Got a favorite cover song?
Mine is FenixTx’s cover of Duran Duran’s “Ordinary World”.
I also like Incubus’ cover of “Still Not a Player” by Big Pun, though I never liked Big Punisher.
Joe Cocker’s Beatles covers.
Oingo Boingo making the Beatles look like talentless punks with * I am the Walrus. *
Boingo performing a really cracked-out version of * California Girls. *
Jimi performing…well, anything that he didn’t write (same goes for the Byrds–other than that god-awful reunion tour * From a Distance * track…ughhh).
Sonic Youth’s cover of Superstar by the Carpenters.
Rammstein- Stripped(dm)
Laibach- jesus christ superstar(that one guy
Einsturzende Neubauten- Sand(nancy senatra)
Assemblage 23- love my way(psychodelic furs)
NIN- physical(pig…who also covered it…so it’s a cover of a cover)
Cure- World in my eyes
LeÆther strip- the x-files theme…and Showroom dummies
Aah - most of the best songs are covers, but I’ll try to narrow it down to covers that are way better than the originals, or reinterpret them in an amazing way:
- Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Stagger Lee (traditional)
- Yo La Tengo - Black Hole (The Urinals) - actually, the original is one of my favourite songs, but there’s something about this version which is just perfect
- Iggy and the Stooges - Louie Louie(Richard Berry/the Kingsmen) - probably the first released version of the ‘filthy’ lyrics your parents were scared about.
- The Urinals - Dizzy Miss Lizzy (???) - the best ever punk cover of an early rock and roll song.
- Frank Zappa - Stairway to Heaven (Led Zeppelin) - reanimates a song you’ve heard a billion times, and makes it interesting.
- Pearl Jam - Sonic Reducer (Rocket From the Tombs/The Dead Boys)
- Cat Power - Moonshiner (traditional via Bob Dylan) - the best of many covers of this that I’ve heard, and a rare case where changing the gender of the narrator makes it sound even better
HenrySpencer
Gypsy Soul’s cover of “Nights in White Satin” is simply incredible…Cilette Swann’s soaring vocals are achingly haunting and breathtakingly beautiful. If you haven’t picked up a copy of their “Superstition Highway” disc…well, why haven’t you?
Go on now. Go.
my favorite cover song at the moment is pearl jam’s “last kiss” (i think that’s the name of it – the depressing “my baby’s dead because i flipped over our car where oh where can she be oh yeah that’s right DEAD” song)
I like Cake’s version of “I Will Survive” rather than Gloria Gaynor’s (I think that’s who sang it, me not being around in 70’s am not quite sure).
Goldfinger- Just Like Heaven(The Cure)
Tori Amos- Lovesong (The Cure)
The Cure-Hello I Love You(The Doors)
Orgy- Blue Monday(New Order)
Face to Face-In Between Days (The Cure)
It seems that every recording artist has done “Louie, Louie” at least once (see HenrySpencer), but I really like the version done by Motorhead. I also like “House of the Rising Sun” as done by Blue Cheer. I can’t forget ZZ Top’s rendition of “Viva Las Vegas” either.
I just looked at my post a noticed there are a lot of connections to The Cure in my list. No that was not intentional!!
Tori Amos - Smells like teen spirit (Nirvana)
Johnny Cage - Rusty Cage (Soundgarden (?))
Sid Viscious - My way (Sinatra)
Foo Fighters - Baker Street (thanks for the tip, BMU!)
Presidents of the USA - Video Killed the Radio Star
Goldfinger’s 99 Red Balloons (Nena) they mix the English version with the German version, which I guess is as much as I can hope for. German version ROCKS.
Anything by Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies
Everclear’s Brown Eyed Girl (Van Morrison). I have blue eyes, but I still get a squishy feeling in my tummy over this song. Oh, wait, that’s something else.
Letters to Cleo, I Want You to Want Me (some early 60s song). Love it, love it, love it.
My favorite band, Guster, is my favorite primarily because they will customarily break into at least one spontanious live cover, usually an 80s pop song, that they’ll realise they don’t remember half the words to, which leads to improvising lyrics, which leads to hilarity. Or, they’ll do a cover and NAIL it, as they did with Sympathy for the Devil or Sound of Silence that they did at the Central Park show that Wonko the Sane and Billdo attended. Both agreed that it was a fine cover, so you know I’m not just saying that because I have a crush on the bongo player. (he’s amazingly talented. And funny.)
That’s Cheap Trick, best known version is from “Live At Budokan,” 1979, according to the Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll. The original studio recording is on “In Color,” I think. But don’t hold me to that.
My favorite covers: “Come Together,” Aerosmith
“Higher Ground” Red Hot Chili Peppers
“Take On Me” Reel Big Fish
“Faith” Limp Bizkit
“War” Bruce Springsteen
“Ghost Of Tom Joad” Rage Against The Machine
“I Shot The Sheriff” Eric Clapton
“Train in Vain”, Third Eye Blind
“Don’t Be Cruel”, Cheap Trick
“The Man Who Sold the World” Nirvana [originally David Bowie]
“Golden Years” Marilyn Manson [also originally David Bowie]
“We Were Only Freshmen”(some punk band) [Originally The Verve Pipe]
“Lady Marmalade” All Saints [originally by The Supremes]
F*uck the Police by Dope (NWA)
Last Caress/Die Die My Darling by Metallica (Misfits)
Thieves by Limp Bizkit (Ministry)
Zero The Hero by Cannibal Corpse (Black Sabbath)
Planet Carvan by Pantera (Black Sabbath)
Ghost of Tom Joad by Rage Against The Machine (Springsteen)
Cars by Fear Factory (damn forgot who did it originally)
Live and Let Die/Knocking on Heavens Door by Guns and Roses (Paul McCartney/Bob Dylan)
All Along The Watchtower by Jimi Hendrix (Bob Dylan)
“Lady Marmalade” was done by Labelle.
My favorite covers:
“Red Red Wine” by UB40, a cover of one of a myriad of Neil Diamond’s drinking songs.
“Gold Dust Woman” by Hole, a cover of Fleetwood Mac.