Soak It In While You Can, Winter is On

Congratulations to the lovely Ms. Amanda Pierce for correctly naming "Bring It on Home to Me" by Sam Cooke as the Thursday Song of the Day. I was actually listening to the Van Morrison cover of the tune when I decided to pick it as the Song of the Day, but as much as I love Morrison's version of the song, let's be honest, it begins and ends with Sam Cooke.

The version I linked to above is outstanding but has a very, very long intro, and this is coming from someone who likes Phish. Sam and the band get it kicked up around the 2:30 mark, so if you're operating on a fast version of the interwebs, you can just skip there and forget I ever told you all of this.

Speaking of great covers...who actually took a song from someone else, made it their own, and played it so well that you often forget who did the original?

Here's my list of Top 5 Covers (in no particular order):

1. "All Along the Watchtower" --Jimi Hendrix (original by Bob Dylan)
2. "Gin and Juice"--The Gourds (original by Calvin Broaddus, ahem, Snoop Dogg)
   
3. "Hallelujah"--Jeff Buckley (original by Leonard Cohen)
4. "Hurt"--Johnny Cash (original by Nine Inch Nails)
   
5. "Boys of Summer"--The Ataris (Don Henley)

I can already hear my father's pained cries about my selection in position #5, but my pick of the Ataris' take on Henley's tune is not an indictment of Henley, but a recognition that the Ataris took the song to the next level.

Imitation, as they say, is the most sincere form of flattery.

Corporation T-shirt, Stupid Bloody Tuesday

Congratulations to Mr. Andrew M. Tuegel for correctly naming "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash as the Monday Song of the Day. Because I'm feeling generous on this Tuesday evening, I'm giving you the Man in Black singing "Folsom Prison Blues" to the inmates at San Quentin. I'm sure Chuck Manson loves him a little Johnny Cash.

Wait, that didn't sound quite right. Just enjoy the music.

Moving on to stories that don't involve Charles Manson, I'm proud to give a little publicity to one of my favorite endeavors in the entire world, Wilderness Trek. Mr. Edd Eason, the Executive Director of Trek, has once again set up a deal with Coffee With a Cause so that $3 dollars of every bag of coffee purchased through Coffee With a Cause will go directly towards supporting Trek's scholarship programs.

If you thought I was going to write about Trek and not post a picture of the hideous beard that I grew during the summer of 2006, well, you're just confused my friend.

Current Reading
Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and The Lost Heroes of Seal Team 10 by Marcus Luttrell with Patrick Robinson