Favorite Covers

[Ethyl]

I think it sucks. The vocals are so loud that it borders on parody.

The NIN version is incredible though.



Eh, it was okay I guess.


Horrible.


Eh.


No.

Jimi Hendrix - Fire (Atlanta Pop Festival (1970))

Thought provoking and erudite. Very impressive critique.

 

[ClaireTalon]

For the qualities other singers may lend to a song, the problem of covering or copying something like a song holds the possibility that the covering artist doesn't have the background as the original has. I mostly prefer the originals. By the way, I think "Lucy in the Sky" was an old Beatles number, but I haven't even liked it as an original. Can't stand that wailing. But there's an even worse cover of it, done by Captain Kirk, aka William Shatner. What possessed him to think he can sing?!?

I still think the most criminal cover is Madonna singing "Mr. American Pie". She ripped the song's heart out, literally, figuratively and musically. Call an air strike on her mansion!

 

[Matthew]

Notorious BIG : Hypnotize
Herb Alpert: Rise

Puff Daddy/P Diddy may be the worst rapper ever, but as a producer/DJ, he knows how to rock a party. That might be the funkiest sample ever. When that record first came out, I used to play the intro/first 10 seconds over and over and over again.

take that take that take that ...

 

[Lex]

Shocked--I would not have thought to include heavy samples in this thread. Great idea!

Matthew--Puffy/Diddy had some great lifts over the years.


...Tim's for my looighans on Brooklyn!
Damn right, if the head right, Biggie there, e'rynight!!

 

[that_other_guy]

...Tim's for my looighans on Brooklyn!
Damn right, if the head right, Biggie there, e'rynight!!

... papa been smooth since days of underoos ...

and Duran Duran did a cover of Grandmaster Flash's White Lines ... it's ok ... I guess

and on the topic of Duran Duran, there are several cover's of their song Ordinary World ... my favorite of which is a dance remix

 

[Ummagumma]

Thought provoking and erudite. Very impressive critique.

LOL that's what I was thinking as I read that too

 

[Gillette]

impressive

If you liked that, you'll love this. Just for you.

They Might Be Giants - Istanbul (not Constantinople)
originally performed by The Four Lads

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk8U5XVpTCc&mode=related&search=

I couldn't resist.

 

[GoneA]

They Might Be Giants - Istanbul (not Constantinople)
originally performed by The Four Lads
.

You know about them, huh? The Might be Giants. I like their "One Million Degrees" song.

 

[jakeatolla]

Agree... hendrix originals often seem unapproachable, even on first listen to Jimi's versions.. that covers are just either passe, fucked up, and/or missing the point.

Sting doing Little Wing... and I looooooooooooooooooooooooove Nothing Like the Sun, but that was awful.

Derek and the Dominoes doing Little Wing..... they could coulda given what little time they gave us on something better.

I've seen / heard a slew of Hendrix tribute albums, all are uninspiring.

Of note... Jimi was in London... the Beatles had released Day Tripper... a couple days later... the Experience drug themselves into the BBC studios (pun intended) and ripped a blistering (but uninventive) cover of Day Tripper on the spot. Impressive.

Jimi covering Earl King's Come On (part I) set the standard... many many artists covered that thereafter... all doing Jimi's version. Just like All Along.

Not to get WT... but SRV (Stevie Ray Vaughn) had Jimi's spirit... didn't do anything inventive, kept Jimi's spirit, but added so much Texas/southern spirit, if not plain old fire... and passion to already great songs , they were still worth the price of admission (Voodoo Chile, Come On (part I), Third Stone from the Sun, come to mind).

SRV's version of little wing almost surpasses Jimi's. But not quite

 

[Hjalmar]

First of all, I can't believe it... Fate is playing with me or something.

I've seen the youTube video for "Istambul (not Constantinople)", just to find out that one of the pictures used on that video, one of the medieval paintings was the one that my teacher at university used in my exam. An exam I must say i failed because of that picture....


In order to the main thing, my favourite covers are Tori Amos', Smells Like Teen Spirit, Angie, Losing My Religion... i love her.

 

[Spoogesicle]

sorry.. half of those just were not good covers, for various reason, including (but not limited to) uninventiveness

The purpose of this post was to post what covers we like; I posted what I like. If you didn't agree with my choices, that's fine: de gustibus non est disputandum. I'm sure some members enjoy some of the same covers that I like.

 

[that_other_guy]

In order to the main thing, my favourite covers are Tori Amos', Smells Like Teen Spirit

... and I though I was the only one ...

 

[Mulebear]

I'll second Annie Lennox's version of Whiter Shade Of Pale. It is a truly rare thing when a cover transcends the original.

Chris Isaak's version of I Want You To Want Me comes very close to transcendence.

For sheer fun I would suggest listening to The Dickies version of Knights In White Satin.

[SIZE=-1]Sarah McLachlan covering XTC's Dear God is always a special treat.

What should be a big ball of kitsch, but actually an amazing thing is Dolly Parton and [/SIZE]Ladysmith Black Mambazo covering Peace Train.

Others that come to mind:

Fine Young Cannibals - Suspicious Minds

Klaus Nomi - Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead

Klaus Nomi - Lightning Strikes

Radiohead - Video Killed the Radio Star

The Butthole Surfers - Hurdy Gurdy Man

Toad the Wet Sprocket - Hey Bulldog

The Bangles - Hazy Shade of Winter

Bob Marley - Jammin

Peter Tosh - I can See Clearly Now

And in case you didn't know... http://www.coverville.com/

 

[GoneA]

There's also:

Everlasting Love (Gloria Estefan/Carl Carlton)

 

[zaphod]

Joe Cocker's cover of The Beatles, "With a little help from my friends."

How about John Belushi's impersonation of Joe Cocker's cover of "With a little help from my friends."?

 

[ClaireTalon]

There's also:

Everlasting Love (Gloria Estefan/Carl Carlton)

Let me do a tie-in here with the other kind of covers (It's okay, I know I annoy you with those . In 1980, Carl Carlton released an album with the highly-inventive, very funny and artistic title "Carl Carlton". The cover of the album showed him, shirtless. Have a look at it, and see what I mean when I talk about PECS.

On the issue of this kind of covers: I think Bruce Springsteen did some good work covering Dave Edmunds' "From Small things, big things one day come".

 

[D_Elijah_MorganWood]

Years ago Stevie Nicks did a cover of Atlanta Rhythm Section's Imaginary Lover. It's sensational. Sadly, it was never released.

 

[Matthew]

There's also:

Everlasting Love (Gloria Estefan/Carl Carlton)

And don't forget the definitive version :

http://cgi.ebay.com/REX-SMITH-RACHEL-SWEET-EVERLASTING-LOVE-7-PS-MINT_W0QQitemZ150021197376QQihZ005QQcategoryZ58671QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting

 

[GoneA]

And don't forget the definitive version :

http://cgi.ebay.com/REX-SMITH-RACHEL-SWEET-EVERLASTING-LOVE-7-PS-MINT_
W0QQitemZ150021197376QQihZ005QQcategoryZ58671QQssPageNameZWDVWQQ
rdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting

Man, I couldn't remember their names for the life of me. And Gloria Estefan is so popular she dominated the google searches.