Although I’m not a massive fan of covers, if you are going to take that route, perhaps consider a less obvious approach. After all, there are in existence 2,200 registered recordings of “Yesterday,” and does anyone really think they can surpass the original beauty of “Bridge Over Troubled Water?” (Most versions I have heard sound more like Trouble over Bridgwater!)
But, you would be more than justified in doing what The Muster Point Project does here and use that creative space to keep the memory of an artist alive, one who has slipped out of the minds of many music fans. The artist in question here is John Bottomley, someone who I must confess I was previously unaware of, but who would have fit right into my musical wheelhouse when the mid-‘90s original was released, just as readily as this new take does today. (And actually vice versa.)
It isn’t even necessary to check out the original for comparison, unless you are that sort of music nerd, which I sadly am. But do that, and you find that this is a version of the song that manages to be both faithful and updated. Faithful in that it captures the spirit of the original – reflective, wistful, emotive, longing – and updated in that it adds a bit more rock and roll momentum, layers up the guitars, builds additional weight, and adds a suitably and subtly chiming mandolin to the proceedings. Although the two versions are not particularly far apart, sonically speaking.
It’s been a day of discovering new music, which is precisely why I do what I do for a living. Although so far it has been a couple of younger, rising artists that have been added to my “check out further” mental list, I now have the fantastic John Bottomley’s music to explore too, which is wonderful, and wonderfully unexpected.
As I say, covers have their place – as a tribute, to celebrate a well-loved artist, to explore new possibilities, to find something new in a recognisable sound. But there can’t be a better reason to revisit a song than to resurrect and revel in the sound of a much missed artist and, in this case, bring them to a new audience… i.e., me!
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