Best Obscure Cover Songs: 'Yer Blues' By The Dirty Mac
Who was the first supergroup? Cream? Crosby, Stills & Nash? Humble Pie?
How about The Dirty Mac? A group that didn't last more than a single session.
Their one and only performance was on " The Rolling Stones' Rock and Roll Circus" (1968), a TV special featuring The Stones along with The Who, Jethro Tull, Marianne Faithful, and others.
They played only one song, a cover of The Beatles' "Yer Blues." Afterward, they backed up Yoko Ono on "Whole Lotta Yoko."
So who were The Dirty Mac?
You have
- Mitch Mitchell (Jimi Hendrix's drummer) putting his sticks to the skins.
- John Lennon shredding his vocal cords and guitar strings in his first performance without The Beatles since the Fab Four's rise to fame.
- Eric Clapton on lead guitar, showing why Lennon wanted hire the former Yardbird to replace George Harrison when the "Quiet Beatle" stormed out of the "Get Back/Let It Be" recording sessions.
- Keith Richards backing up the rhythm section with a raunchy bassline.
Check out the cover, introduced by John Lennon and Mick Jagger.
And here's the original from The Beatles' White Album:
No other supergroup in history has contained as many rock laureates as The Dirty Mac. Each member has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Two are listed multiple times: Lennon as a Beatle and solo artist; Clapton as a solo artist as well as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream.
Perhaps it's fitting that The Dirty Mac only performed at a circus: with that much talent, the band's really a freak show.
This is part of a series on best obscure cover songs. Give us your suggestions in the comments.