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’
“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”
OK.
The trouble with Sir Launcelot is by the time he comes riding up, you’ve already married King Arthur.
“All Along the Watchtower”
done by U2
Of course you cannot deny that the Dave Matthews Band finishes all of their live shows with this song, and have at times outdone U2.
But the U2 version kicks ass, and I am a Hendrix fanatic.
“A single lifetime, even though entirely devoted to the sky, would not be enough for the investigation of so vast a subject.” - Seneca
This is also being covered at http://www.straightdope.com/ubb/Forum7/HTML/001194.html
“If you’re so pro-life, do me a favor: don’t block medical clinics, lock arms and block cemeteries.” – Bill Hicks
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.
The facts, although interesting, are irrelevent.
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.
Coldfire
"You know how complex women are"
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.
The Fugees “Killing me Softly” is cool.
Off to get coffee…
Habit rules the unreflecting herd. - Wordsworth
“Monster Mash” – Bonzo Dog Band By far the superior version.
“What we have here is failure to communicate.” – Strother Martin, anticipating the Internet.
The Young Fresh Fellows’ version of The Kinks’ “Picture Book.”
Aretha Franklin’s take on The Band’s “The Weight.”
Wicked Wilson Pickett doing Randy Newman’s “Momma Told Me Not to Come.”
The Jerry Garcia Band on Dylan’s “Tangled up in Blue.” Jer always ripped ass on that one.
Uke
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”
Bangles - “Hazy Shade of Winter”
http://www.madpoet.com
Clerks - Just because they serve you doesn’t mean they like you.
Ewww! I thumbed through it when I ran across a copy in a used bookstore but I must have fortunately missed that page.
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?”
Flipp doing “My Generation”
and
Pseudo Echo’s “Funkytown”
Nothing is so bad that it can’t get worse.
[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]
Get Down Make Love by Queen, covered by Nine Inch Nails.
Rock and Roll Nigger by Patty (or is it “Patti”?) Smith, covered by Marilyn Manson.
Studi
When I grow up, I want to be the Minister of Silly Walks.
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"
Free beer is ALWAYS a good thing. - Falcon