Okay, so Madonna has screwed the pooch. How about a list (some of you have mentioned it once in the American Pie thread) of the covers that have done justice or at least stand pretty well on their own.
My vote:
Jane’s Addiction : “Sympathy for the Devil”
Never give a sword to a man who can’t dance.
– a Celtic motto
Deftones ‘The Chauffeur’
Lenny Kravitz ‘American Woman’
Urge Overkill ‘Girl, you’ll be a woman soon’ (If that’s the name of it)
Billy Idol ‘Mony Mony’
Cake ‘I Will Survive’
I’m sure I could think of some more, but they’d probably be a little obscure.
“Rolling with the dopes you know. Rolling with the wrong gun on you”
“I dream that she aims to be the bloom upon my misery”
The Nazareth version of “Love Hurts” I think is better than the Everly Brothers original, and, God help me, I loved the Doctor and the Medics version of “Spirit in the Sky”
The trouble with Sir Launcelot is by the time he comes riding up, you’ve already married King Arthur.
I like all of the covers done by Stone Temple Pilots. Let’s see if I can rattle them off.
Dacin’ Days-Origionally by Led Zeppelin Christmas Time is Here-From the Charlie Brown Christmas Special Andy Warhol Time of the Season-Not really STP, but Scott Weiland is the singer.
I’m not a cover-fan usually, but Tori Amos has some gems. Notably her versions of:
** Smells like Teen Spirit (Original by Nirvana) Angie (Original by the Rolling Stones) I’m on fire (Original by Springsteen)**
Her voice sends the chills down your spine… beautiful.
Well, one of my favorite covers was done by Jodeci of the song “Lately” by Stevie Wonder. The Original is beautiful, but i’ve heard Jodeci’s version more, and I think they did a good job on it.
Also: “Wishing on A Star” - cover by the Cover Girls. Rose Royce did a good job on it, and the two almost sound the same, but the cover was done nicely.
And: “I’m Going Down” - Cover by Mary J Blige. Her version (originally done by Royse Royce) actually introduced me to the original version. The thing I like was the cover stuck true to the original song. Same with “Wishing on a Star”.
I’m a fan of the Cake “I Will Survive.” Mostly because they did it because they LIKE the song.
I have also been told of U2 (or maybe just Bono, I don’t know…) covering “Dancing Queen.” This amuses me to no end.
My dad is the biggest Dylan fan ever, so I am by default. So I like any Dylan cover other than “Stuck in the Middle.” It’s been DONE, people. Watchtower is always cool.
If I remember the publicity about her Sex book, you ain’t just speaking metaphorically.
The Indigo Girls did an amazing version of Paul Simon’s An American Tune at the Newport Folk Festival six or seven years back. It’s on the CD for that year, but the recording is a pale imitation of the live experience.
Metallica’s versions of Breadfan(Budgie) and Turn the Page(Bob Seger).
Of course I could list anything off of Garage, Inc…
“The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents.”
-H.P. Lovecraft, “The Call of Cthulhu”
I love covers, as long as they’re done with some class and intelligence. The best collection I’ve come across is “Rubyiat”; it was Elektra Records 35th anniversary CD, and contained covers of Elektra artists by other Elektra artists. Some of my favorites:
Hello, I Love You–the Cure
Hotel California–Gipsy Kings (in Spanish!)
Tuxedo Moon–Kronos Quartet
Born in Chicago–Pixies
You’re So Vain–Faster Pussycat
Kick Out the Jams–Metallica
One More Parade–They Might Be Giants
Oh, and I love TMBG’s cover of the Allman Bros “Jessica.” It’s on the CD single “Why Does the Sun Shine?”
[ul][li]The O’Jays’ “Backstabbers” covered by Elvis Costello on the tour supporting Punch the Clock (I think – might have been the Goodbye Cruel World tour).[/li][li]"(What’s So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding", also covered by E.C., written by Nick Lowe, and originally appearing on Brinsley Schwarz’s unjustly ignored 1974 disc *New Favourites of . . . .[/li][li]Kirsty MacColl’s covers of Billy Bragg’s “A New England” and Ray Davies’ “Days”[/li][li]Practically any of the covers on the two Robert Gordon/Link Wray collaborations in the late ‘70s, Robert Gordon with Link Wray and Fresh Fish Special, but especially Jack Scott’s “The Way I Walk”, “Five Days, Five Days”, Eddie Cochran’s “Twenty Flight Rock”, and Springsteen’s “Fire” (in its first appearance on vinyl).[/li][li]The Rezillos’ take on The Dave Clark Five’s “Glad All Over”[/li][li]“One More Time” and “Party Doll”, both lifted from Buddy Knox, on Joe “King” Carrasco’s eponymous debut LP.[/li][li]“B-A-B-Y”, the Isaac Hayes/David Porter Memphis R&B classic originally done by Carla Thomas, as covered by Rachel Sweet[/li][li]Alex Chilton’s “September Gurls” and John Fogerty’s “Almost Saturday Night” on the Searchers’s eponymous 1979 release (1981 as Play for Today on Sire in the US).[/li][li]Ray Davies’ “Til the End of the Day” by Alex Chilton/Big Star on Third/Sister Lovers[/li][]Tav Falco & Panther Burns’ cover of Clint Miller’s “Bertha Lou”[/ul]
The Grateful Dead doing Kristofferson’s “Me And Bobby McGee” and Dixon’s "Wang Dang Doodle"
Joe Cocker doing Dylan’s “Just Like A Woman” and "A Little Help From My Friends"
Bruce Springsteen doing Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land” and Dylan’s ** Chimes Of Freedom"**
Jimi Hendrix doing Dylan’s "All Along The Watchtower"
Elvis Costello doing Springsteen’s "Brilliant Disguise"
Lyle Lovett doing The Dead’s "Friend Of The Devil"
Jane’s Addiction doing The Dead’s "Ripple"
George Thorogood doing Hooker’s "One Burbon, One Scotch, One Beer"