Alex Chilton
Alex Chilton, of Box Tops and Big Star fame, died last week. He had an influence that far outstripped his commercial success. Much like the Velvet Underground, he didn’t sell many records but everybody who bought one decided to become a musician. He was another unfortunate example of a gifted musician and songwriter who didn’t get the fame and recognition he so richly deserved.

Mr. Chilton was an inspiration to many musicians whose work I enjoy but I never really got into his music. While I like the occasional pop song or album, the whole power-pop scene is something that never reeled me in. As a result I’m really not familiar enough with Mr. Chilton’s music to do a proper cover tribute.

I do have some Coca-Cola radio commercials recorded by the Box Tops. I don’t think they really qualify as covers, but they do include the jingle so maybe I can post them after all.

Box Tops “Coke Ad #1”
Box Tops “Coke Ad #2”
Box Tops “Coke Ad#3”

…

Now Ray Charles I’m familiar with. A brilliant musician and songwriter and a flawed man (aren’t we all?) who achieved the recognition he deserved in his lifetime.

Joe Cocker “Unchain My Heart” (Ray Charles)
Youngsters in the audience might not realize that Joe Cocker used to be a vital and exciting performer before he started specializing in sappy ballads. Here he gives this song the leather-lunged British pub singer treatment. The background vocals remind me of the joke about Brother Ray’s background singers the Raelettes. If you wanted to be a Raelette, you had to “let” Ray.

The Amboy Dukes “Let’s Go Get Stoned” (Ray Charles)
Ted Nugent insists that he was young and naive and didn’t realize that every song the Amboy Dukes did was about drugs. He didn’t realize why the cover of the album Journey To The Center Of The Mind was a collection of pipes. I think he knew exactly what those songs and album art were all about and he just wanted to get some cash from the stoner crowd. At any rate, I think the song was about getting drunk until these guys got ahold of it.

Rare Earth “What’d I Say” (Ray Charles)
I still find it hard to believe that these guys were the first white act signed to the Motown label. Did Berry Gordy think that they would be popular with his core demographic or was he also trying to grab some of that white stoner cash? I do love this song, it’s got that great Hammond B-3 organ going on.

Mo’ Horizons “Hit The Road Jack” (Ray Charles)
Mo’ Horizons is a Latin jazz outfit from Germany. This song’s got a great rhythm and more fabulous organ work. The singer isn’t  singing in English but it really doesn’t matter since you already know the words.

Ray Charles “Ring Of Fire” (Anita Carter)
Brother Ray had a way of interpreting other people’s songs that made them sound like he had written them. Here’s a case in point. It’s slower than the Anita Carter original or the more famous Johnny Cash cover, its smooth surface hiding deep passion beneath.