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Cover songs!

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Better than the originals:
Van Halen - You really got me
Johnny Cash - Hurt

Honorary mention:
Cream/Eric Clapton - Crossroads
 
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Easy by Faith No More (originally Lionel Richie?): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOdr9FiNZoQ

I Will Survie by Cake (originally Gloria Gaynor?): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=596qaxm-u4o Made a piece of shit disco song good and relevant.

The Ballad of Dwight Fry by the Melvins (originally Alice Cooper): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGnijAnlW0c

The Wait by Metallica (originally Killing Joke): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8t2dJZRRW0 they did a great job on Garage Days, even doing respectable versions of Misfits songs (my favourite band of all time).

Superstar by Sonic Youth (originally The Carpenters): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y21VecIIdBI

Feeling Good by Muse (originally by someone I don't know): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmwRQqJsegw

Hit me Baby One More Time by Travis (originally by Britney Spear): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSDrHV0KsOA

Those are the first ones that came to mind.

KT
 
A really long list with lots of youtube links:

Fiona Apple - Across the Universe (Beatles)

Blue Man Group with Venus Hum - I feel Love (Fan Club) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5-ClvcHtK4

Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen)

Concrete Blonde
- Everybody Knows (Leonard Cohen) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaJAxdGeZ4E
- End of the Line (Roxy Music) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBydzGv9seE
- Ship Song (Nick Cave) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZb5tGun50I
- Littel Wing (Hendrix) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBlFxMQ0UnE
- Beware of Darkness (George Harrison)

Elvis Costello & Nick Lowe - Baby It's You (Burt Bacharach) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asOa8yqhjqc

David Gilmour - Dimming of the Day (Richard Thompson) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EK2N3S0lr4c

Nina Gordon - Straight Outta Compton (NWA) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6D5xpCgETk

Robert Palmer - Sailing Shoes/Hey Julia/Sneaking Sally (Little Feat) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bg0H8qRLPbw&feature=related

Chrissie Hynde / Pretenders
- Breakfast in Bed w/UB40 (Dusty Springfield) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKG3ykRMGiI&feature=related
- Bold as Love (Hendrix) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNa-umWIqfQ

William Shatner with Joe Jackson - Common People (Pulp)

Jill Sobule & John Doe - Never My Love (The Association) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9xoe85ET04

Matthew Sweet - Magnet and Steel (Walter Egan)

Matthew Sweet & Susannah Hoffs - Who Knows Where the Time Goes (Fairport Convention)

Wallflowers - Heroes (Bowie)

Chris Whitley - Drifting (Hendrix) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUPg5a1LvyM
 
KeithTalent said:
> Wallflowers - Heroes (Bowie)

I'm sorry, but I take serious issue with this one. Bowie's song is a fucking masterpiece. The cover is adequate I suppose, but to say it is better than the original is blasphemy.
Click to expand...

The OP said: What cover songs do you think were properly done?

That's what my list is, covers that I think justify their existence, not necessarily being better than the original.

I listed several Hendrix covers, and while I really like Concrete Blonde and Chris Whitley's takes on his music I wouldn't argue for them being better, just very good.

Now Shatner and Joe Jackson's cover is much better than the wussy Pulp original, that is inarguable.
 
A few of the ones i like are:

Voivod's version of "Astronomy Domine" (Pink Floyd cover)

Pat Benatar's version of "I Need a Lover" (John Mellencamp cover)

Manfred Mann's Earth Band versions of "Spirit in the Night" & "Blinded by the Light" (Bruce Springsteen cover)

Motorhead's version of "Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers" (ZZ Top cover)

Cowboy Junkies version of "Sweet Jane" (Lou Reed/The Velvet Underground cover)

April Wine's version of "21st Century Schizoid Man" (King Crimson cover)
 
KeithTalent said:
Nights in White Satin by The Dickies (originally by some blowhard 70's band): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aLpwtaLDw8

KT
Click to expand...

Blow me, you arrogant, ahistorical Canuck! 😛

In their time and place ('67, '68) and with the right drugs, the Moody Blues fucking trippy-dippy rawked.

Saying otherwise would be like saying Sergie Einstein was a blowhard director because he only shot in black and white. 😡

sergei-eisenstein.jpg
 
DaveSimmons said:
The OP said: What cover songs do you think were properly done?

That's what my list is, covers that I think justify their existence, not necessarily being better than the original.

I listed several Hendrix covers, and while I really like Concrete Blonde and Chris Whitley's takes on his music I wouldn't argue for them being better, just very good.

Now Shatner and Joe Jackson's cover is much better than the wussy Pulp original, that is inarguable.
Click to expand...

Fair enough I suppose, but The Wallflowers' version of Heroes does not even come close to matching the original as far as I'm concerned and it's really just another generic rock tune, while Bowie's version carries the heart and weight of a great rock song.

Spacehead said:
A few of the ones i like are:

Voivod's version of "Astronomy Domine" (Pink Floyd cover)
Click to expand...

Fantastic Choice. I abhor Pink Floyd, but Voivod's cover is fantastic.

Perknose said:
Blow me, you arrogant, ahistorical Canuck! 😛

In their time and place ('67, '68) and with the right drugs, the Moody Blues fucking trippy-dippy rawked.

Saying otherwise would be like saying Sergie Einstein was a blowhard director because he only shot in black and white. 😡

sergei-eisenstein.jpg
Click to expand...

It's weird Perk because I actually grew up with the Moody Blues version, as my parents were huge fans, but my punk rock soul never allowed me to enjoy the original, so it was The Dickies all the way and I can't see that ever changing.

KT
 
KeithTalent said:
It's weird Perk because I actually grew up with the Moody Blues version, as my parents were huge fans, but my punk rock soul never allowed me to enjoy the original, so it was The Dickies all the way and I can't see that ever changing.

KT
Click to expand...

You also grew up with movies that were 99% in color. Do those personal cinematic roots of yours "never allow you to enjoy", say, Casablanca?

Every narrowly and all too rigidly defined aesthetic outlook is a ghetto of the soul and mind.

<----- Has not voluntarily listened to the Moody Blues since the early 70's, but knows their contribution to the muscial zeitgeist of the sixties well enough not to casually dismiss them as "blowhard"; just as he wouldn't dismiss Charlie Chaplin as a "one note tramp clown" and elevate The Cleveland Show over Mr. Chaplin because he was more at home with that particular aesthetic.
 
Perknose said:
You also grew up with movies that were 99% in color. Do those personal cinematic roots of yours "never allow you to enjoy", say, Casablanca?

Every narrowly and all too rigidly defined aesthetic outlook is a ghetto of the soul and mind.

<----- Has not voluntarily listened to the Moody Blues since the early 70's, but knows their contribution to the muscial zeitgeist of the sixties well enough not to casually dismiss them as "blowhard"; just as he wouldn't dismiss Charlie Chaplin as a "one note tramp clown" and elevate The Cleveland Show over Mr. Chaplin because he was more at home with that particular aesthetic.
Click to expand...

I am probably applying far too broad of a brush, but I find most 70's rock music to be full of blowhards, so it's not just The Moody Blues, but a high percentage of bands from that era.

It must have something to do with how I perceive music versus film as I really can appreciate older films, no matter whether I truly enjoyed them or not, but for music I do not feel the same way. Songs that people expound the virtues of can sound like complete nonsense to me, no matter how convincing their arguments are, but for films I can see the influences and at the very least appreciate why they were considered important at the time. No idea why that is. :hmm:

KT
 
I was going to start a thread like this when I saw this the other day. Then I forgot to.
Kevin Gilbert - Kashmir.
BTW - Read the description of the video. I heard this years ago on Mark and Brian, and they would play this once in a while as filler. Each time they do, they get dozens of calls asking who in the hell did this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdviI2Ic6PM
 
dawp said:
LIz Phair - the Banana Splits
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JvB5AL59fM
Click to expand...
🙂 shake it baby!

More "pretty good" covers, not necessarily better than the originals

Art of Noise - Peter Gunn (Mancini) - Live - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEPSR4KsbO8

Bryan Ferry
- These Foolish Things ('30s standard) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LA2SeBW2Vqw
- Sympathy for the Devil (Stones) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJFe5eG4d8M
- Jealous Guy (Lennon) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUiltchXJEQ

Nickel Creek - Spit on a Stranger (Pavement) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1pMfuq_f_s

Tom Jones - Kiss (Prince) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRQtldkHT3E

Dolly Parton - Shine (Collective Soul) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czirN42RKFY

Bonnie Raitt - Runaway (Del Shannon) - Live - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPzcZNgVfpA
 
Oh! Can't believe I forgot this one:
Frank Zappa - Whippin' Post

Also, Johnny Cash doing Rusty Cage
 
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