The Rolling Stones - That's How Strong My Love Is

What's this? His first Stone's song review and it's a cover? An Otis Redding cover? How dare he!

Meh, I dare.

I like this version. I don't like it better than the Otis version, I just like it different, that's all. There is something about the way Mick sings, claws, hurls the word strong at you that just really hits it right where it bleeds. Otis's's love is too pure, too gentle, too sweet steamy soul. Mick's love is desperate, angry, primal, and throaty. Ju pick.

I like old Stones. It often goes unnoticed because half the songs on their early albums were just RnB covers. No beef here with Paul and John on this one, but I'd rather listen to the Stone's cover Route 66 than ever ever ever hear Mr. Moonlight again in my life. That's how strong my hatred for that song is.

Van Morrison - T.B. Sheets

"Open up the window...and let me breathe." Van isn't so much feeling itchy and stuffed up as he is gagging for air.

I always thought of this song as an Astral Weeks b-side. But something about Van's tone is just a bit more abrupt, a bit more demonic and very Jagger-like. It lacks the breezy janglin' tone of Astral Weeks, but its all the better because of it.

Van, more so than any male vocalist who isn't Otis Redding, has soul. It doesn't matter how resonant his voice is, it's how he uses it. He rarely sings. He jabs, claws, aches, mumbles, cries, whines and chuckles. Where a virtuoso guitarist would play some staccato burst of notes to "let me breathe", Van just pants like dog.

That's the beauty of "T.B. Sheets". You don't remember it by its instruments, or though its chorus and verses (of which it has none). The song is an atmospheric dry heave; a nine minute plus stretch of terror stricken gasps and chortles, a man desperate to escape.

Someone open up a window.