Monday, July 30, 2012

Dylan Cover #52 Elkie Brooks "The Groom's Still Waiting At The Alter"

In this ongoing Monday Series we will be exploring various artists versions of Bob Dylan song's. Today's tune is a live cover by Elkie Brooks playing "The Groom's Still Waiting At The Alter"

Thoughts on Original:
Kept off the original Shot Of Love for reasons only Dylan knows it was included later on CD releases of the album and stands as one of Dylan's most interesting and strongest songs from this period.  Using religious imagery Dylan pants a vibrant picture of a division between narrator and "Claudette" singing incredibly powerfully over some fantastic musicianship.  Having a ringing chorus adds to the joy as does one of the coolest couplets Dylan composed in the 80's: "What can I say about Claudette?/Ain't seen her since January,/She could be respectably married/or running a whorehouse in Buenos Aires."   
Cover:

Thoughts on Cover Artist:
I had never heard of Elkie Brooks until I heard this cover.  Coming into it fresh it is obvious she has a great blues voice and the English singer seems to have had a long and fruitful career.   
Thoughts on Cover:
It being summer and weddings all around this song has been stuck in my head so I figured I would look for a cover of it and this one is a winner.  A rollicking blues take that lets the focus stay on Brooks' voice and doesn't take away from the original in the gender switching of the lyrics (minus the title line of course) from Claudette to Ornette.  That is always something that interests me, here Elkie sings it from a women's point of view, but I love to see artists decisions on changing genders with lyrics.  Musically the chops displayed are tight, fun guitars pianos and sax's all around.  Worth a listen.

Grade: B

 Wilson's Take:

Janasie's Take:
 

2 comments:

  1. Great version, fantastic singer. She also does Dylans "To Make you Feel my Love"on her latest C.D. "Powerless" she does this superbly.

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  2. Love it !!!! she has a powerful blues voice.

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