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Harry Manx — Summertime
Album: Faith Lift
Avg rating:
6.3

Your rating:
Total ratings: 585









Released: 2017
Length: 2:56
Plays (last 30 days): 0
Summertime, and the livin' is easy
Fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high
Oh, your daddy's rich and your ma is good-lookin'
So hush little baby, Don't you cry

One of these mornings you're gonna rise up singing
And you'll spread your wings and you'll take to the sky
But 'til that morning, there ain't nothin' can harm you
With Daddy and Mammy standin' by

Summertime, and the livin' is easy
Fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high
Oh, your daddy's rich and your ma is good-lookin'
So hush little baby, Don't you cry

One of these mornings you're gonna rise up singing
And you'll spread your wings and you'll take to the sky
But 'til that morning, there ain't nothin can harm you
With Daddy and Mammy standin' by
Comments (41)add comment
I mean, it's fine, but it just seems like an unnecessary cover. If he likes the song, great, but it doesn't add anything to the song.
 GeorgeMWoods wrote:
it’s too sacred a song to be done so casually. 
 
Haha, that's funny, to me, Mungo Jerry is the one doing it very casually!
This one sounds like a lot more work was put into it. It's a completely different take and I like it :) 
 ziggytrix wrote:
All his songs sound kinda alike to me.

So it's a good thing I kinda like this sound.
 
Agree.  Neat hypnotic, bluesy, smoky sound.  He's a hell of a guitarist if you can catch him live.
All his songs sound kinda alike to me.

So it's a good thing I kinda like this sound.
Harry Manx seems to infuse everything he does with a generous dose of BORING. 
I can only say...  not good at all and I love summertime and know of many very good versions.
That is one, strange boogie, brothers and sisters. That Manx dude definitely had a peg loose in his kunti... and has freed his mind from (certain) conventions whilst trying to operate on the sphere of western popular music...  Sheesh! 

Reminds me some of Leo Kottke singing "Eight Miles High " circa 1977. Jeezis that haunts the earworm habitat at the dark, dusty backroads of my mind  "...in places, small faces unbound..." getting at the sheer poetry of it from a different angle.
 steviedeant wrote:
What is that scale the violins are playing? Aolien, dorian? It's interesting, somewhat disturbing and good.
 
There are some harmonic minor (Aeolian with a sharp 7th) runs in there, which is what can give it that "eastern" sound.
What is that scale the violins are playing? Aolien, dorian? It's interesting, somewhat disturbing and good.
 ziggytrix wrote:

Because Billie Holliday has inspired billions.
 
Well, Leontyne Price, Dorothy Dandridge, and many more have played Bess, so Billie can't take all the credit. Deserves a nice chunk though, I agree.
c.
it’s too sacred a song to be done so casually. 
Somebody help the cat!
 elgreenie1 wrote:
Nope. Not feeling this one at all. The strings are scary.  But thanks for offering a chance to hears this, Bill.  Raised my monthly donation too. Your station is an oasis in an ever encroaching music desert. Thanks.
 
Bump*11!!
 
One of the best "negative" posts on RP yet!   I agree wholeheartedly, and hopefully soon, wholepocketbookedly too.
 
Peace and Long Live RP!!
 mrselfdestruct wrote:
Why are there so many damn versions of this song?

 
Because Billie Holliday has inspired billions.
Completely unnecessary mixing of musical styles to ultimately result in something more akin to disgusting tuna-casserole curry pizza than a delightful dish
Well, the good first:  Thanks to RP, I am a real fan of Harry Manx, whom I never knew until RP, so that's a really good thing for me.  The not so good is that over-produced string section -- Harry, are you bored or broke?  Not a good choice IMO, those strings.  A redux of Summertime is fine by me, as we've all heard many variations on the great tune.
Nice followup after Beatles Within You Without You, Harry's guitar almost carried the sitar on. Well done Bill!
Weird, different, I like it.
I'm a fan of some of his output but, oh boy, this is excruciatingly bad.

Edit: Just had to play the Billie Holliday version to restore my faith in the merits of this song.
Maybe get the vocals done all Alice in Chains style to go with the strings?
Nope. Not feeling this one at all. The strings are scary.  But thanks for offering a chance to hears this, Bill.  Raised my monthly donation too. Your station is an oasis in an ever encroaching music desert. Thanks.
Excellent, thanks for playing this.  I hadn't heard it yet.
 DaidyBoy wrote:
I've heard quite a bit from this gentlemen and I appreciate what an unique talent he possesses.  Hard earned over many years of study, too.  But my ears think that this track is grim.  Sorry, fans.  PSD.

 
I'm a huge fan of the tune "Summertime" and many of the various versions folks have put out over the years.  I probably skip this track 1/2 of the times I hear it, although today I gave it full listen and will keep it rated at (the group average) 6.  This one might be better suited to my home stereo vs. my workplace headphones or the kilowatt system in my truck.  Long Live RP!!
I've heard quite a bit from this gentlemen and I appreciate what an unique talent he possesses.  Hard earned over many years of study, too.  But my ears think that this track is grim.  Sorry, fans.  PSD.
The best is by Brainbox, the best so far.
From Amsterdam, starring guitarist Jan Akkerman again. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainbox

when the strings kicked in the horror began
My first time hearing this version. I'm not surprised that it's getting a mixed reaction. I am a bit surprised though that the naysayers are so much more vocal than the likers! Personally, I give it a  7👍
Why?
Unnecessary cover.  {#Stupid}
This cut has no right to live.  Send it to the cornfield, Bill.
Wow. Had to turn this one off.
There are many good versions of this song (Doc Watson, Sidney Bechet, and even Sublime), but this isn't one of them. 
Meh.
Why are there so many damn versions of this song?
 folkrocker wrote:
Bleh. I don't grok this arrangement of this great song.
 
Likewise.
Bleh. I don't grok this arrangement of this great song.
 FlatCat wrote:
Oh, he's not a bad man. I quite like much of what Bill plays from Harry. But this an awful mishmash where all three genres in this mix suffer. 
 
There is nothing to excuse in a man who would do what he has to this song.
 aelfheld wrote:
Make the bad man stop.
 
Oh, he's not a bad man. I quite like much of what Bill plays from Harry. But this an awful mishmash where all three genres in this mix suffer. 
Bravo! What a great rendition of this classic song.
Make the bad man stop.