I’m happy to report we have a first-time winner (actually it was his first entry too) to last week’s edition when we looked at nine covers of Wind Cries Mary. The winning artist: Martin Sexton.

Moving on to this week, we’re doing an artist’s version of Cover Wars where we take a look at multiple songs by the same artist, and this week we’re tackling the Doobie’s. Happened to be a fantastic coincidence that Wade just today alerted me that the folks that created Yacht Rock will be posting up in New York this Sunday. If you’re not familiar with Yacht Rock, here is episode #1:

As always, be sure to register/login to IMEEM before starting the playlist below to ensure that you are streaming full-length tracks.

READ ON after the jump to vote for which doobiest cover be grooviest…

Addison Groove Project: AGP pulled out all the stops for their final show last year in Boston. In addition to playing many of their fan-favorite covers from over the years, they debuted a couple as well. Jennifer Hartswick lends lead vocal duties on this one. Listen to the intro for a Yacht Rock shout-out. Source: 3-3-2007

Dolly Parton: ScottyB alerted me that I would want to lake a look at Dolly’s rendition of China Grove and I am forever grateful. Love this comment from a similar YouTube video, “Wow, first version of this song ever, where I can actually understand the lyrics to the second verse! (On the Doobie Brothers’ original, I never knew WHAT, in God’s name the preacher and the teacher were doing.)”

Mike Gordon: Mike Gordon’s tour came to a close Sunday night in Boston and the run saw Mike debut a lot of fun covers throughout the tour. Debuted in Philadelphia, the version we have included here is from a show three days later. I’m not sure who is singing lead but I am pretty sure it is not either Cactus or Scott Murawski. Source: 8-6-2008

Phish: 9-13-1990 was a busy night for Phish. First, they debuted three songs with The Dude Of Live on Vocals. Second, they debuted a number of originals, many of which would become live staples: Tube, The Asse Festival [which would become the middle section of Guelah Papyrus], Buried Alive, Magilla & Stash. Lastly, a slew of new covers: Paul and Silas, Minute by Minute, and Going Down Slow. The Doobie’s tune features Trey on drums, Fishman on vocals (and from what I can tell trombone, though the Mockingbird Foundation setlist makes no mention of it). Phish would play it once more two days later and then have it completely disappear from the repertoire. Setlist notes via: The Phish Companion. Source: Bizarro Jerry’s Archive

RAQ: It would appear RAQ is the newest band to be taking a little bit of time off the road after their gig on Saturday in Peru, NY. This quartet from Vermont delivers a very tight rendition of Listen To The Music. Source: 4-17-2003

Reconstruction: Reconstruction was Jerry Garcia with: John Kahn (bass), Merl Saunders (keyboards), Ed Neumeister (trombone), Ron Stallings (tenor saxophone) & Gaylord Birch (drums). They throw down a smoking instrumental version here…not a whole lot of Jerry-lead playing but the whole thing is kickass. Love the early synthesizers of the late 1970′s. Source: 6-22-1979

Umphrey’s McGee: We’ve got two tracks from UM this week, one from the early years of the band, and one from a few years later with the lineup that tours today. The version of Jesus Is Just Alright comes just two months after UM added Jake Cinninger on lead guitar. The cover of Black Water is from a fan-favorite show in 2004.

Sources: 10-31-2000 & 12-3-2004

Bonus Video: Big Summer Classic 2005 with Keller Williams, Michael Kang & Jeff Austin

That’s all I got this week, we’ll send you off with some bonus videos from the Doobie’s…

China Grove (1974):

Listen To The Music:

Long Train Running (1975):

DaveO

David Onigman is a recent transplant from Boston to San Francisco. In addition to behind the scenes work and the occasional post, DaveO contributes the (almost) weekly Cover Wars column, though he's always looking for guest authors for it.

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