Cover You
A Tribute to the Rolling Stones
Hip-O
There is nothing new on this compilation, just 14 of the best and worst Stones covers ever to be committed to tape. Otis Redding opens up the collection with his soulful rendition of “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” Linda Ronstadt’s version of “Tumbling Dice,” from her late ’70s Simple Dreams, album is excellent. British Invasion band the Searchers do a creditable cover of “Take It or Leave It,” but it is old enough to be contemporary with the original. The live recording of Steve Earle and the Dukes doing “Dead Flowers” is terrific. Is it just me, or does he sound more and more like Dylan all the time?
Johnny Winter makes “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” his own, adding licks Brian and Keith could only dream about. The rest of the cuts are poor, miserable, or just downright lame.
Particularly stinko is Aretha Franklin’s sorry attempt at “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” You know, when I select a Stones song on my CD player and the timer tells me it will run in excess of six minutes, I get suspicious right away. Stones tunes are supposed to be quick and deadly, not strung out and terminally ill. The Queen of Soul is the Princess of Puke on this one.
