Cover Songs

[ExileOnMainSt]

Not sure if this has topic has already been created but covers are an area of music that is sort of interesting to me. I find myself wondering who does it better? Some songs I don't even know are covers until months later when I discover the original.

Knocking on Heavens Door is probably the most covered song I can think of. This song pretty much embodies a cover song because as different artists cover it, it takes on a new meaning and is interpreted in different ways. I love Bob Dylan's original, and I like the Bob Dylan/Tom Petty collabo even more. Guns N Roses did wonders with it, and both Bob Marley and Eric Clapton made the song less of a ballad and more of a melodic, easy listening tune.

Metallica's Turn the Page is completely different than Bob Segar meant it to be, but is both better and worse than the original in different respects.

And then there are some covers than completely ruin the original, most notably the trend of new alternative bands covering classic songs: Ataris - Boys of Summer doesnt hold a candle to Don Henley and The Lemonheads had no right to cover Mrs. Robinson. I didn't mind Nonpoint's cover of In the Air Tonight, they did what they could considering the near impossible task of re-doing a Phil Collins song better than Philly himself.

Also Eddie Veddar seems to not write his own songs anymore. His past two soundtrack hits are close but no cigar. The Who - Reign Over Me and Indio - Hard Sun. Almost indistinguisable, but the original always tends to be better because it is, well, the original.

Anyone else have any noteworthy covers? Better than the originals? Or are just plain pissed off that a classic tune was covered?

[fashiontard]

i like tori amos's "strange little girl".. every song is a cover of a song written by a male. she just re-interpreted it.. tori amos is strange as fuck so i guess its an acquired taste

[isoform]

there are covers that are just reinterpretations. neither better than the other.

soft cell's tainted love is a good example of this. tainted love, originally sung by gloria jones is the most famous of northern soul floor shakers.

Elvis is pretty famous for popularizing covers: Big Mama Thornton's Hound dog to Carl Perkins' Blue Suede Shoes. ...and my favorite song from Elvis is a cover: I Don't Care if the Sun Don't Shine (Patti Page).

the animals, like the rest of the british invasion, did some amazing covers of american country & "black" music ... like House of the Rising Sun.

more recently,

the hordes of covers of Berntholer's My Suitor are good, but never better...especially the two done by Figurine and Kahimi Karie (KK also does good yehyeh/breathy euro/60sbeat covers).

and then there's a lot of those excellent bossa/samba covers from nouvelle vague and seu jorge (for the wes anderson movie).

others...

luna - bonnie + clyde (excellent cover of s.gainsbourg)

the raincoats - lola (good cover of the kinks)

the slits - i heard it thru the bassline

kanda - i think we're alone now (tiffany, tommy james and the shondells--fuck girlsaloud--because kanda's is the best version second to tj&s)

clara rockmore - valse sentimental (tchaikovsky on a theremin)

april march - cet air-la and chick habit/laissez tombe les filles (american that the french apparently love covering yeh-yeh hits)

heh and how about all of the 12XU covers?

[ExileOnMainSt]

I forgot about Elvis! His first single for RCA was a cover - Heartbreak Hotel. Elvis did wonders for covers by upbeating them, and by converting them to rock n roll.

Elvis Aaron Presley eh, what a fucking beauty..

[ghostdeini]

confession:

I really want some jam band like the disco biscuits to do a cover of 50's "ayo technology," except all slowed down and epic. I think that would be an awesome jam song, especially with the crazy ass keyboard in the background

10characters

[Larry!]

I like John Cale's version of LCD Soundsystem's "All My Friends" better than the original.

Secret Machine's cover of New Order's "Temptation" doesn't even come close.

[heBAY]

Covers are definitely cool if the cover'er adds some new elements to the coveree. That goes without saying I guess...but I'm just kinda tired of all these novelty Misfits cover bands who just simply replay the songs as a bootleg Misfits punk outfit.

I'm also kind of tired of accoustic covers of punk/metal/hip hop/etc. that are just really the song played on an accoustic guitar...although I saw a girl and her drummer re-doing Danzig's "Mother" quite well in that style (the drums were more fitted for a lighter, accoustic cover and she kinda did her own version of the melody).

Some great punk covers:

Bad Brains did the Beatles' "Daytripper"

Black Flag's version of "Louie, Louie" was great...they gave the song a nice makeover with some Black Flag'ish lyrics.

Born Against covered X's "Riding With Mary" and made it way more sinister (they covered a bunch more punk songs and did their own thing).

Minor Threat's version of Wire's "12XU"...put the dc hardcore into a classic punk song.

Minor Threat's version of the Monkees' "Stepping Stone"...yeah the Monkees.

Slayer covered some Minor Threat songs...it works simply cause it's SLayer.

[heBAY]

Tori Amos is an interesting cover do'er. She likes switching gender perspective and, though I'm not really a fan, I think it's pretty cleverly executed.

[keagan]

I seriously think I've liked every version of killing me softly i've heard.

Rotary Connections cover of Soul Man is probably my favorite cover ever.

The Dirtbombs are the best coverband ever.

[keagan]

I didn't know stepping stone was a monkees song.

[Carl]

My favorite covers

Galaxie 500 - Ceremony (New Order)

Yo La Tengo - How Much I've Lied (Gram Parsons)

Tortoise and Bonnie Prince Billy - Thunder Road (Bruce Springsteen)

The Byrds - You Ain't Going Nowhere (Bob Dylan)

Frank Black - Hang On To Your Ego (The Beach Boys)

The Silos - Change The Locks (Lucinda Williams)

[broneck]

that fucking saul williams cover of sunday bloody sunday makes my ears bleed. so atrocious.

[ipractice]

I seriously think I've liked every version of killing me softly i've heard.

Rotary Connections cover of Soul Man is probably my favorite cover ever.

The Dirtbombs are the best coverband ever.

At Last sings my favorite covers of Killing Me Softly... cop'd their CD for the cover, as well as their Let's Stay Togethor cover.

Shitty youtube quality of the cover:

kpGBP3UIz9k

[jeepster]

the lemonheads cover was good. wasn't it a hit for them? like their only hit?

anyone covering the beatles usually suck.

pete doherty ruins "Another Girl Another Planet"

but i do think the yardbirds did an amazing cover of "i'm a man" by bo diddley

there are so many amazing blues covers out there. clapton doing "crossroads" with cream? hellz yeah.

[Carl]

anyone covering the beatles usually suck.

Feelies - Everybody's Got Something To Hide (Except Me And My Monkey)

[jeepster]

Feelies - Everybody's Got Something To Hide (Except Me And My Monkey)

and so i shall investigate.

it better live up to it Carl, or we're gonna have words over this.

[ExileOnMainSt]

anyone covering the beatles usually suck.

Joe Cocker - With A Little Help From My Friends is an obvious exception

And it is also interesting how The Byrds have covered Dylan so many times, even though they were the same generation, same genre and both projecting the same folk image.

I also get into samples from rap songs, I really like how Public Enemy sampled Buffalo Springfield in He Got Game, how 2pac sampled Bruce Hornsby in Changes, how Jay-z sampled Issac Hayes in Can I live, the originals were all fantastic and that made the rap songs that much better. I guess its rap's version of covers.

Johhny Cash put down a number of memorable covers on his last album - Cash, before he died , Idunno I really liked Nine Inch Nails - Hurt. But Cash covers it pretty fucking good. He also does Simon and Garfunkel's - Bridge Over Troubled Water. The video for Hurt got me kinda choked up.

John Lennon to Ozzy Osborne to Green Day - Working Class Hero fucking sucks all the way around

[jeepster]

now, you may not agree, and i'm sure i'll catch flack for this, but honestly alien ant farms cover of smooth criminal is just too good. that video is hilarious. i still hope that mtv will replay the making the video episode they did of that.

[lamie]

anyone covering the beatles usually suck.

try siouxsie and the banshee's "dear prudence"

i am also fond of elliott smith's live cover of "i me mine" on youtube

i dont normally like various artists cover albums if you know what i mean.

and hey

[doctorworm]

anyone covering the beatles usually suck.

listen to johnny cash's beatles covers, really good stuff

[notesee]

I love Strawberry Switchblade's cover of Velvet Underground's Sunday Morning.

[isoform]

Some great punk covers:

Bad Brains did the Beatles' "Daytripper"

Black Flag's version of "Louie, Louie" was great...they gave the song a nice makeover with some Black Flag'ish lyrics.

Born Against covered X's "Riding With Mary" and made it way more sinister (they covered a bunch more punk songs and did their own thing).

Minor Threat's version of Wire's "12XU"...put the dc hardcore into a classic punk song.

Minor Threat's version of the Monkees' "Stepping Stone"...yeah the Monkees.

Slayer covered some Minor Threat songs...it works simply cause it's SLayer.

this reminds me--

big black has done covers from james brown (the big payback) and kraftwerk (the model) which i think are pretty cool...or at least different.

mudhoney's pump it up (elvis costello cover) is somethin i still listen too...heh.

and carl, props for mentioning the feelies and to heBay for bad brains' daytripper.

...and then that reminds me, this girl Sylvie Anne did a cute french freakbeat cover of The Beatls' Daytripper back in the 60s or whenever called "Un tour dehors" from a comp called Girls in the Garage Vol. 10: Gallic Girls. haha--better than the original imo.

edit: and how can i forget?

The Specials !

they did great covers from toots and the maytals to prince buster. much love to them.

EDIT:

Cibo Matto - About a Girl (Nirvana Cover)

[heBAY]

I didn't know stepping stone was a monkees song.

Nor did the Dischord bands at first, rumor has it.

[heBAY]

this reminds me--

big black has done covers from james brown (the big payback) and kraftwerk (the model) which i think are pretty cool...or at least different.

...

and carl, props for mentioning the feelies and to heBay for bad brains' daytripper.

THanks...how could I forget the mighty Big Black.

That reminds me, didn't Drive Like Jehu or Shellac do a pretty sick cover? I can't recall which right now.

[sean_]

i thoroughly enjoyed the i am sam soundtrack that was all beatles covers, although it has been years since ive listened to it

fine young cannibals - suspicious minds (elvis)

blood brothers - under pressure (queen)

born ruffians - knife (grizzly bear)

against me! - wagon wheel (forget who orig. wrote it, dylan + others have done versions)

alkaline trio - the metro (berlin)

fuck i love covers, try to think of more

[heBAY]

Can't forget the Motown "covers"...though not really covers if other Motown artists did it...since the music was more or less passed around for everyone else to perform their own versions...

That said, Rare Earth is pretty much the Motown BAND...their versions of "Get Ready Cause Here I Come" and "Hum Along And Dance" (both made famous by the Temptations and Jackson 5) were great. "Get Ready" has a nice drum break on it.

[16steps]

alkaline trios cover of children in heat is one of the best misfit covers ive heard

[broneck]

all the old Garage Days covers are a study in badassery.

[readytoignite]

flying saucer attack - the drowners (every bit as great as the original)

spacemen 3 - transparent radiation, when tomorrow hits (the ultimate cover band)

jimi hendrix - all along the watchtower

trad gras och stenar - all along the watchtower (cover of a cover!)

and a few memorable american idol performances for good measure:

david cook - always be my baby

paris bennett - take five (excerpt from audition)

fantasia barrino - summertime (old hat now but the first time she busted this loose was insanity)

blake lewis - living on a prayer

also - how about obscure originals that make you realize how crap the more popular cover actually is:

mars bonfire - born to be wild (steppenwolf)

j.j. cale - call me the breeze (spiritualized)

juicy lucy - mary anne (spacemen 3 - the cover is pretty good notwithstanding)

very surprised dinosaur jr's just like heaven hasn't rated mention yet as well

[Biff15]

...nice bump...

My 2 cents:

Green Day - Don't Want to Know if You Are Lonely (Husker Du)

Jawbreaker - Pretty Persuasion (REM)

Otis Redding - Cupid (Sam Cooke)

Aretha Franklin - Respect (Otis Redding), Natural Woman (Carole King)