Excerpt: The Best of the Covers
A Hard Days Night
Famous interpretations: It's a soul revue staple, as has been presented with some swaggering grace in the past by Otis Redding, and later by Dionne Warwick.
Celebrity alert: Talked through by Peter Sellers in his best Richard III voice, de-crooned by Max Bygraves, and in full jazz swing with Ella Fitzgerald.
Infamous covers: Would you like it unstylishly bonged by The Mighty Fire Street Band? or out of tune at the piano of Mrs. Miller? Maybe you'd just like it daintily jazzed with Peggy Lee? Or perhaps Take That's interpretation on their "pop" opus Everything Changes is nearer the mark. Beyond that, there's the crazed psycho-rant of Shockabilly.
The ones to cherish: Two years after its release it turned up twice courtesy of two soulful keyboard players. The Ramsey Lewis Trio released it asa single and latter day Beatle, Billy Preston included it on the album The Wildest Organ in Town.
And a full and frank list of also rans: Drummer Sandy Nelson, The Kelly Family, Gary McFarland, Beatle-obsessed vibes and guitar duo Sandy And Johnny, Anita Lindblom, Rainbow Red Oxidizer, piano man Billy Joel, psyche-monsters The Hoodoo Gurus, Sonny Curtis, Johnny Tedesco, Ten Tuff Guitars, Les Beadochons, veteran producer Quincy Jones, and bluesman John Mayall.
Plus the usual suspects: Chet Atkins, Count Basie, The Boston Pops, Al Caiola, and Enoch Light.
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