Sorta like all the Stones’ covers of Chuck Berry songs-especially Carol and Little Queenie on the Ya-yas album. They manage to get a groove going, and then do Berry’s great stuff on top of it. May have something to do with the interplay between Watts’ drumming and the playing of the band’s rhythm guitarist.
Bill Wyman said something along the lines of, “in most bands, the guitarist follows the drummer. But in our band, the drummer follows the guitarist. Keith is always giving us looks: ‘you’re off the beat!’ and we’re going, ‘no, you’re off the beat!’” 
In any event, it worked: the Stones have a distinctive rhythm akin to the sound of the human heartbeat.
Maggies Farm, By Bob Dylan, covered by Rage Against The Machine. So much better, it’s acidic and biting, and RATM is the only group that could cover such a political song and still keep its meaning.
Different strokes, I guess. I think Thorogood has all the subtlety of a kick in the balls, and I don’t mean that in a good way. I repeat, he’s a hack. Give me the originals every time – and that’s not something I’m doctrinaire about, BTW. I prefer The Beatles’ “Rock and Roll Music” and “Please Mr. Postman” to the originals, for example. But then, I could listen to John Lennon sing the phone book.
This is the line Thorogood’s apologists always come up with, and frankly, I’m not buying it. Yes, I’m sure there were a small number of people who went on to discover “real” blues and genuine rock ‘n’ roll after hearing Thorogood’s bastardized versions of it. But, the public after all never having been noted for good taste, I believe the majority of listeners prefer a low-quality imitation to the real thing.
It’s the same thing with fans of the (mostly – there are exceptions) bland so-called “country rock” of the late 60s and early 70s. Most of them are scared to death of genuine country music. They’d rather hear a bunch of rich California hippies playing their pastiche of it than someone who has a genuine connection to the real deal.
The Cowboy Junkies’ version of “Powderfinger” blows the Neil Young original all to hell…
Nirvana’s cover of “Love Buzz”
Dave Matthews * All Along The Watch Tower*
Sorry, but I neve have been impressed with Jimmi Hendrix. I will also say that in this tune he sounds like he stole a few chords from Led Zeppelin as well.
** Frankie Goes to Hollywood** All on Welcome to the Pleasuredome.* Born to Run, Ferry 'Cross the Mersy, and Do You Know the Way to San Jose?*
On the “Any Bob Dylan cover is better than the original” I’d give it up for Stevie Nicks and * Just Like A Woman*
They Might Be Giants’ Istanbul Not Constantinople is a great song.
Although many people prefer Elvis’ cover of Blue Suede Shoes, I prefer the original by Carl Perkins.
While many have mentioned Nirvana’s handling for the Leadbelly tune, I think a better version was done by Cows, entitled “My girl”. Obviously a slight lyrical change, but I think a bit truer to the menace in the Leadbelly song, while maintaining it’s subtlety. Plus, Shanon played the bugle. I’m no musical theorist, but here goes: in the Leadbelly song, at the last line of the chorus (…wind blows…) he pays a quick major chord, which always threw me off, because it didn’t seem to fit the tone of the rest of the song. In the Cows version, they change it to a minor, and it just fits so much better.
Schlong is always good for bizarre covers, like “Teddy Bear Picnic”, “Don’t Leave Me Hanging on the Telephone”, “Eye of the Tiger”, “Heartbreaker”… But I guess interesting doesn’t really mean better, so I’ll move on.
16 Horsepower do a great cover of “Day of the Lords” by Joy Division, which I like better than the original. This was also done by Neurosis.
Urge Overkill did a cover of “Stitches” that beat the snot out of the original.
How about Mudhoney’s cover of “You Stupid Asshole”
Chokebore’s cover of Rod Stewart’s “If you think I’m Sexy”, I think they retitled it “Hit Me”. Revolting Cocks covered it at around the same time, with so-so results.
Anything KD Lang did on her Shadowlands album. Mmmmmmm, her voice is like butter…
Johnny Cash did a great cover of the Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds song “Mercy Seat”. His tone gave it a more introspective twist, and really showed what a powerful song it is.
Um, Jimi didn’t exactly need to steal chords from Zeppelin- if anything it would have been the other way around. Peasant. :rolleyes:
Would you mind showing a little decorum, Mr. Bix?
Thanks.
Most people are probably going to disagree with me, but the “I Am Sam” soundtrack has a bunch of covers of Beatles songs. There’s someone (a band) named Granddaddy (who I’ve never heard of) who sings the song “Revolution”. There’s something about that version that I like better than when the Beatles did it…I think that it’s because it’s a little bit slower, which brings the mood down. When the Beatles sang it, it sounded almost perky. On the soundtrack, though, it’s slower, and sounds tired and more cynical…as if the singer is hearing the revolutionary propaganda, and just knows better, and is responding as if he’s heard the rhetoric so many times and knows better now.
As Led Zeppelin did not exist when Hendrix recorded “All Along the Watchtower,” your second statement is illogical. Further, the intent of your statement is unclear. What do you mean by “stole a few chords”? As Hendrix’s version follows the same chord progression as Dylan’s original, I’m trying to figure out where the stealing comes in.
As for your first statement…well, I don’t want to get in trouble with the moderator, so I’ll hold my tongue.
Never mess with a man who likes Alex Chilton
I’m surprised no one has mentioned Motley Crue’s (what’s the code for umlaut?) version of Smoking in the Boys Room by Brownsville Station or the Shocking Blue version of Eddie Cochran’s Summertime Blues. Wait…let me guess…oh yeah, they suck.
Okay here are some cool ones.
The Pixies version of Head On by the Jesus and Mary Chain.
Me First and the Gimmee Gimmees doing either Terry Jacks’ Seasons in the Sun or Anne Murray/Loggins and Messina’s Danny’s Song.
Mr. Big 's searing rendition of “Wild World” totally outshinesCat Stevens .