1 of 1 copy available
A great cover only makes a song stronger. Jimi Hendrix's version of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower." The Beatles rocking out with "Twist and Shout." Aretha Franklin demanding "Respect." Without covers, the world would have lost many unforgettable performances. This is the first book to explore the most iconic covers ever, from Elvis's "Hound Dog" and Joe Cocker's "With a Little Help from My Friends" to the Talking Heads' "Take Me to the River" and Adele's "Make You Feel My Love." Written by the founder of the website covermesongs.com, each of the 19 chapters investigates the origins of a classic cover—and uses it as a framework to tell the larger story of how cover songs have evolved over the decades.
Jimi Hendrix doing "All Along the Watchtower." The Beatles singing "Twist and Shout." Aretha Franklin demanding "Respect." Ray Padgett, the founder of the popular website covermesongs.com, explores these and other iconic covers in the first book ever on this topic. As he investigates each of 19 songs, Padgett also tells the larger story of how covers have evolved over the decades.
Cover Me is packed with insight, photography, and music history.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
November 3, 2017 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781454930655
- File size: 26372 KB
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781454930655
- File size: 26549 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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November 1, 2017
Music publicist and blogger Padgett (covermesongs.com) delves into the world of the cover song by compiling interviews, archival photographs, and reproductions of disc labels to highlight 20 well-known tunes covered by artists ranging from Elvis Presley and the Who to Adele, giving each a chapter tracing the song's history, production details, and other versions when appropriate. His explorations of the reasons artists choose to record covers are astute, and while some of the original performers (perhaps more obscure to current listeners) were not always pleased to have their own versions superseded, others were honored that someone valued their work enough to take on this challenge. The especially useful bibliography cites both sources contemporaneous to the time of the first recordings as well as recent scholarship and relevant websites. VERDICT This engaging nostalgia trip is sure to appeal to discophiles and cultural historians and will provide a compact, colorful complement to Bob Leszczak's recent trilogy Who Did It First?--Barry Zaslow, Miami Univ. Libs., Oxford, OH
Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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