Friends

I just spent the most awesome weekend with friends, celebrating the 50th birthday of one dude in particular. There’s just nothing like being around good friends.

Monday being normally the day I post music videos, I thought it would be appropriate to share some of these…

You just call out my name and you know wherever I am, I’ll come running. Well mostly, off course. You’ll forgive me if I’m a little late, won’t you.

Things just work out so much better with a little help from your friends, but maybe not with the lyrics.

And you, yes you, are my best friend. I’m not saying who. I think this one is going to get me into trouble.

Sometimes you just have to wait on a friend. Another whiskey old chum? I’m pouring.

Off course your friend, doesn’t have to be an actual person. Strangely it could be a diamond; ask any girl.

Or stranger still, it could be the wind.

Can’t say I’ve had any friends who were depressed. Disturbed yes. Cripes, now I’m gonna be in a real spot of bother.

And yep, I can just tell we are gonna be friends.

Finally, just know this: I’ll always be there for you.

 

 

 

To a Bohemian weekend with a dash of Pink

Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen is my pick as the ultimate song of all time. Some of my friends think it’s a sacrilege being covered by a female artist, but I think P!nk’s version is superb, if not the best cover ever. It’s not better than Queen’s original, but it comes pretty damn close in my estimation.

Enjoy your weekend folks and indulge in a little pink…

UK Girl Guides Drop The Big Guy

Now here’s some progressive news.

Britain’s Girl Guides, a sister organization to Baden-Powell’s Boy Scouts, has finally dropped God from their pledge. Which means that godless girls can now feel more comfortable if they’re already members, but also clears the way for others to join more freely.

Another change to the pledge that reflects the changing times is the altering of “to serve my queen and my country” to “serve the queen and my community.” Pity they didn’t drop the old goat altogether, though. Who needs royalty in the modern era?

The pledge which originated around 1910, and altered slightly in 1994, went something like this:

I Promise that I will do my best;
To love my God,
To serve my Queen and my Country,
To help other people
And
To keep the Guide Law.

And will now read probably something like this:

I Promise that I will do my best;
To be true to myself and develop my beliefs,
To serve the queen and my community,
To help other people
And
To keep the Guide Law.

You go girls! Now that just leaves the Boy Scouts to sort out their oath. Always backward, the boys…

IMAGINE a cover version that’s as good as the original, maybe even better?

There are lots of popular songs which have been covered by lesser or more famous artists, at one time or the other.

Generally the cover versions are not very good, but sometimes there’s just enough variation or even similarity to make you take notice, even if a little. However there are the rare cover versions which rival, even outclasses the original songs. It’s not my intention to create a list here of five or ten songs which fall into this league, nor is it my intention to convince you that the songs I’ve chosen is authoritative in any manner.

I would just like you to listen and consider it.

Imagine: The original by John Lennon is and always will be on my top-ten favorite songs of all time list. But just consider this version by Herbie Hancock which features Pink, Seal, Jeff Beck, Oumou Sangaré, India Arie and Konono Nº1.

 

Bohemian Rhapsody: Absolutely nobody does it like Queen; and yes, it also features on my top ten all-time favorite list. Pink, however get’s damned close; so damned close in fact that if I’d never heard Freddy Mercury sing it first, Pink’s version would be on my all-time top-ten favorite songs list.

Do you know of any cover versions that make the grade?