Mercy Mercy

This post is coming a little later than I expected. I got pretty busy for a while there and didn't get a chance to finish writing it. I finally got a few hours to myself, and finished it off.

This time Don Covay's Mercy Mercy is going up against The Rolling Stones Cover. I heard the Stones' cover before hearing Covay's, but the first time I ever heard the song referenced was in the song Soul Meeting by The Soul Clan, which featured Solomon Burke, Arthur Conley, Don Covay, Ben E. King, and Joe Tex. That song is probably better than both the versions of this one, but that's neither here nor there.

Mercy Mercy was written by Don Covay and Ronald Miller in 1964 it reached number 35 on the Billboard Top 100 and it reached number 1 on the Cash Box R&B chart.

The Rolling Stones recorded the song for their album Out of Our Heads. It was the second track on the UK release and the first Track on the American release. The album reached number 2 in the UK, second to the Beatles Help. It was their first number 1 album in the US.

Don Covay:

The Rolling Stones:

This is another paring that's pretty close. Both versions are fairly similar. I think the Stones use an extra guitar. The Stones just put more energy into the song overall. I really like the drumming in Covay's version, but Charlie Watts's drumming is also very good. The Stones' version stands out a little more just because there is more going on in the mix, and because of that I'm giving this one to them.