The Rebel Light, of Los Angeles, California took a shot at The Ronettes classic – always a bold move – and in their case a successful one. They retain the massiveness of the original sound but add some of their own summery shine and the final result is warm, expansive and delightful.
Bonus facts: they recorded the vocals in their bathroom and the drums in a shed.
And for any of you who might be thinking hey sound a little bit like the Beach Boys, well, you are not wrong, however, when the actual Beach Boys covered this song in 2000, Brian Wilson sang it like he had an anchor attached to his ankle and was being dragged out to sea. I also found an Mike Love version from 1981 which is slightly perkier but yet still doesn’t sound quite right – too much wobble-fuzzy synthesizer, maybe.
Meanwhile, here is what The Rebel Light sound like left to their own devices: