Cover Wars: A Day In The Life Edition

Eric Burdon: Starting off this week is the most out-there version we’ve got. A huge instrumental introduction sets the tone for this 11-minute studio creation that has some alternate lyrics. Source: Love Is All Around

God Street Wine: This is taken from one of GSW’s reunion shows and is the first of two performances this week where our lead singers struggle with the lyrics. Source: 9-3-2001

Grant Green: For the first of our instrumental covers, Green delivers a laid-back soulful reading of the tune on this 1970 Blue Note release. Source: Green Is Beautiful

Jeff Beck: The version I have included in the playlist is from a brand new live release. Jeff also recorded this song for the 1998 George Martin album In My Life and his performance was nominated for a Grammy (Best Pop Instrumental Performance). Source: Performing This Week…Live At Ronnie Scotts

Martin Sexton: Sexton got the nod to be this week’s solo performance due to his strong vocals and loose guitar interpretation, even if he does have to ask the audience for help in the second verse. Source: 11-11-1995

Neil Young: We have scoured the Internet searching for some sort of insight as to why Neil Young has chosen to encore with this tune this year, but came up empty. The timing would seem to indicate a nod to Paul McCartney’s decision to finally play the song for a live audience as Neil first played this song at one of his shows less than a month after Paul’s performance in Liverpool. I had the pleasure of seeing Neil on Saturday in Worcester and his reading of this song was brilliant. I especially enjoyed the full-band drop out for the vocal wailing that comes after the bridge. Source: 12-12-2008

Video from Farm Aid:

Phish: Phish played A Day In The Life 45 times between 1995 and 2000. As is often the case, it started very heavy in the rotation and become more and more of a rarity over the years. This particular performance comes from the encore of 12-8-1995 where Phish paid tribute to John Lennon with this and another Beatles tune on the 15th anniversary of Lennon’s assassination. Scroll down to the bottom to hear the only Phish performance of Come Together that preceded ADITL at the show. Source: 12-8-1995

Video from 11-16-1995:

Steve Kimock Band: A gentle interpretation from the likes of Steve Kimock who at the time had only been touring as the SKB for less than three months. Source: 5-2-2000

Wes Montgomery: This album was recorded the same month that Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was released. At the end of his career, Montgomery had some albums filled with material like this that was more a pop-instrumental record than it was his previous jazz roots. Sadly, Montgomery would not know his commercial success long as he would die the following year. Source: A Day in the Life

And those are the versions I selected this week. There are many many more out there and this is just a sampling of what I considered to be some of the best.

As I promised, here’s Phish performing Come Together on 12-8-1995:

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