A couple of days ago, smooth singing, easy listening icon George ‘George’ Benson was in town, entertaining 3000 or so elderly ladies, in the modern day version of an old folks home tea dance. Naturally, I turned down various entreaties to lower the average age by a good couple of decades. These days I only attract ladies of a certain age which either makes me well past it, or John Barrowman. Chances I can’t afford to take.
However, after a few hours of gently pottering around, testing out assorted park benches for levels of comfort, I actually remembered that George ‘George’ Benson used to be a top notch jazz guitarist. Now, that was a long, long time ago, so it took some digging around in the dark recesses of the vinyl cupboard before I came across the following gem;
Yes, not only did the super smotth Gurratest Lurve Ov All man cover the Jefferson Airplane classic, back in 1971; he named an entire album after it. And he got Herbie Hancock and Billy Cobham to join in. When they were still good. Amazing. Steal the title track here. Buy it here.
Which naturally made me think of my favourite electro gothsters, Collide. Who also covered ‘White Rabbit’, albeit it in a radically different form. They’re working hard on new material, and you really ought to buy their entire back catalogue here. Or be cheap, and steal the cover here.
Of course, some times the originals are the best, so you may as well have that as well. I’m more of an early seventies Jefferson Starship man myself, but the 1965 Jefferson Airplane lineup are getting back together for a festival show in the US. Find out more at founding bass player, Bob Harveys web site. Steal the original here, or grab the budget best of, for under a fiver, here.
And because I’m such a great guy, you can have a listen to a live version by Collide here.
