
I was a big fan of "rock with horns" when I was in high school. Chicago was my favorite band, but I liked other bands with a similar sound, most notably Blood, Sweat & Tears. I got Blood, Sweat & Tears’ Greatest Hits for Christmas 1972, and knew most of the songs on it, but two stuck out like a sore thumb: "I Can’t Quit Her" and "I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know". Not that they were bad (in fact, they were my favorite tracks on the album), just different. Most notably, this wasn’t David Clayton-Thomas singing, and I didn’t know exactly who it was.
I did some research, and learned that BS&T was started by Al Kooper, whom I had first encountered on the Supersession album he did with Mike Bloomfield and Stephen Stills. He had recorded on BS&T’s first album, 1968’s Child Is Father To The Man. This was a surprise: I knew all about the band’s eponymous 1969 release, with songs like "Spinning Wheel" and "You’ve Made Me So Very Happy" on it, and thought that was their initial release. The next time I was in a record store (remember those?) I found and purchased their actual first album.

Recently, this album re-emerged from the depths of my mind, and as I was playing "I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know" on YouTuve, I noticed that there were several songs by the same name. I played a few of them and discovered they were covers of BS&T’s.
That’s how I came up with today’s battle. Here are two covers of the song.
Donny Hathaway
This was on Donny’s last album, 1973’s Extension Of A Man.
Amy Winehouse
Not sure where this is from, and I’ve checked Wikipedia, Discogs, and Allmusic.
Now comes the audience participation portion of our show. If you’re a member of my audience, you show remarkably good taste, and your input would be most appreciated. For that matter, if you’re not a regular reader of this blog, but would like to participate, be my guest, and don’t be a stranger! Here’s what you do…
- Listen to the two songs.
- Decide which song you like the best.
- Vote for your favorite by leaving me a comment with your choice. If you feel like telling us why, feel free.
- Then, visit the other participants and vote in their Battles:
- Stephen at STMcC Presents Battle of the Bands
- Arlee at Tossing It Out
- Mike at Mike’s Ramblings
- Cathy at Curious As A Cathy
- Mary B at Jingle Jangle Jungle
- Diedre at Streampebbles
- Debbie at The Doglady’s Den
At noon Eastern (US) Standard Time on February 8, 2023 (that’s next Wednesday), I’ll tally the votes and announce the winner shortly thereafter.
The lines are now open. Good luck to Donny and Amy!