Best cover songs?

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: GUEST,Mariner
Date: 28 Nov 08 - 06:42 AM

Steve Gibbons Band version of Chuck Berrys "Tulane" best on the live album "Caught in the Act"

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: Bobert
Date: 27 Nov 08 - 03:12 PM

First of all, the songs in the link ain't my kinda music... Like who picked those songs as worth coverin'??? Most of those songs are contemporary pop song... Back in the 60's they would have been called bubble-gum songs...

But nevermind that...

Best song ever covered was Spooky Tooth's version of the Beatles "I Am the Walrus"...

The White Stripes cover of Son House's "Death Letter Blues" ain't bad, either...

Elvis Presley'd cover of Mama Thorton's "Hound Dog" and his cover of Arthur Crupup's "Thain I Ride" were purdy good, too...

Rolling Stones cover of "It's All Over Now" by Bobby Womack weren't half bad either...

Man, too many to list...

B~

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 27 Nov 08 - 11:46 AM

Ahhhhh - Thanks Becca I had sort of guessed realy but I can never resist the opportunity to be stupid:-P

Cheers

DeG

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: Becca72
Date: 27 Nov 08 - 05:52 AM

DeG,
THE Hooters...not the chain restaurant with "great chicken wings".

They're an awesome band out of Philly..had a popular stint in the 80s

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 26 Nov 08 - 01:43 PM

Hamilton Camp did the original "Pride of Man" since he wrote it, but you are probably thinking of Gordon Lightfoot's "cover" of the song.

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: PoppaGator
Date: 26 Nov 08 - 08:33 AM

Who did the original "Pride of Man"? I remember Quicksilver's recording, and vaguely remember that I had known the song from an earlier (and "folkier" and probably acoustic) version.

The Airplane's "Other Side of This Life" ~ was that a Fred Neil song?

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: GUEST,Murphy
Date: 26 Nov 08 - 06:42 AM

James Taylor's "Going to Carolina" performed by Allison Krauss with Union Station. Check in on Youtube

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: GUEST,Charles J. Fish
Date: 26 Nov 08 - 02:03 AM

Quicksilver Messenger Service's cover of "Pride of Man."
Jefferson Airplane's cover of "The Other Side Of This Life."

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 25 Nov 08 - 06:08 PM

Covered by the Hooters? Must be some strange Americanism:-D

DeG

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: Becca72
Date: 25 Nov 08 - 05:59 PM

"Boys of Summer" as covered by The Hooters on their latest album. Makes me not want to hear the Don Henley version ever again.

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: PoppaGator
Date: 25 Nov 08 - 04:17 PM

Bonnie's "Runaway" is quite different from Del's original ~ whole different tempo and general overall sound. Both are very good, certainly, and the newer ("cover") version has a good bit of originality to it.

Cover bands generally try to duplicate the sound of popular recordings as closely as possible; therefore, one meaning of "to cover" a song is to nore-or-less "clone" a familar original.

That's not the kind of "cover" under discussion here. The recordings we're all recalling here ALL "make it even better - or a least different in a terrific way."

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 25 Nov 08 - 04:01 PM

To me, the test of a great cover version, is if an artist can cover a version of a song that you really love, and make it even better - or a least different in a terrific way. Take, for example, Del Shannon's classic original version of Runaway. I loved that! For me, it brightened up the early 1960s. But Bonnie Rait's cover version is fablulous. Here is a link to a live version.

Bonnie's Runaway

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 25 Nov 08 - 11:40 AM

Ahhhhhh - Got it at long last!

R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Find out what it means to me
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Take care, TCB

Just never sounded like that to me! But then again I always wonered why she wanted to hand a socket to her as well:-D

DeG

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: fat B****rd
Date: 22 Nov 08 - 03:34 PM

Probably my loss, DeG, but no I don't have the pleasure of being one of Mr. Higginbottoms's.(:-)
ATB from Charlie

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 22 Nov 08 - 07:35 AM

Ahhhhhh - Still doesn't make sense to me 'r-e-s-p-e-c-t, take out the t-c-b' Or is that still wrong? Modegreens abound!

Cheers

DeG

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: PoppaGator
Date: 21 Nov 08 - 04:07 PM

"TCB" ~ not "TCP" ~ was/is a street-slang acronym standing for "Take Care of Business."

"T," "C," and "B (or P)" are not three letters to be deleted from the spelling of r-e-s-p-e-c-t.

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 21 Nov 08 - 04:00 PM

Damn. Hoping you wouln't bring that up, Ron.

But I win section 2 on this thread. Yahoo!

He's very good FB - Are you one of the Fat B*****ds of Geoff Higginbottoms group btw?

Cheers

DeG

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: fat B****rd
Date: 21 Nov 08 - 03:52 PM

Dave el Gnomo. I believe 'the bloke on the saxophone' is Leo Green' son of the late Benny (one time member of Lord Rockingham's Xl)
Yours nerdishly Charlie. PS Leo is or was a featured soloist in Jools Holland's Band.

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 21 Nov 08 - 03:32 PM

Scottish.. English... same difference

"colonials"????   There comes a time when you just need to let go. You guys lost!

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 21 Nov 08 - 03:29 PM

She's Scottish!

Damn colonials..

:-P

PS - I love Dolly Parton as well:-)

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 21 Nov 08 - 03:26 PM

David - I realize that England is a relatively small country, but surely there are finer women than Lulu that would win your heart.

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 21 Nov 08 - 03:05 PM

Mind you - she did get the words right:-) More than Cobain did!

Who was the bloke with the saxaphone btw?

and how dare you call the love of my life a washed out lounge singer, Olesku? I challenge you to drum machine and Korg keybords at dawn...

:D (eG)

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 21 Nov 08 - 03:01 PM

Only for about 1 minute ... I had to make sure it was a joke.

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 21 Nov 08 - 02:34 PM

You was actualy listening to it???

:D

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 21 Nov 08 - 02:30 PM

Holy crap, that Lulu cut was awful!!!   I am assuming you were being sarcastic David. Sounds like a washed up lounge singer working for tips at a bowling alley.

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 21 Nov 08 - 02:26 PM

I'm always confused by Aretha's version of respect. If you take out the 'TCP' you are left with rese - What does that mean?

Anyway, enough of my shortcomings (pun intended). No one took me up on my recommendation for 'The man who sold the world'. Just look at Lulu's version an tell me it is not better (and sexier:-) ) than either Bowie or Cobain!

I just watched it again and need to go for lie down...

:D (eG)

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: PoppaGator
Date: 21 Nov 08 - 01:35 PM

Ron's mention of that "Eleanor Rigby" cover reminds me that last weekend, on the Saturday-afternoon Brazialian music program on WWOZ, they featured a solid half-hour or more of Brazilian bands and singers covering familiar English-language pop/rock songs.

One was a very haunting "Eleanor Rigby," and another one I particularly remember was of Dylan's "I Want You" (from the "Blonde On Blonde" album), a song which I don't believe I've ever heard anyone sing but Bob.

Sorry I can't recall the names of the artists. I wouldn't have been able to spell the Portuguese, anyway.

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 21 Nov 08 - 01:21 PM

I agree with Tunesmith - cover songs is a meaningless term. ALL traditional folk songs would be a "cover song" by the definition.

With that said, I really fell in love with a version of "Eleanor Rigby" performed by Kelleigh MacKenzie.   A really good artist can draw new feelings out of old and express dimensions that the other artists and original recordings did not find.

Christine Lavin did similar justice to "Downtown".

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: PoppaGator
Date: 21 Nov 08 - 12:02 PM

"Totally agree with Fat B***ard on Aretha Franklin's version of Respect."

It probably bears mentioning that Aretha not only sang ("covered") Otis Redding's composition, she also wrote a whole additional "bridge"-type section of the song, the part where she spells out R-E-S-P-E-C-T. (The background singers' "Sock it to me" part was also new in Aretha's recording, not heard earlier.)

Otis, by the way, wrote a lot of his own material, and co-wrote even more of it with Steve Cropper, but we don't generally think of him as a "singer-songwriter," although that's pretty much excatly what he was. But he did "cover" many other songs, including some old "American Songbook standards" to which he applied a whole new style.

A favorite Otis Redding cover song: "Try a Little Tenderness."

Several Judy Collins recordings have been mentioned; let me add yet another, one which served as the title song for an excellent album: "In My Life" (a John Lennon song, of course ~ although nominally Lennon-McCartney).

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 21 Nov 08 - 09:01 AM

In the days before rock music, I don't think the term "cover version" would have made sense as the music industry was song based rather than artist based; for example, I'm sure Sinatra's version of "Night and Day" wouldn't have been called a cover version inspite of the fact that he wasn't the first to record it. However, by the the 1960s and 70s, if anyone had recorded Sinatra's hit "Stangers in the Night" it would have been referred to as a cover version.

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: Will Fly
Date: 21 Nov 08 - 03:59 AM

Here's my monster mash-up:

The Kinks's "All Day And All Of The Night" performed by the Stranglers
Elvis Costello's "Girls Talk" performed by Dave Edmunds
Elvis Presley's "Little Sister" performed by Ry Cooder
Richard Thompson's "When The Spell Is Broken" performed by Bonnie Raitt & The Blind Boys of Alabama (just...)
Graham Parker's "Crawling From The Wreckage" performed by Dave Edmunds

Actually, anything by anyone performed by Dave Edmunds... but that's just personal prejudice :-)

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: quokka
Date: 20 Nov 08 - 08:23 PM

And another from Johnny Cash... Nick Cave's Mercy Seat

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: Ythanside
Date: 20 Nov 08 - 08:14 PM

Judy Collins' version of 'Who Knows Where The Time Goes.'

Ray Charles' version of 'Take These Chains From My Heart.'

Both definitive, IMHO.

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: frogprince
Date: 20 Nov 08 - 06:18 PM

"Johnny Cash did an effective cover of U2's One"
His cover of "Hurt", by the 9 Inch Nails, is damn near beyond belief, especially as the video.

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: PeadarOfPortsmouth
Date: 20 Nov 08 - 04:30 PM

Totally agree with Fat B***ard on Aretha Franklin's version of Respect.

Also, while it may not be "best ever," one cover that I've been playing repeatedly recently is Beoga's cover of Steely Dan's Dirty Work.

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: PoppaGator
Date: 20 Nov 08 - 04:11 PM

Dave the Gnome beat me to the punch: Hendrix's "Watchtower" is in a class by itself, the all-time single greatest cover version of any pop/folk/rock song. It's such a definitive interpretation that Dylan himself almost immediately abandoned his previous arrangement and began "covering" Jimi's version!

A year or two or three ago, in another discussion of cover songs (on TV), someone mentioned another Jimi Hendrix performance, "Hey Joe." That song had been a very minor hit earlier in the 60s, recorded by some forgotten one-hit-wonder act that I can't name, nor can most people. It became a sort of word-of-mouth rock-underground favorite among garage-band players and other amateur musicians, probably because it's not only easy to play, it's easy to play effectively.

The stupid TV host "ruled" that JH's "Hey Joe" was NOT a "cover version," just because HE was not familiar with any earlier version, and the person who proposed it couldn't namr the original recording artist. And also because he was too young to know first-hand that every kid with an electric guitar had already been covering it for years by the time Jimi played it in front of the cameras at Monterrey.

Somewhere in the Mudcat archives, there's a very entertaining discussion of "Hey Joe," its origins, its harmonic structure, and the question of whether a commercially-recorded piece of music that gets itself so thoroughly "folk-processed" can ever become a "true" folk song.

Moving along...

I would also nominate, in addition to "Crying Time" (which has already been mentioned), EVERY country number ever played and sung by Ray Charles, including the entire "Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music" album. The giant hit single from that LP was "I Can't Stop Loving You," but my personal favorite is "You Don't Know Me."

One more: Gregg Allman's take on Jackson Browne's "These Days" is perhaps THE definitive version of that world-weary lament.

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: GUEST,Nicholas Waller
Date: 20 Nov 08 - 02:49 PM

Someone elsewhere told me only today that William Shatner did a version of Tambourine Man http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=_0hTtsqiFCc

Harry Nilsson's version of "Without You" was very famous, but I have a soft spot for the original from Badfinger, written by Pete Ham and Tom Evans - partly because of what came after. "I can't live, if living is without you/I can't give, I can't give any more" and both of them separately committed suicide in 1975 and 1983

Johnny Cash did an effective cover of U2's One.

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 20 Nov 08 - 02:12 PM

Jut out of interest - Does anyone think Rod Stewarts covers of folky classic are any good?

I'm saying nothing yet:-)

DeG

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: Melissa
Date: 20 Nov 08 - 02:09 PM

Meat Purveyors--Burning Love

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: GUEST,Mike B.
Date: 20 Nov 08 - 02:04 PM

Judy Collins' covers of Cohen's "Suzanne" and Eric Andersen's "Thirsty Boots".

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: TRUBRIT
Date: 20 Nov 08 - 12:41 PM

It is a fantastic song -- much to like. And there IS always Leonard Cohen's version.....

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: quokka
Date: 20 Nov 08 - 02:47 AM

I was thinking specifically of Jeff Buckley's 'Live' version of Hallelujah - it goes on for ages but he puts his heart and soul into it.(Having said that, I probably have about 8 different versions of the song - can you tell I like it a bit?) I recently picked up a copy of Tim Buckley's 'Greetings From LA' and I'm amazed how much his voice sounds like Jeff's.

Cheers,

Quokka

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: TRUBRIT
Date: 20 Nov 08 - 01:05 AM

I think kd lang's version of Hallelujah is wonderful and much better than this one. I also (kind of ) like Rufus Wainwright's version.

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: Benjamin
Date: 20 Nov 08 - 12:31 AM

I actually would have chosen Phil Collins cover of "Tomorrow Never Knows" by the Beatles.

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 19 Nov 08 - 11:17 PM

John Cowan & Bela Fleck's version of John Lennon's "Oh, Darlin'"

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: Roger in Baltimore
Date: 19 Nov 08 - 03:08 PM

Frogprince,

I believe Dolly Parton wrote "The Coat of Many Colors". A cover song is a song done by an artist or artists who did not write the song, so "Coat" does not qualify. 'Tis a good song anyway. I'm just showing off that I have not forgotten everything I ever knew.

Roger in Baltimore

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 19 Nov 08 - 03:02 PM

I love the Copper Family cover version of "Claudy Banks"

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 19 Nov 08 - 02:45 PM

I don't think anyone does Dylan quite like Dylan but I must say I do like the Hendrix version of 'All Along the Watchtower'. But then again Hendrix is my God:-) Funny the way that happened as well. In a time when every white boy was doing his best to sing black soul music, Hendrix picked up on a white folk singer! Funny old world init! :-)

DeG

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: fat B****rd
Date: 19 Nov 08 - 01:35 PM

Aretha - Respect
Ray Charles - Cryin' Time
Elvis Costello - I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: Trevor Thomas
Date: 19 Nov 08 - 10:58 AM

"Does Iz's version of "somewhere over the rainbow" count as a cover?"

I think it sure does, Timo. Perhaps even two covers in one, since it also contains 'What a Wonderful World' as well. He changed a few things, (like the chords, the melody and the rhythm,) but I believe the best covers are the ones where the artist takes the music and does something else with it, than has previously been done.

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: GUEST,maple_leaf_boy
Date: 19 Nov 08 - 10:20 AM

Pip Radish, I agree. Mr. Tambourine Man sung by Bob Dylan is the one I
prefer, too. The Byrds interpretation of that song isn't very favorable.
It sounds more like a lullaby, when It should have an edge to it like
the way Dylan sang it.
His Freewheelin' and Nashville Skyline albums are excellent. He sounds
really good on those records in particular.
"Lay, Lady, Lay" and "Girl Of The North Country" are some songs where
he sounds good on the vocals.

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: Timo_Tuokkola
Date: 19 Nov 08 - 07:48 AM

Does Iz's version of "somewhere over the rainbow" count as a cover?

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: Phil Edwards
Date: 19 Nov 08 - 07:47 AM

Guest:kkk - disagree; the first time I heard Dylan's own Tambourine Man it turned my head right round. If you've only heard the Byrds' prettied-up version of verse 2, you haven't heard the song at all.

I'd vote for any Leonard Cohen song done by anyone other than Leonard Cohen, though.

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: cptsnapper
Date: 19 Nov 08 - 07:14 AM

Simon & Garfunkel with James Taylor & their version of the Sam Cooke " What Wonderful World "

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: GUEST,knockknockknocker
Date: 19 Nov 08 - 07:08 AM

any Dylan song done by any other singer than Bob Dylan

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 18 Nov 08 - 10:56 PM

Anyone want to start a pool to see when and who will post the first joke about a blanket as a "cover" song?

Seriously, there are so many to choose from. Pretty much anyone who sings a trad song is doing a "cover".

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: oldhippie
Date: 18 Nov 08 - 07:38 PM

Audry Rose's cover of "Desolation Row" is one of my favorites.

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 18 Nov 08 - 07:09 PM

Ed, if you dislike the proposition, why contribute? Come on, man, you know you want to tell us your favourite covers really:-D

Anyone seen Johny Cash's 'Personal Jesus'. Briliant!

Cheers

DeG

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: Dave Sutherland
Date: 18 Nov 08 - 05:40 PM

Yes I'd agree with Jeff Buckley

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: quokka
Date: 18 Nov 08 - 05:21 PM

Jeff Buckley's Hallelujah

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: Phil Edwards
Date: 18 Nov 08 - 05:05 PM

John Cale's Hallelujah is the one.

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: Rog Peek
Date: 18 Nov 08 - 05:03 PM

Ed, I disagree! Ah Whoops, sorry only joking, just couldn't resist.

Rog

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: GUEST,Ed
Date: 18 Nov 08 - 04:59 PM

How pointless is this?

Everyone will have different opinions,.

Unless you wish to start an arguemnt, best left alone....

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: pdq
Date: 18 Nov 08 - 04:54 PM

Can't forget "Cover Of The Rolling Stone", can we?

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: Rog Peek
Date: 18 Nov 08 - 04:50 PM

With a Little Help From My Friends
Joe Cocker

My all time favourite!

Subject: RE: Best cover songs?
From: frogprince
Date: 18 Nov 08 - 04:33 PM

My favorite "cover" songs are "Coat Of Many Colors" by Dolly Parton and an ancient country number called "Grandma's Feather Bed"...: ).

Subject: Best cover songs?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 18 Nov 08 - 04:24 PM

I noticed my daughter looking at the top ten cover songs earlier.

What do you think? Do you agree with them or strongly disagree. One or two are fine by me. Some, I would have chosen the originals. One I would have chosen a different cover as being better than both! (I love Lulu's version of 'the man who sold the world', but then again I am mad...)

What are you favourite covers, folk related or not. Any other genre covers of folk songs or folky versions of other genres that you like?

Cheers

DeG