Louie, Louie covered by the....Sandpipers?
Theresa's comment of 2.6.09 made me think about great cover versions of other people's songs. Yesterday, after driving 45 minutes to Elizabeth, PA, to pick up a piece of slate to go underneath my fireplace - thanks, Stepehen for the Craig's List tip - I stopped off at a junk/antique store along the way. In the back of the store was a homemade rack filled with records. I quickly discovered that the musical tatstes of folks in Elizabeth are a little different than mine. Album after album by the likes of Vickie Carr, Engelbert Humperdink, and Robert Goulet filled the bin. If you are into that, I'll give you directions to the shop - records are a buck each and in decent shape.
So, of course, I was pretty discouraged. Nothing seemed even remotely interesting. Then, it happened. A Sandpiper album. What? The Sandpapers? Uh, Sandpipers. Easy listening folk shlock. Why interesting to me? Because in 1966, on their A&M debut, Guantanamera, they covered Richard Berry's Louie, Louie. Not only that, but their version reached #30 on the Billboard Hot 100 that year.
After the Kingsmen's 1963 Number 1 hit version, all other Louie, Louies are followers. But the song is amazing because it encourages so mmany strange and interesting interpretations. Like this one by the Sandpipers. Why is it interesting? Well, first of all it is very, very SLOW. I mean, wow, the tempo is positively sluggish. By today's radio standards not even moving. Yet, in 1966, it was a hit. That is interesting to me all by itself. And it is listenable, you just have to adjust your inner clock and slow down. Not a bad thing.
Next is the lyric, which is translated into Spanish. And the guitar break is a Spanish guitar guitar break. So, all in all, quite a novel listen and a surprise to me.
Since I was only seven at the time of its release, I must have missed it. But, now I can listen to it any time I want. The joy of vinyl.
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