Distinctive Artist Covers of Songs

Subject: Distictive Artist Covers of Songs
From: catspaw49
Date: 03 May 10 - 07:13 PM

Okay.....So I didn't know what else to call this thread. The idea came to me while reading another thread and I got to thinking about it.

Some songs, no matter the genre, might almost be described as the property of one artist/performer. Not because they wrote it, although they might have, but because they made the definitive (if there is such a thing) recording. Then along comes some other artist who might just cover it OR, and this is what I am talking about, they might do it in a way that is so different that you are taken aback and hear what might have been one of your favorites as if its a totally new song.

Know what I mean? If not, here are two examples.......The first is Paul Simon's "American Tune" with Paul only playing guitar and the song being done by Willie Nelson. When I saw this on TV my reaction was the same as the studio audience who gave a standing ovation.

The other as an example is the George Jones C-W hit, "She Thinks I Still Care" done by a good friend of his from a far different world, Harry Connick, Jr.

Willie and "American Tune"

Harry doing "She Thinks I Still Care"

Get the idea? Got anything?


Spaw

Subject: RE: Distictive Artist Covers of Songs
From: SINSULL
Date: 03 May 10 - 07:39 PM

Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds - Shatner.

Subject: RE: Distictive Artist Covers of Songs
From: deepdoc1
Date: 03 May 10 - 08:43 PM

City of New Orleans - Arlo Guthrie
Halleluja - Jeff Buckley, KD Lang
Gentle On My Mind - Glen Campbell (I actually get hives if I have to listen to GC, and I absolutely prefer John Hartford doing his own song, but GC did kinda make it his own to many folks.)
Me And Bobby McGee - Janis Joplin
As to eye-poppers, Johnny Cash in the American series doing stuff like Hurt, Bird On A Wirew, etc.

JimB

Subject: RE: Distictive Artist Covers of Songs
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 03 May 10 - 08:59 PM

Whenever I think of a singer making a song his/her own, I automatically come up with:

Peggy Lee:   Fever!

After Peggy, no-one else can sing that song acceptably, IMO.

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: Distictive Artist Covers of Songs
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 03 May 10 - 09:37 PM

Etta James: God's Song

Blows every other performance of it clean out of the water.

Subject: RE: Distictive Artist Covers of Songs
From: mousethief
Date: 03 May 10 - 10:50 PM

Certainly Earth Wind & Fire's version of "Got to Get You Into My Life", while perhaps not definitive, was totally striking and unexpected and very good.

Subject: RE: Distictive Artist Covers of Songs
From: Gurney
Date: 04 May 10 - 12:05 AM

Anything original by the Beatles.
'Cry Me a River' by Julie London.

For the future, for me, quite a lot of 'standards' by Madeleine Peyroux.

Subject: RE: Distictive Artist Covers of Songs
From: mousethief
Date: 04 May 10 - 01:19 AM

Manfred Mann's Earth Band's versions of "Spirits in the Night" and "Blinded By the Light" knock the Boss's into a cocked hat.

Subject: RE: Distictive Artist Covers of Songs
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 04 May 10 - 02:30 AM

Sunny Afternoon by Stephanie deBruijn

Subject: RE: Distictive Artist Covers of Songs
From: frogprince
Date: 04 May 10 - 11:26 AM

Lots of them out there; I've about concluded that if a song "has it" in every way, you can go almost anywhere with it, so long as you treat it with respect, without hurting it.
Roberta Flack's rendition of "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face".
Joan Baez treatment of "Lily, Rosemary & the Jack of Hearts", which I had never heard until someone here linked it a few days ago.

Subject: RE: Distictive Artist Covers of Songs
From: GUEST,HiLo
Date: 04 May 10 - 11:31 AM

Peggy Lee singing Is That All There Is? Judy Garland, New York New York. Loads more but these come instantly to mind..

Subject: RE: Distictive Artist Covers of Songs
From: frogprince
Date: 04 May 10 - 11:50 AM

On the other hand, there are things that shouldn't happen. One day at work I realized that the muzak I was hearing was supposed to be "Me and Bobby Magee"; I sorta laughed my butt off to keep from barfing. My reaction was stronger when, more recently, I heard a very able guitar picker do Neil Young's Ohio instrumentally, pretty much as elevator music. I came very close to standing up and screaming "NO!".

Subject: RE: Distictive Artist Covers of Songs
From: buddhuu
Date: 04 May 10 - 11:58 AM

Christy Moore - 'Little Musgrave', 'Ride On'

I would also have said The Furey's version of 'No Man's Land / Green Fields of France', but Finbar screwed the lyrics up too badly, even though as a record it sounds great.

Subject: RE: Distictive Artist Covers of Songs
From: Brian Peters
Date: 04 May 10 - 01:34 PM

Way too many covers, in the pop world at least, attempt no more than to clone the original. Covers of trad songs don't really count, since in that case you start with a blank slate - in theory at least.

John Cale's cover of 'Heartbreak Hotel' succeeds in being outrageously irreverent, whilst also bringing out the darkness of the lyric in a way Elvis never could.

Subject: RE: Distictive Artist Covers of Songs
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 04 May 10 - 02:11 PM

Marilyn Monroe ~~ Cole Porter's My Heart Belongs to Daddy in film Let's Make Love.

~Michael~

Subject: RE: Distictive Artist Covers of Songs
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 05 May 10 - 02:39 AM

The Norman Greenbaum "Spirit in the Sky" was the best,

The Guess Who's "American Woman" was the best.

The Dixie Cups' Iko Iko was the best.

I've heard a cover of "Wipeout", but the Surfaris' was the definitive one.

The Troggs' "Wild Thing" is still the best although the version by "Fancy" (the lead singer was a Penthouse Pet) has a certain something.




I can't make up my mind about

"Shakin All Over" - Johnny Kidd and the Pirates, or the Who?

"Gimme Shelter" - the Stones or Merry Clayton?

"Blue Suede Shoes" - Carl Perkins, or Presley?

"Can't Explain" - the Who or Yvonne Elliman?

"Heard it Through the Grapevine" - the original, or the wonderful cover by Creedence Clearwater?

"You keep me Hangin' on" - the Supremes, or Vanilla Fudge?

"Proud Mary" - it could be the Ike and Tina Turner cover, not Creedence.




For the covers - there was a totally totally wonderful cover of "Wondrous Place" on one of the Toyota car ads, much better than the original done by Billy Fury.

I prefer the Creedence Clearwater version of "Suzie Q" to Dale Hawkins.

Bonnie Raitt's "If you gotta make a fool of somebody" is way better than Freddie and the Dreamers. So good in fact that I might do it!

"Walk me out in the Morning Dew"? - I think the Nazareth cover.

Manfred Mann's "Mighty Quinn" beats Dylan.

"Si Tu Dois Partir" I think beats any of the more Dylanesque "If you gotta go, go now" stylings





And which of the ten million versions of "Come away Melinda"?

Or "Get Ready"? - I might go for Donnie Elbert

Subject: RE: Distictive Artist Covers of Songs
From: GUEST,Gail
Date: 05 May 10 - 06:29 AM

I love World Party, but I guess their song 'She's The One'(written by Karl Wallinger) now 'belongs' to Robbie Williams.

Subject: RE: Distictive Artist Covers of Songs
From: Howard Jones
Date: 05 May 10 - 07:27 AM

In my opinion Swan Arcade's version of 'Lola' knocks the spots off the Kinks' original - excellent though that is.

Subject: RE: Distictive Artist Covers of Songs
From: Cool Beans
Date: 05 May 10 - 10:29 AM

Dave Van Ronk's version of "Clouds" (aka Both Sides Now), more contemplative and meaningful than Judy Collins; hit and better even than Joni Mitchell's original.

Subject: RE: Distictive Artist Covers of Songs
From: Rob Naylor
Date: 05 May 10 - 10:51 AM

Agree re Creedence's cover of "Heard It Through The Grapevine". It blew me away when I first got Cosmo's Factory.

"Barbara Ann" has definitely become "owned" by the Beach Boys. In fact, I've met many people who think it's a BB original.

OTOH, Amy Winehouse comprehensively (IMO) destroyed the Zutons' "Valerie", though it seems now to be "owned" by her in the sense that 9/10 times the song gets airtime, it's the AW version.

Subject: RE: Distictive Artist Covers of Songs
From: mousethief
Date: 05 May 10 - 11:50 AM

Virtually anything written and originally performed by Dylan.

Subject: RE: Distictive Artist Covers of Songs
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 05 May 10 - 11:58 AM

Yes indeed Mousey - an excellent songwriter he was, but it has always baffled me how anyone could listen to him!

"Twist and Shout" - Brain Poole, or the Beatles?
"Money" - Stones, Beatles, or Bern Elliott"?
"Sorrow" - the Merseys, or Bowie?
"Puppy Love" - does anyone remember who did the original since Donny Osmond?
"Dancing in the Street" - Martha and the Vnandellas, or Jagger and Bowie?

Subject: RE: Distictive Artist Covers of Songs
From: Phil Cooper
Date: 05 May 10 - 03:46 PM

Actually John Cale's version of Streets of Laredo is pretty spooky, too.

Subject: RE: Distictive Artist Covers of Songs
From: Brian Peters
Date: 06 May 10 - 03:06 PM

Dead right, Phil. And his 'Pablo Picasso' was a bit tougher than Jonathan Richman's.

Here's Cale's Heartbreak Hotel with an electric band, and here's his unplugged version . Awesome.

"Virtually anything written and originally performed by Dylan."

...especially Bryan Ferry's 'Hard Rain's A Gonna Fall'. Such a tasteful arrangement.

Subject: RE: Distictive Artist Covers of Songs
From: fat B****rd
Date: 06 May 10 - 03:35 PM

'Puppy Love' Paul Anka, was it not?

Subject: RE: Distictive Artist Covers of Songs
From: DonMeixner
Date: 06 May 10 - 05:28 PM

I believe it was Liza Minnelli who has the definitive version of "New York, New York."

Don

Subject: RE: Distictive Artist Covers of Songs
From: maple_leaf_boy
Date: 06 May 10 - 06:23 PM

The Proclaimers covered "Whole Wide World."
To me that was a definitive version of the song, even if it isn't as
well known.

Subject: RE: Distictive Artist Covers of Songs
From: beeliner
Date: 06 May 10 - 11:08 PM

I don't know if uses of melodies with different lyrics count as 'covers', but the German group Creme21's "Wann wird's mal wieder richtig Sommer?" ("When will it really be summer again?") is an interesting alternative to "City of New Orleans"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olEhbTQDbqY

Subject: RE: Distictive Artist Covers of Songs
From: mousethief
Date: 06 May 10 - 11:10 PM

They Might Be Giants: "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)"

Subject: RE: Distictive Artist Covers of Songs
From: melodeonboy
Date: 07 May 10 - 06:44 AM

"Wild Thing" - Hank Wangford Band

"Heartbreak Hotel" - Martin Carthy

"Highway 61 Revisited" - Johnny Winter

"Give Booze (peace) a Chance" - Bonzo Dog Band

Subject: RE: Distictive Artist Covers of Songs
From: GUEST,Calico
Date: 07 May 10 - 06:39 PM

Otis Redding totally rearranged and redefined "Try A Little Tenderness" - to the point where most people under the age of 50 probably think his cover is "the original."

Subject: RE: Distictive Artist Covers of Songs
From: GUEST,Calico
Date: 07 May 10 - 06:48 PM

Reba McIntyre's remake of Bobby Gentry's "Fancy"
Mr Bojangles - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band cover

"Hound Dog" was written as an r&b song for Big Mama Thornton but totally reworked as a rockabilly song by Elvis, whose version is thought of as the "definitive" one.

PP&M's remake and reworking of Pete Seeger's "If I Had A Hammer"

Jeff Buckley's cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah"

Either Rod Stewart's or Sheryl Crow's version of Cat Stevens' "The First Cut Is The Deepest."

Subject: RE: Distictive Artist Covers of Songs
From: GUEST,999
Date: 07 May 10 - 07:05 PM

Great set of covers entitled `Dylanesque` by Bryan Ferry. Brilliant and fantastic.

Subject: RE: Distinctive Artist Covers of Songs
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 07 May 10 - 07:14 PM

Now as for 'distinctive' - you want to listen to Gary McDonald when performing under the name of Norman Gunston - almost anything he did was definitely 'distinctive'...

Subject: RE: Distinctive Artist Covers of Songs
From: Joe Offer
Date: 07 May 10 - 08:18 PM

OK, OK, I changed the word "distictive" in the thread title because Foolestroupe told me to. So, for once, it's not ME who's pedantic...

Subject: RE: Distinctive Artist Covers of Songs
From: Genie
Date: 08 May 10 - 01:44 AM

Joe, that's not about being pedantic, it's about being able to find a thread using the "search" function.

Subject: RE: Distinctive Artist Covers of Songs
From: beeliner
Date: 08 May 10 - 04:38 PM

"Hound Dog" was written as an r&b song for Big Mama Thornton but totally reworked as a rockabilly song by Elvis, whose version is thought of as the "definitive" one.

Elvis also re-invented Smiley Lewis's "One Night(of Sin)", and while it's widely regarded as one of the King's best recordings, Lewis's original remains a classic in its own right.

Subject: RE: Distinctive Artist Covers of Songs
From: Rob Naylor
Date: 08 May 10 - 06:08 PM

Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band's "Suspicion"...fabulous!

Subject: RE: Distinctive Artist Covers of Songs
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 08 May 10 - 06:20 PM

Nashville Cats by the Del McCoury band, brilliant.

Dave H

Subject: RE: Distinctive Artist Covers of Songs
From: beeliner
Date: 08 May 10 - 06:48 PM

Johnny O'Keefe's "Wild One (Real Wild Child)" by Iggy Pop

Robert Pete Williams' "Grown So Ugly" by Captain Beefheart

ABBA's "Knowing Me, Knowing You" by the Volebeats

Tom T. Hall's "Pamela Brown" by Leo Kottke

Lord Invader's "Zombie Jamboree" by Rockapella

Subject: RE: Distinctive Artist Covers of Songs
From: mousethief
Date: 08 May 10 - 07:13 PM

Abba's "Dancing Queen" and Lou Reed's "Take a Walk on the Wild Side" lovingly blended together by Moxy Fruvous

Subject: RE: Distinctive Artist Covers of Songs
From: Acorn4
Date: 08 May 10 - 08:11 PM

A country singer called Travis Tritt has done a slow ballad version of "I Walk the Line" which works really well.

Good singer - stupid name!

Subject: RE: Distinctive Artist Covers of Songs
From: mousethief
Date: 14 May 10 - 06:18 PM

Linda Ronstadt (sp?) singing Nesmith's "Different Drum". Then again aside from "Joanne" I hated his cowboy phase.

Subject: RE: Distinctive Artist Covers of Songs
From: Tootler
Date: 14 May 10 - 07:31 PM

Totally outrageous and definitely distinctive: The Marcels; Blue Moon

Jealous Guy by Bryan Ferry was definitely better than the John Lennon Original IMO