Originally from the Cooley High soundtrack "It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday" by G.C. Cameron had a #38 R&B hit with this song in 1975 but Boyz II Men took it to #1 R&B and #2 Pop and became a classic for kids of that time:
Originally from the Cooley High soundtrack "It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday" by G.C. Cameron had a #38 R&B hit with this song in 1975 but Boyz II Men took it to #1 R&B and #2 Pop and became a classic for kids of that time:
The Four Tops version of "MacArthur Park" will always be tops with me:
For my tastes, you could add up all the versions of this song and you wouldn't have one good one. It is just a terrible song. Right up there with Hey Jude and American Pie. No song needs to be eight minutes long!
How about Deniece Williams beautiful version of "it's gonna take a miracle"?
I love the Smokey version of "Who's Loving You?" but I'd be willing to bet many more people heard it sung by the Jackson 5 and prefer that version.
And I think that Troop's version of the Jackson 5's "All I Do Is Think Of You" is a better production, even if the lead doesn't compare with Michael Jackson's performance.
Here we go, my favorite remakes that I prefer to the original versions-
Isaac Hayes-"By The Time I Get To Phoenix"
Al Green-"I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry"
Otis Redding-"You Don't Miss Your Water"
Isaac Hayes-"Your Love Is So Doggone Good"
Diana Ross & the Supremes & the Temptations-"I'm Gonna Make You Love Me"
Stevie Wonder-"For Once In My Life"
Stevie Wonder-"Blowing In The Wind"
Al Green-"For The Good Times"
Al Green-"Funny How Time Slips Away"
Ike & Tina Turner-"Proud Mary"
I love Patti's take on this...she gives it a boogie-down-at-the-cookout feel:
I can't remember who made it first, the Doobie Brothers or Carly Simon, but Carly gets my vote everytime!
Seals and Croft had the hit with "Summer Breeze" in 1972 but I have read many comments that the Isley's 1974 version is the definitive:
Talk about stealing. Motown took Philly International's Harold Melvin and the Bluesnotes song and gave Thelma Houston her biggest hit with "Don't Leave Me This Way":
I know we have been talking about Chuck Jackson a bit lately and one of his finest moments is when he took William Bells song "Any Other Way":
How many know that Etta James "Tell Mama" originally was titled "Tell Daddy" by Clarence Cater. Miss Peaches owns that song. [[Although from her bio she said she didn't care for it...you would never know by her awesome vocals):
Before singing about a big mama jama, Carl Carlton was singing about "Everlasting Love" which was originally done by Robert Knight. This became a wedding staple.
This song was originally was done by Rod Stewart for the movie Night Shift. I not a 100% sure but I believed the song writers Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager didn't care for his version. Dionne, Stevie, Gladys and Elton made this anthem for friends and AIDS research. Don't think anyone will ever be able to touch this version,
[QUOTE=marv2;389800]I can't remember who made it first, the Doobie Brothers or Carly Simon, but Carly gets my vote everytime!
Awesome pick Marv. I believe Carly did it first. You want to talk about a cover version I enjoy of this song:
Here's a few more of my favorite songs that [[IMHO) out-stripped the original versions-
1. "Twist And Shout"-The Isley Bros.
2. "Good Loving"-The Young Rascals
3. "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby"-Marvin Gaye
4. "That's The Way Love Is"-Marvin Gaye
5. "Devil With The Blue Dress/Good Golly Miss Molly"-Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels
Loved Roy Hamilton's original but these two versions are equally as good....
Patti LaBelle does a great version of "Don't Let Go" also.
Isaac version is great! Where Patti's version?
"Mustang Sally" by Wilson Pickett was a cover of the song first done by Sir Mack Rice. The rhythm was smoothed down and the production was better [[in my opinion) on the latter version but it is very much the same song. But Pickett's voice puts it over the top for me.
I'm going to listen to his version right now. Thanks for the head's up.
Edit: So far, I'm not finding a Stevie version of the other song anywhere on line. Are you thinking about "All I Do" from "Hotter Than July"? That's a different song [[and one of my favorites from one of my favorite albums).
Last edited by Jerry Oz; 06-02-2017 at 04:45 PM.
Ok here is Tammi and Stevie's versions on the same video. He wrote it with Clarence Paul back in 1966:
Marv, they're referring to this song:
The Supremes, Four Tops - River Deep Mountain High
Tavares taking Hall & Oates song "She Gone" straight to #1 R&B:
Maybe not superior than Tavares but equal. I do like how Tower of Power slowed "Heaven Must Be Missing Be Missing An Angel" down a bit but still groovy.
I'm sure Prince never imagined his song "I Feel For You" turning into "Chaka Khan..Chaka Khan...Let me rock you Chaka Khan". Chaka must be tired of people singing it to her but for me it never gets old plus Chaka glorious vocals...
Last edited by Luciano; 06-10-2017 at 05:09 PM.
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