Do it again, and again, and again......

This great track was recently brought to my attention by the consistently good Another Night On Earth blog, where it's Asso incarnation was posted as the b-side to the classic Don't Stop track. The tune was familiar of course, but I'd not heard the Steely Dan original for years so I hunted it down to make a comparison. The arrangements are suprisingly similar, the original having more of a bossa-nova shuffle to it than the disco groove of Asso's remake. Otherwise, the main difference is in the solo's - and this is where my preference is decided. The original opens the solo-section with a sitar, one instrument I'm really not keen on the sound of. Following this is some nice organ noodling, which I'm all for. However, Asso replace the sitar with what sounds like an electric guitar and we get a spaced out synth lead instead of the organ. This, coupled with the disco beat really hits the spot for me, making a good song great (although still not worth the $350 the Asso 12" goes for!).

Steely Dan - Do It Again.mp3

Asso - Do It Again.mp3 (ANOE)

Whilst searching for the original, I came across a couple of other versions, the first of which is from Smash Mouth. It has some nice swinging drums and a cool organ solo but I can't say I'm keen on the guys voice, which kinda ruins it really. The other version is a medley with Michael Jackson's Billie Jean from Italian producers Clubhouse. It doesn't do anything too flashy but ends up working suprisingly well.

Smash Mouth - Do It Again.mp3

Clubhouse - Do It Again / Billie Jean.mp3