NSDLD Cover of the Day: "Pressing On" by John Doe Plus John Lennon's "Imagine" covered by Michael Stipe

 

First, my apologies to those who had trouble with yesterday's dropbox link. I have switched to sendspace, which seems to be working fine. So if you couldn't download Eric Clapton's cover of "I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine" yesterday, you should be able to now. Also, if you want to get updates on the daily covers, sign up here or follow me on Twitter; I'm not sure if the Expecting Rain links will continue.

Today's Nobody Sings Dylan Like Dylan cover is "Pressing On," performed by John Doe (with Cindy Wasserman), from April 15, 2015 at the Hollywood Palladium, where he opened for the Replacements. Doe also sang this on the soundtrack of Todd Haynes's wonderful filmic mediation on Dylan, I'm Not There. He's got a new album out called The Westerner and a memoir about his early days on the L.A. punk scene as one of the founders of X called Under the Big Black Sun.

Pressing On - John Doe

Thanks BLG for sharing this splendid recording.

Pressing on is what the people in Orlando are trying to do--they have had a bad few days. On Friday night, young singer Christina Grimmie was shot and killed while signing autographs after her show; Saturday night, more than 100 people were shot and and at least 50 of them were killed while out at a club trying to have a good time. I don't know what the killers' motives were, but I know one thing they had in common: they had guns the whole civilized world now wishes they hadn't. Everyone should do what they can to change this--at the very least, if you are an American citizen, you should vote. 

  
Both of these tragedies struck people who were out listening to music--which is sad, since music is one of the most healing things we have in what some wise person once called our "world gone wrong." One of the most peaceful, healing songs ever written is "Imagine," by John Lennon. Here it is, performed by Michael Stipe, opening for Patti Smith, at New York's Beacon Theater on November 10, 2015.
 
 Imagine - Michael Stipe

Thanks Neil D for the historic recording, and thanks John for the song, which can come in handy on a night like this.