The original Soul Man and prolific Stax Records songwriter David Porter gives his recording of Lennon’s desperate plea an upbeat Memphis soul take that rips the tar off of Beale Street.Īnd two bonus tracks from Lennon and McCartney’s solo songbooks: Marvin’s beautiful version is truly its own thing. The soft xylophone and swelling strings play on the slowed tempo and emotional intensity that Gaye brings with his falsetto and vocal breaks.
#BLACK BEATLES COVER BY FULL#
Unlike the simple orchestrated original, Marvin Gaye’s version of this most covered of Beatles tunes gets a full Motown makeover. And with King Curtis blowing the tenor solo, that would not have been a bad thing. So Aretha’s beautiful gospel cover was almost the original.
However, due to a delay, the Beatles released their version first.
Franklin with the right to first release. Legend has it that Paul McCartney originally submitted “Let it Be” to Ms. He seems to want it in a whole different way. This passionate arrangement is full of horns and tasty guitar licks, while Green’s seductive vocal has a hint of James Brown.
#BLACK BEATLES COVER BY CRACK#
The Reverend took a crack at the Beatles second best-selling single and in the process found a path to an illustrious career of his own. The Beatles loved his version, and at the time of Cocker’s passing Sir Paul issued this statement, “It was just mind-blowing, totally turned the song into a soul anthem, and I was forever grateful for him for having done that.” This live clip from Woodstock absolutely kills. Joe Cocker gave Ringo’s signature tune his husky, blue-eyed soul vocal treatment and it made this cover as popular as the original. “With a Little Help from My Friends” – Joe Cocker One of the great funk bands of the ’70s (favored by Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, and Robert Palmer) these guys are also one of the most sampled bands of the golden age of hip-hop. They really let the funk and soul fly! Rather than simply a tribute to the original, they make it sound like John was trying to write a Meters song. The Meters version of Lennon’s word-salad is more than just a down-home, ’70s New Orleans-funk redux. There are plenty of horns and a gentle flute that keep this track light enough, but the pain and relief that Wright’s vocals bring to George’s lyrics definitely steal the show. Unfortunately, the bouncing bass line that defines this cover (and would later be sampled by Cypress Hill’s “Hits from the Bong”) goes uncredited.Ĭharles Wright, the man who brought us “Express Yourself” gives a passionate, soul-stirring vocal rendition of another Harrison-penned classic. George Harrison’s rant against England’s oppressive tax laws gets a super-funky makeover when bluesman Junior Parker applies his velvet-smooth vocals to it. The organ intro, his harmonica solo, and the additional lyric, “Hey!” that punch through this cover all combine to create something funky, soulful and reimagined. Stevie Wonder’s vision of this track completely flips it and makes it his own.
Possibly better than the original, in my eyes. Let’s start with that aforementioned Ray Charles number… These moving arrangements reveal the fundamental soul of these Beatles classics, offering pitch-perfect vocals and supremely skilled musicianship.
Our latest list contains what I consider to be the ten best of those R&B and soul covers (plus two bonus tracks). True, many have come up flat, either trying to stay too close to, or straying too far from, the originals. Many remarkable artists have put their stamp on these pop standards. So I started looking for other R&B covers and over time I found them. Eventually I became one of those annoying “I’m a Stones guy” contrarians.īut one day I heard Ray Charles’s version of “Eleanor Rigby” and found myself attracted to his soulful arrangement, full of piano, horns and gospel backups - it’s a beautiful rendition. All the obsessed fans and fetishists turned me off, even though The Beatles influenced much of the music I was listening to as a teen. Everyone loves The Beatles, right? Well, for many years, I was an exception I didn’t immediately fall in love with the Fab Four.
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