But not many years ago, I learned that Green Manalishi was originally recorded by Fleetwood Mac... way back in 1970. This was before the better-known line-up with Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie, and Lindsey Buckingham. In '70, the Mac were a British blues band. Not even close to the radio pop-rock superstars of the later 70's and 80's. This version of Green Manalishi is slow-paced and multi-layered for a haunting mood. It is heavy in its own right, but in a menacingly psychedelic way. When I first heard Fleetwood Mac's Manalishi, I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was... kind of eerie and almost supernatural in nature.
The original Voivod gang, Quebecois prog thrash metalheads
In comparison, the 1978 Judas Priest rendition of Green Manalishi is charged and aggressive, slabbed with mammoth guitar chords. Blistering trademark twin-guitar attacks on solos stamp "Judas Priest" all over the song. So it was easy to mistake it for a Priest composition. Halford's falsetto vocals hit peaks in all the right spots, and his lower-range slithers through the verses. Priest's studio recording of the song was updated to a sludgy-paced chugging anthem, though the band sped things up in live performances to keep the momentum going... and that's where Priest totally owned the song. A sign of a great cover!
Voivod went totally out of character with their version of the Batman TV show theme. This ditty appeared on (tacked on, really) their sci-fi epic thrash album Dimension Hatross of 1988. Drummer Away's double-bass insanity plus the trashy yet plucky guitars give this a heavy punk feel. Pretty strange, though... kind of a throwaway, if you ask me. The original was lighter and faster in tempo, more conducive to a fun listen.
You're No Good was originally sung by Dee Dee Warwick way way back in 1963. The song was covered by many artists over the years, including one Betty Everett, who first made the tune a hit on the charts that very same year. The first version, by Warwick, was a brash, fast, and busy production, probably fun for the 60's teenagers to dance along with. I like Everett's rendition much more: her smoother vocals, the easier pace, and slightly jazzy - or maybe Motown-ish - feel all contribute to a very listenable piece. Way to go, Betty!
Let's jump (might as well) from '63 to sixteen years into the future (1979), when Van Halen released their second album... which included a fun, hard rocking take on You're No Good. Van Halen retains the somewhat laid-back tempo, maybe injecting a bump and grind here and there, and popping through the roof with an interstellar, chilling Eddie guitar solo (one of his best). Roth's squeals and the boys' backup vocal harmonies added to the party-time formula that worked so well for the band in their heyday. Love it.
Joe Walsh rocking the mountain way
(Photo credit: Michael Putland)
Joe Walsh's Rocky Mountain Way was a 70's rocker, through and through. The guitar hooks were many, and that honky-tonk piano brought a barroom vibe to the tune. Walsh's thin inebriated hollering played counterpoint to his fat, gritty guitar chords. The bizarre talk box guitar solo is unique, if nothing else. I actually like a lot of Walsh's other songs much more than this one, but hey, this is considered his signature track.
Now let's look at Canadian rock trio Triumph's attempt at the Walsh classic a few years later ('77). Stripped down to bass, guitar and drums, this leaner version is more spacious, though I'll confess that Moore's kinda limp vocals pale in comparison to ol' Joe's quirky whine. Still, instrumentally, it manages to rock a bit. Ric Emmett's guitar-work is fine, if a bit antiseptic. I used to be a massive Triumph fan when I was a teen, too young to know any better, but nowadays, I can't get very excited over this cover tune. If I had to choose, I'd go with Walsh's ballsier sound.
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