It has been an age since I wrote a “blog”. An entire age of Middle Earth no less! Last time I wrote a blog Feanor was still in exile. Well, time to tap the keys once more. As I have written, the song “Rasputin” by Boney M is in my Top 5 of all time. I gathered as many covers as I could and wrote a blog. Please seek it out. Your life will be all the better for it.

And today I bring you another of my Top 5. “If I Were A Carpenter” originally by Tim Hardin (1967) and then covered by a great many incredible artists. The song holds a special place in my heart as it reminds me of my parents and the love they shared.

Please note I am not a musician myself so forgive any misunderstandings regarding the finer points.

The first time I heard this song was the version by Bobby Darin. Listen to this and marvel at his pure voice. Another talented soul who left this world too soon.

After having listened to that version a bazillion times, I sought out more covers. And Jumping Jellybeans! There are quite a few. And all are simply sublime.

Here we have the legend (he’s still alive though so should really say “living legend”) Robert Plant with an absolutely wonderful and respectful rendering of the song. So many covers brutally massacre the original (especially at Christmas!) so we must doth our collective cap to those who preserve what makes the song great but offer their own talents.

The next one is not only a joy to listen to but also to watch. I don’t know if these two are a couple but it feels like there is so much emotion and story between them. They live the song as they sing it. Samantha’s smiles could easily melt hearts.

This next one is a more country & western take. I sincerely apologise for scoffing at C&W in my teen years. The genre is vast and full of incredible music and soulful voices. These two have that glorious twang and long vowels. Close your eyes and you’ll be in a bar where everyone knows how to dance to Copperhead Road.

Next up is the kind of music you want to see live. These chaps feel the music and seem to be loving what they are doing. The double bass brings the gravitas and the slide guitar adds some fantastic licks between the vocals.

We move now to a version that feels like you’ve just stepped back into the 70s. Starts off low-key, then does a Joe Cocker and really gets stuck in. You almost expect Ted Neeley to step in and sing, “My Dad WAS a carpenter!”.

For our next cover we have an extraordinarily talented lady. Not only does she have a voice that lingers but she plays guitar beautifully. And she makes videos so good that you end up watching crappy B-movies! Wichita Lineman – check it out!

Holy Vulcan logic, Batman, stop the press! It seems Leonard Nimoy also covered this song. Hmm, not up to his Bilbo Baggins standard but worth a listen anyway – this is the legend, Leonard Nimoy after all. Let us pray that Bill Shatner never spoke this song…

The next one is so fantastic! Just a guy, in his room, playing his guitar, and doing the utmost justice to a great song.

Much as I grumble about YouTube flooding my playlists with ads lately, I can’t deny YT gives us, the listener, the chance to hear incredible musicians and singers we never would have some thirty years ago. Here is another lovely cover.

And now we plunge back into the 70s. Damn, that was such a musically magnificent decade! Pity I was born five years into it and didn’t appreciate it till much later. This just feels like a perfect example of the time before music became manufactured.

We un-der-stand the glory! We un-der-stand the glory!

A huge bonus of seeking out covers of favourite songs is disocvering previously unknown artists and bands. The next cover is performed by a band I had never heard of. Glad I now have the pleasure of listening to more of their songs. “Ten Thousand Miles” – worth a listen.

Another musician who deserves to be heard. Anyone else get a hint of Joni Mitchell in that voice?

Let me finish with The Man In Black. Quite an upbeat tempo and full of Cash’s depth matched by June’s emotive delivery. Do yourself a favour and watch “Hurt” after this.

Maybe it’s the sign of a great song that people either won’t or can’t murder it. All tese covers are exceptional. Thank you Tim Hardin for giving us such a song. I’ll sign off with the creator himself. No, not V’Ger! Tim Hardin. At Woodstock.