Under the Covers

The Black Keys are no stranger to the covers. They’ve covered legendary bluesman, Junior Kimbrough on their debut album The Big Come Up with the song “Do The Rump” and on their follow up album, Thickfreakness with “Everywhere I Go.”

Junior Kimbrough’s Mississippi blues sound is an obvious influence on The Black Keys. Auerbach’s howling vocals seem to channel blues ghosts long since gone from the banks of the Delta. On their final album on the Fat Possum record label before joining Nonesuch, the Keys released a Junior Kimbrough tribute album entitled Chulahoma. It was named after Junior’s Place, the legendary juke joint owned by Kimbrough in Chulahoma, Mississippi.

The place has since burned down, but the album serves as an artifact of Kimbrough’s place in today’s music world and his steadfast influence in new artists that are busy keeping the blues sound alive. “Work Me” is the song included below, but the full work of Chulahoma (and Kimbrough’s full discography) is something to truly enjoy.

The Black Keys - Work Me

I had a long flight yesterday and put my iPod on shuffle. This song popped up and minutes after it was over, the guy sitting next to me started watching The Big Lebowski. I considered it a sign.

The Gipsy Kings - Hotel California

You may have noticed that the man pictured above is not Johnny Cash. His name, as etched in his guitar, is Lefty Frizzell and he’s responsible for the original version of “Long Black Veil.” The song was written by Danny Dill and Marijohn Wilkin and recorded by Lefty in 1959. The song hit #6 on the US Country chart.

The song is a tragic story about a man wrongfully accused of murder. He refuses to provide an alibi that would prove his innocence because it would mean revealing an affair he’d been having with his best friend’s wife. He’d rather die than reveal the truth and hurt two people he loved. He sings about the disguised woman visiting his grave to pay respects while keeping their affair safely shrouded in a veil of secrecy.

“Long Black Veil” was made famous by Johnny Cash and I think that’s where most of us were introduced to this heartbreaking song. The Chieftains collaboration with Mick Jagger is by far my favorite version. They introduce some traditional Irish sounds that will send a chill up your spine.

Lefty Frizzell - Long Black Veil

Johnny Cash - Long Black Veil

The Band - Long Black Veil

The Chieftans and Mick Jagger - Long Black Veil

“Satisfied Mind” is one of the finest songs ever written.  I was first introduced to the song in college after becoming a Jeff Buckley fan. I listened to Grace religiously then purchased the two-disc set, Sketches For My Sweetheart the Drunk. I must have listened to the demos found on that album hundreds of times, clinging to what might have been from Jeff Buckley had he not tragically passed away at the young age of 31. Although “Satisfied Mind” has been covered by many, Buckley’s version on Sketches is the most haunting. Jeff Buckley died by accidental drowning in the Wolf River Harbor outside of Memphis on May 29th, 1997.

The song was originally written by Red Hayes and Jack Rhodes and, during an interview, Red discussed the origin of the song:

“The song came from my mother. Everything in the song are things I heard her say over the years. I put a lot of thought into the song before I came up with the title. One day my father-in-law asked me who I thought the richest man in the world was, and I mentioned some names. He said, ‘You’re wrong, it is the man with a satisfied mind.’ It has been done a lot in churches. I came out of the Opry one night and a church service was going on nearby. The first thing I hear was the congregation singing ‘Satisfied Mind.’ I got down on my knees.”

Underappreciated but still legendary country singer, Porter Wagoner, recorded the song and it became a #1 hit in 1955.  Wagoner died in Nashville on October 28, 2007 of lung cancer.

Johnny Cash recorded “Satisfied Mind,” produced by Rick Rubin.  It can be found on Kill Bill: Volume 2 Soundtrack, which is unfortunate. It would have been a perfect fit on any of his American Recordings, especially alongside his cover of Trent Reznor’s “Hurt.” Johnny Cash died on May 15th, 2003.

Bob Dylan’s cover of “Satisfied Mind” can be found on Saved and Jonathan Richman (you may remember him from There’s Something About Mary) covered the song for his 1990 release Jonathan Goes Country.

It’s been covered by others, including Lucinda Williams, but these were my favorites.  Jeff Buckley’s rendition is the standout for me and always gives me chills.  The song serves as a premonition of his tragic destiny and the solo electric, bluesy guitar, accompanied by his stunning vocals are just plain eerie to me. It’s a rough demo and if you listen closely, you’ll even hear him clear his throat before the first verse and just after he starts singing.

“Satisfied Mind” is a simple tune with a powerful message that should resonate with everyone.  I try to listen once a month, just to keep life in perspective. Let’s pray that Porter, Johnny and Jeff were fortunate enough to leave this old world just like the song says.

Jeff Buckley - Satisfied Mind

Porter Wagoner - Satisfied Mind

Johnny Cash - Satisfied Mind

Bob Dylan - Satisfied Mind

Jonathan Richman - Satisfied Mind

Jeff Buckley - Satisfied Mind (Live)

So technically this is not a cover, but I’m classifying it under “Under the Covers” and breaking my own rules. The song was written by Coldplay and was meant to be performed with Johnny Cash. Unfortunately, Johnny died before they were able to collaborate and the song has served as a tribute to the man in black.

I had the pleasure of watching Coldplay from the front row the week after Cash passed away and they ended the show with “Til Kingdom Come.” I got a little misty eyed and the band won me over as a fan.

During the tour following the release of X&Y, they ended their concerts by performing “Til Kingdom Come,” stripped down at the front of the stage. It’s now my favorite Coldplay song. You can find it as the hidden track on X&Y.

You can almost here Johnny Cash’s voice when hearing the lyrics, can’t you?

In your tears and in your blood
In your fire and in your flood
I hear you laugh, I heard you sing
I wouldn’t change a single thing
And the wheels just keep on turning
The drummers begin to drum
I don’t know which way I’m going
I don’t know what I’ve become

For you I’d wait ’til kingdom come
Until my days, my days are done
And say you’ll come and set me free
Just say you’ll wait, you’ll wait for me

The Attic Tapes is a must buy album for any Lucero fan. It’s an uncut diamond. This batch of demos make up this first effort by Lucero and it shows the roots of the punk-country band, without polish or studio production. The standout track is “Kiss the Bottle,” a cover of an underground San Francisco punk act named Jawbreaker and one of the most requested songs by fans at any Lucero show.

I posted a few versions - the album’s cut, a live cut, a Foo Fighters cut (just for the hell of it), then a video of the original version performed by Jawbreaker. At first I thought it was great that Lucero turned a punk tune into a country song, but after reading the lyrics I think Jawbreaker accidentally wrote a country song and played it punk. These lyrics are as down-on-your-luck-country as I’ve seen. It’s just missing a broken down truck:

It gets loneliest at night
Down at the liquor store
Beneath the neon sky
Our moonlight
Six a.m. the floor comes alive with lice
The pan’s dried up so tight
With hardened beans
We’re hungry
So I lean on you sometimes
Just to see you’re still there

We won’t be able to see Jawbreaker without a reunion, so make sure to catch Lucero if they pass through your town. It was the best show I saw in 2007 (San Franciscans - See them July 26th or 27th at Bottom of the Hill with Glossary).

Lucero - Kiss the Bottle

Lucero - Kiss the Bottle (Live at WESN)

Foo Fighters - Kiss the Bottle

Jawbreaker - Kiss the Bottle

Lucero (Ben Nichols Solo) - Kiss the Bottle

Lucero - Kiss the Bottle

This is the first of a new series on HearYa called “Under the Covers.” I’ve been listening to great cover songs that I feel are better than the originals, and it’s high time to unearth them. The first installment is Patterson Hood’s “The Assassin,” performed by Jason Isbell.

Drive-By Truckers front man, Patterson Hood, has a wonderful and emotional stripped down solo album called Killers and Stars. The standout track for me is “The Assassin,” a song about killer losing his taste for killing. The reason I love Patterson Hood’s songwriting is that he tells stories in plain language, but without being overly simple. He’s a southern poet and as you listen to “The Assassin,” you feel the character’s emotion in Patterson’s voice and lazy, acoustic guitar. The assassin is a man - contemplative, worn out, and full of regret. The song’s delivery is both eerie and strangely beautiful.

“The Assassin” was a favorite already, but when I saw former Drive-By Truckers band mate Jason Isbell at Slim’s in San Franciso, it was my first time hearing the song performed electric with a full band and Isbell on vocals. It took on a whole new meaning. Instead of regret and emotional exhaustion, Jason’s delivery evokes emotions in the assassin closer to anguish and self-loathing.

Here are they lyrics that start off “The Assassin.” When I first heard the song, I had to start it over after hearing the first verse. It’s an opening that struck me and I can’t help but think about the old days, when singing “I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die” got Johnny Cash into a world wind of shit. I wonder what those conservative folks would have had to say about Hood’s lyrics…

I used to be a killer
Best killer in the land
Killed women and children
Just as easy as a man

Leave their mangled bodies
Nonchalantly at the door
But now I ain’t got the stomach
For killing any more

Here’s the original song, followed by Jason’s acoustic cover, followed by the current electric version that Isbell performs on tour. He turns it into a proper rock and roll tune.

Patterson Hood - The Assassin

Jason Isbell - The Assassin (Live at a 2005 Patterson Hood solo show)

Jason Isbell - “The Assassin”