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Best covers evarrr?

Started by alan nagsworth, August 20, 2007, 01:12:49 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Don_Preston

In regards to All Along the Watchtower:

I do still prefer the Dylan original from John Wesley Harding, even if Hendrix did make it his own. When he started doing it in the Hendrix style it didn't quite work (as heard on Before the Flood)

mitzidog

Radiohead's live cover of Nobody Does It Better.

buttgammon

David Bowie's version of 'Wild is the Wind' is absolutely incredible. I'm listening to it now and I think it may well be one of the best covers I've heard. Definitely the best cover Bowie has ever done.

CaledonianGonzo

Quote from: Don_Preston on February 12, 2008, 11:17:32 AM
In regards to All Along the Watchtower:

I do still prefer the Dylan original from John Wesley Harding, even if Hendrix did make it his own.

Me too - I enjoy the guitar theatrics in the middle, but Hendrix is the owner of the most boring voice in rock music.  I sometimes enjoy him in small doses, and sometimes the dynamics are great, but I find it a struggle to digest a full album by him.

CaledonianGonzo

Quote from: mitzidog on February 12, 2008, 11:28:23 AM
Radiohead's live cover of Nobody Does It Better.

Not trying to be contrary here, but that's a fucking fantastic song in the first place, and I'm not really sure that Radiohead add all that much to it.

It's a bit like the MBV version of 'All The Time In The World' - it's very nice and all, but I still think it loses out when put up against Louis Armstrong.  It could be that it's just more popular as the artist doing the cover is a hipper name to drop.

(Not that I'm comparing Carly Simon to the man no one ever really refers to as Satchmo).

Famous Mortimer

Quote from: Don_Preston on February 09, 2008, 10:53:39 AM
I'm sure we can all agree that Devo's "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" is better than the Rolling Stones original.
I think it's an enormous amount better than the original.

Marty McFly

The Bobby Fuller Four - "I Fought The Law"

[youtube=425,350]CPXnoLAEUSQ[/youtube]

samadriel

Radiohead's 'Nobody Does It Better' does put the song through a distinctively Bends-era Radiohead 'filter'; it's not exactly Tori Amos' "Teen Spirit" in the 'turning a song upside down' stakes, but I think it's plenty worthwhile.

Don't like the MBV 'All the Time in the World' at all, but I'd be interested to hear a cover with a voice more conventionally 'pretty' than Armstrong's; anyone know a good one?  I've got a version by the Fun Lovin' Criminals, but I don't really need to finish this sentence, do I? (...actually, the instrumentation on their version is really nice; shame about the smug wannabe on vox, of course)

Anyway, forget Devo and the Stones: Guitar Wolf bring 'Satisfaction' to the yard.

thugler

Literally just heard the Bad Plus' version of Velouria, and it's fucking amazing.

Spiteface

The Sick Anchors - Whole Again

A cover of the Atomic Kitten "song", as performed by Stuart Braithwaite of Mogwai, Aidan Moffat of Arab strap, and Colin "Sheepy" McPherson.

chocky909

I was thinking of posting that myself. Extraordinary version.

alan nagsworth

Quote from: thugler on February 13, 2008, 07:43:29 PM
Literally just heard the Bad Plus' version of Velouria, and it's fucking amazing.

Yeah! Have you heard many of their other covers? Iron Man and Chariots Of Fire are big choons man. Heart Of Glass is great too.

babyshambler

The Who's versions Young Man Blues, Summertime Blues, Fortune Teller and Shakin' all Over (especially from 'Leeds') for me. I also agree about Hendrix bettering 'Watchtower'.

Nobody's mentioned it, but I still think Joe Cocker's giant, bombastic, 'With A Little Help From My Friends' is great; I skip the Beatles version pretty much every time I listen to 'Sgt. Pepper'.

Mindbear

Ooooh, The Make Up - Hey Joe is great, because not only is it The Make Up covering something, but they rewrite it so that Joe calls his girl and comes back from Mexico. A happy ending no less!

dredd

Song to the Siren - Half Man Half Biscuit

  Haunting.

Galeee

Nick Cave's version of I Put a Spell on You - loads of wellie.


Mindbear

Oooh, Nick Caves version of Bedazzled sends shiver down my spine. I can't seem to find it though...annoyingly.

olafr

No discussion of covers would be complete with the fantastic and touching Langley Schools Music Project album. There's not a single song on that album that doesn't surpass the originals.

Anyway, some off the top of my head...

Cramps - Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (actually a lot of Cramps cover songs)
Gun Club - their version of Jody Reynolds' 'Fire of Love'
Leather Nun - Gimme Gimme Gimme (particularly the live version on the Tube)
PJ Harvey - her version of Wang Dang Doodle
Fall - their period of Victoria, There's a Ghost In My House, Mr Pharmacist was terrific
Sonics - great version of Richard Berry's Have Love Will Travel
Ramones - California Sun and a fair few others
Rasputina - loads: Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd), Barracuda (Heart), Brand New Key
(Melanie), Rock'n'Roll (Led Zeppelin) &c.
Generation X - Lennon's Gimme Some Truth

quite a lot of the Nouvelle Vague stuff

Catalogue Trousers

samadriel wrote:

QuoteDon't like the MBV 'All the Time in the World' at all, but I'd be interested to hear a cover with a voice more conventionally 'pretty' than Armstrong's; anyone know a good one?

While the voice is no more conventionally pretty than Armstrong's, there's a brilliant cover version of "All The Time In The World" on the Shaken And Stirred album with Iggy Pop on vocal. Better than the original, I'd say - and from the same album, Pulp's "All Time High" effortlessly pisses all over the bland Rita Coolidge version.

CaledonianGonzo

Quote from: olafr on February 22, 2008, 02:59:43 AM
No discussion of covers would be complete with the fantastic and touching Langley Schools Music Project album. There's not a single song on that album that doesn't surpass the originals.

{shouts}

Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwsssssss!

Granted, it's a lovely curio and a nicely groovy chill-out listen, but you're on your own if you think that at any point a bunch of schoolgirls mouthing along to their music teacher's piano chords outdoes the originals.  

Frankly, I pity the fool that prefers their inadequate, muffled, will-this-do version of 'God Only Knows' to the one on Pet Sounds.

I really like a lot of Elliott Smith covers but none of them are better than the original. The same applies to Dinosaur Jr's Just Like Heaven, all the Sonic Youth ones and Scott Walker's Jackie. But Daniel Johnston's version of the Beatles' when I saw her standing there and Karen Dalton's In a station are definately not just great but better than before.

Why I Hate Tables

QuoteFrankly, I pity the fool that prefers their inadequate, muffled, will-this-do version of 'God Only Knows' to the one on Pet Sounds.

There is, however, that heartbreaking version of The Eagles' Desperado which beats the original on many levels and the version of Space Oddity which....well, it's a bit nuts. Doesn't improve on the original or equal it, but it's in a class of it's own.

CaledonianGonzo

Quote from: Why I Hate Tables on February 23, 2008, 01:06:34 AM
There is, however, that heartbreaking version of The Eagles' Desperado which beats the original on many levels and the version of Space Oddity which....well, it's a bit nuts. Doesn't improve on the original or equal it, but it's in a class of it's own.

{Rubs his teeth}

All their covers are quite good, but they're all good songs in the first instance.  Desperado is a good song, be it the Eagles or a schoolgirl that's covering it..

But it is the best song on the album :-)

boki

I've said it a couple of times on here over the years, but Vic Reeves and The Wonder Stuff's version of 'Dizzy' wees quite liberally over the dirgey original.

Being of a somewhat rawk persuasion, I do like Therapy?'s version of Abba's 'Gimme Gimme Gimme' (and will play it next time I host CaB Radio if I can find the damn CD!) - it's largely the novelty value of hearing a Northern Irish brick-shithouse singing those words, but it's a fair ol' rockin' arrangement too.  Come to think of it, their rendition of Judas Priest's 'Breaking The Law' kicked all kinds of ass, with some thunderous rave-inspired breakbeat madness from Fyfe under an otherwise fairly straight-up performance.

rudi

QuoteThere's not a single song on that album that doesn't surpass the originals.

You're either deaf or mental.

olafr

Quote from: CaledonianGonzo on February 23, 2008, 12:32:17 AM
{shouts}

Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwsssssss!

Granted, it's a lovely curio and a nicely groovy chill-out listen, but you're on your own if you think that at any point a bunch of schoolgirls mouthing along to their music teacher's piano chords outdoes the originals.

Frankly, I pity the fool that prefers their inadequate, muffled, will-this-do version of 'God Only Knows' to the one on Pet Sounds.

I might me on my own, but that doesn't mean I'm wrong! :p I honestly believe it's a superior version and I do like the Beach Boys.

And just for that, I'm going to suggest - because I honestly believe it - that the Byrds' covers of Dylan songs are much better than the originals too.

Mary Hinge

Quote from: Why I Hate Tables on February 23, 2008, 01:06:34 AM
There is, however, that heartbreaking version of The Eagles' Desperado which beats the original on many levels

In a similar vein the Jim Sheridan Movie "In America" where Samantha Morton And Paddy Considine try to make a new life for themselves with their two daughters has a lovely moment when the two young girls sing Deperado (at a school concert, if I remember rightly. I think its the effect of being shorn of the Eagles soft-rock stylings that allow the song's aching melancolia to cut even deeper.

Don_Preston

Quote from: olafr on February 23, 2008, 10:23:13 AM
And just for that, I'm going to suggest - because I honestly believe it - that the Byrds' covers of Dylan songs are much better than the originals too.

I agree with you to some extent. My Back Pages is certainly better by the Byrds. Argh it's a tough one this, trying to choose style or substance.

Bah - they're both perfect!