Wednesday 8 May 2013

WEDNESDAY CLUB - Neville Brothers/Sam Cooke - A Changes is Gonna Come

-WEDNESDAY CLUB - do you believe in coincidence?-
a change is gonna come!

 
NEVILLE BROTHERS - A Change is Gonna Come (1989)

The Neville Brothers album Yellow Moon from 1989 was one of my favourites of that year. Arron Neville has a voice made in heaven and his version of the Sam Cooke classic is almost as good as the original.

Sam Cooke was so impressed with the lyrics of Dylan's Blowin' in the Wind and how that such a poignant song about which includes racism overtones could be written by someone who was not black. He decided to try and write something with a bit more substance and this was the fabulous result and it became a Civil rights anthem.

I was on vacation from Jeddah and was visiting my parents in Inverness. The highlight of any trip back to the U.K. was that first visit to the record shop. On my excited way there,  I bumped in to a guy who lived only a few doors up from my parents house.

He said  'hi Brian I have not seen you around for a while'

I replied  'Eh! maybe Craig that is because I left Inverness 20years ago!'


Anyway I said  'lets go for a pint and catch up'.

He replied 'well first of all I must go and get an album I am after'.

I said  'well I am on my way as it happens to get the new Neville Brothers album'.

He replied 'Well I will be dammed that is exactly what I am going for!'.

Now that is what I call a coincidence!.

It is a fabulous album by the way. Even has some classic Dylan covers too.  
 
SAM COOKE -A Change is Gonna Come (1964)

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WEDNESDAY CLUB - Neville Brothers/Sam Cooke - A Changes is Gonna Come
4/ 5
Oleh

4 comments

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Anonymous
8 May 2013 at 07:26

'Yellow Moon' is truly wonderful and their version of 'Change...' one of the best I've ever heard. Of course, I doubt if anyone will ever match the original.

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8 May 2013 at 08:53

SB - a true classic indeed...is your Blog blocked now ?

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9 May 2013 at 09:49

Growing up, that was the first version of the song I heard and will always be my favourite. Haunting, beautifully sung, it gets me everytime especially when the sax comes in. Chicken skin music in every sense of the phrase. It was made all the more poignant by being used during Obama's original campaign, if a little cynically but like everyone, I was taken by the whole historical occasion.

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10 May 2013 at 12:44

Fabulous - and don't forget Bob's own brilliant, televised, version.

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