In honor of Valentine’s Day, here’s a photo of Ms. Jones with her baby daddy Marc Bolan.
The Gloria Jones Challenge is our ongoing examination of the many, many, many covers of Jones’ classic Northern Soul jam “Tainted Love” – to see how they stack up compared to the original.
Today’s challenger gives the song a rockabilly twist. Let’s see how they stack up.
But first, as always, the original by which all challengers are compared.
And now, today’s challenger – Dave Phillips.
Postcard ChaCha: If rockabilly were a dog, he would certainly be scolded for pissing on the furniture over and over again. But rockabilly is not a dog and therefore it will continue to piss on this song just like the dozens of other bands that have before it. without even the slightest scolding for bad behavior. I get that this song lends itself to the genre pretty well, but that does not mean every rockabilly outfit should take a shot at it. Dave Phillips sucks the soul right out of the song, as most of the other bands have. The word “underwhelmed” seems to most accurately describe my feelings for this version. Gloria takes it again.
Postcard Editor: I actually quite like this version. And while it does fall on the tamer, more traditional side of rockabilly, I feel like it does a nice job with the song. It’s definitely truer to the original than any challenger yet, and it helps illustrate that soul and upbeat country swing are each just a step away from the first wave of rock and rollers like Little Richard, Bill Haley and Buddy Holly. This is by far my favorite challenger so far, because of it’s simplicity and allowing the song itself to shine through. It doesn’t best the original, but it’s a version I’d definitely consider throwing on a mix tape. Winner (by default) Gloria Jones.
Winner: Gloria Jones.
CHALLENGER STANDINGS ACCORDING TO EDITOR:
1. Dave Phillips
2. My Brightest Diamond
3. Pussycat Dolls
4. Straight No Chaser
5. Max Raabe
CHALLENGER STANDINGS ACCORDING TO CHACHA:
1. Dave Phillips
2. Max Raabe
3. My Brightest Diamond
4. Pussycat Dolls
5. Straight No Chaser
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