# Best cover versions **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 26, 2008, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cover-versions/435070 "2008-01-26T10:00:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Noel\_Prosequi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b19c9b/32.png) [@Noel\_Prosequi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noel_Prosequi)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cover-versions/435070/41 "2008-01-27T02:10:22Z")
On the subject of covers of Beatles originals, it’s hard to go past Ray Charles’s version of “Yesterday”. (Sorry - can’t link from this machine). The original is sweet, sentimental, wistful - Ray is devastated and soul-sick. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cover-versions/435070/42 "2008-01-27T03:40:11Z")
I’ll take The Bird and the Bee’s version of [How Deep Is Your Love?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgPL2O4XAPE) over the original. [QUOTE=kaylasdad99] ETA: Speaking of the Carpenters, there’s a compilation disc of, well, I don’t know what kind of label to attach to them, but they’re not the Carpenters, singing covers of Carpenters songs. The album is called _If I Were a Carpenter_. Does anyone know if there’s anything awesome on that (outside the title)? [/QUOTE] Sonic Youth’s [Superstar](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2-m-ZduGS0) kicks ass. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cover-versions/435070/43 "2008-01-27T08:33:24Z")
[QUOTE=TWDuke] Wow. I’d only heard Happy Rhodes in “Kate Bush” mode. I had no idea she had that kind of range. [/QUOTE] :eek: :eek: :eek: Someone actually clicked on the links and listened?? _faints dead away_ 😃 Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cover-versions/435070/44 "2008-01-27T09:38:00Z")
I really like Nina Gordon’s _Straight Outta Compton_ [http://download.wbr.com/mirror/ninagordon.com/media/sounds/covers-straightouttacompton.mp3](http://download.wbr.com/mirror/ninagordon.com/media/sounds/covers-straightouttacompton.mp3) ---
**Author:** ![TastesLikeBurning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@TastesLikeBurning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TastesLikeBurning)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cover-versions/435070/45 "2008-01-27T12:36:42Z")
[Feist covering Inside and Out.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmG0sPyZJBg&feature=related) [The Bee Gee’s original.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o90GVAEBJyA) [Cat Power covering Satisfaction.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yon18DBsU_c) [The Rolling Stone’s original.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJqNkPU1Ztc) ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cover-versions/435070/46 "2008-01-27T13:52:37Z")
BBC Radio 1 was 40 in 2007, to celebrate they got 40 artists to each perform a song that was in the charts of one of those years. The bands were given the year and got to pick the song and cover it anyway they wanted. The results vary in quality, but some are really good. They released them all on the album “Radio 1 Established 1967”. Some of the better (IMHO) covers, Foo Fighters: Band On The Run (Wings)- Sounds like a Foo song Amy Winehouse: Cupid (Sam Cooke/The Supremes)- Nice, Ska, lots of trumpets. Kylie: Love Is The Drug (Roxy Music)- Camp electro version Stereophonics: You Sexy Thing (Hot Chocolate)- Lovely Hard-Fi: Toxic (Britney Spears)- No really, it is good Corinne Bailey Rae: Steady As She Goes (The Raconteurs)- Soulful version, pretty good. My favourite has to be: [Gossip: Careless Whisper](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybZzx4xs4JU&feature=related)( George Michael)- totally unlike the original. I love this electro disco version, but then I quite like the Scissor Sister’s cover. **Equipoise** , thanks for the links. Happy Rhodes: lovely voice. ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cover-versions/435070/47 "2008-01-27T14:09:07Z")
I will only link to youtube if its the album version, or an almost equally good version. Beseech - Gimme Gimme Gimme A heavy metal rendition of the ABBA classic. Cat Power - Satisfaction She took only the verse, and stripped it down to just guitar and voice. (This you are not going to believe:) [William Shatner - Common People](http://youtube.com/watch?v=AzlwKNbwxkw) For some reason, his weird talking gimmick works for this song. And the choire rocks. Dread Zeppelin - Your Time is Gonna Come Reggae version of the classic Led Zeppelin. Hayseed Dixie has made some interesting Bluegrass covers. One I could find: [Hayseed Dixie - Holiday (Green Day original)](http://youtube.com/watch?v=pz4AgOa1yhk) I like Depeche Mode. But otoh I don’t mind if people heavyize their 80s synth sound. [Marilyn Manson - Personal Jesus](http://youtube.com/watch?v=iizhEJOampQ) Interesting Jeff Beck style cover of the fantastic Stevie Wonder song: Jeff Beck - Superstition ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cover-versions/435070/48 "2008-01-27T14:16:23Z")
I know I’m in a minority of one (or possibly less) on this, but I think [William Shatner’s version of Common People](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRPa0GhxGUs) is a lot better than Pulp’s. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cover-versions/435070/49 "2008-01-27T14:21:39Z")
[QUOTE=Subway Prophet] There’s 10,000 Maniac’s cover of [More Than This](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBBiwusmHLs). It’s apparently post-Natalie, and the video is embarrassingly self-indulgent, but I like their recording better than Roxy Music’s. [/QUOTE] Of course, the unplugged (with Natalie) cover of the Patti Smith/Bruce Springsteen _Because The Night_ is excellent. I don’t think neither the Smith nor Springsteen versions count as covers because they are co-composers. ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cover-versions/435070/50 "2008-01-27T14:56:50Z")
[QUOTE=mr. jp] …Interesting Jeff Beck style cover of the fantastic Stevie Wonder song: Jeff Beck - Superstition [/QUOTE] (From Wikipedia) > [@](#): > > Stevie had actually written this song for Jeff Beck, but at the insistence of his own manager, Stevie recorded it first. Beck was instead offered “Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers”, which he recorded for 1975’s Blow by Blow. Jeff Beck played guitar on Talking Book and later recorded his own version of Superstition with Beck, Bogert & Appice. I guess it’s a cover since Stevie recorded it first, but I suspect that Jeff already had in mind what he was going to do with it, so maybe they’re independent original versions (since we now know we can have 2 “originals”). ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cover-versions/435070/51 "2008-01-27T15:04:51Z")
[QUOTE=MrDibble] Of course, the unplugged (with Natalie) cover of the Patti Smith/Bruce Springsteen _Because The Night_ is excellent. I don’t think neither the Smith nor Springsteen versions count as covers because they are co-composers. [/QUOTE] Oh my god. I don’t mean to threadshit, but I hate that cover so very much I had always felt that I could tolerate her as long as she kept her nose out of my record collection. Geh! Since they only do covers, it’s kind of cheating to mention **Nouvelle Vague**. I think their cover of Billy Idol’s “Dancing With Myself” is genius. The tap dancing gets me every time. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cover-versions/435070/52 "2008-01-27T16:07:47Z")
Rage Against the Machine’s cover of Springsteen’s [“The Ghost of Tom Joad”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4bNsspxY64) isn’t necessarily better than the original, but it’s an interesting take. You’ll have to ignore the fan-made video, as it’s the only recording of the studio version I could find. [Silentree](http://www.myspace.com/silentree) have an acoustic cover of Slayer’s “Seasons in the Abyss” that might actually be the best version out there. ---
**Author:** ![ethelbert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/958977/32.png) [@ethelbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ethelbert)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cover-versions/435070/53 "2008-01-27T17:13:19Z")
You can’t have a thread about covers without mentioning Richard Cheese. [Baby Got Back](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCv2cgIlnHA) ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cover-versions/435070/54 "2008-01-27T18:32:43Z")
[QUOTE=Tapioca Dextrin] I know I’m in a minority of one (or possibly less) on this, but I think [William Shatner’s version of Common People](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRPa0GhxGUs) is a lot better than Pulp’s. [/QUOTE] I agree. It’s one of a handful of songs - including the aforementioned Top of the World\* - that I simply can’t listen to the original, because the cover is ‘the version’ for me. Mad World comes close, but it’s mostly a mood thing for it. I’ve already mentioned Shonen Knife, who have several good covers. I Wanna Be Sedated, [Daydream Believer](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9RAbi2xEvo), and Cherry Bomb being my favourites. - Looking for the Daydream Believer video, I found [this one](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1s5FgyLiWig) of the uploader’s vacation video set to SK’s TotW. ---
**Author:** ![Mongo\_Ponton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Mongo\_Ponton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mongo_Ponton)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cover-versions/435070/55 "2008-01-27T21:53:46Z")
> [@](#): > > There’s also the Who’s version of Summertime Blues I like the Blue Cheer version which for the last 30 years I thought was Bubble Puppy. Apparently my alphabet was a little hazy back then. The beginning of heavy metal. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cover-versions/435070/56 "2008-01-27T22:08:40Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] [Wooden Ships](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0rG2ME4sAc&feature=related) - CS&N [Wooden Ships](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oC0zpuCqo_w&feature=related) - Jefferson Airplane [/QUOTE] I wouldn’t classify this as a cover version, as the song was co-written by David Crosby and Paul Kantner (of the Airplane) and both versions of the song were recorded and released pretty much concurrently with each other. (Kantner wasn’t listed as a songwriter on the CSN version at his own insistence, so that band wouldn’t get dragged into the legal disputes involiving the Airplane and their former manager.) The Airplane did do two really great cover versions though - “the Other Side of This Life” originally by Fred Neil, and “Rock Me Baby” by (I think) B.B. King, both on their '69 album “Bless it’s Pointed Little Head.” ---
**Author:** ![Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cover-versions/435070/57 "2008-01-27T22:29:24Z")
[QUOTE=garygnu] The Bangles [Hazy Shade of Winter](http://youtube.com/watch?v=zMEjoNcOMVA) (vs Simon & Garfunkel’s [original](http://youtube.com/watch?v=wSd4QJBEMvk)) [/QUOTE] [Bodyjar’s version](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I74_iYjESN4) kicks ten acres of ass. (just don’t watch the vid that goes with this.It be dumb.) ---
**Author:** ![Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bambi_Hassenpfeffer)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2008, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cover-versions/435070/58 "2008-01-28T07:07:21Z")
[QUOTE=Tengu] I’m very fond of Shonen Knife’s version of Top of the World, from it. [/QUOTE] And you can hear part of it [here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHZiDHjq8rs&feature=related). I went out and bought 2 Shonen Knife albums right after I heard that song. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2008, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cover-versions/435070/59 "2008-01-28T07:48:27Z")
[_Tomorrow Never Knows_](http://youtube.com/watch?v=SVUzTZ5dgwQ) by The Beatles and [Danielle Dax’s vastly improved version.](http://youtube.com/watch?v=Fc2JTQZ_nfQ) [_Ball of Confusion_](http://youtube.com/watch?v=Gy_aahkIdEI) by the Temptations and [Love and Rockets cover.](http://youtube.com/watch?v=-ALRLZQf42s) ---
**Author:** ![Ocean\_Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8797f3/32.png) [@Ocean\_Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ocean_Annie)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2008, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cover-versions/435070/60 "2008-01-28T10:06:28Z")
Aimee Mann did a great cover of _One_ originally performed by Three Dog Night. [http://www.last.fm/music/Aimee+Mann/\_/One](http://www.last.fm/music/Aimee+Mann/_/One) Lenny Kravitz’s cover of _American Woman_ originally performed by The Guess Who [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBJHszCsc2g](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBJHszCsc2g) Crosby Stills Nash and Young’s version of _Woodstock_ is better than Joni Mitchell’s version; although, I love her version, too. Pearl Jam – _Last Kiss (Oh Where Oh Where Could My Baby)_ I am not sure who originally did this song. Ricky Nelson –maybe. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/J_sEtNrYlC4/hqdefault.jpg "Pearl Jam - Last Kiss") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_sEtNrYlC4) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cover-versions/435070.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cover-versions/435070.md?page=4)