COVER VERSIONS - CHART HITS ALBUMS
When your dear old grannie used to totter down to Woolworths to buy her dear grandson/daughter a record, chances are she'd come back with one of these little gems - a feature of the UK record scene in the 70s, on which various sessions musicians would (try to) recreate the top hits of the moment. The covers invariably featured a scantily-clad young woman, which probably (for an adolescent lad) was the best bit of the package. Usually pretty dreadful versions, but occasionally a few of them weren't too bad. Before he made it big, old Reg Dwight (aka Sir Elton John) apparently played on a few of these shockers, but not I think any of these featured here.
Thanks to various folks who have passed on these valuable items to me, in order that they can be "experienced" by all.
Any more examples, please let me know and I'll feature them on this page.
A Strawb's guilty secret .....
I have recently been contacted by a member of the Strawbs (who shall be nameless, though identifiable by his distinctive two tone hairstyle) as follows:
"Hi Dick, I've just seen the web-site and I have a terrible secret to reveal. In the late 60's, I actually sang on some of those recordings myself. I don't remember too many details, but I do remember singing Gin House [Amen Corner's hit, I think - spooky connection - DG] on one or other of those compilations. It was like a conveyor belt, no re-takes, one track after another, all done and dusted in a couple of hours. Whether or not they were TOTP albums I can't remember, but I am guilty as charged. The only defence I have is that I was a poor, struggling, young musician. Nothing's changed. .... It's not so embarrassing 35 years later."
So... those of us who frequent the bargain bins of old record shops, let's try and find some examples of DL's secret past.
Contents
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Lay Down 
Starts out not too bad in terms of instrumentation, with a nice fuzz guitar, though no-one can really match Dave's vocal style and this guy sure ain't going to do it - he has a transatlantic twang, and audibly struggles to adopt a British accent on eg. "pastures new". The lyrics go a bit astray in the second verse ""in the road I had enough", and it soon transpires that the guitarist really hasn't got the Lambert chord sequence right at all. Oh dear.
Part Of The Union - Take 1
Not a bad effort, though a little bass drum-heavy. Starts out sounding as though it'll be a reasonable impersonation of John, but his Northern English "company" gives him away. The piano solo is hopelessly out of time with the backing (or vice versa - who knows)! Captures the essential feel of the song, though, particularly on the choruses. It was obviously considered good enough to make the Europe Edition.
Part Of The Union - Take 2
Probably the pick of the bunch, this version appears on two different compilations. The lead singer sounds a bit like Freddie (of the Dreamers) but it's a pretty faithful rendition.
Part Of The Union - Take 3
Shine On Silver Sun
Not many saving graces to this I'm afraid: here the vocalist (I think it's the same guy as for Lay Down) is so far from a Cousins' soundalike as can be imagined. To add insult to injury, I know we sometimes struggle (in the absence of lyric sheets) to be ABSOLUTELY certain what Dave is singing, but this guy has got it so so wrong it's embarassing (see below, particularly the third verse which is just completely wrong).
The bass is pretty Cronk-like, which is pretty much all that can be said for this turkey.
Real lyrics
Once I sat upon a hill
To watch the world go by
My friend the young magician
Had forbidden me to cry
But I was the comedian
With the laughs in short supply.
Shine on silver sun
Shine on everyone
Shine on silver sun
Shine on.
The sunlight filtered softly
Through the pale and watery sky
To catch the mirrored salmon
As it rose to take the fly
The flowers on the riverbank
Were left alone to die.
The church bells sounded midnight
As I rose to say goodbye
And a solitary tear
Fell from the corner of my eye.
16 Chart Hits lyrics
Once I sat a-lonely here
To watch the world go by
My friend the young magician lad
Was getting me to cry
But I was the comedian
With the laughs are sure to cry.
Shine on silver sun
Shine on everyone
Shine on silver sun
Shine on.
The sunlight filtered softly
Through the pale and watery sky
To catch the myriad salmon
As as he grows to say goodbye
[DG - Prize for anyone to get the next two lines]
The treadmills on the kite
And who's to say goodbye
It's hard to speak the ending
From the corner of my eye.
Pick Up The Pieces (Hudson Ford)
Another cover that does a reasonable job. The vocals and harmonies are pretty good apart from the "a-ha a-ha" bit and there's no dodgy words.