How to Do a Cover Version

Today’s lesson is to make your version so authentic as to fool many people that it is yours that is the original.

Ironically, that sounds kinda familiar. Perhaps today’s lesson is a repeat of a previous one, but with different tunes. I dunno. I haven’t really been paying attention to what the lessons were, to be honest. Don’t ask me, mate, I just work here.

Anyway, here’s the evidence for your consideration. From 2008, the original, a glitzy, contemporary twist on Sixties soul :

Duffy – Mercy

Then, in 2009, came this:

The Third Degree – Mercy (Radio Edit)

When I first heard that, so authentic was the vintage-sounding northern soul version  I found myself thinking “Wait – the Duffy version wasn’t the original??”

I wasn’t the only one who thought that. No lesser source than The Daily Telegraph declared that “…the instrumentation and production are so authentic that it sounds like some long-lost R&B classic from 45 years ago. You’d almost believe that this was the original version”, the hack responsible presumably collapsing back into a leather wingback chair in a panelled gentleman’s club after uttering said missive, cradling a glass of port, and issuing an emphysemic wheeze.

I digress. Authentic seems to be the buzz-word of this post, so here’s your actual authentic Greg Wilson’s re-edit (it’s not a remix, nosireebob). Truth be told, all he seems to have done here is made the introduction a bit longer. Still ace though:

The Third Degree – Mercy (Greg Wilson Re-Edit)

More soon.