Some Other Guy


'Some Other Guy'
A Leiber-Stoller-Barrett song first recorded in 1962 and covered by almost every '60S British R&B group.


The Pirates, recorded 1963, not released until 1990.
From the first two chords and through the following 8 bars, the tightness and talents of The Pirates shines through - any group with that thundering Spence/Farley combination alone would have something very special at the back, but with Green's originality and Kidd's great voice as well - they had it all!  Because this recording was held back (why?) the field was left open for The Big Three - another terrific 3-guy power-group - to score a big hit with this song.  Their version is below for comparison.   Honestly, i think that if the Pirates had released it in the same year (1963), the Big Three version would have struggled to make an impact.


The Big Three, (1963)




The Searchers (live on Swedish radio,1964) 




The Beatles, 'The Cavern' footage, circa 1962 with BBC radio-recording added.




Richie Barrett's wonderful 1962 original 




Richie Barrett again, but better Audio to me ears.
Outside of British rock and other covers, this remains the superior rendition in many ways - superb musicianship and vocals - it has that confidence and 'authenticity' that everyone hopes to find in an original version.






For me, the Pirates and the Richie Barrett versions are the stand-out superior recordings - completely different styles, but both achieving the ultimate in the expression of that style.  They both 'get it', whereas for me the others are doing only ok - they are 'Doing the Song' not 'Living the Song' if i'm allowed a bit of pretentious waffle !  The Pirates backing alone without a vocal would be impressive.









3 comments:

  1. Magali VazDecember 22, 2011 at 9:04 PM

    I always love hearing multiple covers of the same song. Hate a copy, though. Artistes should always strive to make it their own.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousDecember 25, 2011 at 4:20 PM

    'Some other guy' - nice phrase to describe a rival in affairs of the heart. Richie Barrett is new to me, but he's got so much soul...love it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousDecember 28, 2011 at 7:10 PM

    The people who saw the Beatles in the Cavern were luckier than they knew

    ReplyDelete

Now, this is the whole point of this blog - unlock that well-hidden secret, your 'MyLastTrack', and name it Here ! But more than that - pen a few lines about what the track means to you, maybe when and where it hit you as 'the' track in your life - and don't even think about some concept of THE cool music. No negativity is welcome here - really not interested in anyone jumping on other peoples' serious choices. One person's heart & soul is their's alone, and the music that moves them is absolutely authentic for them. Obviously, i love The Pirates, but i have been floored by so many performers that are completely different to them and to each other - how about Mahalia Jackson, Frank Sinatra, and Eva Cassidy to name just three. Fear no-one, conform to no 'taste' - tell the world about your absolute number one ( last ) track - pls ! Thanks, paul.

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