Results of last week’s battle: Who did it better? Fiona Apple or Jim Sturgess?
In the second of four Beatles editions of Who Did It Better, we’ll look at Paul McCartney’s sweet ode to love, “I Will”, and two artists happy to live outside the mainstream. First up is Tim Curry, actor and musician, most famous for his role as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the Rocky Horror Picture Show, and for the offbeat 70’s tune “I Do The Rock”. Next up, you’ll hear from the troubadour of geekery and friend of the show, Jonathan Coulton, taking a break from songs about zombies, robot overlords, and monkeys to tackle – in a straightforward manner, mind you – the Beatles classic. Knowing my audience, I hope this won’t be the blowout I’m expecting it to be.
Purchase links (where available):
“I Will” – The Beatles (unavailable on iTunes)
“I Will” – Tim Curry (unavailable on iTunes)
– “I Will” – Jonathan Coulton
Play it loud, so I can hear you. Make it easy to be near you. Which version endears you?
Listen to the podcast featuring both songs:
[audio: http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/backbeat.cachefly.net/coverville/audio/Coverville-WDIB-028-IWill.mp3]
Or Download
I wanted so badly to love Tim Curry's version, but I just couldn't! His version of "She's Not There" is another story altogether.
This was my wedding song. I think the best version ever was by Ben Taylor.
Allison Krause does a beautiful version of this song as well.
I'll second the Alison Krauss version. That's the version that I used in my wedding.
Ditto Alison Krauss & Ben Taylor. There's a live bootleg version by James Taylor, which is a dead ringer for his son's.
As much as I enjoy the JoCo version, I have to cast my vote for Ben Taylor. It's stunning.
Jonathan Coulton's version, though his voice is pretty, seems uninspired.
I picked Tim's… he took the song in a new direction and did nice work with the harmony. I love Coulton, but he stuck a little too close to home for me.
Yep. Big JC fan, but the Curry version does what we like on Coverville the best… a new way of hearing the song.