Some songs should never be covered. Controversial, I know. In my opinion, some songs can’t be improved upon. California has recently covered two of them. As a tribute to the passing of The Beach Boys‘ Brian Wilson recently, they covered “Good Vibrations” and are now back with Van the Man‘s iconic “Brown-Eyed Girl.”
And if I am right in thinking that such songs can’t be improved upon, California at least reminds me that there is nothing wrong with giving the existing canon a new and alternative lease of life.
Their take on Morrison’s 1967 debut solo single is a clever blend of the original’s calypso groove with the wide-screen, vocal harmonies of the aforementioned Beach Boys. It is lush and boyant, rich and rewarding.
Rewarding in that it reminds us that, okay, you probably can’t better the original, but that isn’t the point of covering a song. The fact is to find new sounds and nuances in the music, to take those to new places, to reimagine it to a degree, and to give it a new lease of life, allowing it to run off down an alternative timeline, even if the original is anything but forgotten.
So, thank you, Les Fradkin and California, for reminding me that exploring new possibilities for such a well-known song doesn’t mean taking anything away from the original. Lesson learned.
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[…] by Les Fradkin, is on a roll. Having recently put their own spin on iconic songs such as “Brown Eyed Girl” and “Good Vibrations,” they continue with the reimagining of classics with the […]