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Underground > Radio & Music >

Favourite Cover Versions

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04:18 / 13.11.04

Okay, did a search, couldn't see anything, don't spend much time in the Music section;

I just got hold of Dusty Springfield's version of Put a Little Love in Your Heart and must say that it's better than the original. In fact I'd say that it's my favourite cover version of all time.

What about everyone else?

at the scarwash

07:19 / 13.11.04

one of my very favorite cover versions of any song is the Fall's "Pinball Machine," from Seminal Live. I've never been able to find the original, which is apparently an ultra-rare bluegrassish 45 single that is almost unavailable on the collectors market (the results of my research, at least). But Mark Smith drawling that "if the ocean was whiskey, and I was a duck/ I'd dive in to it and never come up" line is one of my biggest musical highs.

Morrissey and Kid Koala battle for the postion of Favorite Cover Version of "Moon River." Morrissey turns the faintly wistful original text into a grandly tragic consideration of unrealizable hope. Kid Koala, on the other hand, injects even more sentimental pathos into a vinyl recording of the original soudtrack version, which is leavened by his bright sense of humor and the genuine romanticism expressed through the medium of his unique turntablist silliness.

David Bowie's "Let's Spend the Night Together" on Alladin Sane explodes the cocky horniness of the Stones' original into an almost-hymn in honor of a fait accompli.

10:11 / 13.11.04

Okay, did a search, couldn't see anything...

Something tells me you can't have looked very hard...

11:47 / 13.11.04

Morrissey turns the faintly wistful original text into a grandly tragic consideration of unrealizable hope.

And, on the extended version (originally the B-side of Now My Heart Is Full), a grandly tragic consideration of unrealisable hope crooned by a doleful serial killer, as he sharpens his blades in preparation for the increasingly distraught woman weeping in the background. Disturbingly good, and probably my favourite.

I'm also very fond of the Scissor Sisters' Comfortably Numb and Pet Shop Boys' sublime merging of U2's Where The Streets Have No Name and Andy Williams' Can't Take My Eyes Off You.

Regrettable Juvenilia

18:33 / 13.11.04

I don't think I've ever heard a better cover than The Slits' version of 'I Heard It Through The Grapevine'.

19:20 / 13.11.04

Nirvana - Where Did You Sleep Last Night

(the original Ledbelly version is awful rockin' as well..
I advise you czech it out)

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

20:41 / 13.11.04

I'm currently grooving on A Perfect Circle's cover of "Imagine"... it basically sounds like "Imagine" done in the style of A Perfect Circle, so make of that what you will...

ooh... there're so many to choose from, though, aren't there?

Strawberry Switchblade's cover of "Jolene" is truly, truly wondrous...

But right now I can't think of a better one than Laibach's "Jesus Christ Superstar". You'd have to actually dig Wagner up, have him struck with lightning, then arrange a bizarre matter transportation accident involving Jim Steinman to make this any more bombastic. You can almost hear Lloyd-Webber shitting in his pants during the intro. And the harmonies from the choir are just gorgeous.

22:45 / 13.11.04

Hmmm. Jack - link one, which cover version is better than original, link two, what cover versions are worse than original, link three, multiple cover versions are worth a shit.

Nice, but not quite what I was asking.

Maybe the closest is the third link, but it was more a personal feeling thing, rather than a compare and contrast.

07:31 / 14.11.04

Well, at least I'm consistent across threads...

Another recent(ish) one I liked is Nick Cave's mournful Disco 2000 on the B-side of Pulp's Bad Cover Version.

18:24 / 15.11.04

You gotta love The Gourds take on "Gin and Juice." If you have'nt heard it, go find it RIGHT NOW.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

18:55 / 15.11.04

In the light of recent tragic events...

I have to add Coil's sublimely mournful version of Nancy Sinatra's "Bang Bang". I'm going to listen to it now. And maybe cry for a bit.

20:55 / 15.11.04

Heard Donna Summer's McArthur Park this evening. Can't decide if it's better than the original or not. Definitely gayer...

21:17 / 15.11.04

Guitar Wolf does a pretty good cover of Satisfaction. It isn't as musically...um...skilled, but it just has more pop to it. Guitar Wolf changed it from a psuedo-blues anthem into a song that makes you want to jump up and flail around.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

07:24 / 16.11.04

Guitar Wolf does a pretty good cover of Satisfaction.

Wow. MUST HEAR.

11:33 / 16.11.04

woah where to start?
I always loved Johnny Cash's version of mercy seat - a part of me likes it a lot more than the Nick Cave original- obviously much of the American albums are great , particularly IV the man comes around- I know its obvious but hurt still sounds great.

Repaying the compliment to Nick Cave pretty much all of Kicking Against the Pricks sounds good to me. Its his mid 80's album of covers including somethings gotten hold of my heart, All tommorows partys and Muddy water.. pretty much all good again.

The studio one soul is also an album of great covers- a compile of studio one artists doing their own readings of souls finest, my personal favourite is Leeroy sibbles version of Express Yourself..

David Bowie doing waiting for my man on The BBC sessions is pretty great, PJ Harveys Peel session of Wang Dang doodle (also great and i lost my tape of it- time to get on limewire..), Pixies version of Honey Pie by the beatles- another Peel session (fuck just realising what were gonna miss...) Talking heads doing 'Take me to the river', Detroit Cobras (could just say them, as all their stuff is covers) but hey sailor is my fave.. of course The Fall do loads of great covers- victoria or ghost in my house probably up there...

could go on and on

11:34 / 16.11.04

shit forgot Otis Redding doing Satisfaction- fucking great!

12:38 / 16.11.04

Yep, Otis really rips through that track - his voice is pure, raw soul.

14:17 / 16.11.04

Also stevie wonder doing 'we can work it out', and Vanilla Fudges version of 'Ticket to ride' and 'keep me hanging on'- sounds like some kind of Spiritualized meets the seeds in a psychedelic gospel revelation- ace- go download em!

i know i am right now...

14:28 / 16.11.04

the cover of 'make it alone' was the stand-out track on the first vanilla fudge album i seem to remember. it's tricky with hart and king songs and that, they were written for others and so a definitive version is hard to, well, define. frinstance it's motown so it doesn't really count, but martha shits all over marvin when it comes to heard it through the grapevine, though her version is generally held to be entirely unsuitable for stripping in the launderette to.

boo radleys' version of 'zoom'
john cale's heartbreak hotel
the beat's tears of a clown
the supremes' long and winding road

undercover - baker street, natch.

15:12 / 16.11.04

Lately I am very much digging Al Green's supah-soulful version of "I Want to Hold Your Hand," especially the bit where he clearly sings "I get high" (which we all thought were the words) instead of "I can't hide" (which were, in fact, the actual words). Obviously learned the song off a record, rather than sheet music; interesting thoughts on the way that mishearings and perpetuated and even codified in the cover process.

Also a lovely, spacey-slow version of Stevie Wonder's "I Believe When I Fall In Love This Time (It Will Be Forever)," sung by Petra Haden with wall of guitars by Bill Frisell. I found this on Liza's mp3blog, which should be required reading for all conoisseurs of the oddball cover.

15:20 / 16.11.04

fuck never heard al green doing that? what album jack- trying to download now but can't see it?

15:44 / 16.11.04

Copey: I think it was a single for Hi records, 1969--it's on a couple of anthologies, and it was on the 2003 reissue of "Green Is Blues" as a bonus track. You might also want to search on "Rubber Souled," which was a 1995 Sony comp collecting soul covers of Beatles songs. Good luck.

15:57 / 16.11.04

damn it!
there's one reason I shouldn't be buying 2nd hand vinyl- fuckin reissues!
sorry been listening to lots of al green recently....

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

20:58 / 17.04.05

Shivaree's cover of Brian Eno's "The Fat Lady of Limbourg" is currently my favourite bestest thing ever.
The arrangement's similar, but played by a more Bad Seedsy array of instruments... only with a laydee singing. Every bit as sinister as the original, but with a lot more warmth to it.
Ace.

02:57 / 18.04.05

Already covered here:

Guitar Wolf - Satisfaction
Scissor Sisters - Comfortably Numb

In addition:
Aretha Franklin - Respect
Lydia Lunch - Spooky
George Thoroughgood - Johnny B Goode
Jimi Hendrix - All Along the Watchtower
Ramones - Baby, I Love You
Yoko Ono - Hedwig's Lament/Exquisite Corpse

Three of these, I grew up thinking they were *their* song(s) and not cover versions, learning the difference sometime post junior-high (having just made the realization with 'Baby, I Love You' about four months ago).
All added something different from the original versions, which means I don't have to like them more or less, but that they justify their own existence in a way that total copies do not. If I wanted to hear someone sing a song 'just like [original musician] I'd just play the original.
The Beatles don't really count as having covered 'Matchbox Blues' do they? Which is a shame, 'cause I like theirs and Blind Lemon's makes me smile and shake my head every time I even think the lyrics.

02:59 / 18.04.05

Ack, I'm too quick to hit send.
Patti Smith - My Generation

07:14 / 18.04.05

Despite having Wet Wet Wet on it, Sergeant Pepper Knew my Father had a shedload of good covers on it. The standout, of course, being A Day In the Life by The Fall. I'm not a big Beatles fan, so many of these songs sound so much better than the originals (Billy Bragg's She's Leaving Home; Michelle Shocked's Lovely Rita; Wedding Present's Getting better). Just such a shame about the stinkers on there. OK, off to find and rip my bargain-bin cassette of this, as it's not available anywhere.

Haus of Mystery

08:30 / 18.04.05

Always liked The Breeders' cover of 'Happiness is a Warm Gun'.
Buck 65 did a nice cover of 'In every dream home a heartache' by Roxy Music.

09:02 / 18.04.05

The entire nouvelle vague album? Stand out tracks being their version of the Dead Kennedys "Too drunk to Fuck", and Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart".

Also Cake's "I will survive" and Futureheads recent "Hounds of Love".

10:21 / 18.04.05

And less recently, but also with the Kate Bush cover versions -I've always liked China Drum's Wuthering Heights. It's loud and fast and basically a joy forever. HEEEEEATHCLIFF!!! It does make listening to the original more difficult though, on occasion I've found myself wondering when it's going to 'kick in' (when, presumably, Kate Bush reveals herself to be a member of a Geordie punk rock band)

Another recent(ish) one I liked is Nick Cave's mournful Disco 2000 on the B-side of Pulp's Bad Cover Version.

I wish I still paid attention to singles. Really, really want to hear this...

11:11 / 18.04.05

I don't think I've ever heard a better cover than The Slits' version of 'I Heard It Through The Grapevine'.

Bolded for truth.

11:46 / 18.04.05

I second, or third, Nick Cave's version of Disco 2000. His duet with Shane MacGowan on 'What a Wonderful World' is also amazing, and strangely moving.

Arab Strap's covers of 'You Shook Me All Night Long' (ACDC) and 'Why Can't this Be Love' (Van Halen) are fantastic, if rather more melancholy than the originals.

Elvis Costello does a nice and bitter live version of 'Just Don't Know what to Do With Myself' (on the bonus disc of the My Aim is True reissue).

12:16 / 18.04.05

(when, presumably, Kate Bush reveals herself to be a member of a Geordie punk rock band)

Actually, they're Mackems (from Sunderland)... Seems to be something in the water there, what with the Futureheads doing Hounds of Love and all.

Some favourites:
The Sick Anchors - Whole Again
Aidan Arab Strap and Stuart Mogwai do Atomic Kitten (no, not like that...)
Pulp - All Time High
Shit Bond theme made good
Sammy Davis Jr - Up, Up and Away
"Now cut it right there.... Now Sock it to me!"
Sonic Youth - Superstar
Carpenters made spooky
Sandie Shaw - Route 66
Just... really good for dancing to
The Fall - Pretty much every cover they've done: Lost In Music, Mr Pharmacist, There's A Ghost In My House, F-Oldin' Money, White Lightning, Victoria, Houston etc, etc.

And yes, yes, yes to The Slits, Nick Cave's Disco 2000 and Donna Summer.

14:10 / 18.04.05

Quite liking Moz's Redondo Beach right now. Reggae not so vile, then...

Suedey! SHOT FOR MEAT!

15:17 / 18.04.05

That is lovely, actually. I almost like him again. Almost.

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