Progressively Covered

Introduction

I wanted to do a playlist of progressive music that was maybe a littel different, and then remembered that Yes had covered Simon and Garfunkel's "America", and thought what about some unexpected covers of songs by artists that could be classed in the Progressive Universe, and four immediately came to mind.

We do expect progressive music to be original compositions, but remember Yes and Keith Emerson took chunks of classical music to weave into their compositions, resulting in some excellent performances and recordings.

Is this a progressive playlist? It is a playlist performed by progressive artists, but I will let you decide.

So here we go. I would love to know what you think of my selections.

Ayers, Cale, Nico, Eno - "Heartbreak Hotel"

This is just a vicious take using the arrangement John Cale did on his "Slow Dazzle" album. Nico covered "The End" by The Doors as only she could. This album was released as "June 1st, 1974":

The album is officially attributed to all principal performers Kevin Ayers, John Cale, Brian Eno and Nico, although other well-known musicians, including Mike Oldfield, Robert Wyatt, and Ollie Halsall, also contributed to the concert. The record has often been referred to as the "A.C.N.E." album, for the initials of Ayers, Cale, Nico, and Eno.

King Crimson - "Heroes"

Sounding very close to the original, but Bob Fripp was responsible for that unforgettable guitar line.

"King Crimson performed Heroes at the Admiralspalast in Berlin as a celebration, a remembrancing and an homage. The concert was thirty nine years and one month after the original sessions at the Hansa Tonstudio overlooking the Berlin Wall. This is released in the Fortieth Anniversary year." - Robert Fripp.

A little more Bob for you:

Emerson, Lake & Palmer - "Hoedown"

All classical music was a target for Keith Emerson, and he usually made it spectacular. This is one of my favourites but there are few more here if you fancy a little more:

Mike Oldfield - "Arrival"

Oldfield covers ABBA. I prefer the orginal, which is a gorgeous instrumental, but Oldfield gets a six out of ten from me for his effort.

Brian Eno - "The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Wimoweh)"

I was a bit shocked when this was released, but Eno was not averse to covers (I remember a radio cover of Peggy Lee's "Fever") and this immediately became a favourite of mine.

Robert Wyatt - "Yesterday Man"

I like this, the follow-up to his hit "I'm A Believer", but it was shelved by Virgin for being too gloomy. I'm not sure of the line-up for this, but Nick Mason produced it.

Manfred Mann's Earthband - "Geronimo's Cadillac"

I first heard this cover of the Michael song as a beautiful version by Claire Hammill, but Earthband did this to it, which I am not too impressed with. It is still a great song, but they did do a lot of covers, with Springsteen being their man source.

Steve Hillage - "It's All Too Much"

While I love the original of this, the intro and the drum sound make Steve Hillage's version more joyous and better. A glorious cover.

The Nice - "She Belongs To Me"

A two-minute Bob Dylan song (a favourite of mine), transformed into a twelve-minute tour-de-force by Keith Emerson's keys, a definite shape of things to come, incorporating various classical motifs as you might expect.

Yes - "America"

This takes a while before the Simon & Garfunkel song properly kicks in. It's like you are listening to a Yes original, but the band were not averse to covers, The Beatles were another band they covered.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading and listening, love to hear what you think and hope you found something that you liked.