Picking a song for my YouTube cover: This was a time-consuming pleasure, and I went thru various alternatives and ideas, but I still can't make up my mind. So, I'll go thru my thinking and see if you guys can pick something you like.
First, some duets: This first one is a personal song, just because Rene & I got married in Vegas. But I not sure Rene really likes the song. I first heard it on Boot Liquor Radio http://somafm.com/bootliquor/ which is a fun Internet station to stream.
Heather Myles, (with Dwight Yoakam) Little Chapel. http://youtu.be/IkUlaxI9t2s
Emmalou Harris and Don Williams took "if I needed you" to the top of the country charts, but I like the original Townes Van Zandt version better: http://youtu.be/zaP8NGML_QE
And I can hear Robin doing it that way, just like he does in his cover of The Stones' Dead Flowers from his live gigs. If you want to feature Afton, you've got to look at this version too: http://youtu.be/SysBazd50D8
Here are two recent duet songs I really like:
Native siblings, right here for you, http://youtu.be/SWIPHu7NKR8
Johnnyswim, diamonds, http://youtu.be/l-aVREGmbhg
Now an Dylan / Adele duet would be interesting, and she does a good cover of the piano-based Dylan song Make You Feel My Love. See http://youtu.be/K3yjZMKU1xk and http://youtu.be/0put0_a--Ng. But this sounds really good on lone guitar too: http://youtu.be/8RD4jkZLQHA
Since we are on Dylan, I think you guys could do a great cover of "Lay down your weary tune", one of his best songs. Here is Billy Braggs version http://youtu.be/48Fg-xoWh8c
Before Dylan, we had Woody Guthrie and you couldn't do better than to cover Pastures of Plenty. Listen to Ramblin' Jack Elliott's guitar work on my favorite cover version: http://youtu.be/QzKguhOIpsI
Once you learn the guitar part for Pastures of Plenty, you get a two-for-one because apparently Woody borrowed the tune from the English/ Appalachian murder ballad Pretty Polly, with its long history;
http://www.planetslade.com/pretty-polly.html
This would make a campy duet where you could play with adding in new lyrics. See the recent version by Vandaveer: http://youtu.be/9g8BV6zrVBs
Speaking of greatly written love songs that don't get a enough covers, take a listen to one of my favorite love songs: Graham Parker's The Rest is History.
The LA punk band X first did David Alvin's song 4th of July when he was their guitarist; it is well written with a catchy chorus, like you guys write. And I like the style that Alvin does it a little better than John Doe in X:
Since Robin is so talented that he can make Energy Orchard's Sailortown his own then for some interesting challenges, see how you could bring these into your style:
A leak in my heart, the porters, http://youtu.be/Sn5-NdeMXYE, if you can do that German Punk sound
I've pursued nothing, the tossers http://youtu.be/_GPXXfxpQ94 if you can do Celtic punk
Legal matter, Richard Thompson's cover version of the Who song http://youtu.be/4S6YbELtiB4 if you trust your guitar skills
And of course Theresa still wants to hear Robin do the Pearl Jam song Just Breathe. Here is the duet of Willie Nelson and son covering it: http://youtu.be/ow-Cx9IX4So
--Steve
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