Shouldn't have been covered (songs)

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: Marymac90
Date: 19 Apr 00 - 09:24 AM

Mbo-we all knew you were weird, but it's really fine-we love you anyway-maybe even more because of your weirdness.

Jeri-talk about funny-sounding old people, have you ever heard Nimrod Workman?

See y'all tonight on the radio! Max's birthday is coming!

Marymac

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: SDShad
Date: 19 Apr 00 - 09:46 AM

As for covers of "Bobbie McGee"--I've always thought Gordon Lightfoot did a pretty good job. Of course, whenever I put it on, my wife proclaims that only Janis can sing that one....

Shad

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: Mbo
Date: 19 Apr 00 - 10:11 AM

Thanks alison! I've get the mp3 out to you later this afternoon! Right on Hyp! It was Thin Lizzy's version that Metallica was covering. BTW have you ever noticed that the guitar riff from "The Boys Are Back In Town" would sound GREAT on a fiddle? I can see a folk version of "The Boys Are Back In Town" styled as being about the boys of '98...BTW the lead singer of Thin Lizzy (who was half Black, half Irish, interestingly enough) had a obsession with Cuchullain...

--Mbo

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: Caitrin
Date: 19 Apr 00 - 10:18 AM

Mbo, you can't cover a cover. Though Metallica may have been influenced by Thin Lizzy's version, it's still is a cover of the original artist's song.
Shad, your wife is right. : )

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: Hyperabid
Date: 19 Apr 00 - 10:27 AM

Errrrmm not wanting to start a semantic debate but I've deliberately done versions of:-

- Red Hot Chilli Peppers cover of Higher Ground - Stevie Wonder
- The Superfly version of Superstition - Stevie Wonder

The direct intent was to do version of the covers - not the originals.

You can cover a cover!

Hyp

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: GUEST,Mbo_at_ECU
Date: 19 Apr 00 - 10:43 AM

You sure CAN cover a cover! The album that it came from is "Garage, Inc." which was a WHOLE album of covers by Metallica. I do covers of covers ALL the time...not merely influenced by them, but actually singing it like the folks who cover it.

--Mbo

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: GUEST,Frank Hamilton
Date: 19 Apr 00 - 11:51 AM

I don't think that Leadbelly should cover Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. I don't think that Burl Ives could cover "The Best of Charlie Parker" and I don't think covers of songs are that uncommon in traditional folk music. "Covers" is a pop music term. In folk music, though, if you don't cover a folk song, it ain't folk.

Frank

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: annamill
Date: 19 Apr 00 - 12:32 PM

I have teb very best one! (I think ;-)

Ready? I once heard (no joke) a CD of a four-string quartet doing Metallica songs! If anyone really would like to know the name of this quartet just let me know.

Love, annap

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: Mbo
Date: 19 Apr 00 - 12:32 PM

You ain't heard nothing yet till you've heard Radiohead sing "Rhinestone Cowboy". Sheer joy. Radiohead should do a whole acoustic album, they sound GREAT acoustic.

--Mbo

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: Peter T.
Date: 19 Apr 00 - 12:47 PM

What I can't figure out is how people got good songs out of Leonard Cohen's originals. You listen to the originals and they sound like nothing, and then you listen to Judy Collins, or Emmylou Harris, or Jennifer Warnes, or 20 other people, and you go -- wow, great song, and you find out it is something of Leonard Cohen's that seemed to have two, maybe three notes tops. And you go back to the Leonard Cohen originals, and now you hear why they are great songs, and they are great when he does them -- you just couldn't hear them before. It is completely weird.
He and Dylan have surely benefitted more than almost anyone from having gifted interpreters.
A few heresies:
Judy Collins' version of "In My Life" is better than the original.
Dave van Ronk's version of Joni Mitchell's "That Song About the Midway" is better than the original.
Holly Cole's version of Joni Mitchell's "River" is almost as good as the original. Nothing is that good. Holly also has a great album of Tom Waits songs.

The cover version of Martha and the Muffins' "Walking on Sunshine" that seems to have replaced the original, whoever did it, is a crime against humanity.
All of Paul McCartney's later covers of his Beatle songs are dreadful. What is with this guy? His Russian album covers of old rock and roll songs are mostly terrific, and better than John Lennon's similar escapade.
Anne Murray's best album ever is "Crooning", covers of 50s songs -- I have always hated "that bitch", but it is great. She has the style down cold. Joni Mitchell's new similar album of these covers is horrible, and Sinead O'Connor and Linda Ronstandt should also not do this kind of thing. They have no idea.

The worst cover ever? Easy. Rosalind Russell doing the film version of "Gypsy". Two words: Ethel Merman.

No strike that -- the film version of "Carousel". And then there was Marlon Brando in Guys and Dolls -- No, wait --- WORST TRAVESTY OF ALL: NECROPHILIAC SINGING WITH YOUR DEAD FATHER. TONY BENNETT (WHAT WERE YOU THINKING TONY?) SINGING WITH DEAD BILLIE HOLLIDAY. STOP THEM BEFORE THEY KILL AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

yours, Peter T.

Subject: Peter, Paul and Mary
From: Joe Offer
Date: 19 Apr 00 - 04:19 PM

Sorry I didn't respond earlier, Wesley S - Click the song title to play This Land Is Your Land from our database, and note the difference between this original version and the Peter, Paul and Mary version you're familiar with. I guess we don't have "If I Had a Hammer" in the database, but the differences between the original and PP&M versions are similar to what they did to "This Land." They add extra notes and sometimes an extra measure to the ending words of several lines, but not in a way that harmonizes with the original version. Since PP&M were so immensely popular, many people learned the PP&M versions of these songs and don't know the originals.

These two songs are particularly good for group singing - but when groups of people try to sing them, you invariably get dissonance, some people singing the original (i.e., Weavers version, I guess) and others singing the PP&M version.

So, yeah, I think that PP&M ruined more than a couple very good songs. Their recordings of the songs are fine - but they've made it so nobody else can sing them in a community singing situation.

-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: Wesley S
Date: 19 Apr 00 - 04:41 PM

Joe - Thanks for your response. Your ideas are interesting and maybe this should be the start of another thread. But I think there are muliple versions of lots of songs out there - it's part of the folk process. I'm wondering what role the song leader has in all this - gently leading everyone in the same direction and leading by example? What do you think - has this really been a problem?

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: Mike Regenstreif
Date: 19 Apr 00 - 04:52 PM

Joe,

I had Pete Seeger as a guest on my radio program last May. He told me then that Peter, Paul & Mary's changes to "If I Had A Hammer" were an improvement to what he and Lee Hayes had originally come up with.

BTW, "The Hammer Song," as it was originally known was on the cover of the first issue of Sing Out! Magazine, 50 years ago next month.

Mike Regenstreif

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: Caitrin
Date: 19 Apr 00 - 07:06 PM

I KNOW the album, Mbo! And I don't like being patronized!
I suppose I was simply wondering where you got the information that they were covering the Thin Lizzy version, if we're going to say that one can cover a cover.

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: Jeremiah McCaw
Date: 19 Apr 00 - 07:24 PM

Watched the video for Madonna's (per)version of "American Pie". Stunning imagery playing in the background. Loved it. But where was the soul in the performance? Madonna's voice sounded great, although I do believe heavily processed; but what on earth was she thinking? That she was a go-go girl? I was left with the impression that she had no idea whatsoever what the song was about. D minus!

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: Helen
Date: 19 Apr 00 - 07:47 PM

Alan F. and Peter T.

I agree with you both about Leonard Cohen. Can't stand him, or Bob Dylan singing their own songs but other people can make them into great songs.

I like a remixed version of one of Bob Marley's songs - very well done, adding a newer rhythm and using sampling from the original, very tastefully done. The name of it escapes me but it will come back to me - probably as soon as I go off-line.

The worst cover version I have heard was of Tainted Love a few years ago. The original was by Soft Cell. The cover might be the one used in the Coneheads movie.

Why take out all of that subtle musical brilliance and sanitise it into a boring little song?

Helen

Helen

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: Mbo
Date: 19 Apr 00 - 08:07 PM

OH NO!!!! I'm sorry if I came off as patronizing....sorry again...
I really didn't know if you knew the album....I wasn't sure..
But the notes in the album tells you who did the originals that Metallica covers on the album...Whisky In The Jar was originally done my Thin Lizzy, and it says that it's their version Metallica covers.
Sorry again....

--Mbo

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: Helen
Date: 19 Apr 00 - 08:14 PM

I forgot to mention the album & video of Red, Hot & Blue which is a whole lot of covers of old Noel Coward songs. Love 'em all. I hated the Tom Waits one to start with and now it is one of my favourites.

And talking of Tom Waits, another cover I love is Tim Buckley singing TW's song Martha on the Sefronia album.

Helen

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: Callie
Date: 19 Apr 00 - 08:34 PM

GOOD COVERS: 1. Luka Bloom singing the Prince song "When Doves Cry" 2. Johnny Cash singing Elvis Costello's song "Hidden Shame" 3. Chet Baker singing Elvis C's song "Almost Blue" 4. Elvis C singing anything, and especially Charles Mingus' song "weird Nightmare" 5. Weird Al Yankovic doing Accordion Polka versions of songs like Bohemian Rhapsody, and also "Eat It" and "Pretty Fly for a Rabbi" 6. Kate Bush singing Elton John's "Rocket Man" 7. Marianne Faithfull singing Van M's "Madame George"

BAD BAD BAD COVERS (besides the obvious Madonna) 1.Rod Stewart singing Van Morrison's "have I Told You..." and Tom Waites' "Downtown Train" 2. Whoever did that awful machine sounding cover of "Say A Little Prayer" where they took out the bar of 3/4 to make it all even. 3. Judy Collins doing "In My Life" and Leonard Cohen songs (now that will stir folks up!!) 4. Robert Palmer singing anything, and in particular Bob Dylan's song "I'll be Your Baby Tonight"

No real folk singers mentioned, coz they ALL do covers.

--Callie

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: Mooh
Date: 19 Apr 00 - 10:30 PM

Good covers of "Wishing Well" and "I Saw Her Standing There" by Maggie Bell. Whatever happened to her anyway?

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: GUEST, Threadie
Date: 19 Apr 00 - 10:57 PM

Luciano Pavarotti and Marilyn Manson's little known version of The Shambles' "Such is the God"

The song doesn't do the singers any justice, IMHO.

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: Ely
Date: 19 Apr 00 - 11:30 PM

I had no idea Faith Hill attempted "Piece of my Heart" [wave of nausea coming on].

The guy next door to me has a disco version of "Rubber Ducky".

I once heard Beatles on hammered dulcimer in the Whataburger near my house. I love the hammered dulcimer but you gotta draw the line somewhere.

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: hrodelbert
Date: 19 Apr 00 - 11:45 PM

Most have missed the point re Madonna and American Pie. Choreographed to emphasise Madonna's rather attractive Bosom, any tune would have sufficed and it usually does.

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: Crowhugger
Date: 20 Apr 00 - 12:00 AM

Callie, 'scuse me about getting all semantic, but maybe "they" don't all do covers, "we do."

Joe, didn't everyone learn This Land Is Your Land from a little blue softcover book edited or whatever by Pete Seeger, probably published in the 50s or early 60s? Vague pre-schooler notions of colour mixed with clearer recall of raiding Mom's music stash when I hijacked my brother's guitar and started learning.

Ooooops, retract that last one, or amend it: the words are different in Canada, and I haven't seen a lot of mix-up about that extra bar when done at campfires and such. Where Canucksters get all muddled is the last 2 lines of the chorus:

From the Arctic Circle [or: Ocean] to the Great Lakes' Waters
This land was...

Singing & dancing, CH

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: Bugsy
Date: 20 Apr 00 - 12:15 AM

Ugly Kid Joe (Is that the name?) doing "Cat's In The Cradle"...OH DEAR!!!! they can't even get the words right!

Cheers

Bugsy

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: TheOldMole
Date: 20 Apr 00 - 01:30 AM

There are those who are not crazy about Peggy Lee's cover of Little Willie John's "Fever."

The Doc Pomus tribute album is full of great covers, such as Lou Reed's "This Magic Moment," but the best thing on it -- and maybe the best cover I ever heard -- is Shawn Colvin's "Viva Las Vegas."

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: Callie
Date: 20 Apr 00 - 01:50 AM

Beg your pardon, Crowhugger - you're absolutely right!!

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: mjm
Date: 20 Apr 00 - 02:21 AM

Amy Grant doing Big Yellow Taxi. m

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: SDShad
Date: 20 Apr 00 - 08:40 AM

Another good cover: The House Band doing Tom Waits' "Shiver Me Timbers"--not so sure about Bette Midler's version. The original, of course, is sublime.

Chris

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: Caitrin
Date: 20 Apr 00 - 01:19 PM

Bugsy, I actually like UKJ's "Cat's in the Cradle." THough, you're right, they do get the words wrong.
Sorry, Mbo...I was having a bad day and overreacted a bit.

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: GUEST,Mbo_at_ECU
Date: 20 Apr 00 - 01:31 PM

That's Ok. I didn't mean to make you mad. BTW you can smack the back o' my head anytime! **BG**

--Mbo (ouch!)

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: Peter T.
Date: 20 Apr 00 - 05:49 PM

I stick with my Judy Collins' pick -- She did some good Cohen -- "Bird on a Wire" is terrific (better than Jennifer Warnes' draggy version). She should have stayed away from certain songs, true. Her voice is too warm for the vast array of Cohen suicide songs. Her recent album of Dylan songs has some real clunkers too. Her version of Jacques Brel's "Chanson des Vieux Amants" is in severely bad French. But some fine stuff along the way....
yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: Homeless
Date: 20 Apr 00 - 06:11 PM

One group of covers I really like is Pat Boone's "In a Metal Mood" CD where he covered a whole bunch of heavy metal classics. WIDE depature of style, but he did the originals justice.

BTW, Sheryl Crow did do a Zep cover - it's on the Zep tribute album "Encomium"

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: Mbo
Date: 20 Apr 00 - 06:17 PM

The Clash kick serious bootie on the classic "I Fought The Law"!

--Mbo

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: zenduck
Date: 20 Apr 00 - 06:26 PM

I have never been able to understand the cult of "American Pie" - pretentious twaddle. Good for Madonna for messing with it. The best thing Don McLean ever recorded was his cover of Roy Orbison's "Crying," even though it couldn't hold a candle to the original.

Glad somebody pointed out the abomination that is Nazareth's butchery of "Love Hurts."

The new Joni Mitchell album raises the interesting case of someone covering her own material 30+ years on. The new version of "Both Sides Now" has a depth that the original couldn't get close to (the Judy Collins cover is guaranteed to induce insulin shock - dreck), but the remake of "A Case of You" fails utterly.

James Taylor's hyper-honky covers of R&B classics ("How Sweet It Is," "Mockingbird," etc.) are the greatest unintentional joke to ever ooze out of a radio.

The greatest cover of all time is Vivian Stanshall's version of "Suspicion."

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: vindelis
Date: 20 Apr 00 - 06:44 PM

NO I won't appologise. I LIKE Madonna's version of American Pie. OK it is different, but it grows on you, after a few plays, even if you don't know who the singer is at the time.

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: The Lighthouse
Date: 20 Apr 00 - 10:47 PM

Dave Clark 5 did a lot of covers and they were ALL worse than the original!!!! I also heard on the "oldies" station a band doing "Ding Dong the Withch is Dead" from "....Oz". BAAAAAAAAADDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: zenduck
Date: 21 Apr 00 - 03:57 PM

Lighthouse, you're right about the DC5 covers, but they did some great originals - Tom Petty used to do a killer cover of "Any Way You Want It" live.

Since we're talking British Invasion bands, Herman's Hermits version of the doo-wop classic "Sihouettes" sucked . On the other hand, the Animals' version of John Lee Hooker's "Boom Boom" was a monster, and the Beatles' covers went from the sublime ("Long Tall Sally," "I Call Your Name") to the ridiculously sublime ("Mr. Moonlight").

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: JenEllen
Date: 21 Apr 00 - 04:25 PM

Martin Carthy's 'Rave On' = good
Hindu Love God's 'Raspberry Beret' =great
The Maverick's 'Love Me' = good
Cake's 'I Will Survive' =kitchy but good

Sorry, seems I can think of more I'm glad that I've heard. when one of the dreadful covers comes on, I useually just scream and turn it off.

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: Wesley S
Date: 21 Apr 00 - 04:36 PM

Most of the covers by Richie Havens were good ones. I love that mans voice.

One of my least favorite covers was Neilssons version of "Everybodys Talkin' At Me". The original by Fred Neil was SO much better. Even if it did have a line about "The echos of my mind"

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: Kara
Date: 21 Apr 00 - 04:44 PM

Hey MBO everyone knows that shane drinks Martini

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: Peter T.
Date: 21 Apr 00 - 04:50 PM

On one of the Anthology albums, if I recall, or maybe the BBC radio set, there is finally a recording of Paul McCartney's stage version of "Lucille". John Lennon also does a great version of Chuck Berry's "Too Much Monkey Business." There are also some nice Arthur Alexander songs -- how is that for an unsung giant. Arthur Alexander!
yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: Kara
Date: 21 Apr 00 - 05:11 PM

and it is more likly to be the methadone than the martini that makes him sound like that. i did like the bit on the Nick cave video, when he was discussing a track video he had made with shane "he made a lot of effort with his hair" an awfull cover of" what a wonderful world"

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: zenduck
Date: 21 Apr 00 - 08:30 PM

Sorry - I must have had a bubble in my brain. "I Call Your Name" is, of course, a Lennon/McCartney orig. So let's substitute "Please Mr. Postman," or "Words of Love," or "Dizzy Miss Lizzie," or...

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: zenduck
Date: 21 Apr 00 - 08:35 PM

Dear Hyperabid:

"Utter pants" is great! Is it a violation of etiquette to ask where it's a "local expression"? Can't say I've ever heard it way out here in California.

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: Hyperabid
Date: 27 Apr 00 - 11:00 AM

Zenduck

Sorry it's taken me so long to answer your post - I thought this thread had run its course some time ago.

In answer to your question, it's an expression used over here in the UK all the time. Maybe it's about time it crossed the pond to the US.

And whilst I'm on the subject - who allowed Rolf Harris to cover Stairway to Heaven - Led Zepplin and Bohemeinam Rhapsody - Queen.

They should have tied Rolf down with his Kangaroo - sport!

Hyp.

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: Hyperabid
Date: 28 Apr 00 - 05:09 AM

Refresh for zenduck

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: Molly Malone
Date: 28 Apr 00 - 06:03 PM

Luka Bloom covered When Doves Cry???? Where do I find that one???

One album I expected to see on here and haven't yet. ..

Two Rooms.

Subject: RE: BS: Shouldn't have been covered
From: SDShad
Date: 01 May 00 - 10:51 AM

I mentioned "Fairytale of New York" much earlier in this thread. Well, I've now heard another cover of this song, Christy Moore's, and Christy's a marvelous singer and all, but his interpretation just butchers the soul of this song right out of it. It think it almost has to be a duet, for one thing.

Accept no substitutes.

And while I'm on the subject of Christy Moore:

Christy Moore singing "Raggle, Taggle Gypsy" with Planxty: incredible Christy Moore solo version of same, with synth and drum track: *shudder*

Chris

Subject: RE: Shouldn't have been covered (songs)
From: GUEST,Guest, Lash LaRue
Date: 06 Aug 10 - 07:47 PM

William Shatner's "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds"
Sebastian Cabot's "Blowin' in the Wind"

and, for sheer torture -
Jack Webb's "Try A Little Tenderness"

(Don't believe it exists? I own the LP.)

Lash LaRue