter).
• “Come On Feel The Noise” by Quiet Riot (Slade).
• “I Love Rock And Roll” by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts (The Arrows).
• “Blinded By The Light” by Manfred Mann (Bruce Springsteen).
• “Twistin’ The Night Away” by Rod Stewart (Sam Cooke).
• “Venus” by Bananarama (Shocking Blue).
• “I Don’t Want To Talk About It” by Rod Stewart (Crazy Horse).
• “I Only Want To Be With You” by Dusty Springfield (Tourists).
• “Last Kiss” by Pearl Jam (J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers).
• “La Bamba” by Los Lobos (Ritchie Valens).
• “With A Little Help From My Friends” by Joe Cocker (Beatles).
• “Twist And Shout” by the Beatles (Top Notes).
• “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston (Dolly Parton).
• “Respect,” by Aretha Franklin (Otis Redding).

2. Did you know (Part 209)

• That Eric Clapton is the only three-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: 1992 as a member of the Yardbirds (which also included Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page), 1993 with Cream (which also included Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce) and in 2000 as a solo artist.
• That some lions mate 50 times a day.
• That the average person walks the equivalent of five times around the world during the course of a lifetime. (Umm … I can guarantee there is at least one person who won’t reach that kind of milestone.)
• That the longest recorded flight of a chicken is 13 seconds, traveling 301 feet.
• That the state of Florida is bigger than England.

3. This week’s best of “Found on Facebook”:

• “Chuck Norris can hear sign language.”
• “The only blizzard conditions I am interested in are from Dairy Queen.”
• “I’m based on a true story.”
• “Deep down I just want to touch an electric fence and see if it really works.”
• “If your wife wants to drag you too the movie ‘Wicked,’ schedule your prostate exam for that day. It’s that bad.”

Steve Thought O’ The Day – I’m thinking about changing my name. I’m leaning toward Tito. Or maybe Manny. Or possibly Dolph.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. He thinks about changing his name as often as he thinks about lunch.