A few days ago I ran into a bunch of mixes that I made a few years ago, and decided to play a few without seeing what was on them. In the middle of one was Otis Redding's "Hard to Handle," a song some of you may be familiar with from the cover by the Black Crowes, one of their signature songs early on. (Fu-huck, that was 22 years ago!). I was reminded what a great song it is, and for the Black Crowes, a pretty good choice for a cover; though their execution was only passable if you weren't already familiar with the original. At the end of the day, is it wise for any band to cover Redding? Apparently Toots Hibbert (ex-Maytals) thought so, because he covered the same song, a year earlier. And his take is kind of odd in that Jim Dickinson produced it as some sort of Southern soul/reggae hybrid. (Toots, of course has always been one of those reggae crossover dudes, what with his covers of "Louie Louie" and John Denver's "Country Roads" a few years earlier, not to mention his duets a few years back.) Anyways, I was jazzed to find Redding's original at the Vinyl Villain, along with three other songs of his. Take a listen below. Really, do you think anybody could approve on his version?
~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~
Listen:Otis Redding - Hard To Handle mp3 (via Box.net) at The Vinyl Villain (Click on "Download" button on the top right)
Toots Hibbert - Hard to Handle mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu Produced by Jim Dickinson, 1989
The Black Crowes - Hard to Handle mp3 at My Dad's Ipod
Otis Redding - Security (Live) mp3 at The Adios Lounge
Three More Otis Redding mps at the Vinyl Villain
Video:
Otis Redding - Try a Little Tenderness (Live, 1967) at YouTube With Booker T & the MGs and the Mar-Keys
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