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What's your first cut?

1. P. P. Arnold (1967)

1 votes

2. Cat Stevens (1967)

3 votes

3. Keith Hampshire (1973)

0 votes

4. Rod Stewart (1977)

8 votes

5. Dawn Penn (1994)

0 votes

6. Papa Dee (1995)

0 votes

7. Sheryl Crow (2003)

3 votes

Edgy MD Oct 23 2018 05:20 PM

Cat Stevens wasn't always a mystic hippie gypsy. As distinctive as his voice is, he first tried to put himself over as a songwriter. But shortly after he got out of the gate, young American-Brit soul singer P.P. Arnold turned one of his songs into a hit, at least in Britain. It was so good that nobody minded that her name was "P.P." Cat had a minor hit of his own ("I Love My Dog") around the same time, and the twin firepower helped get him instead get off to heckuva career as a performer, and his songs were usually defined for good the moment he cut them. But this early track was an exception. Although a version of his was rushed to market following Arnold's, it escaped automatic association with him, and so went into repertoire for several artists, hitting the charts every few years for a while. It's pretty much overdue to chart again. And when it does, which version is the standard you will compare it to? 1. P. P. Arnold (1967, Wall of Sound-y!) [youtube:3v3gn2t9]oo__EIXzAco[/youtube:3v3gn2t9] 2. Cat Stevens (1967, Mystical!) [youtube:3v3gn2t9]aBccr-aLu4I[/youtube:3v3gn2t9] 3. Keith Hampshire (1973, Big and Dramatic!) [youtube:3v3gn2t9]pqNqsV4IfSY[/youtube:3v3gn2t9] 4. Rod Stewart (1977, Bluesy!) [youtube:3v3gn2t9]c5NRH_DxWJE[/youtube:3v3gn2t9] 5. Dawn Penn (1994, Reggae-Like!) [youtube:3v3gn2t9]_J_BpUndkak[/youtube:3v3gn2t9] 6. Papa Dee (1995, R&B-ish! Pitch Correct-y!) [youtube:3v3gn2t9]J7Kd7VvkEG0[/youtube:3v3gn2t9] 7. Sheryl Crow (2003, Country-fied) [youtube:3v3gn2t9]dK9eLe8EQps[/youtube:3v3gn2t9]

John Cougar Lunchbucket Oct 23 2018 05:34 PM Re: What's your first cut?

Instinctively clicked the Rod Stewart box. "Dawg, you made it your OWN." A quick listen-through would confirm for me that the fourth cut is the deepest. PS the needless Sheryl Crow video is actually a repeat of the Cat version.

Frayed Knot Oct 23 2018 06:13 PM Re: What's your first cut?

- never knew this was a Cat Stevens penned tune - I immediately associate it with Stewart but these days mostly hear the Crow version as that seems to be favored by in-store music rotations - not only never heard the other renditions but had never previously heard of any of the performers, most of which sound made up.

cooby Oct 23 2018 06:36 PM Re: What's your first cut?

Isn't he a doll?

Edgy MD Oct 23 2018 06:58 PM Re: What's your first cut?

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: PS the needless Sheryl Crow video is actually a repeat of the Cat version. Hers is one of the few versions that doesn't use the arpeggio intro, though Actually, that's one of things that tends to bother me about her records — a decided absence of lead guitar, or often a countermelody of any stripe.

Fman99 Oct 23 2018 07:38 PM Re: What's your first cut?

Somehow I've never heard any version of this song besides the Sheryl Crow version. I thought it was an original of hers. Having said that, I'm going with the Rod Stewart version.

Edgy MD Oct 23 2018 07:41 PM Re: What's your first cut?

Isn't he a doll? Little-Known Fact: Rod is one of only seven known people — four of them Scottish — to successfully pull off vertical stripes over horizontal stripes.

cooby Oct 23 2018 07:45 PM Re: What's your first cut?

Well I meant Cat Stevens. I had a huge Cat Stevens poster in my bedroom all through high school. I wonder what happened to it. It was beautiful

Frayed Knot Oct 23 2018 08:58 PM Re: What's your first cut?

I remember realizing, right about the time he was turning 60, that he had spent, though not quite in equal measures, the first 1/3 of his life as Steven Georgiou, the second 1/3 as Cat Stevens, and the recent 1/3 as Yusef Islam. More recently, as he's dipped his toes back into the music world, he dropped the Islam from his name (though not the religion itself as far as I know) and has been billed as Yusef Cat Stevens.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Oct 23 2018 09:13 PM Re: What's your first cut?

I really wanted to be contrary here. But how do you argue with Rod Stewart? I mean, latter-day creative sins aside, almost anything he put to reel-to-reel that was written by someone else ended up being the definitive-- or, in the case of "Maybe I'm Amazed," at least, simply the stealth-best-- version of whatever thing he was doing. I do like the Roni-lite of PP's version, though.

Frayed Knot Oct 23 2018 09:23 PM Re: What's your first cut?

We had a poster here for a while -- posted as SwanSwanH for a time and later GF2121 (or maybe the other way around) -- who was also a big music guy with wide-ranging and varied tastes. But the one thing I remember about him was that he HATED anything Rod Stewart touched.

Edgy MD Oct 24 2018 11:19 AM Re: What's your first cut?

I went for P.P. She mixes a clipped classiness with a scratchy throatiness like Dionne, but the arrangement is all Ronnettes. She looks like she's still a teenager there.

TransMonk Oct 24 2018 11:49 AM Re: What's your first cut?

Stewart.

Edgy MD Oct 24 2018 01:52 PM Re: What's your first cut?

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: PS the needless Sheryl Crow video is actually a repeat of the Cat version. Sorry, this is fixed. With me it's either post clean and work sloppy, or work clean and post sloppy.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Oct 24 2018 01:54 PM Re: What's your first cut?

I read today where Rod regretfully had to cancel tonight's concert in Boise, Idaho to rest a fractured foot. He's been looking forward to playing Boise since April! #PrayForRod

Edgy MD Oct 24 2018 01:57 PM Re: What's your first cut?

My wife is also unable to play Boise for the same reason.

Fman99 Oct 24 2018 07:41 PM Re: What's your first cut?

Frayed Knot wrote: We had a poster here for a while -- posted as SwanSwanH for a time and later GF2121 (or maybe the other way around) -- who was also a big music guy with wide-ranging and varied tastes. But the one thing I remember about him was that he HATED anything Rod Stewart touched. I'm a big fan of his work as the frontman of the Faces. His solo stuff? Meh.

Ashie62 Oct 24 2018 09:06 PM Re: What's your first cut?

All pale to Stewart's

Edgy MD Oct 24 2018 09:56 PM Re: What's your first cut?

I just ask that everybody be sure to listen to P.P.

cooby Oct 25 2018 05:52 AM Re: What's your first cut?

I actually remember PP's :) I had no idea who it was, since I was still a tender seedling at the time, but I remember it and liked it

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Oct 25 2018 06:51 AM Re: What's your first cut?

Edgy MD wrote: I just ask that everybody be sure to listen to P.P. P.P. is a surprisingly close silver for me.

41Forever Oct 25 2018 07:34 AM Re: What's your first cut?

Edgy MD wrote: I just ask that everybody be sure to listen to P.P. I'd never heard that version prior to you posting it. It's really good. How did you discover that, and was it that discovery that inspired the thread?

MFS62 Oct 25 2018 08:26 AM Re: What's your first cut?

Frayed Knot wrote: - never knew this was a Cat Stevens penned tune - I immediately associate it with Stewart but these days mostly hear the Crow version as that seems to be favored by in-store music rotations - not only never heard the other renditions but had never previously heard of any of the performers, most of which sound made up. This. I never heard Stewart's version. Years ago, I heard a radio DJ describe Rod Stewart's voice as "anthracite descending a coal chute". I agree, but MMYF loves him. And, Cheryl Crow could do anything she wants to me, and I'd give her as much time as she wants to do it. Later

John Cougar Lunchbucket Oct 25 2018 09:03 AM Re: What's your first cut?

I have no idea what the coal mine remark means but Rod's probably one of the best vocalists there ever was. He's chatting it up in Rolling Stone here, reads like the last third of his book: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/musi ... ck-746253/

MFS62 Oct 25 2018 09:07 AM Re: What's your first cut?

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: I have no idea what the coal mine remark means Really? He was commenting on the raspiness of his voice. Later

Rockin' Doc Oct 31 2018 09:13 PM Re: What's your first cut?

I grew up with the Rod Stewart version, so it immediately clicks with me as the way this song should be done.

Edgy MD Nov 01 2018 06:35 AM Re: What's your first cut?

41Forever wrote: Edgy MD wrote: I just ask that everybody be sure to listen to P.P. I'd never heard that version prior to you posting it. It's really good. How did you discover that, and was it that discovery that inspired the thread? Some years ago I was reading about the pre-stardom career of Cat. It's amazing to think of a world where he was trying to sell his songs to someone else.