So I'm putting together a playlist for my girlfriend at the moment... I originally was setting out to make a 70+ song playlist, until the good idea was stumbled upon that I take the music I was going to put on that playlist and create several smaller ones. Right now I am working on a playlist of the Beach Boys, the Byrds, and the Band. Mostly it's just the Beach Boys, though... because they have more stuff I've heard and liked (not to diss the other two bands... with The Band, they have two solid albums that would rival any Beach Boys album (i.e. Pet Sounds), but I'm not keen on the rest of their output... and actually I've got 7 songs from those two albums as opposed to 12 from the Beach Boys' entire 60's output. So maybe I'm overstating this a bit. I'm rambling.)
But I have been tinkering with the Beach Boys section a lot, and been reading up on their various songs/downloading bootleg copies of Smile (which I might write about when I finish listening to it.) And at some point, I got to perusing the various cover versions of songs the Beach Boys did (or, original versions of songs the band covered) And I'm going to post versions of the song Do You Wanna Dance and figure out which one is best (not that really any single one could be considered the best... I should just say I'll figure out which one is my favorite). It might be interesting. I don't know.
Bobby Freeman (released in 1958)--this is the original version of the song, and obviously has the coolest video attached to it, which I think helps its case. And considering that I grew up listening to the Ramones and Beach Boys versions of this song, I was actually surprised how great the original was. Which I think is because it's more R&B in this incarnation and has this laid-back groove that might actually inspire you to dance (which, at least, the Ramones version seems to lack). Also, Wikipedia states that Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead might have contributed the guitar to this song... which would be weird if true.
Beach Boys (released in 1965)--As far as Wikipedia tells me, Del Shannon released a version a year prior, and this version's arrangement has more in common with that version than the Freeman original. But really, this one (to me) is memorable because it's Brian Wilson trying to emulate the Phil Spector Wall of Sound with pretty good success. I mean, it still sounds like the Beach Boys--but I guess the Wall of Sound gives it a richness unlike anything the band had put out before. Of course, Brian Wilson eventually figures it out (goes crazy) and produces music that dwarfs anything Spector's done, but at this point--it's very effectively lifting wholesale from Spector's repertoire. The chorus' harmonies, too...
Ramones (released in 1977)--I think I love the Ramones... even though I only really like a couple of their songs and their albums make only small impressions on me. I think it's just the idea that a seminal punk group essentially is just the Beach Boys but played loud and fast. And this version has the most similarities to the Beach Boys version, except substituting the Wall of Sound for the usual buzzsaw guitars. But really, I think I love this version of the song more than I actually do. In my mind, I think I always somehow combine the vocals on the verses on this cover with the type of harmonies on the Beach Boys' chorus, and whenever I'm about to listen to this version, I believe I'm about the hear the definitive vocal version of the song. And I love Joey's vocals for the verses, but chorus always leaves something a little lacking compared to the other versions. But this is comparing it to the original and the Beach Boys--if I was just listening to this on the Ramones' album, I'd love it. Completely.
Bette Midler--OK, I'm not ACTUALLY going to try to compare this to the other ones.
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THE VERDICT:
So, if I had to rank them, they'd go like this:
1) Beach Boys
2) Bobby Freeman
3) Ramones
Maybe if I knew the Freeman original as well as I know the Beach Boys' version, my fondness for it would be stronger. As it is, though... you can't really beat those harmonies...
I might do this again for other songs. We'll see.
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