# Cover songs worth a listen **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 18, 2004, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-worth-a-listen/251099 "2004-06-18T19:33:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Hook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecae2f/32.png) [@Hook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hook)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2004, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-worth-a-listen/251099/61 "2004-08-30T17:29:00Z")
Since the last post mentioned an Australian, I’ll throw out Doug Parkinson/In Focus’ version of “Dear Prudence” by the Beatles. ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2004, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-worth-a-listen/251099/62 "2004-08-30T17:38:02Z")
> [@wolf\_meister](#): > > The **Rotary Connection** (an _extremely unconventional_ group from the late 1960’s) did a great many cover versions that were … different shall we say ?.. Minnie Ripperton’s first band _(of ‘Loving You’ {yuck} fame)_. Their Rolling Stones covers on their first album are so weirdly psychedlic they’re almost unlistenable. But Rapid Transit/Turn Me On are still, in my opinion, listenable. My 5 fave covers (probably favorite because I heard them prior to the originals):[ol] [li]I’m Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down - Paul Young (covering Ann Peebles)[/li][li]Warning - Black Sabbath (covering Aynsley Dunbar’s Retaliation)[/li][li]Going Down - Jeff Beck Group (covering Don Nix)[/li][li]Jet Boy, Jet Girl (The Damned covering New York Dolls)[/li][\*]Changes - Jimi Hendrix & The Band of Gypsys (covering Buddy Miles)[/ol] ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2004, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-worth-a-listen/251099/63 "2004-08-30T21:26:24Z")
[ul][li]The definitive cover of Elton John’s _Rocket Man_, IMO, is by Kate Bush.[/li][li]Dolly Parton took Collective Soul’s namby-pamby song _Shine_ to where it always should’ve been.[/li][li]Duran Duran’s covers collection ( **Thank You** ) was widely panned (for several good reasons, including their attempt at _911 Is a Joke_) but their version of Lou Reed’s _Perfect Day_ was accoladed by the man himself and is delightfully wistful and sweet.[/li][li]Annie Lennox’s covers collection ( **Medusa** ) was similarly bashed by the critics but her complete re-imaginings of The Clash’s _Train in Vain_ and Bob Marley’s _Waiting In Vain_ are sublime.[/li][li]Cassandra Wilson refashioned Glen Campbell’s **Wichita Lineman** into something pretty special.[/li][li]Eva Cassidy is the queen of beautiful covers. Her reworking of Nat King Cole’s chestnut _Autumn Leaves_ makes me weep.[/li][li]Red Hot Chili Peppers rocked Stevie Wonder’s _Higher Ground_.[/li][li]Alana Davis’s version of Ani DiFranco’s _32 Flavors_ is better than the original and deservedly got more notice.[/ul][/li] Lastly, this is somewhat unfair because it’s not out on file trading networks (to my knowledge) but when I saw them live a whole bunch of years ago, Cowboy Junkies performed David Bowie’s _Loving the Alien_, which seemed a million miles away from their typical ouvre, but damn if Cali didn’t make that song her own. Absolutely gorgeous. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2004, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-worth-a-listen/251099/64 "2004-08-30T21:40:55Z")
The Beatles’ “I Will” and the Allman Brothers’ “Midnight Rambler” by Alison Krauss and Union Station. Neil Diamond’s “I’m a Believer” by the Monkees. I’ve got Neil’s version and it’s not bad. The Doors’ “LA Woman” by both Billy Idol and Rats of Unusual Size ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2004, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-worth-a-listen/251099/65 "2004-08-30T21:53:40Z")
I recently heard Delbert McClinton covering The Beatles’ “Come Together”. It was so good I had to play it again… even though I normally hate all Beatles covers. This was one of two or three exceptions I’ve ever heard. ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2004, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-worth-a-listen/251099/66 "2004-08-30T22:37:16Z")
> [@](#): > > Paranoid (The Beatles) by The Dickies :dubious: > [@](#): > > and the Allman Brothers’ “Midnight Rambler” :dubious: 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2004, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-worth-a-listen/251099/67 "2004-08-30T23:02:25Z")
:smack: That’s “Midnight _Rider_” ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2004, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-worth-a-listen/251099/68 "2004-08-30T23:07:01Z")
> [@TeaElle](#): > > Eva Cassidy is the queen of beautiful covers. Her reworking of Nat King Cole’s chestnut _Autumn Leaves_ makes me weep. I bought her Songbird CD just for _Fields of Gold_. Too bad she left us so soon… ---
**Author:** ![Roberta\_Plant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c89c15/32.png) [@Roberta\_Plant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roberta_Plant)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2004, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-worth-a-listen/251099/69 "2004-08-30T23:18:26Z")
No BIAS here or anything, but: The Honeydrippers’ cover of SEA OF LOVE is completely awesome. I could listen to it forever, as a continuous loop, as the soundtrack to the rest of my life–the grand expansiveness of the orchestral accompaniment and the incredible, sexy sensuous voice of the singer… the loopy (I don’t mean crazy, it is more like assigning a SHAPE to the delivery of the song), almost “inevitable” aspects of the delivery – it is just A PERFECT INTERPRETATION. It is THE PERFECT SONG. AND The version of If I Were a Carpenter (Tim Hardin) on Fate of Nations is incredible as well. I had HATED IIWAC in any other incarnation – thought it was a lame-o, wimpy, whiny song, but when I heard THIS cover of it, I just fell hopelessly, irretrievable _in love_ with it. ---
**Author:** ![Treviathan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/838e76/32.png) [@Treviathan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treviathan)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2004, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-worth-a-listen/251099/70 "2004-08-31T00:20:56Z")
Anyone heard **The Postal Service** ’s cover of Phil Collins’ “Against All Odds”? It starts with Ben Gibbard singing the first verse in a trembling falsetto, segues into a stuttering acoustic guitar part for the second, and ends on a wave of synths and chiming electric guitar. I think it’s cool that one of my favorite artists (Gibbard) shares the same guilty pleasures that I do. Gibbard’s full-time band **Death Cab for Cutie** also does a very good cover of Bjork’s “All is Full of Love.” ---
**Author:** ![Squonk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squonk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squonk)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2004, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-worth-a-listen/251099/71 "2004-08-31T04:23:02Z")
Already Mentioned: Johnny Cash: Hurt Fiona Apple: Across the Universe Fugees: Killing me Softly Additions (or I missed them): Johnny Cash: We’ll Meet Again Amy Correia: Gasoline Alley/It’s All Over Now ELO: Roll Over Beethoven (I admit to some embarrassment over this one) CCR: I Heard it Through the Grapevine ---
**Author:** ![JohnM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/848f3c/32.png) [@JohnM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnM)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2004, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-worth-a-listen/251099/72 "2004-08-31T16:03:12Z")
Not my top 10 covers, but 10 that come to mind that I don’t thing have been listed before:[ul][li](Don’t Go Back To) Rockville (R.E.M.) - 10,000 Maniacs[/li][li](What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding (Nick Lowe) - Elvis Costello[/li][li]Thing Called Love (John Hiatt) - Bonnie Raitt[/li][li]Atlantic City (Bruce Springsteen) - The Band[/li][li]Shoot Out The Lights (Richard Thompson) - Los Lobos[/li][li]Knockin’ On Heavens Door (Bob Dylan) - Warren Zevon[/li][li]Tenderness on the Block (Warren Zevon) - Shawn Colvin[/li][li]Tear Stained Letter (Richard Thompson) - Jo-El Sonnier[/li][li]Marie Marie (The Blasters) - Buckwheat Zydeco[/li][li]What the World Needs Now (Burt Bachrach) - Aimee Mann[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2004, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-worth-a-listen/251099/73 "2004-08-31T21:24:51Z")
> [@Squonk](#): > > ELO: Roll Over Beethoven (I admit to some embarrassment over this one) Why? ---
**Author:** ![Squonk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squonk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squonk)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2004, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-worth-a-listen/251099/74 "2004-09-01T04:36:15Z")
I see you’re an ELO fan (concerto for a Rainy Day). No offence ment. My guilt is my problem Taking one of rock’s original classics and progging (for lack of a better word) it up is like scratching chicken pox. It’s not gonna kill you, it feels good, but it’s not recommended. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cover-songs-worth-a-listen/251099.md?page=3)