I have an annoying habit (well, annoying to some) – I love to compare different versions of a song, usually by stopping one mid-song and cueing up the next version (that’s the annoying part). But today, let’s examine different music videos of the same finished studio track, specifically Otis Redding’s “These Arms of Mine,” as covered in 1985 by Bill Wyman’s Willie & The Poor Boys project. #
The Poor Boys evolved from a series of concerts benefiting Multiple Sclerosis research that featured (among others) Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts, Kenney Jones, and Andy Fairweather Low. With the Stones on hiatus, Wyman, Watts, and Fairweather Low spent two weeks in November 1984 recording covers with Mickey Gee, Geraint Watkins, Steve Gregory and Willie Garnett, with a few cameos by the likes of Chris Rea and Kenney Jones. In January 1985, Page and Paul Rodgers contributed their talents to “These Arms of Mine” and Little Richard’s “Slippin’ and Slidin’”. #
The album complete, the Poor Boys filmed a “concert” in Fulham Town Hall, righteously lip-syncing to the studio tracks. #
Except for one track – “These Arms of Mine:” #
Why? Apparently because of the “official” video, featuring Rodgers and Page is a curious mix of Poor Boys-meets-The Firm: #
All in all, I prefer the “juke joint” feel of the lip-synced concert, with its cameos by Jones, John Entwistle, Ringo Starr, and Ron Wood (who doesn’t play on the album) hamming it up as a sax man. Either way, “Willie & The Poor Boys” is a pleasure to listen to – a true supergroup tribute to some classic music. #
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