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John Hammond — Jockey Full of Bourbon
Album: Wicked Grin
Avg rating:
6.8

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1574









Released: 2001
Length: 3:31
Plays (last 30 days): 3
Edna Million in a drop dead suit
Dutch Pink on a downtown train
Two-dollar pistol but the gun won't shoot
I'm in the corner on the pouring rain
Sixteen men on a dead man's chest
And I've been drinking from a broken cup
Two pairs of pants and a mohair vest
I'm full of bourbon, I can't stand up

Hey little bird, fly away home
Your house is on fire, children are alone
Hey little bird, fly away home
Your house is on fire, your children are alone

Schiffer broke a bottle on Morgan's head
And I'm stepping on the devil's tail
Across the stripes of a full moon's head
And through the bars of a Cuban jail
Bloody fingers on a purple knife
Flamingo drinking from a cocktail glass
I'm on the lawn with someone else's wife
Admire the view from up on top of the mast

Hey little bird, fly away home
House is on fire, children are alone
Hey little bird, fly away home
House is on fire, your children are alone

I said hey little bird, fly away home
Your house is on fire, your children are alone
Hey little bird, fly away home
House is on fire, your children are alone

Yellow sheets on a Hong Kong bed
Stazybo horn and a Slingerland ride
"To the carnival" is what she said
A hundred dollars makes it dark inside
Edna Million in a drop dead suit
Dutch Pink on a downtown train
Two-dollar pistol but the gun won't shoot
I'm in the corner on the pouring rain

Hey little bird, fly away home
Your house is on fire, your children are alone
Hey little bird, fly away home
Your house is on fire, your children are alone
Comments (99)add comment
 nutrod42 wrote:

And again in 2023.


2024 says hi! Don't mind this repetition at all :)
Does Waits justice! Actually makes a TW tune more digestible.
Quite good. He doesn't try to imitate Waits 
 eyke wrote:

from Norah Jones covering The Long Way Home to John Hammond covering Jockey Full of Bourbon...thanks for the back to back Tom Waits.


And again in 2023.
ohhhh

I thought this was Charlie Musselwhite
 slugore wrote:

Imagining my Jockeys full of bourbon...



Happened to me...
weak remake. why?
 It is  OK, but compared to the TW original, about as satisfying as low-alcohol beer.
Imagining my Jockeys full of bourbon...


Two Tom Waits covers back to back. I'm hoping he plays Tom Waits next.

Happily enjoying the Los Lobos vibes.  The only thing that could top it is...playing Los Lobos right after!
Clearly this was recorded following the debacle at Jurassic Park that 
went down....
That accordion is sooo cool! Love it. 
 Proclivities wrote:

There are over 100 covers of Tom Waits' songs recorded by artists diverse as Robert Plant, Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Cash, Neko Case, Joe Bonamassa, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Rod Stewart, Queens of the Stone Age, The Eagles, Patti Griffin, Willie Nelson, and many others.  Generally I prefer Tom's originals to the covers but I guess those artists didn't get that memo.  This particular cover is a little too "clean" for me though.
 
I would have liked to hear Leonard Cohen cover this one. That for sure would not have been "clean"
My second rating of 1 on RP is this piece. No depht, totally "clean".
from Norah Jones covering The Long Way Home to John Hammond covering Jockey Full of Bourbon...thanks for the back to back Tom Waits.
 kbs wrote:

Ditto moi - I tend to go for musicality rather than performance and emotion (if that is what it is). 
 
Tom Waits is in the Bob Dylan mold of musician. Immensely talented, hugely influential, and a pain in the rear to actually listen to. 

As far as this goes, it's the epitome of a "6 - Pretty Good."
 rhlrstn wrote:

And here I was thinking I'd probably enjoy TW's music more performed by anyone BUT TW..
 
Ditto moi - I tend to go for musicality rather than performance and emotion (if that is what it is). 
 jbunniii wrote:
Some artists' music simply should not be covered by others.  Tom Waits falls in that category.
 
There are over 100 covers of Tom Waits' songs recorded by artists diverse as Robert Plant, Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Cash, Neko Case, Joe Bonamassa, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Rod Stewart, Queens of the Stone Age, The Eagles, Patti Griffin, Willie Nelson, and many others.  Generally I prefer Tom's originals to the covers but I guess those artists didn't get that memo.  This particular cover is a little too "clean" for me though.
 jbunniii wrote:
Some artists' music simply should not be covered by others.  Tom Waits falls in that category.
 
And here I was thinking I'd probably enjoy TW's music more performed by anyone BUT TW..
This is a very bad cover :-( 
Joe Bonamassa does a very nice acoustic version of this that is very nice. This one is OK but I prefer Tom's and Joe's much more.
I'm liking the skip ahead button.
This reminds me of when Pat Boone covered Little Richard.
Is this what John Hammond is singing about...


Drunk jockey full of bourbon 
I see what you did there.
The original version was kinda "something new". Seems John Hammond felt an urge to "correct" that.

(Still a 3 for me as he could have made it even worse.)
Interesting to have this follow the Blue Hawaiians since the Blue Hawaiians' cover of this song is much better.
"down by law" from jim jarmusch!
poor little rabbit...

love it!
 
Lazarus wrote:

Isn't this from the movie with Tom Waits where the DJ goes to prison?
 

 




                                     {#Fire}
 ottojschlosser wrote:
The main reason I like these Tom Waits covers is that I get to hear all the lyrics for once.

 

Word.  {#Laughing}
As usual the comments are all over the map. I for one think this version is fun, as is the whole album.
 Stingray wrote:
How to describe this kind of music...?

Whatever it is - it is CERTAINLY not for me! 

 
And for you, my ever so discerning friend, the PSD was created. Use it.
How to describe this kind of music...?

Whatever it is - it is CERTAINLY not for me! 
 jagdriver wrote:

Methinks the best rendition is by the Blue Hawaiians.

  this and the BH version are white-bread yuppie trash. how does any musician deprive a song, so completely, of its soul and still feel compelled to record it? it's mind boggling 
 Proclivities wrote:

This version "compares" to the original, just not very favorably, in my opinion.  This seems a little too antiseptic to me, especially for John Hammond.

 
But he's got a good organ.
The main reason I like these Tom Waits covers is that I get to hear all the lyrics for once.
 Nix wrote:
Doesn't compare to Tom Waits. Sorry.
Agreed.  I know Hammond is the real deal...most of the time.  This rendition is for deep archive.
Doesn't compare to Tom Waits. Sorry.
forgot about this album... like it muchly. always dug john hammond's voice... a sexy dude. 

 
Very cool album indeed.

Isn't this from the movie with Tom Waits where the DJ goes to prison?
 
How
 polished. Not to my taste — I'll take the raspy, rough-edged original any day.
 jagdriver wrote:

Methinks the best rendition is by the Blue Hawaiians.
 
{#Iamwithstupid}


 dewinter wrote:
Not a good cover.  Please just play the original of this song!  That would be awesome!
 
absolute agreement


Further proof that bourbon and horse riding do not mix... 

 secretsauce wrote:


But I don't think that Waits' tunes should be avoided as cover songs as a rule.

 
Most of the other tracks on this album work.

This one, however, is just... toothless.
 dewinter wrote:
Not a good cover.  Please just play the original of this song!  That would be awesome!
 
totally agree!
 jbunniii wrote:
Some artists' music simply should not be covered by others.  Tom Waits falls in that category.
 
Disagree completely!   That displays a very low opinion of Waits-the-songwriter to imply that his songs can only be carried by Waits-the-performer.  It is a credit to a song when it stands on its own merits independent of a specific performance or performer.  And Waits' songs are often spectacular bits of songwriting (as in this case).

I don't necessarily think this version succeeds (although I love the accordion).  I don't think Hammond is trying to add too much to the delivery of the lyrics that they just don't need.

But I don't think that Waits' tunes should be avoided as cover songs as a rule.

Ladybug, ladybug, fly away...your home is on fire, but your children are saved!!
,
Not a good cover.  Please just play the original of this song!  That would be awesome!
 jbunniii wrote:
Some artists' music simply should not be covered by others.  Tom Waits falls in that category.
 
Well, Waits produced this, so he must've been OK with the cover version, don't you think?

 jbunniii wrote:
Some artists' music simply should not be covered by others.  Tom Waits falls in that category.
 
I completely disagree. Waits' songs are complex enough to lend themselves to many different interpretations, and his voice is, to put it mildly, an acquired taste. If you put a song into the public domain, then it can be performed by anyone as long as they cough up the rights fee. In this case, yer man Hammond has deliberately avoided the down 'n dirty sleaze of Waits which I think detracts from the original, but it's a good interpretation worthy of at least a 7 from the Nottingham jury.

On a more general level, there is no music that shouldn't be 'covered'. Bear in mind that the whole of the classical music oeuvre is effectively cover versions of composer's works.

 jbunniii wrote:
Some artists' music simply should not be covered by others.  Tom Waits falls in that category.
 
It's unbelievable how many Tom Waits songs have been covered.
However, I can't think of any songs that Tom Waits covers, but I guess if your that prolific..........

 jbunniii wrote:
Some artists' music simply should not be covered by others.  Tom Waits falls in that category.
 
I disagree. Actually, Holly Cole did a nice job.

https://www.radioparadise.com/content.php?name=songinfo&song_id=34808

Some artists' music simply should not be covered by others.  Tom Waits falls in that category.
Marginal at best. Feh. This had better be followed up by some real Tom Waits.
 von_Hayek wrote:
I rather stick to the original. {#Arrowd}
 
2nd!
I rather stick to the original. {#Arrowd}
I must throw in with those who vote the Blue Hawaiians' version as best. They are the cooooolest band in the world!

 jagdriver wrote:

Methinks the best rendition is by the Blue Hawaiians.
 

Bravo! Like Bryan Ferry does with covers, they made it their own.
 BigTimber wrote:
When do we get to hear Britney Spears' version of "Singapore"?
 

Oh, if only.... I think more people should cover  Waits' songs. 

 
 dedawson wrote:
If you want to hear this song done right, check the Moxy Fruvous' version.
 

No, if you want to hear this song done right, go back to the original: Tom Waits!  His voice: {#Cowboy}{#Drunk}{#Guitarist}
dedawson wrote:
If you want to hear this song done right, check the Moxy Fruvous' version.

i do like that version, but i don't mind this version ...

Um, okay...why not just pull Tom's teeth and be done with it?  {#No}
Give me the Tom Waits version anyday.  You want someone that sounds like he has at some point experienced, and may even be experiencing while singing the song, the titular drink.
I like the song name.  That is about it.
 dedawson wrote:
If you want to hear this song done right, check the Moxy Fruvous' version.
 
Methinks the best rendition is by the Blue Hawaiians.
I don't mind the polka business, but the lyrics and voice sucked.
If you want to hear this song done right, check the Moxy Fruvous' version.
DoctorHooey wrote:
Bwahahahaha I hear Justin Timberlake does a killer version of "Strange Weather"
How about Beyonce doing 'Step Right Up'? I'd pay good money to hear that. "It gives you an erection, it wins the election".
Thought it was Los Lobos for a second there...
ranwulf wrote:
Tom Waits is outstanding, but it's always amazing to hear people covering him: different interpretations turn the songs into something else entirely. Holly Cole does an entire album of Tom's music on "Temptation," and does a fantastic job. This is a good version, but I gotta say I prefer Tom.
Waits version blows this away. Hammond's is a relaxed, breezy, languid interpretation which is at odds with the desperate nature of the lyrics.
BigTimber wrote:
When do we get to hear Britney Spears' version of "Singapore"?
BigTimber wrote:
When do we get to hear Britney Spears' version of "Singapore"?
Bwahahahaha I hear Justin Timberlake does a killer version of "Strange Weather"
Tom Waits is outstanding, but it's always amazing to hear people covering him: different interpretations turn the songs into something else entirely. Holly Cole does an entire album of Tom's music on "Temptation," and does a fantastic job. This is a good version, but I gotta say I prefer Tom.
thatch wrote:
Is it just me or does he sing slightly flat?
Must be just you... But no worse than Tom Waits sounds when you hear him...
When do we get to hear Britney Spears' version of "Singapore"?
Is it just me or does he sing slightly flat?
You all should hear the Blue Hawaiians' version. It's seriously good.
I think the Blue Hawaiians beat this version by a L-O-N-G shot!
Dianyla wrote:
How many possible versions of this song are there?
3,954,468--tho' I'm not sure if two Mitch Miller versions should count as 1 or 2.
the_jake wrote:
Moxy or Tom's version are better.
I prefer Moxy's version... but it's pretty cool that you could hear all 3 on RP.
JrzyTmata wrote:
MF's version rocks!! I think I will upload the Tom Wait's original when I get home.
Moxy or Tom's version are better.
Patrick wrote:
Gimme da concertina!
Yeah....
"Wicked Grin" is an excellent album. Some tracks we HAVE to hear off of it are "2:19", "16 Shells from a 30oz Six" and "I Know I've Been Changed"
This is a great song but i'm gonna have to agree with the notion that the Moxy Fruvous version was awesome, i like how they gave it more energy. give us MOXY!! still this version has its merits
Two tunes off this album in one day! OK by me!
How many possible versions of this song are there?
Gregorama wrote:
I love this song & so I uploaded it. It's a Tom Waits song, as are all on Wicked Grin. That's the great Flaco Jimenez on the accordian. Hope y'all like it. Quite a divergence from most of Hammond's excellent Delta Blues.
MORE WAITS' COVERS AND MORE WAITS!!!! PLEASE!!!!!!
hmmm... not bad, but i'll always prefer A Ass Pocket of Whiskey...
Gimme da concertina!
JrzyTmata wrote:
MF's version rocks!! I think I will upload the Tom Wait's original when I get home.
I was about to do the same (but probably I've reached my RP upload limit ), that one can't be beaten.
Bring in Moxy!!!<
jayladdin wrote:
A cool cover. Nice to hear it! I'm still partial to Moxy Fruvous's live version, though. :)
MF's version rocks!! I think I will upload the Tom Wait's original when I get home.
A cool cover. Nice to hear it! I'm still partial to Moxy Fruvous's live version, though. :)
I love this song & so I uploaded it. It's a Tom Waits song, as are all on Wicked Grin. That's the great Flaco Jimenez on the accordian. Hope y'all like it. Quite a divergence from most of Hammond's excellent Delta Blues.