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Read the original blog post1.47pm
31 March 2008
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Written by: Robinson
Recorded: 18 July, 17 October 1963
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Norman Smith
Released: 22 November 1963 (UK), 10 April 1964 (US)
John Lennon: lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Paul McCartney: harmony vocals, bass
George Harrison: harmony vocals, lead guitar
Ringo Starr: drums
George Martin: piano
Available on:
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Anthology 1
The…
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2.24am
8 January 2015
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One of my favourite Beatles covers, what a passionate vocal. Compare to the original:
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RichardI'm like Necko only I'm a bassist ukulele guitar synthesizer kazoo penguin and also everyone. Or is everyone me? Now I'm a confused bassist ukulele guitar synthesizer kazoo penguin everyone who is definitely not @Joe. This has been true for 2016 & 2017 
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4.41pm
25 November 2024
Offline Daily Beatles Song Review Day 28/213: You Really Got A Hold On Me
This is another cover of another legendary song, this time by Smokey Robinson. In the case of the Beatles’ cover, I think their version is good but not as great as the original, or even other artists’ versions. I think the biggest mistake this version makes is the performance by Ringo. He is drumming way too much (too fast, too loud) for such a soft and intimate song. Even during the parts that are otherwise good, he sort of ruins it. I don’t know if that was actually Ringo’s fault, or if he was just given bad instructions.
The other instrumentation is okay but not very memorable. For example, this is one of George Martin’s least notable contributions on piano, it’s just a very standard part. The guitar parts are also fine but not noteworthy in any real way. I’d say the one saving grace of the song is the vocals. They aren’t as good as the original, but I think John’s part is really good. Sadly, I don’t think Paul and George’s harmony vocals match. They’re still decent but not as good as John’s.
At the end of the day, the Beatles mostly made negative decisions here, but my score is still ultimately positive because it’s just such a great song. Even if their recording isn’t very good, a mediocre cover of a good song can still be good.
Score: 6/10.
Favorite cover: There are a lot of incredible covers of this song, but I think one of the most interesting is this one by the Jackson 5.
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5.04pm
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1 May 2011
Offline I loved this as a kid and still do. John’s vocal is unbelievable and I love the hard stops and “Tighter!!” moments.
To me the Miracles version just sounds wimpy, especially the opening piano – maybe it was meant to and that’s the appeal. The lead vocal is probably the best part of that but it still doesn’t compare to John’s.
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Mr. Moonlight, oldfannz"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
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