Cover Songs

In My Humble Opinion
1

I was reading a thread yesterday were someone said that her kids favorate song was “Land Slide” by the Smashing Pumkins, she went on to comment that “Land Slide” by Fleetwood Mac was one of her favorate songs. That got me thinking about what my favorate cover songs of all time were.
Here are a few:
Janes Addiction covers “Ripple” by the Greatful Dead.

Devo does Jimi Hendrix with “Are You Experienced”.

Dave Stewart & Barbra Gaston do “Subt. Home Sick Blues” by Dylan.

Pretty much every cover the Ramones ever did.

What makes a good cover to me is that is if different than the origianal, but both verions are good. What do you think?

2

might want to check out this thread;
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=41172

A thread on why people do cover songs;
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=57822
or this one;
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=33682

As for me I love Black Train Jacks cover of Bob Marley’s One Love, anything covered by me first and the gimmie gimmies and living colour’s Memories Can’t Wait (talking heads). Luna does a fine cover of guns and roses sweet child of mine too.

I agree that what makes a great cover is when a group reinterprets the song in their own style.

3

Top covers of all time imho :wink:

This masquerade (Carpenters)
Torn (Natalie Imbruglia)
Suzanne (Peter Gabriel)

4

Nirvana’s versions of Love Buzz (Shocking Blue) and Son of a Gun (the Vaselines)

Guns and Roses version of Live and Let Die (Wings)

Hole’s version of Clouds (Joni Mitchell)

And the best…

Nirvana’s version of In the Pines-they called it Where Did You Sleep Last Night (Leadbelly)

5

Recent favorite covers-

Jeff Buckley’s cover of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah

Johnny Cash doing U2’s One (also covering Nick Cave and the Bad Seed’s The Mercy Seat)

gotta second hardygrrl’s mention of Nirvana covering Leadbelly…

6

“Come on Eileen” by Save Ferris

“Stand by Me” by John Lennon

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“The Letter” by Joe Cocker

8

“Respect” - Aretha Frankiln

“Blinded by the Light” - Manfred Mann (at least, I think Springsteen’s was the original…)

9

Cover songs I like:

Smells Like Teen Spirit - Tori Amos
Thank You - Tori Amos
Dancing Barefoot - U2
One - Michael Stipe
Video Killed the Radio Star - Presidents of the USA
Sometimes Always - Jesus & the Mary Chain feat. Hope Sandoval
Tangled Up in Blue - Indigo Girls
Crying - kd lang
There’s A Light that Never Goes Out - Divine Comedy
Song to the Siren - This Mortal Coil

[hijack]If a good cover improves on the original, then the reverse comes into effect too. Don’t do a cover if you can’t add anything to the original, or if you only end up making it worse. Following this, boybands should not, I repeat, NOT be allowed to do covers. Otherwise we wouldn’t have had to deal with

Take On Me - A1
Seasons in the Sun - Westlife
Baby Can I Hold You - Boyzone
How Deep is Your Love - Take That

I’m sure you’re a talented bunch. Find your own material, lads. [/hijack]

  • dodge_this, who will probably be yanked into the Pit by a boyband fan.
10

I like…

Disturbed, Shout (Tears for Fears)
Alien Ant Farm, Smooth Criminal (Michael Jackson)
Smartbomb, Breathe (Faith Hill)
Cake, I Will Survive (I forget… Donna or Aretha?)
Metallica, Turn The Page (I don’t know who did the original, but I’ve heard it and I don’t like it, it’s wussy-sounding if all you’ve ever heard is the Met version)

11

I can’t get over Angel by Fiona Apple. Absolutely unbelievable.

12

That was Bob Seger, wasn’t it?

13

Yes.

14

Well, in the hijack category of “Covers that should have never been made”, I’ll add:

“American Pie”, Madonna. She should be killed for this.

“Brown-eyed Girl” - Everclear. Great band, but…WHY?

“Lady Marmalade” - Christina Aguilera, et al. The song sucked the first time it was released. Did we really need it released again?

15

I like:

Megaherz’s cover of ‘Rock Me Amadeus’
Rammstein’s cover of ‘Stripped’

and if anyone can tell me who does the cover of ‘Save A Prayer’ on the Duran Duran Tribute CD, I’ll be their best friend for life.

And finally, just to make dodge_this mad, I really like

'N Sync’s cover of ‘Everything I Own’ originally by Bread i believe.

so there.

jarbaby

16

I like Annie Lennox’s cover of The Clash’s "Train in Vain
…Joan Osbourne’s cover of Dusty Springfield’s “Son of a Preacherman”

That would be “Eve’s Plum” Jarbabyj

17

That would be Gloria Gaynor.
I like Husker Du’s cover of the Byrds’ “Eight Miles High”, myself.

18

Sid Vicious doing “My Way”

The Breeders version of “Happiness is a Warm Gun”

Any song off of Annie Lennox’s Medusa (incl. the already mentioned Train in Vain)

David Bowie doing “Waiting for the Man”

19

Marilyn Manson’s cover of Patti Smith’s Rock and Roll Nigger is excellent.

I also like Nine Inch Nails’ cover of Get Down Make Love, originally by Queen.

Studi

20

But ayyyyyyyiiiiyyyaiii will always luurve youuuuuu, jarbabyj… In any case, I haven’t heard that cover by N’Sync, so I won’t judge that. I was basing my opinion on other boyband covers I’ve heard, and man, they’re bad.

Exhibit B: Westlife doing ‘Uptown Girl’. Will the horror ever end?

Grrr…grrr…down, dodge_this, down!