"People Get Ready"

or

In rare cases does a cover version trump the original, this is NOT one of them. The Impressions, for the record.

UncleGrandpa said:

In rare cases does a cover version trump the original, this is NOT one of them. The Impressions, for the record.

Rod does try though, but I like The Impressions too.

Curtis, Fred & Sam, otherwise known as the Impressions.

Some songs are just so perfect as originals that no performance after them should ever even be considered for a "better than."

Rather the original artist/s should be given propers for introducing an opportunity to other artists to take their creaton and interpret it for new audiences as a living energy representation of the original

Curtis and the Impressions were supreme creators on a number of tunes, People Get Ready being only one.

Others have done well by interpreting their songs but it should never be forgotten, no matter how good the cover recordings or live performances, the other artists would never have been privvy to performing these original masterpieces if it weren't for the brilliance of the originators.

That being said, here are a couple of awesome live versions:

Al Green: http:

Ziggy Marley:

Jeff Beck and Sting:

This may seem a little bit out of left field but in 1970's Jamaica a different kind of arrangement existed in the music industry where the musician's did not own their own compositions. This allowed the studios to release various vocals over the same rhythms that they "stole" from the session players who got paid once for laying down the original track but that was it. The studio now owned their original compositions and the most popular of them became known as "ridddims."

Prince fans may recognize what I'm referring to by comparing My Summertime Thang from the album Pandemonium by The Time alongside The Latest Fashion The Time featuring Prince from the album Grafitti Bridge- same music, different vocal compositons.

In Jamaica you might find a dozen or more different vocals recorded over the same riddim.

In a strange kind of way the music gained it's own separate popularity independently from whatever vocals were placed on top of them.

In 1978 a Jamaican group called Well Pleased and Satisfied recorded a tune called News Carrier that spoke to the fact that music was a kind of vehicle that could carry a message beyond the originator's creation via other aritsts. You can hear it here at around 9 minutes here:

http://bigmikeydread.podo..._35-07_00

In a way, every artist who has ever covered People Get Ready has acted as a "News Carrier" for The Impressions.

Here's another example of what I'm referring to at 26:45. I'm sure you will recognize it: http://bigmikeydread.podo...13_35-07_0

[Edited 8/22/11 22:21pm]

DakutiusMaximus said:

Some songs are just so perfect as originals that no performance after them should ever even be considered for a "better than."

Rather the original artist/s should be given propers for introducing an opportunity to other artists to take their creaton and interpret it for new audiences as a living energy representation of the original

Curtis and the Impressions were supreme creators on a number of tunes, People Get Ready being only one.

Others have done well by interpreting their songs but it should never be forgotten, no matter how good the cover recordings or live performances, the other artists would never have been privvy to performing these original masterpieces if it weren't for the brilliance of the originators.

That being said, here are a couple of awesome live versions:

Al Green: http:

Ziggy Marley:

Jeff Beck and Sting:

This may seem a little bit out of left field but in 1970's Jamaica a different kind of arrangement existed in the music industry where the musician's did not own their own compositions. This allowed the studios to release various vocals over the same rhythms that they "stole" from the session players who got paid once for laying down the original track but that was it. The studio now owned their original compositions and the most popular of them became known as "ridddims."

Prince fans may recognize what I'm referring to by comparing My Summertime Thang from the album Pandemonium by The Time alongside The Latest Fashion The Time featuring Prince from the album Grafitti Bridge- same music, different vocal compositons.

In Jamaica you might find a dozen or more different vocals recorded over the same riddim.

In a strange kind of way the music gained it's own separate popularity independently from whatever vocals were placed on top of them.

In 1978 a Jamaican group called Well Pleased and Satisfied recorded a tune called News Carrier that spoke to the fact that music was a kind of vehicle that could carry a message beyond the originator's creation via other aritsts. You can hear it here at around 9 minutes here:

http://bigmikeydread.podo..._35-07_00

In a way, every artist who has ever covered People Get Ready has acted as a "News Carrier" for The Impressions.

Here's another example of what I'm referring to at 26:45. I'm sure you will recognize it: http://bigmikeydread.podo...13_35-07_0

[Edited 8/22/11 22:21pm]

That's a very interesting concept that music itself (minus lyrics) can carry a message beyond the concept of its originator through other artists. Thanks for the background info.

There aren't many covers that top the original, this is not one them but the best IMO is Jimi's All Along The Watchtower.

Jeff Beck with Joss Stone doing the song

http://www.youtube.com/wa...7ECdYboOVA

Jeff Beck doing it instrumentally in 2011

http://www.youtube.com/wa...AaqnQMczJA

In live shows during his career, Jeff Beck had done this song with various vocalists (Tim Bogert and Carmine Appice; Rod Stewart; Andy Fairweather-Low; Jimmy Hall; Buddy Miles; Keb Mo; Joss Stone, Sting) and instrumentally.

This is one of the most important songs in popular music .. nobody will ever make it sound like the Impressions did. This song was covered more than 50 times, but no cover version beats the original.

Timmy84 said:

Curtis, Fred & Sam, otherwise known as the Impressions.

MrSoulpower said:

This is one of the most important songs in popular music .. nobody will ever make it sound like the Impressions did. This song was covered more than 50 times, but no cover version beats the original.

MrSoulpower said:

Plus Bob Marley got "One Love" out of the original and gave Curtis half the songwriting credit.