Clash of the Cover Songs: Koko Taylor vs. PJ Harvey

Posted on Jun 8th 2009 4:00PM by Benjy Eisen
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The Rules for Battle: Each week, we pit versions of the same song by two different artists in a head-to-head death match for musical supremacy. (Sometimes it will be the original recording vs. a cover version; other times it will be two different covers.) Then it's up to you to decide: Listen to and vote on which version you think should emerge victorious and which should be sent packing. May the best band win!

The Song: 'Wang Dang Doodle' (original version by Willie Dixon)

The Contestants: Koko Taylor vs. PJ Harvey

In this corner -- Koko Taylor: Willie Dixon's blues classic 'Wang Dang Doodle' was originally intended for Howlin' Wolf but he sure had no complaints when his protege, Koko Taylor, turned the song into a platinum seller, taking it to No. 4 on the R&B charts in 1966 and riding its wails as her first claim to fame. In fact, her version of 'Wang Dang Doodle' has become more than just her greatest hit -- it's become an artifact of American cultural history. It was also, fittingly, the last song Taylor performed publicly before she passed away on June 3rd.

Koko Taylor, 'Wang Dang Doodle'

In this corner -- PJ Harvey: Anybody who covers 'Wang Dang Doodle' has big shoes to fill, whether its Ted Nugent or the Grateful Dead, who've taken a stab at it. None of them quite replicate Koko Taylor's rendition (and if that's what they're actually going for, well, they fall short). PJ Harvey knows better. Her version makes an obligatory nod to Taylor but, with its guitar crunches and vocal acrobatics, it becomes something that Willie Dixon never bargained for: it becomes PJ Harvey's own thing. Kinda.

PJ Harvery, 'Wang Dang Doodle'

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