Wynbish - I never knew you had such GREAT taste in music. Carla Bruni - I NEVER knew!? Superb, superb, superb. The other 2, I agreed COMPLETELY! Great!
Aww thanks. Now, I'm off to hide how many times I've played Call Me Maybe this summer...
In all seriousness, I love classics. I like to buy one of the originals and a cover version for comparison. My favorite example is how different Billie Holiday's "Don't Explain" and the version Herbie Hancock did with Damien Rice/Lisa Hannigan are.
I was looking for the version where Frank sang this at Madison Square Garden, but this will do. These videos don't do him justice. His concerts, performed with a full orchestra, were the best. I wasn't a fan prior to seeing him in concert, but I wanted to see "a legend" and he knocked my socks off.
I refuse to believe Patti LuPone's version of "Bewitched" could top Ella Fitzgerald. It is the most perfect pairing of an artist, song, arrangement and orchestra ever.
Of course Autumn Leaves is a standard (I have Grace Jones' campy, slightly off key disco version on vinyl). Eva's is brilliant. While a bit on the soft jazz side, I also love Dutch vocalist Laura Fygi's live version in French http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCToiC9GJsQ
I *love* Laura Fygi's jazz take on Michel Legrand's I Will Wait for You from Umbrellas of Cherbourg, from her Legrand album he produced with her. For me, it's hands down the best take of the song in English--that ending wow. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OxEYNf1u3o
It's impossible to beat the Dusty original (especially in the original Bacharach produced soundtrack version--the later single re-recording is a bit watered down), but I *love* The Zombies' take on The Look of Love done for BBC radio in the 60s. Colin Blunstone's vocals make me melt.
Actually, I also love the jazzy cover of Summertime they do, though it's impossible to pick a favorite version of that song (I admit though, I've always found Joplin's overated *ducks*)
Everyone here probably knows them, but as cheesy as they are (in a good way--at least for me), I think Donna Summer's disco takes on Barry Manilow's Could it Be Magic and Richard Harris' MacArthur Park crap all over the originals.
I suppose some of this depends on your definition of standards, but it seems like much from the early 70s or before counts now...
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joined:2/8/05
Posted: 9/10/12 at 07:26pm