ORIGINAL VERSUS COVER: PART TEN, GOING BACK TO MY ROOTS

Lamont Dozier:

Here is my next post in the series in which I'll argue that the cover is better than the original version of the song. This time I'm going to compare Lamont Dozier's original version and Odyssey's cover version of the song, Going Back to My Roots.

Lamont Dozier wrote and recorded the Going Back to My Roots song in 1977. The song is about the African roots of many black Americans. The American singer was one-third of the Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting and production team responsible for many Motown hit songs.

Lamont Dozier's Going Back to My Roots:

Before going to Odyssey's cover version, I want to mention Richie Havens' 1980 cover of the Going Back to my Roots song. Richie Havens was primarily a folk musician, though he fused soul music and, in this cover's case, a bit of disco music into his musical repertoire. Richie Havens was the opening act of the infamous Woodstock festival held in 1969.

Richie Havens' Going Back to My Roots:

Odyssey, an American disco-cum-soul music outfit then based in New York but now based in Britain, released their cover version of Going Back to My Roots in 1981. Odyssey scored a big hit with their cover version and also had hits with Native New Yorker, Use It Up and Wear It Out and Inside Out. Odyssey were very much part of the New York disco scene of the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Odyssey's Going Back to My Roots:

Lamont Dozier's original version of Going Back to My Roots is very good and Richie Havens' cover version is arguably better, with both versions sending out disco vibes. But given the song is about going back to my roots and given my disco roots, I'm opting for Odyssey's cover version as the best rendition of the song.

Which version of Going Back to My Roots do you like best, Lamont Dozier's, Richie Havens' or or Odyssey's?

Below are links to my other blog posts in this 'original versus cover' series:

Odyssey:


Comments

  1. JoyJuly 16, 2024 at 2:13 AM

    Loving Odyssey's cover of it also..Never heard of the song before until now..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bow and Arrow ManJuly 16, 2024 at 3:04 AM

      I didn't realise the song had such a history. I like the original version as well as Odyssey's cover.

      Delete
  2. Debbi (Enigma)July 16, 2024 at 6:28 AM

    I like Richie Haven's best.

    Did I ever tell you that Logan's father was big in the folk scene back in the sixties? He played with a lot of the famous bands in Motown back in the day as back up, too. Really talented guy. Logan's brother and he inherited the rights to their father's music. They had a record company approach them to rerelease them. So cool.

    They also licensed a few of his songs for commercials and tv. When he was here to visit, we watched "The Righteous Gemstones" and there was his father's song, credited and everything. He got such a kick out of it.

    ReplyDelete

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