Your,re No Good Linda Ronstadt (and, yes, Van Halen) cover

[ODH]

I'm mostly familiar with this song as the strong opening track on Van Halen's second album, Van Halen II. I knew it was a cover (they did some great covers in their early days), but I didn't really know the original. Then I saw the Linda Ronstadt version in an 1974 playlist and I knew it was on. Turns out that's also a cover - the original goes back to the early sixties for Dee Dee Warwick (Dionne's sister).

And inevitably VH came into it. I was intending to make a fairly true (to the Ronstadt) version, but the instrumental section makes no sense to me and I didn't want to do it.  So I decided to do it inspired by the VH version. Then it grew arms and legs.

The guitar is the Tokai Telecaster as well as the acoustic and a bunch of other stuff.

[StephenM]

thanks for the history update on the Warwick sisters... I did not know that..

tell you what I did know was Linda Ronstadt's version of this.. I bet I heard it a few hundred times or more and it does not get old... and then yeah man... Van Halen II... I was around 19 or 20 when that came out after already being sold on the first VH album... and I got to see that tour...VHII that is...and I was literally about 25 feet from the stage on Eddie's side of the stage.. it was loud... he stood in front of that wall of amps... I could not hear right for 5 days after... yeah... man.

to your version...  I will be back...

[ODH]

and I got to see that tour...VHII that is...and I was literally about 25 feet from the stage on Eddie's side of the stage.. it was loud... he stood in front of that wall of amps... I could not hear right for 5 days after... yeah... man.

Wow, that's a hell of an anecdote. I'd love to be able to say I'd seen Van Halen, but sadly not. Kudos.

[StephenM]

Nick, this is beyond good... this is a great cover. 
also I totally understand about the instrumental from Linda Ronstadts version... she used a guitar player alot named Waddy Wachtel who was one of the premier LA session guitarists... kind of like Jeff Porcaro was on drums... very sought after..

your lead is amazing here though.. the whole cover is really great.  blowing my mind.

[Zoltan]

I have the EVH guitar and i'm not sure if i've even played any Van Halen licks with it. I guess i'm closer to Van Helsing than Halen. Oh well...

And yes i know this song, but not the Van Halen version. The way you make it sound here is magical. Kinda makes me worried if you've been sniffing on that anodized pickguard of yours.
It's trippy, it's good and completely natural sounding.

[StephenM]

I need to add that I did see VH one more time... it was the 80s and Hagar was in the band..kicked major ass.

I was big Hagar fan too... still am

[StephenM]

wow Nick, you got me digging back into this song again... it still stuns me every time I hear it.. I will always be partial to LInda's version but the song warrants covers like yours (and awesome too)...

I was reading that Andrew Gold was real involved in this, playing drums, keyboards, and lead guitar... blows my mind... he was pretty well known in LA but not that well known otherwise but he had an amazing song of his called "Lonely Boy" which got alot of air play in the 70s here.  Also he was saying Linda didn't like the music at first (her stuff was real heavy country in those days, that album tended to be slow stuff too) and thought it was very Beatles (which I never really thought that) but after she heard it 5 or 6 times she (thankfully) fell in love with it...