Skip James - I'm So Glad

[JimT]

A long time ago I heard the Cream cover this song...though at the time I didn't know it was a cover.

Through the years I discovered that tons of the British Blues were American songs.  "House of the Rising Sun", "Boom Boom", "Tobacco Road" to name some.  I like to compare the original versions to the British versions I first heard.

This is the only live performance of Skip doing I'm So Glad that I can find.  There are better audio tracks out there but no video.  This sounds a lot different than Cream.

http://you.video.sina.com.cn/b/2586059-1400904337.html



Regards,
Jim

[JoeMan]

Jim, after seeing/hearing this, I am ruined for the Cream or any other version!  Very cool find, I love this.  

You likely saw this version on YouTube, which at first contains just some cool old pics of Skip and some pals, but then they slipped in some of the video footage which was taken from the '66 video you posted.  Funny thing is, since this YouTube studio version is played at a faster clip, the guy who dubbed in the video also sped up the footage to slightly fast motion!  It's pretty funny actually.  The guitar work in the studio version (YouTube) is excellent.  Although I really like the falsetto vocal in the one you posted.  Thanks Jim!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWLycl7q9XU

[Mark M]

Yeah, them brit's loved to cover old blues songs. I had no idea this was one of those and I must say that it sounds great played on acoustic as intended. The Rolling Stones were nototious at this and did a great job of the old blues that they covered. Maybe our Stones historian, Seymouro, will did something up for us to watch.

Thanks Jim, loved it.

[Seymouro]

My $60 plus high speed service by Comcast did not do this any justice, but I see the point. Good job.

DF (Seymouro)

[Seymouro]

Oh, Mark, the Stones (particularly early) were practically groupies for old U.S. blues standards. C'mon now. To this very day, John Lee Hooker (if still alive and I believe that he is) is always close by the band. He is one of the great icons of Blues. In '66 the Stones released an album called "Rolling Stones Live" that was all covers of standard blues songs. I would have to do research today to compile a bibliography and I may because it would be enlightening.

Even as years passed, the band did covers of R&B standards like the Temptations "Just My Imagination" on "Some Girls" in 1978. And "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" on "It's Only Rock and Roll" in '74.

What I like most is that the band has tirelessly acknowledged these influences, and in Hooker's case, had him play on tour with them.

[Big Jer]

VERY different, but very good too!  I would have never recognized it if I heard it on the radio.  Good find, JimT!