I've Got This Covered: George Harrison: Thirty Three & 1/3

Whilst taking my truck in to be worked on yesterday, I was listening to the free CD that came with this month's Mojo. Mojo have a reputation for arranging cover CDs of complete albums. This particular one was just a series of artists covering George Harrison songs, but it gave me an idea for a new series of articles on here. What if some of my (or your) favorite modern artists came together to create a complete "covered" album? What if a series of dead artists managed to travel through time to cover a modern album? I started with my initial idea- Owl City does "Dear One"- and went from there. I'm a big fan of cover versions, they have a tendency to be interesting if not beautiful. So, this is my dream covered version of George Harrison's Thirty Three & 1/3.

1) Woman Don't You Cry For Me -Speak
Everything from the funky bass and 70s drums to the lyrics is perfectly suited for Speak. I can just imagine Speak adding their energy to it to create a great cover version.

2) Dear One - Owl City
As I mentioned before, this was the first cover version that I thought of. Not only could Harrison's ghostly instrumentals be effectively covered, but I think Adam Young is one of the few modern pop artists who could sing about god with as much sincerity as Harrison.

3) Beautiful Girl - Alex Winston
I had trouble picking an artist for this one until I thought of Alex Winston, and then it was the easiest thing in the world. I haven't quite visualized the instrumentals yet, but I feel I can actually hear Alex Winston's beautiful warbley voice flowing its way through this song. Not familiar with Alex Winston? Hear "Sister Wife" below.

4) This Song - Ben Folds
Who can handle both the keyboard-intensiveness of this song and the doubtless humor? My money's on Ben Folds. Folds could be just as angry and amusing as Harrison himself.

5) See Yourself -fun.
I feel that this song is a great fit for Nate Ruess's voice. Lyrically, I hear it as more of a Format song than a fun. song, but I can hear Andrew Dost pounding out the keyboard parts too.

6) It's What You Value -The Mountain Goats
Maybe I'm the only one who thinks John Darnielle really likes to sing about cars, but I still think it. That's not the only reason I think he should cover this song, it's just a bonus. I also think the phrasing is perfect for a Mountain Goats cover. I'm sure they'd make it folkier, but I'd love to hear their take on it.

7) True Love - Miniature Tigers
Technically, this would be a cover of a cover, but it wouldn't be Thirty Three & 1/3 without "True Love." I know Miniature Tigers could handle this because I've heard their cover of Ray Noble's "The Very Thought of You" amongst other things.

8) Pure Smokey - Paloma Faith
This song needs a very soulful voice, one you can believe is thankful for Smokey Robinson. Paloma Faith's vocals would give this song a wonderful sound.

9) Crackerbox Palace - Coconut Records
Something about the method of story telling in this song seems great for Coconut Records. Jason Schwartzman also adds just enough whimsy to his songs to be able to do this one.

10) Learning How To Love You - Bat For Lashes
This would obviously be a much more ethereal version of "Learning How To Love You," but I can hear Natasha Khan singing this song.

That's how I think it should go down. Questions? Better ideas? Drop me a comment. Or if you're a major magazine that has magical powers over artists, feel free to make this happen.


If you're a fellow fan of George Harrison, feel free to join me in re-listening to all of his albums next week. Follow Emotionsleaking on twitter for more updates.