The Smiley Smile Message Board

Music world friends of mine and other friends who are interested are invited to my blog, Reuminations at blogspot.com to catch my latest piece, which is a study of the changes in Rock music over 45 years through listening to cover versions of a song that has become a standard, Sea Cruise, written and originally recorded by Huey "Piano"Smith and His Clowns. The piece is called "The Forty Five Year Saga of Sea Cruise." Here's a link: http://peternreum.blogspot.com/

Peter,  Thanks for setting up all the links.  That was fun!  Loved the Frankie Ford clip - that's the one I loved as a kid.

I haven't had a chance to comment on your November/December blog posts, but enjoyed them very much.  Going to have to get the Harris book on The Band.  Sounds good.

May the New Year bring only good things to your world. - peace, Will

Thank you, Will...and thank you for clicking through the latest  piece on Sea Cruise!

Good job, thanks a lot Peter, cheers Gerhard

Thanks - again!

Peter-  

Haven't read the full piece yet, got sidetracked at Huey Smith....    Wondering:  
 Reading your blog I get the sense you're saying Huey's version was released first while Frankie had the hit
The comments at youtube seem to reveal that the first issued version was actually sung by Frankie Ford over Huey's backing track and the version on youtube by Huey wasn't actually released until 1971.

All in all, a very enjoyable read.  You pulled out some unusual  renditions, possibly more definitive as to their changing styles, that are missing from the Wiki list, which includes some you missed; including the most recent version from 2009, in yellow, below

Herman's Hermits covered the song in 1965 on the album Introducing Herman's Hermits.
 The Hondells covered the song in the 1960s, as seen on a Scopitone film.[2]
 Freddy Cannon covered it in a 1968 single released by "We Make Rock'N Roll Records" #1604[3][4]
 Shakin' Stevens and the Sunsets covered the song On album " Good Rockin Tonight " from 1971.
 The Houseshakers in Demolition Rock (1972) (available on CD Contours Of Rock 'n' Roll Raucous Records).
 Sha Na Na on The Night Is Still Young and Golden Age Of Rock 'n' Roll (both 1972).
 Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen covered the song in 1973.
 Johnny Rivers covered it in 1974 on the album Last Boogie in Paris.
 John Fogerty covered it on his self-titled 1975 solo album.
 Nicky Hopkins covered it in 1975 on the album No More Changes.
 The Beach Boys, recorded c. 1976 for initial inclusion on 15 Big Ones (released on the 1981 compilation album Ten Years of Harmony featuring a vocal by Dennis Wilson)[5]
 Robert Gordon and Link Wray covered the song on their 1977 album Robert Gordon with Link Wray.
 Billy "Crash" Craddock[6] covered it in 1980 on the album Changes.
 Rico Rodriguez recorded an instrumental version in 1980 with The Specials.
 Glenn Frey recorded the song on his first solo album, No Fun Aloud in 1982, after having performed it with Eagles on the same year of their breakup, 1980.
 Anne Murray performed the song in her 1983 TV special Anne Murray: Caribbean Cruise.
 The Kidsongs Kids covered the song on their 1986 video "What I Want to Be!".
 Dion covered the song in 1990 on the album Adventures of Ford Fairlane.
 American R&B and boogie-woogie pianist and singer Little Willie Littlefield recorded a version for his 1997 album The Red One.
 Jimmy Buffett covered the song on the 1995 album Margaritaville Cafe Late Night Gumbo. It also appeared on M.O.M. - Music for our mother ocean - Vol 3 in 1999, and Jimmy's Live in Mansfield, MA CD released in 2004.
 Status Quo on the 1999 single "The Way It Goes."[7]
 Cliff Richard and The Shadows covered the song on their 2009 album Reunited. Cliff also covered it on his 1990 live album, From a Distance - The Event.
 Swedish rock band Kjellas Traktorkapell has recorded a cover titled Koskit baby (Cow dung, baby).
 Don McLean on his 1981 album Believers

Peter could have been working on links for two days!

I love the Nicky Hopkins version from 1975's No More Changes.  Got to own the vinyl to have it in your collection, I do.  But, not impossible to hear...thanks to youtube and Nicky's archive collection:

http://youtu.be/1gnyD4enkiE

Hi  Chris, I did look into most of the versions you mentioned. I included many, but because I was after illustrating changes in musical styles, I chose ones that were reflective of the changes music was going through at the time of the groups or artists recording them.  Hence, there might be a reggae version, but not another pop version. The Nicky Hopkins version is great Will....thanks for posting the link!