Worthwhile Covers

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Lots of covers in the history of pop music - very few were worth our time. If you're not going to do something interesting with the song, what's the point?

So- what covers were unique enough to be worthwhile? To start the list (and I know some of our more opinionated music lovers will scoff at these, for maybe they weren't "worthwhile" to them...) here are a few that were radical enough to illustrate a point, like 'em or not:

You Keep Me Hangin' On - Vanilla Fudge Rusty Cage - Johnny Cash (Actually, most of thos Johnny Ray covers are pretty amazing - The Mercy Seat, One, ....)

..actually, that's all I can think of right now. I'm sure there are more..

Honorable mentions (i.e. kind of cool, yet not different enough) Superstar - Sonic Youth The Man Who Fell to Earth - Nirvana

― Dave225, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

.. And covers of "Yesterday" don't count. (OK - maybe if they're really good.)

― Dave225, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I think DC's "Emotion" is good, but then, the whole album is transfixiatingly fantastic anyway. The Nice's "America" would've been good if they cut about four minutes off it. I can't decide who did "Round and Round" better, the Germs or the Grateful Dead. Actually, the Dead's version wasn't very good. Rickie Lee Jones' cover of the 'Peter Pan' song was cool. Also, "Hip Shake" and "Just My Imagination" (Rolling Stones)

― dave q, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Do standards count? I'm guessing no, but Johnny Hartman's "Lush Life" with Coltrane is possibly the most beautiful version.

For different or better covers, taste notwithstanding:

Sinead doing Prince. X doing Richard Thompson. Jeff Beck doing Nitin Sawhney. Bebel Gilberto doing Baden Powell. Jeff Buckley doing John Cale doing Leonard Cohen. Snake River Conspiracy doing The Smiths. Harry Nilsson on Badfinger. The Jayhawks doing Grand Funk Railroad.

Woohoo, longlive major labels AOR!

― Mickey Black Eyes, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

But we just had this thread on bad and good covers.

― alex in mainhattan, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

i usually prefer covers to the originals. when you are a fan of jazz, soul, easy listening etc, you end up with hundreds of cover versions and standards. i particularly like all the late 60s/early 70s standards: Wichita Lineman, MacArthur Park, Come Together, Light My Fire, Spinning Wheel, By the Time I Get to Phoenix, Little Green Apples, Something, etc etc

Lulu's The Man Who Fell To Earth is far better than Nirvana's - who is the original by? Bowie?

― michael, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

oh, and the Senor Coconut Kraftwerk covers LP was fantastic in both idea and execution

― michael, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Luna's cover of Beat Happening's "Indian Summer" is one of my favorite records.

― nickn, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I still prefer Bauhaus' cover of "Ziggy Stardust" to the original. But then again, I suck.

― Sean Carruthers, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Don't Let Our Youth Go To Waste (Luna covering Jonathan Richman), Mean Red Spiders take on Reverberation (13th Floor Elevators) I say no more acuse this be done before.

― Mr Noodles, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Massive Attack "Be Thankful For What You've Got"

― helen fordsdale, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Led Zeppelin did great covers! "Dazed and Confused" (Jake Holmes), "Whole Lotta Love" (Willie Dixon), "White Summer" (Davey Graham) etc

― dave q, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

and When the Levee Breaks, How Many More Times, Killing Floor (The Lemon Song), Babe I'm Gonna Leave You, I Can't Quit You Babe - and of course being nice fellows they stole all or most of the songwriting royalities when the original was by a black bluesman or woman, who didn't have a publishing company to defend them!

― michael, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Agree with Senor Coconut. Otherwise, the best cover versions are those that make the song seem like it always belonged to the artists who cover it. So my vote goes to the Pet Shop Boys' 'You were always on my mind'.

― Daniel, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Daniel says: the best cover versions are those that make the song seem like it always belonged to the artists who cover it

Yes, that is one explanation of what makes a "good" or "worthwhile" cover version. But not the only one. Another, I would suggest, is the taking of songs I really disliked in their original versions and making me see their worth. Prime example of this is Robert Palmer's take on what I once thought were two very dull Marvin Gaye songs - "Mercy Mercy Me/I Want You". I still don't care for the originals that much, but the revamp made me realise there is something of value in them after all. Clever segué job, too.

― Jeff W, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

"What's Going On"!

― dave q, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

the best cover versions are those that make the song seem like it always belonged to the artists who cover it

I think that's the key..

Hey Joe - Jimi Hendrix
Hearbreak Hotel - John Cale

Bauhaus's 'Ziggy Stardust' is actually an example of a cover that is not so worthwhile. Even though they did a good job and their version may be the preferable one to listen to, they didn't do anything to it. Bauhaus was always just a David Bowie act anyway.

So the question is not, "what are your favorite covers?" The question is, "what covers do something interesting with the song?" - and not merely paying homage to the artist that wrote it.

― Dave225, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Not a particular fan, but has no one here thought of Bob Dylan? How about the Pixies 'Winterlong', Sid Vicious 'My Way', Run DMC 'Walk This Way', to name a few hits.

― Snotty Moore, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Bob Dylan wrote Walk This Way? I take back every nasty thing I ever said about him ;-)

― Jeff, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

He didn't only write it, the way he walked has influenced an entire generation of US legislators.

― Snotty Moore, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

The Pixies definitely excell in this area. The live "In Heaven" from the b-sides is probably one of the best covers ever (of the David Lynch song). Aside from that, and other than novelty covers (great loungey stuff by people like Enoch Light and Esquivel) or R&B British Invasion recordings (Beatles "Twist and Shout", etc.) it's really more or less a mute point. Wankery, almost. I've never been a big fan of the recorded cover -- perhaps it may have some charm all its own but more or less it's always going to be inferior and basically a waste of space.

P.S. How could I forget Van Halen's "You Really Got Me" cover??

― Adam Bruneau, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Covers by Low nearly always "do something interesting with the song", although I accept that this partly involves just makin' 'em slow and quiet in a Low stylee.

I'm thinking particularly of their take on Neil Young's "Down By The River", which Mimi sings, so you get an extra gender twist to boot. The "I shot my baby" line now triggers quite different responses.

I saw 'em play live last night and they also did a great version of The Smiths' "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me" - better than the version on their new single, which still retains a feel of the over-the-top arrangement of the original. Live, it was just a simple ballad. Brilliant.

― Jeff W, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I always preferred Eugenius' version of 'Indian Summer' (I have heard at least three different versions of this track and not one of them the original). Possibly because I knew it first, maybe not though, I think they do it beautifully.

Mention of The Smiths made me think of The Light 3000 by Schneider TM, which I think truly brings something completely different to it...

Of course, The Silicon Teens were the masters of the cover. Not unique when taken apart, I guess, but as a body of work fantastic, every one.

― emil.y, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Great answers so far -- I love the Silicon Teens and Low's cover of "Blue Eyed Devil" by Soul Coughing. There are so many amazing covers. My recent favorites are Braid's version of "There is a Light that Never goes Out", "Desiree" (The Left Banke) by Tahiti 80, and old favorites are "She Shook Me Cold" (David Bowie) by the Pain Teens, Frank Sinatra's version of "Winchester Cathedral." Obviously there are many more ...

― Elspeth McKee, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Van Halen's "You Really Got Me" reminded me -- How could I forget The Ophelia's version of "Wicked Annabella"? (Their "Lawrence of Euphoria" cover is also great ...)

― Elspeth McKee, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Oh, Teenagers In Trouble's version of 'Radar Eyes' by The Godz. They do it so differently but at the same time hit the nail bang on the head about where the song is at.

― emil.y, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

B.B. King's cover album of all louie jordan songs. While he didn't do anything fantasically different to differentiate between the covers and the originals, he did open many people up to the jordan's wonderful songs. That is a good enough reason for a cover as far as I'm concerned. bye

― bilechile, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Nearly forgot. My favourite cover version of all time is 'Only Love Can Break Your Heart' by St Etienne. Give me that over Neil Young any day.

― Daniel, Thursday, 29 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

The Byrds - 'Mr.Tambourine Man'. And I've always enjoyed Bowie's turbocharged 'Let's spend the night together' more than the original.

― RW, Thursday, 29 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

one year passes...

Revived for no good reason other than to say that the cover of "The True Wheel" -- originally by Eno, redone by Pink Filth -- is a gem.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 5 October 2003 22:28 (twenty years ago) link

Did Nirvana cover "The Man Who Fell to Earth," or did you mean to say "The Man Who Sold the World"?
Q and Not U recorded a really cool cover of Neil Young's "Don't Let it Bring You Down," and Ted Leo has some really cool covers in his repertoire -- he does "Many Rivers to Cross" on the same comp. as the Q and Not U song.

― Ben Boyer (Ben Boyer), Monday, 6 October 2003 15:43 (twenty years ago) link

Beggum pardon, 2 years later. No, I meant the latter.

― dave225 (Dave225), Monday, 6 October 2003 16:52 (twenty years ago) link

husker du's version of eight miles high is incredible. i love their cover of sonny curtis' "love is all around" too

surely mr kozelek and his red house painters should be mentioned somewhere here, he's done a whole load of good covers - his versions of "follow me, follow you", "shock me", "all mixed up", and a few more im doubtless forgetting. and some of his ac/dc covers were top notch too.

― Bob Shaw (Bob Shaw), Monday, 6 October 2003 17:05 (twenty years ago) link

Slayer's version of "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" is a great one.

― Phil Freeman (Phil Freeman), Monday, 6 October 2003 17:15 (twenty years ago) link

Aretha Franklin's cover of "The Weight"

― Will (will), Monday, 6 October 2003 17:20 (twenty years ago) link

nirvana's where did you sleep last night and jesus don't want me for a sunbeam covers were excellent.
i've always been partial to coil's rendition of tainted love.
the pumpkins-landslide
rammstein's cover of stripped by depeche mode was worth a laugh, as was bigod 20's woeful take on like a prayer

― Felcher (Felcher), Monday, 6 October 2003 18:04 (twenty years ago) link

I'm a big fan of 'we can work it out' by stevie wonder

― bill stevens (bscrubbins), Monday, 6 October 2003 18:50 (twenty years ago) link

Type O Negative's "Hey Pete," a cover of "Hey Joe"

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Monday, 6 October 2003 19:36 (twenty years ago) link

And Corgan's "Landslide" is ace

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Monday, 6 October 2003 19:36 (twenty years ago) link

soft cell's tainted love cover was great too.

― Felcher (Felcher), Monday, 6 October 2003 19:47 (twenty years ago) link

four years pass...

Reload's cover of Kraftwerk's "Showroom Dummies" is great, I think.

― Aja, Tuesday, 29 July 2008 22:57 (fifteen years ago) link

Not even looked at this thread but immediately thought of

8 Miles High - husker du

― Fer Ark, Tuesday, 29 July 2008 22:59 (fifteen years ago) link

Codeine's version of Seam's 'New Year' was always a blast

― Fer Ark, Tuesday, 29 July 2008 23:05 (fifteen years ago) link

Always had time for Cliff Richard's version of 'Banned In DC'

― Fer Ark, Tuesday, 29 July 2008 23:09 (fifteen years ago) link

nine months pass...

Really got into the Jive Five version of "Hey Nineteen" tonight.

― ian, Saturday, 9 May 2009 04:05 (fourteen years ago) link

one year passes...

Frank Sanazi & The Iraq Pack - that's life
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvlqjFp5CfA

― meisenfek, Wednesday, 18 August 2010 02:21 (thirteen years ago) link

eleven months pass...

Satans Pilgrims - in the past (Delphine - la fermeture éclair)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PdsPKAPMrk

― meisenfek, Friday, 22 July 2011 08:28 (twelve years ago) link

seven months pass...

Minic - you're happy, so i'm happy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDXn3IF2bZI

― meisenfek, Saturday, 10 March 2012 22:50 (twelve years ago) link

five months pass...

Milton Driscoll and his Clodhoppers (MDC) - "I Remember"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5a42G8H8h4

― meisenfek, Wednesday, 22 August 2012 16:10 (eleven years ago) link

six months pass...

Charlotte & Magon - le temps de l'amour

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1onZ9YwL964

― meisenfek, Sunday, 10 March 2013 13:21 (eleven years ago) link

two years pass...

Supermoko Ultrabeaver & Olive - anyway the wind blows

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bjjGmnQa24

― meisenfek, Thursday, 16 April 2015 21:40 (nine years ago) link

four years pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhSzpJOestE

― ... (Eazy), Friday, 27 September 2019 03:11 (four years ago) link

love reading this thread because in among the standards young ned raggett mentions pink filth doing eno's "the true wheel", which sounds like something really worth hearing and which, of course, is now lost to the mists of time! that's how it is with covers... twelve posts about jeff buckley's "hallelujah" and one about pink filth. or the pink chunk's version of "louie louie", or something.

― Poody Mae Bubblebutt, Miss Kumquat of 1947 (rushomancy), Friday, 27 September 2019 09:09 (four years ago) link

JUlie Driscoll & Brian Auger Season of The Witch is a favourite song of mine.

Jefferson Airplane Fat Angel (more Donovan like SOTW)
Good Shepherd

Roberta Flack First Time Ever I saw Your Face totally obscures the Ewan McColl original
That's No Way To Say Goodbye

Cabaret Voltaire Here She Comes Now

Ted Taylor, MC5 Ramblin Rose (originally by Jerry lee Lewis, MC5's seems to come straight from the Ted Taylor)
MC5 I Want You Right Now
Johnny Burnette & Rock'n'roll trio, Train Kept A Rolling
John Coltrane My Favourite Things
Gun Club preachin The Blues
Creedence Clearwater revival I put A Spell on You, Suzie Q
Charlatans Alabama Bound

& several others I'll get back to later.

― Stevolende, Friday, 27 September 2019 09:59 (four years ago) link

Johnny Burnette & Rock'n'roll trio, Train Kept A Rolling
Good one. But can’t remember even hearing the Tiny Bradshaw version.

― The Hillbilly Chespirito (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 27 September 2019 10:16 (four years ago) link

I got it on a compilation either last Xmas or the one before. A cheap compi of jump blues, r'n'b and stuff that I think I got in FOPP but must be circulating widely.

& apparently there was a roots of Led Zeppelin cd covermounted on Uncut in 2008 that had it

― Stevolende, Friday, 27 September 2019 10:41 (four years ago) link

This is the set
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Very-Best-Jump-Jive-Double/dp/B00R69D2D0/ref=sr_1_31?keywords=jump+blues&qid=1569580968&s=music&sr=1-31

― Stevolende, Friday, 27 September 2019 10:44 (four years ago) link

I love all the live versions of White Light/White Heat Bowie used to do, especially the sweaty bombastic take from the Serious Moonlight tour. Those horns are just genius.

― cpl593H, Friday, 27 September 2019 10:54 (four years ago) link

The other night McCartney was a guest on Colbert's show, and was asked what the best Beatles cover was. Colbert immediately answered his own question: it's Stevie Wonder's version of "We Can Work It Out". I don't disagree.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgHIm5AqtXc

Also, I recently picked up "The River Euphrates" by The Main Ingredient, and their version of "Summer Breeze" works some kind of alchemy on the source material.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-WVpVKbkXo

― enochroot, Friday, 27 September 2019 18:52 (four years ago) link

The Great Society Sally Go Round teh Roses
John Martyn I'd Rather Be the Devil (& that track's home lp's title track Solid Air is a lift from Lonnie Liston Smith/Pharaoah Sanders' Astral Travelling)
LOve My little Red Book
Grateful Dead Viola Lee Blues, Morning Dew
Einsturzende Neubauten Sand, Morning Dew
John McLaughlin/Carlos Santana A Love Supreme
Flamingoes I Ony Have Eyes For You
Billy Stewart Summertime
Fairport Convention A Sailor's Life, Quiet Joys of Brotherhood
Human Beast Maybe Someday (hard rock version of an ISB tune)

― Stevolende, Friday, 27 September 2019 20:18 (four years ago) link

JUlie Driscoll & Brian Auger Season of The Witch is a favourite song of mine.

― Stevolende

well julie driscoll damn near anything, her "wheel's on fire" is always great

re: season of the witch, i like the version by the aliens... and the one by enoch light and the light brigade is also good! candido is on it! and vinnie bell!

why have i never before heard of this album called "voice" with julie tippetts, phil minton, maggie nichols, and someone i've never heard of, this sounds even better than "five men singing"

― Poody Mae Bubblebutt, Miss Kumquat of 1947 (rushomancy), Friday, 27 September 2019 23:03 (four years ago) link

ten months pass...

Starting a playlist with some covers I love of songs I love, here's what I got so far:

Afro Blue – Melanie De Biasio
I'm Gonna Leave You – Melanie De Biasio
Erotic City – Arto Lindsay
Can You Feel It – Christian Prommer's Drumlesson
Rose Rouge – Jorja Smith
Think Twice – Erykah Badu
This Is How We Walk on the Moon – José González
Strange Overtones – Whitney
Ancora Tu - Original Mix – Róisín Murphy
Teardrops – NEIL FRANCES
Johnny and Mary – Todd Terje, Bryan Ferry
I'm On Fire – Chromatics
Avalanche – Just Friends
Believe – Okay Kaya
A Forest – Frankie Rose
Girl I Love You – Massive Attack
Crystalised - Original Mix – Martina Topley-Bird, Mark Lanegan, Warpaint
Right Down the Line – Sam Evian
It Feels Good to Be Around You (feat. Air France) – Yumi Zouma, Air France
Love Come Down – Blond Ambition
Atomic Bomb - William Onyeabor vs. Hot Chip – William Onyeabor, Hot Chip
Only You – Theophilus London, Tame Impala
Somebodies Baby – Tapes
Baby – Ariel Pink, Dâm-Funk
A Girl Like You – ALASKALASKA
Planet Caravan – Moon Duo
Whitelines – Das Hobos
Things Are Gonna Get Easier – Low Motion Disco
Cello Song – The Books, José González
Funeral Singers – Sylvan Esso, Collections Of Colonies Of Bees
Lucky Man – Jim James
Some Velvet Morning – Slowdive
Better Off Alone – RYAN Playground

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3Qj3sYxRNmyfoBgDeFtNlq

Needless to say I think all of these covers are worthwhile.

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Tuesday, 18 August 2020 19:43 (three years ago) link

I'll keep updating I guess in bigger batches but forgot these ones:

Donald Byrd - Where Are We Going?
Kevin Morby - I Only Have Eyes for You

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Tuesday, 18 August 2020 19:55 (three years ago) link

oh wow, didn't realize moon duo had done planet caravan. i like DARKSIDE's version

i could go quite some while on just sabbath songs:

maschina - war pigs
the januaries - paranoid
dokaka - electric funeral
add n to (x) - iron man
the butthole surfers - sweat loaf (yes it counts)
flower travellin' band - hiroshima (yes this also counts)
bloodgasm - into the void
1000 homo djs - supernaut
mirthkon - fairies wear boots
ondatropica - i ron man

― Kate (rushomancy), Tuesday, 18 August 2020 19:56 (three years ago) link

Rose McDowall of Strawberry Switchblade’s take on “(Don’t Fear) the Reaper” is astonishing

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ym6cv6WnskU

― beamish13, Tuesday, 18 August 2020 19:57 (three years ago) link

Sandie Shaw’s cover of Patti Smith’s “Frederick” shouldn’t work, but I’m obsessed with it:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-YNO0u-KhWA

― beamish13, Tuesday, 18 August 2020 19:57 (three years ago) link

Jessica Lea Mayfield made the best Nirvana cover ever:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8jhMGd34nd8

― beamish13, Tuesday, 18 August 2020 19:58 (three years ago) link

Kate: Yes that Moon Duo cover is actually from a Sacred Bones compilation, they released earlier this year a full Sabbath covers album:

https://sacredbonesrecords.bandcamp.com/album/what-is-this-that-stands-before-me

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Tuesday, 18 August 2020 20:03 (three years ago) link

Speaking of Sabbath covers I've always liked the lounge thing that The Cardigans did with Iron Man and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath.

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Tuesday, 18 August 2020 20:04 (three years ago) link

been really into this recently

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-jNRoheRH8
johnny adams - salt of the earth

― budo jeru, Tuesday, 18 August 2020 20:10 (three years ago) link

Love the Kelly Lee Owens cover of “More Than A Woman” that popped up in my play queue some time ago for whatever reason.
It finally revealed the song to me. I had always experienced the Aaliyah/Timbaland original as “generically great”, if such a thing exists.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdOUuq5HLWs

― No mean feat. DaBaby (breastcrawl), Tuesday, 18 August 2020 20:17 (three years ago) link

Despite loving Jeff Buckley's Grace and Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk since they came out, I admit that I never really investigated the other posthumous releases or even read up a whole lot on how his career launched, and didn't know until last night that he'd primarily been doing covers in NYC before getting signed and writing Grace. Finally gave You & I a listen, which is his first demo recording at a studio after being signed, and it's full of what I feel are completely amazing covers, including these two:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5a708EqfuE

and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh-PMHmd00o

― akm, Tuesday, 18 August 2020 20:18 (three years ago) link

i'm so old that i still think of "more than a woman" as a bee gees song. the kelly lee owens song isn't a cover of the song i was thinking of but it's great!

― Kate (rushomancy), Tuesday, 18 August 2020 20:20 (three years ago) link

I love Rinder & Lewis’s cover of “willie and the hand jive”

― brimstead, Tuesday, 18 August 2020 20:35 (three years ago) link

Btw any worthwhile covers of Talking Heads? I don’t think I’ve heard one that I’d rather listen to instead of the original. I know there’s like s trillion covers of Naive Melody and most of them are good but they don’t really do anything different.

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Tuesday, 18 August 2020 20:47 (three years ago) link

I’m aware some of the covers I posted upthread kind of do the same thing as the originals. So, just recommend me any Talking Heads covers you like.

Oh also any The Fall covers that are worthwhile? Mark E Smith’s voice is a bit of an acquired taste so maybe in cover form I can finally convince some of my friends that The Fall are in fact a really good band.

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Tuesday, 18 August 2020 20:50 (three years ago) link

Anyone else thinks Dennis Brown’s Black Magic Woman cover is perhaps better than the Santana one? Maybe I’be just heard the Santana one so many times in my life that I don’t really like it that much anymore.

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Tuesday, 18 August 2020 20:55 (three years ago) link

Also, every Horace Andy cover by Massive Attack (spying glass, man next door - aware this is actually a john holt cover - girl i love you, see a man’s face) is better than the original... but I don’t know if these are actually considered covers, specially considering Horace Andy himself is the one revisiting them.

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Tuesday, 18 August 2020 21:05 (three years ago) link

ouch totally wrong re:”spying glass”, that’s an absolute classic. I don’t like massive attack, though.

― brimstead, Tuesday, 18 August 2020 21:11 (three years ago) link

― ✖✖✖ (Moka)

well, angelique kidjo did the entire "remain in light" album, that's really good
the staple singers' version of "slippery people" is fantastic
i _love_ the version of "burning down the house" by Yasuyuki Okamura on the "fine time tribute to new wave" record. it's one of those language things where he's clearly singing it phonetically and the way he renders what are already completely nonsensical lyrics really adds an extra layer of appreciation to the song for me, in a similar but different way from the way i love love love love the raincoats' cover of "lola" (weird okamura just said "raincoat" as i typed their name)
on a completely different tip i adore the Psycho Killer cover by jimmy punk band The Coneheads

that's all i can think off the top of my head!

i really enjoy talking heads' cover of "1-2-3 red light" incidentally

― Kate (rushomancy), Tuesday, 18 August 2020 21:24 (three years ago) link

<3 "canadian cone"

― budo jeru, Tuesday, 18 August 2020 22:35 (three years ago) link

Thank you Kate I’ll check those out! I also love that raincoats’ cover of lola.

Brimstead: well, yeah I take that partially back: spying glass is the one where I could pick Horace Andy’s version instead. But Man Next Door and Girl I Love You are some of the highlights in those MA records and I think they’re more interesting than the HA versions which are also good but don’t really stand out to my ears in their production or arrangements.

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Wednesday, 19 August 2020 00:35 (three years ago) link

living color did a hard-charging version of ‘memories can’t wait’ on vivid

― 3:10 to yur mom (voodoo chili), Wednesday, 19 August 2020 13:02 (three years ago) link

oh hell of course i know living colour's memories can't wait, idk how i forgot that one!

― Kate (rushomancy), Wednesday, 19 August 2020 15:49 (three years ago) link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHSEJpsquis

― No mean feat. DaBaby (breastcrawl), Wednesday, 19 August 2020 15:52 (three years ago) link

Luna did a great cover of Talking Heads' "Thank You For Sending Me an Angel."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAOEXZKGCSc

― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 19 August 2020 15:59 (three years ago) link

I'm not sure I've ever seen a promise/threat like this, but in the wiki entry for TH's "Heaven" it actually states that "Tropical Fuck Storm will cover the song as the B-side to their "Legal Ghost" 7" single, when it is released in September 2020."

― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 19 August 2020 16:01 (three years ago) link

what about that absolutely batshit cover of Burning Down the House by Tom Jones and the Cardigans... a guilty pleasure

― verhexen, Wednesday, 19 August 2020 16:10 (three years ago) link

this mortal coil did a version of drugs, not a great cover tbh

― 3:10 to yur mom (voodoo chili), Wednesday, 19 August 2020 17:33 (three years ago) link

good catch on tropical fuck storm, the 7" is out and about now

cover's not as ace as their "stayin' alive" cover but it's good!

― Kate (rushomancy), Wednesday, 19 August 2020 17:46 (three years ago) link

I had no idea RED HOT+ had a 59 song tribute to Grateful Dead (!!) No way I'm listening to all of these but any brave soul who has heard it before care to point me out to the highlights in here?

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Saturday, 22 August 2020 04:46 (three years ago) link

Ugh why did Mumford and Sons got to pick my favorite GD song? I'm sure they ruin it by clapping at it or something.

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Saturday, 22 August 2020 04:48 (three years ago) link

Well color me surprised they don't clap in it! It's terribly boring though.

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Saturday, 22 August 2020 04:54 (three years ago) link

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