Paul McCartney - Solo Rockers (1969-2026) (A Mike Solof Guest Post)

I recently posted three compilation albums of rockers from the solo careers of the four ex-Beatles, and three more compilation albums of ballads from them. All of those were put together by guest poster Mike Solof. But when Mike made those, he discovered there were a lot more rockers and ballads by Paul McCartney than any of the other ex-Beatles, since he's had a long and very prolific career. So Mike decided to make an extra rockers album just of McCartney songs, as well as an extra ballads one. Here's the rockers.

All the songs are taken from studio albums or singles. There are no special edits done by Mike this time. 

By the way, note that the range of years given in the title, 1969-2026, is for the entire project. On this album, the actual range ins 1972 to 2007. As usual, see the mp3 tags for all the details. 

This album is an hour and two minutes long.

01 Junior's Farm (Paul McCartney)
02 Night Out (Paul McCartney)
03 Rinse the Raindrops (Paul McCartney)
04 Angry (Paul McCartney)
05 Beware My Love (Paul McCartney)
06 Used to Be Bad (Paul McCartney)
07 Rock Show (Paul McCartney)
08 Getting Closer (Paul McCartney)
09 Hi, Hi, Hi (Paul McCartney)
10 Jet (Paul McCartney)
11 Magneto and Titanium Man (Paul McCartney)
12 Fine Line (Paul McCartney)
13 Live and Let Die (Paul McCartney)
14 Ever Present Past (Paul McCartney)
15 Get Out of My Way (Paul McCartney)

https://pixeldrain.com/u/5rb7nkZK 

alternate:

https://bestfile.io/en/sD7pOUGHyzFduOl/file

Now that this is an album only featuring McCartney, there's no need for Mike to use AI to create images of imagined Beatles reunions. So this is a real photo of McCartney in concert. Mike selected the picture though, so I don't know what year it's from or other details. 

John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison & Ringo Starr - Solo Rockers, Volume 3 (1969-2026) (A Mike Solof Guest Post)

Here's the third and last album compiling the best rockers from the solo careers of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. Once again put together by Mike Solof (with some suggestions from me). 

There's one more best ballads album coming. Then, since McCartney has so much solo career, and his heart keeps on ticking, there's another album of extra rockers from him, and another of extra ballads. (On top of that, you'll also notice slightly more songs from him on these other albums too.)

Most of the songs here come from studio albums. There are a couple of exceptions though. "Soily" is a great McCartney rocker from his Wings years. He put out a live version, but no studio version. The version here is an unreleased studio take. Also, "I'm Losing You" and "Cleanup Time" were both included on Lennon's 1980 album "Double Fantasy." However, these are special remixes done by Mike. Oh, and the last song is an unusual one. "Givin' Grease a Ride" originally appeared on a 1974 album by Mike McGear, McCartney's brother. But Mike (Solof) did another edit to remove McGear and focus on McCartney's participation on it. McCartney co-wrote it, and the backing band on the recording was Wings. 

This album is 59 minutes long. 

31 Soily [Take 7] (Paul McCartney)
32 Goodnight Vienna (Ringo Starr)
33 I'm Losing You [Mike's Mix 2025] (John Lennon)
34 Old Siam, Sir (Paul McCartney)
35 Any Road (George Harrison)
36 Cleanup Time [Mike's Mix 2025] (John Lennon)
37 Spin It On (Paul McCartney)
38 It Don't Come Easy (Ringo Starr)
39 Sue Me, Sue You Blues (George Harrison)
40 House of Wax (Paul McCartney)
41 Whatever Gets You thru the Night (John Lennon)
42 Any Road (George Harrison)
43 Home to Us (Paul McCartney & Ringo Starr)
44 Drowning in the Sea of Love (Ringo Starr)
45 Givin' Grease a Ride [Wings Only Version] [Mike's Mix 2025] (Mike McGear with Paul McCartney and Wings) 

https://pixeldrain.com/u/nNBttgVC

alternate:

https://bestfile.io/en/d5Oeosromzuc9dy/file

The cover is another imagines Beatles reunion image that Mike asked an AI program to make. I pointed out to him that it was odd if the crowd was behind the Beatles, but Mike pointed out it could have been a stage in the center of the crowd. 

John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison & Ringo Starr - Solo Rockers, Volume 2 (1969-2026) (A Mike Solof Guest Post)

Here is the second out of three albums where guest poster Mike Solof gathered together rockers from the solo careers of the Beatles. I've already explained pretty much everything you need to know in the write-up to "Volume 1," so I'll keep this write-up short.

All the songs here have been officially released, except for "Dispute and Violence." This was a collaboration between George Harrison and Ravi Shankar that was performed during Harrison's 1974 concert tour. 

This album is an hour and one minute long. 

Note that, for this album and the others in this series and the ballads series, Mike wanted the track numbering to continue from album to album. That way, you can put them in one folder and listen to them as a single album if you want. 

15 So Glad to See You Here (Paul McCartney)
16 What You Got (John Lennon)
17 Wake Up My Love (George Harrison)
18 One (Ringo Starr)
19 Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five (Paul McCartney)
20 Devil's Radio (George Harrison)
21 Instant Karma [We All Shine On] (John Lennon)
22 Have You Seen My Baby (Ringo Starr)
23 Girls School (Paul McCartney)
24 Tight A$ (John Lennon)
25 Cloud 9 (George Harrison)
26 Oh My My (Ringo Starr)
27 Monkberry Moon Delight (Paul McCartney)
28 I Don't Wanna Face It [Mike's Mix 2025] (John Lennon)
29 Dispute and Violence (George Harrison & Ravi Shankar)
30 Only Mama Knows (Paul McCartney)

https://pixeldrain.com/u/jjye47MU

alternate: 

https://bestfile.io/en/L7Adyk612Rd8gDn/file

The cover image is another one Mike made using AI, imagining Beatles reunions that never happened. In my opinion, this one has a late 1970s vibe.

Suzanne Vega - Cover Versions, Volume 2: 1997-2022

Here's the second and final volume of cover versions performed by Suzanne Vega. As I mentioned in my write-up for Volume 1, she's very rarely put any covers on her studio albums, but she's done some in concerts and in non-album projects. This completes all the ones I could find.

Most of the songs here are officially released. But there are four unreleased ones: "Blowin' in the Wind," "The Man Who Sold the World," "Femme Fatale," and "Dreaming." All of those come from concert bootlegs.

As for the officially released ones, three of them - "Behind Blue Eyes," "Solitaire," and "Have You Met Miss Jones" - are from a DVD called "Live at Montreux 2004." Three more are from a rarities album simply called "Rarities." That leaves three songs, which are from different "various artists" compilations.

By the way, in late 2025, Vega released a new studio album, "Flying with Angels." I think it's very good. If you haven't given it a listen yet, you should. I've been wanting to post a concert of her performing songs from that album, but I haven't come across anything with worthy sound quality yet. 

This album is 42 minutes long. 

01 Coventry Carol (Suzanne Vega)
02 Erie Canal (Suzanne Vega with Dan Zanes)
03 Behind Blue Eyes (Suzanne Vega)
04 Solitaire (Suzanne Vega)
05 Have You Met Miss Jones (Suzanne Vega)
06 Blowin' in the Wind (Vanessa Paradis & Suzanne Vega)
07 The Man Who Played God (Sparklehorse with Suzanne Vega)
08 Streets of Laredo (Suzanne Vega)
09 Femme Fatale (Suzanne Vega)
10 Walk on the Wild Side (Suzanne Vega)
11 Dopamine (Mitchell Froom with Suzanne Vega)
12 The Man Who Sold the World (Suzanne Vega)
13 Dreaming (Suzanne Vega)

https://pixeldrain.com/u/6tJ2iy66 

alternate: 

https://bestfile.io/en/vkIJ2fVYijhItZ7/file

The cover image is from 1997. I don't know anything beyond that. The background was plain white. I didn't like that, so I pasted in the same background that appeared in the cover for Volume 1. 

Covered: Brian Wilson, Volume 3: 2001-2009 (A Fabio from Rio Guest Post)

Volume 3 of "Covered: Brian Wilson" focuses on the first decade of the new millennium, a period during which Brian Wilson experienced something of a creative renaissance after spending decades being regarded as a "lost genius". He surprised the music world by returning to the long-abandoned "Smile" project, choosing to record and release an entirely new version with the Wondermints, and then touring extensively while performing the album in its entirety. This approach was particularly noteworthy because, contrary to popular myth, the original 1960s recordings had not been destroyed by Brian during some psychotic outburst; they had remained safely stored in Capitol Records’ vaults, awaiting the archival release that would eventually arrive a few years later.

Alongside Brian’s artistic rebirth came a fresh wave of tributes from both established and younger artists. Some approached his songs with a nostalgic or traditional sensibility, while others reimagined them through a more contemporary musical lens. Together, they demonstrated the remarkable adaptability of his compositions and their ability to resonate across generations and genres.

This volume contains many memorable performances, but one stands out as especially remarkable: Joss Stone’s rendition of "God Only Knows". It earned the distinction of becoming one of only two songs represented by more than a single performance in this collection.

The cover photograph comes from another period of renewal in Brian’s life: the late 1980s, around the release of his first solo album. At the time, "Doctor" Eugene Landy had assumed extraordinary control over both Brian’s personal and professional affairs, claiming to be guiding his recovery. As later documented in books, documentaries, and feature films, the results were far more complicated than they initially appeared.

This album is 57 minutes long.

01 You Need a Mess of Help to Stand Alone (Michael Carpenter)
02 A Day in the Life of a Tree (Matthew Sweet)
03 Add Some Music to Your Day (Kate Campbell)
04 God Only Knows (Joss Stone)
05 Heroes and Villains (Rubinoos)
06 I Just Wasn't Made for These Times (Sixpence None the Richer)
07 Lay Down Burden (Jane Kelly Williams)
08 Love and Mercy (Randy Stonehill)
09 Surf's Up (Rick Altizer)
10 This Whole World (Dolour)
11 Wild Honey (Robin Goldwasser)
12 Your Imagination (Amilia K. Spicer)
13 Surfin' U.S.A. (Jeffrey Foskett & Jeff Beck)
14 The Warmth of the Sun (Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs)
15 Wake the World (Epicycle)
16 Surfin' Safari (Rockapella)
17 Catch a Wave (Ramouns)

https://pixeldrain.com/u/DTqSEwpg

alternate:

https://bestfile.io/en/STpOrAzZntMdQ4P/file

The cover image is from 1998.

Covered: George Harrison, Volume 4: 2004-2010

Here is the fourth out of six "Covered" volumes for George Harrison.

Unfortunately, before the start of the time period of this volume, Harrison had already died. (He died in 2001 all too young, at the age of 58.) That means he wasn't putting out any more new music. So for this volume and the next two, we're basically playing catch up, with covers from earlier parts of his music career, including going back to his years with the Beatles.

The first song here is a special treat. It comes from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony in 2004, because Harrison was posthumously inducted that year. This version of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" has a lot of stars peforming on it, including some I didn't include in the song title, due to wanting to keep it short, like Steve Winwood and Dhani Harrison. But what really makes this version stand out is the wild guitar soloing by Prince. A lot of people were impressed, as you can see by the fact the YouTube video is up to 140 million views when I'm writing this in May 2026. But this version remains unreleased. 

Generally speaking, I try hard to only include one version of each song in a Covered series like this. But every now and then, there are cases where I can't resist adding more than one. For this series, I have two versions of "Something" (on Volumes 1 and 2, by Shirley Bassey and James Brown). I also have two versions of "If I Needed Someone." I included the Hollies version of that song on Volume 1, because they had a hit with it back in 1965. It made the Top Twenty in Britain. That was Harrison's first hit song, actually. 

However, I'm including a second version of that song here, even though it's not one of his most popular songs. That's because in 2004, Roger McGuinn did a version of it. McGuinn used to be the main singer for the Byrds, and Harrison wrote the song with a very obvious Byrds influence. It was one he openly acknowledged from the start. He even sent McGuinn an advanced copy of the song, along with a thank you note. So it's nice to finally hear what the Byrds might have done with this Byrdsy song.   

This album is an hour and one minute long.

01 While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne & Prince)
02 All Things Must Pass (Paul McCartney)
03 If I Needed Someone (Roger McGuinn)
04 Love Comes to Everyone (Eric Clapton)
05 Handle with Care (Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins)
06 Stuck Inside a Cloud (Herb Eimerman)
07 Dark Sweet Lady (Nelson Bragg)
08 I Want to Tell You (Thea Gilmore)
09 Blue Jay Way (Secret Machines)
10 Within You, Without You (Patti Smith)
11 That's the Way It Goes (Joe Brown)
12 I Live for You (Tift Merritt)
13 Blow Away (Den Fiori)
14 Hear Me Lord (Chip Mergott)
15 Deep Blue (Carolina Lima)
16 Be Here Now (Robyn Hitchcock)

https://pixeldrain.com/u/61Dy14BG

alternate: 

https://bestfile.io/esiuW1bolSkXUjR/file

The cover image is from 1991.  

Covered: Neil Young: Alternates, Volume 3: 2007-2016 (A Fabio from Rio Guest Post)

Here's the third volume out of four containing alternates to the "Covered" volumes made for the songs of Neil Young.

As with the other volumes in this series, the song selections were almost entirely made by guest poster Fabio from Rio. I just made a few small suggestions. So thanks again to him for his work on this.

I've already said pretty much all I wanted to say in Volumes 1 and 2 in this series, so look to that for more commentary. Also, Fabio wrote some liner notes, which are included in the download zip. (But they're the same notes for all four volumes.) 

This album is one hour long.

01 Bandit (Liam Titcomb)
02 Sugar Mountain (Harpoondodger & Pat Robitaille)
03 Long May You Run (Chris Seldon)
04 Wonderin' (Nils Lofgren)
05 Coupe de Ville (Jens Severin & Helpless)
06 I Am a Child (Eliza Gilkyson, John Gorka & Lucy Kaplansky)
07 Words [Between the Lines of Age] (Chip Taylor)
08 You and Me (Trappers Cabin)
09 On the Way Home (America)
10 Lost in Space (Cosmo D)
11 Shots (Max Spada)
12 Can't Stop Workin' (Minus 5)
13 Hangin' on a Limb (Hall - Eserstam)
14 Country Home (Ragged Glory Holes)

https://pixeldrain.com/u/HkT8kKJb

alternate:

https://bestfile.io/en/tNUkYbG4WCAjmCj/file

The cover image is from 2005.

Covered: Neil Young: Alternates, Volume 2: 2001-2007 (A Fabio from Rio Guest Post)

Here's the second volume out of four, of alternates for Neil Young's "Covered" series. As I explained in my write-up for Volume 1, guest poster Fabio from Rio did most of the legwork finding cover versions for the original ten volumes, but I had most of the say in picking which ones were ultimately chosen. So these four alternate volumes are kind of Fabio's "revenge," because he did the picking. There were only one or two songs I pointed out I didn't think were that strong.

There's not much else to say. As with Volume 1, about half the songs are different versions of covers chosen in the original ten volumes, and about half the songs are ones that only show up in these alternates volumes. 

This album is an hour and three minutes long. 

01 Dreamin' Man (Freebo)
02 Pressure (Ned Whattakiller)
03 This Note's for You (Royal Cat Club)
04 Pocahontas (Johnny Cash)
05 On the Beach (Radiohead)
06 Let It Shine (Ad Vanderveen)
07 Falling from Above (Jamey Darnold)
08 Hawks and Doves (Scott Miller & the Commonwealth)
09 Red Sun (Charlie Macon)
10 Without Rings (Scott Sandi)
11 The Needle and the Damage Done (Jorane)
12 Families (Gil Michaels)
13 Helpless (Elk City)
14 Cortez the Killer (Carrie Rodriguez with Tim Easton)
15 Ohio - Find the Cost of Freedom (Dalia)

https://pixeldrain.com/u/ySf9gd4c

alternate: 

https://bestfile.io/en/BLbNlIQ1jzvddqu/file

The cover image is from 1991 or thereabouts.

Stevie Nicks with Vanessa Carlton - PBS Soundstage, WTTW Studios, Chicago, IL, 10-2007

Im posting Neil Young and Dionne Warwick albums almost exclusively while I’m on vacation, but here’s an exception. I happen to have this episode of the “PBS Soundstage” episode ready to go. It stars Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac, with Vanessa Carlton as a special guest for a couple of songs.

Here's part of the intro to the Wikipedia entry for guest star Vanessa Carlton: 

Vanessa Lee Carlton (born August 16, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, pianist, and actress. Her 2002 debut single "A Thousand Miles" spent 41 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned three Grammy nominations, becoming her signature song. It preceded her debut album, Be Not Nobody, released by A&M Records that same year and reaching number five on the Billboard 200. It further produced the singles "Ordinary Day" and "Pretty Baby". ... In 2025, Billboard ranked Carlton among the best female artists of the 21st century. 

Here's the link to the Wikipedia entry for Carlton:

Vanessa Carlton - Wikipedia 

The music here is unreleased in audio format. The sound quality is excellent. I believe it comes from a DVD. That’s why it’s a full concert length instead of being edited down to about an hour.

This album is an hour and 45 minutes long.

01 Stand Back (Stevie Nicks)
02 talk (Stevie Nicks)
03 Enchanted (Stevie Nicks)
04 talk (Stevie Nicks)
05 If Anyone Falls (Stevie Nicks)
06 Rhiannon (Stevie Nicks)
07 talk (Stevie Nicks)
08 Crash into Me (Stevie Nicks)
09 Sorcerer (Stevie Nicks)
10 talk (Stevie Nicks & Vanessa Carlton)
11 The One (Stevie Nicks & Vanessa Carlton)
12 Gold Dust Woman (Stevie Nicks)
13 talk (Stevie Nicks)
14 I Need to Know (Stevie Nicks)
15 talk (Stevie Nicks)
16 Circle Dance (Stevie Nicks & Vanessa Carlton)
17 talk (Stevie Nicks)
18 Landslide (Stevie Nicks)
19 talk (Stevie Nicks)
20 Sara (Stevie Nicks)
21 talk (Stevie Nicks)
22 Fall from Grace (Stevie Nicks)
23 talk (Stevie Nicks)
24 How Still My Love (Stevie Nicks)
25 Edge of Seventeen (Stevie Nicks)
26 Rock and Roll (Stevie Nicks)

https://pixeldrain.com/u/guZHk5jq

alternate:

https://bestfile.io/NPLWxwegFSrGUCg/file

The cover is a screenshot taken from a video of this exact concert.

Various Artists - Covered: Neil Young, Volume 6: 2007-2011

Modern technology is amazing: I’m writing this while sitting in an eco lodge deep in the Amazon jungle in Peru (with a huge rhino beetle on the floor about five feet from me). Anyway, not much time to write, but here’s another Neil Young “Covered” album, since I have more of those to post than Dionne Warwick albums while I’m on vacation.

As usual, here's the write up by Fabio from Rio:

By the late 2000s, Neil Young's catalog had entered yet another phase of rediscovery. While earlier generations of alternative rock musicians had embraced his influence during the grunge years, a new wave of indie-folk and Americana performers began revisiting his songs with quieter, more introspective arrangements. At the same time, the Internet was transforming how music circulated among fans: live recordings, tribute performances, and previously obscure interpretations were now easier to find and share among the global community of "Rusties." Young himself remained prolific, releasing ambitious projects such as "Chrome Dreams II" and "Le Noise." The covers in this volume reflect that diverse landscape - a mixture of indie artists, roots musicians and veteran performers exploring both well-known classics and deep cuts from across Young's long career.

--- 

Note that Fabio wrote individual paragraphs about all the songs in this volume. To see that, please look at the Word file added to the download zip file. Thanks again to Fabio for his help putting these albums together.  

This album is an hour and four minutes long. 

01 Walk On (Heidi Gluck)
02 Sleeps with Angels (Astrid Young)
03 Too Far Gone (The Brooke)
04 Soldier (Tara Angell)
05 World on a String (Nils Lofgren)
06 War of Man (Ann Wilson & Alison Krauss)
07 Mellow My Mind (Simply Red)
08 Don't Cry No Tears (Nils Lofgren)
09 Human Highway (Crosby, Stills & Nash)
10 Ambulance Blues (Lisa Miller)
11 Journey through the Past (James Mercer)
12 You and Me (Trappers Cabin)
13 Cortez the Killer (Veda Hille)
14 Let's Roll (Irish Zeyez)
15 Transformer Man (Veda Hille)
16 From Hank to Hendrix (Joe Chaplain)
17 The Losing End [When You're On] (Elvis Costello) 

https://pixeldrain.com/u/fPC5Dxpi

alternate: 

https://bestfile.io/en/FLXFvzMRlreZG3c/file

The cover photo is from 2006. I used the Krea AI program to improve the detail.

Various Artists - Covered: Neil Young, Volume 5: 2005-2007

Here’s another “Covered “ Neil Young. Since I’m on vacation, I’ll keep this short. Once again, Fabio from Rio wrote some notes, so here they are:

 By the mid-2000s, Neil Young had fully achieved something rare in popular music: he was simultaneously a living legend and an active creative force. His catalog had by then become a kind of common language shared across genres. Indie rock bands, folk revivalists, alternative country singers, and even pop performers were freely exploring different corners of his songwriting. Meanwhile, Young himself continued releasing ambitious work, from the politically charged "Living with War" to the reflective "Prairie Wind."

The covers gathered in this volume illustrate how widely his influence had spread. Younger artists approached the songs with fresh sensibilities, sometimes transforming well-known classics into intimate acoustic performances, while others revived deeper cuts that had long been favorites among the devoted "Rusties." In several cases, the reinterpretations reveal how remarkably adaptable Young's compositions are: sometimes, the same song can thrive equally well as a folk lament, a rock anthem, or a stripped-down indie confession.

--- 

Note that Fabio wrote individual paragraphs about all the songs in this volume. To see that, please look at the Word file added to the download zip file. Thanks again to Fabio for his help putting these albums together. 

This album is an hour and one minute long.

01 Shots (Constantines)
02 The Needle and the Damage Done (Pretenders)
03 Deep Forbidden Lake (Bentonio)
04 For the Turnstiles (Be Good Tanyas)
05 Little Wing (Elizabeth Mitchell)
06 Rockin’ in the Free World (Ann Vriend)
07 Burned (Veruca Salt)
08 Cinnamon Girl (Melissa McClelland)
09 Hey Hey, My My [Into the Black] (Hard Lessons)
10 I Am a Child (Britta Phillips)
11 Ordinary People (Steve Dahl)
12 Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown (Trews)
13 Natural Beauty (Tara MacLean)
14 Bad Fog of Loneliness (Justin Nozuka)
15 A Man Needs a Maid (Dala)

https://pixeldrain.com/u/1NAGbFYv

alternate:

https://bestfile.io/en/MNwLg7EujqM3NBd/file

The cover photo is from 1982. Boy, does he look different from the cover of Volume 4! He's almost unrecognizable in this one, in my opinion. This is an actual untouched photo, no AI help this time. You can find similar ones if you look for other photos from 1982, the only year he looked like this.

Elton John - Cover Versions, Volume 5: 2002-2007

In 2023 and 2024, I posted four volumes collecting all the cover versions performed by Elton John that I could find. However, I stopped this series before finishing it because I ran into copyright issues with the fourth volume. But I've had way less of those issues in recent months, so I'd going to try to post the fifth volume. If that works out, the sixth and final volume will follow. But you might want to grab this quickly, just in case.

Tracks 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, and 8 are all unreleased, and from concerts. Out of those, tracks 2 and 3 are from a CMT Crossroads episode with Ryan Adams. Track 9 was also performed live, but it's from a tribute album to Luther Vandross. For all these live songs, I used the MVSEP program to wipe the cheering, so those songs would fit with the studio tracks.

That leaves the studio tracks, all of which are released. Those are from a mix of movie soundtracks, tribute albums, and duets done on albums by other musical acts. If you want more details, please look at the mp3 tags for the individual songs. Like always, I include the source info for each song on every album I post. 

By the way, some of the links in the previous volumes in this series weren't working, but I just replaced them with new links. 

This album is 48 minutes long.

01 Oh My Sweet Carolina (Elton John)
02 Firecracker (Elton John & Ryan Adams)
03 La Cienega Just Smiled (Elton John & Ryan Adams)
04 Makin' Whoopee (Elton John)
05 Moon River (Elton John)
06 Nighttime Is the Right Time (Elton John & Mary J. Blige)
07 Born to Lose (Elton John)
08 Rock This House (B. B. King & Elton John)
09 Anyone Who Had a Heart (Elton John & Luther Vandross)
10 Dreamland (Bruce Hornsby & Elton John)
11 Where We Both Say Goodbye (Catherine Britt & Elton John)
12 Rags to Riches (Tony Bennett & Elton John)
13 Blueberry Hill (Elton John) 

https://pixeldrain.com/u/PWY7tZVF

alternate:

https://bestfile.io/en/Tk5ynn7dYAJmOmv/file

The cover photo is from a concert at Wembley Arena, in London, on December 5, 2003. 

Various Artists - Covered: Tom Waits, Volume 3: 2004-2012 (A Fabio from Rio Guest Post)

Here's "Volume 3" out of four volumes made for the "Covered" series, showcasing the songs of Tom Waits.

Like the other volumes in this series, this was mostly put together by Fabio from Rio. He did all the heavy lifting in finding the source material, and I only helped to winnow down the songs to a reasonable number. Fabio also wrote the notes for each volume, so here's his notes for this one:

In the nineties and early 2000s, Waits fused experimental sounds with stark American roots music—blues, gospel, field hollers, and folk. Themes of death, sin, redemption, and rural myth dominate. This allows for covers that, while highlighting their folk or country origins (sometimes deeply buried at the original recordings, but more perceptible when reinterpreted by performers from diverse backgrounds), still keep their darker spirits through melancholic or nihilistic lyrics.

In this volume, the country side of Waits' music is quite perceptible via covers by Elvis Costello, Norah Jones, and Claudia Bettinaglio. One may also feel the sexiness and smoky-room cabaret ambiance at Diana Krall's "Temptation", Monique Maion's "Walking Spanish," and Clara Bellino's "Swordfishtrombone." 

Traces of rockabilly and R&B can be found with Mark Lemhouse's "No One Can Forgive Me" and English seventies folk with Plant and Krauss' "Trampled Rose", along with blues and rock tracks like Hart and Bonamassa's "Chocolate Jesus" and Goldheart Assembly's "Clap Hands." Overall, this makes for an eclectic selection, much like the average Tom Waits album. An acoustic, home-demo-like version of "In the Neighborhood" by Peter Gabriel, recorded in 2012 for a benefit album for war-torn regions, closes the volume on a poignant note.

--- 

This album is 57 minutes long. 

01 Innocent When You Dream (Elvis Costello)
02 Temptation (Diana Krall)
03 Long Way Home (Norah Jones)
04 Big in Japan (Shane Nicholson)
05 Swordfishtrombone (Clara Bellino)
06 Eyeball Kid (Michael Stanley)
07 Cold Cold Ground (Claudia Bettinaglio)
08 Trampled Rose (Robert Plant & Alison Krauss)
09 All the Time in the World (Southside Johnny)
10 No One Can Forgive Me (Mark Lemhouse)
11 Walking Spanish (Monique Maion)
12 Chocolate Jesus (Beth Hart & Joe Bonamassa)
13 Clap Hands (Goldheart Assembly)
14 In the Neighborhood (Peter Gabriel)

https://pixeldrain.com/u/wvcKwhGU

alternate: 

https://bestfile.io/en/7tUs0XZxiJ6YplA/file

The cover photo shows Waits at a movie premiere in Leicester Square, in London, on October 6, 2009. (As usual with this series of course, I replaced the background with blank light blue).

John Fogerty - BBC Sessions, Volume 1: In Concert, Glastonbury Festival, Worthy Farm, Pilton, Britain, 6-23-2007

Here's John Fogerty, formerly of Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR), performing at the massive annual Glastonbury Festival in 2007.

Note that he also performed at the 2025 Glastonbury Festival, and I've posted that album already. Both of his performances were broadcast by the BBC, since they broadcast most of that festival every year. So I've made this one "BBC Sessions, Volume 1" and renamed the 2025 one to be "BBC Sessions, Volume 2." If you want to get the renamed version of that other one, with updated cover art and mp3 tags, here's the link:

https://albumsthatshouldexist.blogspot.com/2025/08/john-fogerty-bbc-in-concert-glastonbury.html

This concert was in a very big pile I have of BBC concerts I want to post here eventually. But recently, a volunteer named Ed said he wanted to help get albums ready. He picked this one as one of the first ones he wanted to help with, so it moved up to the top of the pile. He worked on improving the sound balance and such.

Fogerty released the studio album "Revival" in 2007. I consider it one of his best solo albums, so I was surprised and disappointed to see that he didn't include a single song for it. But then I realized that this concert took place in June 2007, and "Revival" wasn't released until October. So he probably wasn't ready to play those in concert until after the album came out.

But it also was a bit strange that he practically played nothing but CCR songs, or cover songs associated with CCR, like "Cotton Fields" and "I Heard It through the Grapevine." The only song from his solo career was the last one, "Rockin' All Over the World." That's a bit unfortunate, because while he wrote many great CCR songs, he wrote many great solo career songs as well.

Weirdly, this concert is missing just one song, according to the setlist.fm song list. "Travelin' Band" was the first song performed. Two songs, "Green River" and "Ramble Tamble," came from a different source than the usual BBC broadcast, but essentially had the same sound quality. 

This album is an hour and 10 minutes long. 

01 talk (John Fogerty)
02 Green River (John Fogerty)
03 talk (John Fogerty)
04 Who'll Stop the Rain (John Fogerty)
05 Sweet Hitch-Hiker (John Fogerty)
06 Lookin' Out My Backdoor (John Fogerty)
07 Born on the Bayou (John Fogerty)
08 Ramble Tamble (John Fogerty)
09 Midnight Special (John Fogerty)
10 I Heard It through the Grapevine (John Fogerty)
11 Lodi (John Fogerty)
12 Cotton Fields (John Fogerty)
13 Have You Ever Seen the Rain (John Fogerty)
14 Up Around the Bend (John Fogerty)
15 Keep On Chooglin' (John Fogerty)
16 Down on the Corner (John Fogerty)
17 Good Golly, Miss Molly (John Fogerty)
18 Bad Moon Rising (John Fogerty)
19 Fortunate Son (John Fogerty)
20 Rockin' All Over the World (John Fogerty)

https://pixeldrain.com/u/3kHEWe6F 

alternate: 

https://bestfile.io/en/O34rtLaq6qCZFSL/file

The cover photo is from this exact concert. 

Various Artists - Covered: Hank Williams, Volume 2: 1995-2017

Here's the second part to the "Covered" series about country music legend Hank Williams.

As I said in my write-up for Volume 1, I wanted to make these albums accessible to more than just country music fans. So that's why I mostly chose covers from recent decades, and by the likes of Beck, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Norah Jones, and so on. 

The vast majority of these were hits when Williams did them before his death in 1953. While there were a lot of hit cover versions of his songs, these generally were not hits. As I just mentioned, I was striving to get away from country versions, and those were most of the hit versions.

As always with these "Covered" albums, the songs are in loose chronological order, based on the year of release. And, as always, check the mp3 tags for the details. 

This album is 45 minutes long. 

01 I'm a Long Gone Daddy (The The)
02 I Can't Help It [If I'm Still in Love with You] (Cat Power)
03 [I Heard That] Lonesome Whistle (Beck)
04 I Can't Get You Off of My Mind (Bob Dylan)
05 Alone and Forsaken (Emmylou Harris & Mark Knopfler)
06 You're Gonna Change [Or I'm Gonna Leave] (Tom Petty)
07 Cold, Cold Heart (Norah Jones)
08 Lost Highway (Lee Rocker)
09 Ramblin' Woman (Cat Power)
10 Take These Chains from My Heart (Rosanne Cash)
11 A House of Gold (Patty Griffin)
12 How Many Times Have You Broken My Heart (Norah Jones)
13 Mansion on the Hill (Willie Nelson)

https://pixeldrain.com/u/p9WTgUAm

alternate:

https://bestfile.io/en/D7RUZWT6RaYdFQj/file

I don't know the details of where or when the cover photo was from. However, it was in color, so I didn't need to change anything. 

Various Artists - Gershwin Prize for Popular Song Honoring Paul Simon, Warner Theatre, Washington, DC, 5-23-2007

Here's another "Gershwin Prize for Popular Song" concert. This one honors Paul Simon.

This was the very first Gershwin Prize to be awarded. In 1998, some entertainment producers and promoters came up with the idea of having an award for comedians, which resulted in the annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, connected to the Library of Congress and with an annual concert broadcast on PBS TV stations. That idea turned out to be a big success, so in 2003 the same group came up with the same idea, but for musicians. Then I guess it took a few more years before the first prize was awarded in 2007. You can read more about the prize and its history here:

Gershwin Prize - Wikipedia 

In this concert, there weren't that many guest stars performing Simon's songs. But that meant that most of the bigger names there (Lyle Lovett, James Taylor, Alison Krauss, Marc Anthony, and Stevie Wonder) got to perform two songs instead of the usual one.

As is usually the case with such concerts, it ended with a short set by the honoree, Paul Simon. Given the huge role Art Garfunkel had in Simon's music career as part of Simon and Garfunkel, I feel he got kind of dissed here, being only involved in one song, "Bridge Over Troubled Water." But the two of them had a turbulent relationship for decades. Their last tour together would take place in 2009, and their last performance together in 2010. After that, they had a more severe and prolonged falling out, though I was glad to see it reported that by 2024 they had reconciled as friends again.

This albums in unreleased in audio format. However, a DVD of it has been released. Strangely, it seems to be the only Gershwin Prize concert released on DVD. The sound quality is excellent. 

This album is an hour and 36 minutes long. 

01 talk (emcee)
02 talk (Bob Costas)
03 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover (Lyle Lovett)
04 The Boxer (Alison Krauss, Shawn Colvin & Jerry Douglas)
05 Mother and Child Reunion (Stephen Marley)
06 Homeless (Ladysmith Black Mambazo)
07 Slip Slidin' Away (James Taylor & the Dixie Hummingbirds)
08 Sunday Morning with the Sensational Nightingales (Billy Collins & the Dixie Hummingbirds)
09 That Was Your Mother (Lyle Lovett with Buckwheat Zydeco)
10 Still Crazy After All These Years (James Taylor)
11 El Condor Pasa (Marc Anthony)
12 Late in the Evening (Marc Anthony)
13 Gone at Last (Yolanda Adams & Jessy Dixon)
14 Something So Right (Dianne Reeves)
15 The 59th Street Bridge Song [Feelin' Groovy] (Grover & Elmo of the Muppets)
16 Graceland (Alison Krauss & Jerry Douglas)
17 talk (emcee)
18 talk (James H. Billingston)
19 talk (Paul Simon)
20 Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes (Paul Simon & Ladysmith Black Mambazo)
21 talk (Paul Simon)
22 Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon & Garfunkel)
23 talk (Paul Simon)
24 Father and Daughter (Paul Simon)
25 Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard (Paul Simon with Stevie Wonder)
26 talk (Paul Simon)
27 Loves Me like a Rock (Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder & the Dixie Hummingbirds)
28 The Sound of Silence [Instrumental Version] (Philip Glass)

https://pixeldrain.com/u/C2ct9sek

alternate:

https://bestfile.io/en/3k0vX3n5GD90SUE/file

The cover photo is from this exact concert. It shows Simon with Stevie Wonder and some members of the Dixie Hummingbirds when they performed "Loves Me like a Rock" together.

The Beatles - The Beatles Uncovered, Volume 14: Mike's Mixes (1964-2007) (A Mike Solof Guest Post)

I didn't know if I would have time to post this before leaving for my vacation, but I managed to get the packing done in time. So here's another guest post by Mike Solof, another one of his great Beatles remix albums.

The last volume in this series was a bit weird, kind of Mike's B-team choices to go with unlucky Volume 13. But for this volume, he's back to his usual. 

And speaking of usual, Mike has included a PDF with detailed notes on all the songs and their edits, as he usually does. So please give that a read for more information on this album. 

This album is 59 minutes long. 

01 I'm Losing You [Mike's Mix 2025] (John Lennon with Cheap Trick)
02 And I Love Her [Mike's Mix 2025] (Beatles)
03 Sour Milk Sea [Mashup Version] [Mike's Mix 2025] (George Harrison, the Beatles & Eric Clapton)
04 Here Comes the Sun [Mike's Mix 2025, Version 2] (Beatles)
05 You've Really Got a Hold on Me [Mike's Mix 2025] (Beatles)
06 What You're Doing [Mike's Mix 2025] (Beatles)
07 Got to Get You into My Life [Mike's Mix 2025] (Beatles)
08 Rain [Take 5, Actual Speed] [Mike's Mix 2025] (Beatles)
09 This Song Is about You [Mike's Mix 2025] (Ringo Starr & the Roundheads)
10 I Should Have Known Better [Mike's Mix 2025] (Beatles)
11 Any Time at All [Mike's Mix 2025] (Beatles)
12 It s All Too Much [Mike's Mix 2025] (Beatles)
13 Yellow Submarine [Mostly Song Writing Demo] [Mike's Mix 2025] (Beatles)
14 I'm Only Sleeping [Edit of Takes 1 & 2] [Mike's Mix 2025] (Beatles)
15 I Want You [She's So Heavy] [Mike's Mix 2025] (Beatles)
16 Love You To [Take 7, Rehearsal and Commercial Version] [Mike's Mix 2025] (Beatles)
17 Band on the Run [One Hand Clapping Version] [Mike's Mix 2025] (Paul McCartney & Wings) 

https://pixeldrain.com/u/fKuWH4uz

alternate:

https://bestfile.io/5KP7ajM4CZ69ThF/file

The cover photo is something Mike found on the Internet, another AI-generated "what if" picture of John and Paul. 

Peter Frampton - PBS Soundstage, WTTW Studios, Chicago, IL, 1-18-2007

Here's another from a long series of episodes of the TV show "PBS Soundstage." This time, it's an extra long episode, featuring Peter Frampton. I believe this actually was two hour-long episodes that made up a single concert.

Peter Frampton will always be associated with one album, and a double live album at that: "Frampton Comes Alive." Released in 1976, it was the best selling album of the year, and went on to have sales of more than eight million albums in the U.S. alone. But weirdly, he didn't have much commercial success before or after that. His second best selling album was "I'm in You," released in 1977, which sold a million in the U.S.

I think Frampton got kind of a raw deal out of this, with most people reducing his career to that one album. He actually put out a lot of good music in a career that's lasted over 50 years and is still going as I write this in 2025. This concert recording includes the big songs from "Frampton Comes Alive," sure, but it has lots of other good songs that weren't on that album. Frampton sings and writes songs, sure, but I think he's especially underappreciated as a lead guitarist. 

Everything here is unreleased. The sound quality is excellent. I found video files, converted them to audio, then broke them into mp3s. So this is probably the first time this concert has been shared as an album. 

This album is an hour and 47 minutes long.  

01 Off the Hook (Peter Frampton)
02 Lying (Peter Frampton)
03 talk (Peter Frampton)
04 Lines on My Face (Peter Frampton)
05 talk (Peter Frampton)
06 Show Me the Way (Peter Frampton)
07 Black Hole Sun [Instrumental Version] (Peter Frampton)
08 Nasssau - Baby, I Love Your Way (Peter Frampton)
09 talk (Peter Frampton)
10 Do You Feel like We Do (Peter Frampton)
11 All I Want to Be [Is by Your Side] (Peter Frampton)
12 talk (Peter Frampton)
13 Wind of Change (Peter Frampton)
14 I Need Ground (Peter Frampton)
15 Money [I'll Give You That] (Peter Frampton)
16 talk (Peter Frampton)
17 Can't Take That Away (Peter Frampton)
18 I Don't Need No Doctor (Peter Frampton)
19 While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Peter Frampton)

https://pixeldrain.com/u/3dUYdGGZ

alternate:

https://bestfile.io/en/ctRVLzfwx30eop3/file

The cover image is from this exact concert. 

Various Artists - Songs in the Key of Brian - Remembering Brian Wilson (1975-2021) (A Fabio from Rio Guest Post)

One of the all-time great musical geniuses, Brian Wilson, died a few days ago, on June 11, 2025. He was 82 years old. I wanted to post something to mark his passing. Luckily, I've recently been collaborating with a new musical friend, who goes by the name Fabio from Rio. He's a big fan of Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys, and came up with the idea of creating an album consisting entirely of songs about Brian Wilson. So that's what this is. I gave him free reign, and only helped him some with suggestions on song selection.

I would have never come up with the idea for this album, because I had no idea that there would be enough songs about Brian Wilson to make up an entire album. I knew of the song "Brian Wilson" by Barenaked Ladies, since that was a hit back in the 1990s, but that was about it. But Fabio must be a really big fan, because he found so many songs that we had to cut some out to keep the album from getting too long.

The album starts with a rare demo written and sung by Wilson himself. It also ends with two more written and sung by him, including a rare live version of "Love and Mercy." Fabio explained the reasoning for this in an email, which I liked. I'll just paste in his explanation here:

"The Wilson tunes are bookends, as they serve to introduce and close the 'main event' (all the tracks written to him or about him) while bringing a personal Brian touch to the collection. The first song, a 1975, demo works as a prelude (acknowledging Brian's fragility and strength both simultaneously contained in his voice), 'The Last Song' is the epilogue, and 'Love and Mercy' is a coda." 

Regarding the rest of the songs, what Fabio calls the "main event," tracks 2 through 13, are basically divided into two parts. Tracks 2 through 8 are direct tributes to Brian. That's obvious by their titles, but it's not just that: the lyrics and musical style ooze reference and admiration for the man. That's followed by tracks 9 through 13, which are indirect tributes to Brian, or direct tributes to things related to him (the Beach Boys, his health shop, girls, his genius, family), all mentioning him either in the title or lyrics.

So, a big thanks to Fabio from Rio for coming up with the idea for this album and then finding and selecting the songs. As you could guess from the name, he's Brazilian, and hopefully in the future he'll be able to assist in sharing more music from Brazil. I like a lot of music from Brazil, despite not speaking Portuguese at all. I haven't really shared any music from Brazil until now, because I don't have worthy rarities. But he does, so look forward to that in the future. He also has some other plans, including creating one or more albums as a further tribute to Wilson that will consist of songs in a Beach Boys style composed by other musical acts. 

Fabio has also taped a great number of concerts in Brazil. You can find some of them on his YouTube page, here: 

https://www.youtube.com/@musicadequalidade2020/videos

This album is 58 minutes long.

01 In the Back of My Mind [Demo] (Brian Wilson)
02 The Love Songs of B. Douglas Wilson (Splitsville)
03 Mr. Wilson (Hormones)
04 Dear Brian (Chris Rainbow)
05 Brian Wilson Said (Tears for Fears)
06 Brian Wilson (Barenaked Ladies)
07 Mr. Wilson (John Cale)
08 Brian Wilson (Queers)
09 Crazy = Genius (Panic at the Disco)
10 Radiant Radish (Pearl & the Oysters)
11 Brian Wilson Is My Dad (Breakup Shoes)
12 Minnesota Girls (Shackletons)
13 Since God Invented Girls (Elton John)
14 The Last Song (Brian Wilson)
15 Love and Mercy (Brian Wilson)

https://pixeldrain.com/u/Kn42WH9u

alternate: 

https://bestfile.io/en/EMCkcQ343EW7g0m/file

The cover photo shows Wilson in 2007. I added the font colors and type to match those used on the cover of the Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds" album.

Various Artists - Covered: Stevie Wonder, Volume 7: 2005-2018

Here is the seventh and last volume of Stevie Wonder's "Covered" series. Just as a reminder, like all the "Covered" albums I post, the emphasis is on the songwriting. So these are all songs written or co-written by Wonder, but performed by others.

By the time period of this album, 2005 to 2018, Wonder's songwriting had slowed way down. In fact, writing this in 2025, Wonder still hasn't released a new studio album since 2005. So all the songs here are covers from earlier years, especially from his golden era of the 1970s. "You Met Your Match" is the oldest song here, from 1968.

Finally, with this volume, the full scope of Wonder's songwriting genius can be seen. Some of his best songs don't show up until this volume. So all seven volumes should be seen as a whole. 

Just by chance, I didn't find any covers that I liked best from after 2018. But I'm sure more great covers will emerge in the years to come.

This album is 59 minutes long.

01 I'm Going Left (Eric Clapton)
02 You Haven't Done Nothin' (Joe Cocker)
03 Village Ghetto Land (Jen Chapin)
04 You Met Your Match (Tower of Power)
05 Sir Duke (Devon Allman)
06 Do I Do (Cuban Jazz Combo)
07 True to Your Heart (Wailing Souls)
08 Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer (Phil Collins)
09 Part-Time Lover (Hyannis Sound)
10 Jesus Children of America (Michele Thomas)
11 Master Blaster [Jammin'] (Minnie Driver)
12 Happier than the Morning Sun (Venice)
13 Another Star (Denise King & Massimo Farao Trio)
14 He's Misstra Know It All (Beverley Knight)
15 I Just Called to Say I Love You (John Prine)

https://pixeldrain.com/u/TspNmpTd

alternate:

https://bestfile.io/en/BTqEF6EfLzBnzrw/file

The cover photo is from 2003.