Can’t get next to you

I can’t get next to you was written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, and recorded by the Temptations in 1969. It was the number one song on the Billboard pop chart over the two week period from October 11^th to October 25^th. It also topped the R&B single chart, but for 5 weeks, October 4^th to November 1^st. It’s the second of the group’s four number-ones, and one of their best-selling singles.

Al Green covered the song on his 1971 album Al Green Gets Next to You. It was released as a single. It didn’t fare as well on the charts as the Temptations version, only reaching number 60 on the Top 100 and number 11 on the R&B chart.

Temptations:

Al Green:

This is the Temptations second appearance on my blog. The first time was when I featured the song My Girl and put their version up against Otis Redding’s cover. This is Al Green’s first appearance.

This one is pretty close (I might say that all the time).

The Temptations’ version is a bit faster and features 5 voices. Each member of the group singing verses. I also really like all the shouting at the beginning of their version. It has a really solid opening.

Al Green’s version is modified greatly. The pace is noticeably slower. Wikipedia describes it as a slow-burning plea for love. I think that is an accurate illustration of this version.

Now I’m not going to lie to you guys, I slept most of today. So when I say I’m not making this one a tie because I’m not being lazy, you know I’m still being pretty lazy. But this one is pretty tough, and I’ve listened to each version about 4 or 5 times now. This one could have probably even been a tie. But I won’t do it. I’m going to give it to Al Green.

Spanish Harlem Incident

Bob Dylan wrote this song and released it on his 1964 album Another Side of Bob Dylan. It's a really good album. It's probably my favorite of his acoustic albums. 

The Byrds covered it on their 1965 debut album, Mr. Tambourine Man.  It's one of four Dylan covers they did on that album.

This is totally the second time I've but the Byrds up against Dylan, (the first time was Chimes of Freedom) and it's totally not going to be the last because the Byrds covered him like crazy.  I was originally planning this post to be The Velvet Underground versus Mott the Hoople, or Wilson Picket versus Solomon Burke, but I was out walking tonight, and my iPhone dealt me Dylan's version of Spanish Harlem Incident. I hadn't listened to it in a few years, so I impulsively decided to blog it instead. Don't worry. I'll get around to the other ones eventually.

Bob Dylan:

Byrds:

I really love this song. The decision isn't too hard for me. Both versions are good, but Dylan wins. There's just something really honest about his version.

Send me some Lovin’

I've been finding it a bit more difficult to keep up with making these posts lately. I'm full of excuses though, so I'm going to blame it on how I cut the heck out of my thumb on Sunday. I know, I know, I've been being lazy way longer than that, but I'm so lazy even my excuses are bad. They're always bad.

Anyway in keeping with being lazy I'm doing the song Send me some lovin'. It was co-written in the 50s by Leo Price and John S. Marascalso, and recorded by Little Richard in 1957. It was released as a single and made it to number 54 on the Billboard top 100 and number 3 on the R&B chart. In 1958 it appeared on Little Richard self-titled second album.

The Crickets also recorded it in 1957 on their debut album, The Chirping Crickets, but I’m not featuring that version.

I’m featuring the Sam Cooke version. I know I just did Sam. Look, I said I was being lazy. It's even the second time I've featured Little Richard and you know how I keep going on about how I'm trying not to avoid repeats (even though they are inevitable). Anyway, Sam released his version as a single in 1963. It hit number 13 on the Billboard Top 100 and number 2 on the R&B chart. It also appeared as the last song on the first side of Sam's 1963 album Mr. Soul.

The song has also been covered by Stevie Wonder, Hank Williams Jr., Otis Redding, and John Lennon. Incase anyone is interested.

Little Richard:

Sam Cooke:

Okay, this one is tough. Way tougher than I expected. Both versions are great. Little Richards version is faster.  He puts so much energy into his performance. And those parts where he really gets on the mic and really pushes his voice are awesome. Sam’s version is a bit slower but it comes off so classy. It also has those background vocals, which I'm not going to lie are kind of minus points. It's not that I don't like them; I just feel they make the song seem kind of dated. But Sam's voice is so smooth that when light passes through the air his voice is vibrating, it actually travels faster than it does in a vacuum.

So yeah, I can't decide. Umm, I'm just going to make this one a tie and chalk it up to being lazy. I think that's pretty fitting.

That’s it, I Quit, I’m moving on

This is a Sam Cooke song that was released as a single in 1961. It reached the 31^st spot on the US Pop Chart, and the 25^th spot on the R&B Chart. I think it’s also worth mentioning that over the span of his 8 year career that he had 29 singles chart on the Billboard Top 40 and 20 singles in the top ten of the R&B chart.

Adele has apparently been covering this song for her entire career. A live version was included in the bonus tracks of the 2009 expanded edition of her album 19. There doesn't appear to be a studio version of it. The album was pretty successful, reaching number 4 the US and number 1 in the UK.

Sam Cooke:

Adele:

So I like the Sam Cooke version better. (No surprise there right? You guys must think I'm such a jerk. I kind of am.) Anyway, I like Adele's version. It's good; for example, I like how she changed the gender roles. If you've read some of my other posts you'll know I love it when artists so that. It kind of simpler, because it's just her and her guitarist, and the way she sings it is more sped up. I think the song loses a lot without drums. And I'm not a huge fan of how she sped it up. I think the way Sam paces version is really what makes it so great. I give her credit because her version is live and it's still really good. I think that's a good way to measure an artist. But if you read the Try a littletenderness post, or even the very first post in this blog you'll know that I always talk about how Sam recorded the best live performance ever.