Magic Marmalade 15th Mar 2022
| | ReviewGoing to do something a little odd here, and review just one song on this.
(This is because it doesn't seem to have been released as a single, so can't review it, except on an album)
It's one of those songs that has been kind of "with me" for a while, but mostly somewhere in the background of my mind, and I've only relatively recently become consciously aware of it, and sought it out.
The song in question is: Can't Find My Way Home which although not overtly, made quite an impression on me when first hearing it in one of my favourite films: Benny And Joon.
Having recently re-watched it (again! :) I decided I wanted to find the track at long last, did a search on the internet... To my surprise, I saw it was written by Steve Winwood, and moreover, was done so, and performed by him for the "Supergroup" album: Blind Faith - That whole Clapton ensemble thing with the front cover controversy.
It surprised me, as I had heard that whole album some years before even seeing the film that brought the song to my attention, and remember having been distinctly underwhelmed by it - very disappointing album given the people gathered on it especially. I remember a largely flat, tuneless affair that made no impression on the memory...
...So I decided to re-listen to the Blind Faith version of the song again on Youtube, and yup, a very lifeless, thin sounding song came forth - really amazed at this, as Winwood sings, and gives a very thin, whiny vocal, not at all like his earlier or later stuff, which we know he is capable of, and even famed for - that natural Bluesy voice that he can belt out at whim... No the original Blind Faith one is crap.
I tried for another version, perhaps a re-record from later years by him, ,maybe giving it a little extra oomph, but no, just a couple of live versions just as weakly rendered, but this time, acoustic, and solo.
Very disappointed, I then discovered an Eric Clapton live version, also somewhat floppy and vague sounding.
Finally, I came back to Joe Cocker, but couldn't seem to find the version from the film - the versions I happened upon were from the Cocker album: Organic, which, if anything, seem to go too far the other way - too throaty, too guttural sounding for me.
At last, I found this version on this album, which is the version from the film, but does not seem to appear on the soundtrack album...
(Grrrrrr... I hate it when they do that, have a song prominently feature in a movie, then leave it off the soundtrack album! - Grrrrr again!)
...It's not quite lived up to my expectations or hopes, but not far short.
But this is truly an excellent song I think, and I feel that maybe the definitive version is yet to be made by.... someone.
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