Chicago is located at the point where the Chicago River used to flow into Lake Michigan. As the city grew a small problem reared its head. The city used the river as an open sewer and used the lake for drinking water. As you might expect that was not good for the quality of the city’s drinking water. The city fathers could have decided to clean up the river and build a sewage treatment system to handle the waste. But for some reason they decided it would be easier to attempt a massive engineering feat that had never been done before, and so they reversed the flow of the river. That had the added benefit of making the sewage the suburbs’ problem.

I’ve been thinking about that lately and when I start thinking about something it usually ends with a Cover Freak post.

Potliquor “Old Man River” (from the musical Showboat)
This early-70s recording is definitely of its time. It’s melodramatic proto-Southern rock. I’ve edited out the solemn recitation of “Dixie” that begins this extravaganza on the original record. No need to thank me.

Buddy Miles “Down By The River” (Neil Young)
Neil Young’s music just sounds so cool with wah-wah guitars and cooing chick background singers.

Waco Brothers “Big River” (Johnny Cash)
The Wacos are one of my favorite live bands and here they give the Johnny Cash classic a muscular workout. We’ve all been in a relationship where at some point you realize that the other person isn’t into the relationship as much as you are. That can be tough to deal with, but it’s much harder when you realize that your woman loves a river more than you. How do you compete with a river? You can’t even beat it up to make yourself feel better.

An American Warewolf “Moon River” (Audrey Hepburn)
This tune features a very spare arrangement, just a slowly plucked guitar and a woman with a glorious voice. It has everything it needs and nothing that it doesn’t.

Man Chao Po Orchestra “A-Go-Go River Kwai” (Mitch Miller)
This song is a weird choice for a Chinese orchestra trying to work the Asian go-go thing. After all the song comes from a movie about British prisoners of war building a bridge for the Japanese in Thailand during World War II. And you generally don’t hear a lot of go-go bands playing marches. Non-Brits might be interested to know that this tune is popular in Britain as “Hitler Only Has One Ball.” Apparently the director wanted to include a vocal version in the movie Bridge On The River Kwai but was talked out of it. Damn shame if you ask me.