Many Different Houses of many Rising Suns

[ajva]

I'm meeting up with that guitarist Spike tonight to play through a couple of things. One of the songs I thought it might be interesting to try out was that old American folk classic House of the Rising Sun. So I've been on YouTube looking at a mountain of different covers. There's a fabulous Nina Simone live version, for example, and an interesting attempt by Duran Duran.

But I saved the Animals version for last; I've not listened to it for years and it just sends shivers down the spine. That classic video where Eric Burdon lip synchs (fairly shittily, it has to be said - but hey, it was the 60s) to himself is so potent.

It's the believability of the character, I think. He carries it off so well. For all his sharp-suited crisply haircut Englishness, his eyes are like two black holes and you can just believe he's the type to go drinking, gambling and whoring himself into oblivion.

Watch on YouTube

I rather suspect, given my well-publicised liking for civilised chaps who can be convincing bad boys, that I would have been an Animals groupie had I been a teenager in the 1960s. Hey-ho. ;o)

Comments

[lolliepopp.livejournal.com]

I have a version of Sinead O'conner doing it (I think)

That just makes you weep for the state of mankind IMHO. Though the Muse version is pretty cool too.

L
x

[kelemvor.livejournal.com]

I have a version by Marianne Fathfull that's rather haunting...

[ms-katonic.livejournal.com]

With lolliepopp on the Muse version (http://download.yousendit.com/86E5CD0666006A25), it's really very good, although for me the definitive version will always be the Animals.

I do however quite like the parody version, House of Republicans (http://download.yousendit.com/B07EE4D263652D75), which just basically lays into the Bush administration. Very funny, with a really biting feel to it.

And because I'm nice like that, I've uploaded them both for you. :)

[ravenevermore.livejournal.com]

My bestest version, other than the original, is the acoustic Jerry Garcia & David Grisman version... from the 'Pizza Tapes' CD. It's very long, mournful and. Very slow, deliberate, and... I dunno. Sad. Given the state of Garcia at this point, and the in-n-out of rehab life he was leading, its... yeah. I dunno. There's a lot of great guitar work on the entire CD, as a couple of guys sit around and Jam and play old favorites of theirs. Fluffs are left in, flubs are there, vocals wobble, and it leaves you feeling like you were sat in the room with them. Never intended for release, but i'm glad it was.

I'll sod off and stop mourning the loss of one of my guitar heroes now... ;)

[sgloomi.livejournal.com]

Of course, 'House of the Rising Sun', on the guitar, is like 'Smoke on the Water', 'Stairway to Heaven', or Chopsticks on the piano.

To make it *interesting* it would have to be a ... completely insane version that no human ear has ever heard before and with which the human brain can't cope. I'd love to hear that version.