“Johnsburg, Illinois”: Cover of the Week 2

Well! Since you were all so responsive and nice in the first installment, I have a bonus song. It is so short and faithful to Tom Waits’ original version (my $10 guitar instead of piano & bass) that it can only really count for a bonus one. Except this is one of my all-time favorite songs and therefore counts as, like, 3 to me. And anyway, you might as well keep going when you have the time. I had the mic set up and everything. And I am sure I am not going to make it some weeks. But it is my New Year’s resolution to keep to it. I get extra points for starting early.

I decided to just go ahead and go for something “late ’70s singer-songwriter moody.” So here is the $10 guitar.

12 thoughts on ““Johnsburg, Illinois”: Cover of the Week 2”

  1. Back from dinner and there’s a second song already. Sweet. Your $10 guitar has a softer sound than the one on Little Mascara.

    My first guitar in the early 1960s was a ~$10 dark blue guitar with cowboy lasso on it.

    BTW, we promise to continue to be nice as long as you continue to feed our cover addiction. 😉

    The late-70s mood shot is good. I see you changed shirts too. 🙂

  2. Very cool idea Bill, no doubt. Your effort will give us all something to look foward to throughout the long, cold winter. It’d be great to have compliled a cd’s worth of Bill J. covers by springtime.

    I know you’ve said in the past you are a big fan of the Dead’s Europe ’72. I definately feel you’d be great on “He’s Gone” or maybe “Brown Eyed Women”. Although perhaps one of my favorite Dead tunes, which I feel would suit your style, is Bob Weir’s “Cassidy”. (I’m guessing that now i’ve requested these songs, there is zero chance of you actually playing them, but you can’t blame a guy for tryin’!)

    Anyway…brilliant idea Bill.

  3. this is great!! i satisfies my jonesing for bill, bt and crown vickie stuff!
    thank you
    as for a request how about mamba #5
    sorry its the smart ass in me.
    therbs

  4. Awesomeness, Christmas has come early. I’d love to hear something just on piano.
    Great idea with the “request for the top bidder for charity”. You start the thread and I’ll start the bidding.

  5. my request would be ‘Youngstown’ by Bruce Springsteen

    Just one thing, and mabye i’m not computer saavy enough, but is there any way we can download these for our old guy i-pods?

    Kristin Hersh did this sort of thing and her Cash Music recordings are never far away from my regular playlists

    Can’t wait to hear more Bill

  6. Stu-

    Go to the main post and right underneath Bill’s picture it says “download”. That takes you to a new page and you want to go to the right hand side of the page and click “download original”. Then just drag the file onto your itunes icon.

    Thanks for the tip on Kristen Hirsch.

  7. Regarding removed post from rich: any comments inappropriate to the corresponding post will be deleted. rich, please stop posting here if you don’t want to discuss music or whatever the post is at the moment. If my post is political, feel free to respond with all the freedom in the world. I will not, however, allow this forum to devolve to personal attacks of any kind (which I am not saying was the case in this instance). Obviously I reserve the right to complete editorial control here and if I feel the comments are not worthy of this forum, I will delete them. Please don’t make me have to change the settings so that I have to vet all comments before they are posted. Sigh.

  8. My bad bill…my deepest appologies.

    Now, about doing a Dead cover: what say you? “You Win Again” perhaps?

  9. I appreciate your willingnes to put yourself out there and open the communication channels to your fans. I hold you in high esteem with the likes of Bob Dylan, Paul Westerberg, Bob Mould, etc.
    However, with this blog….fans like me can talk to you…and you respond. How cool is that?I doubt that those artists I mentioned are doing that.
    I’ve been a fan for 18 years….seen you numorous times…and love your work. All of it! Thanks for providing this venue. (By the way, someone suggested you do Dylan’s “Lord Protect My Child”….I second the motion.

  10. Which of my thoughtless brothers would point out such things regarding photography?? In terms of Dead songs, a slow version of “Friend of the Devil” is a good one or a Slapshot version of “Ripple” might be nice.

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