Favourite cover songs played with unusual instruments

Cafe Society
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The Internet is replete with amateur or independent musicians making beautiful covers of songs with unusual instruments. What are your favourites?

I do a lot of random, ephemeral browsing for this sort of on YouTube so I don’t have a definitive list of my own. But here are a couple that recently caught my eye:

[ul]
[li]“Sultans of Swing” (Dire Straits) performed by Luna Lee on a gayageum, a traditional zither-like instrument from Korea[/li][li]The finale of Part One of “Tubular Bells” played on 34 (mostly vintage) keyboards and synthesizers by the “Brooklyn Organ Synth Orchestra” (which I suspect is just a randomly assembled group of NYC musicians; they don’t seem to have recorded anything else).[/li][/ul]

2

Rage Against The Machine’s *Killing In The Name Of by The Wackids (Blowmaster, Bongostar and Speedfinger) - everything these guys do is great, but this was the first one I heard so it remains my fav.

AC/DC’s Thunderstruck by Steve 'n Seagulls (traditional acoustic bluegrass including banjo, spoons and accordion) - another group that found their niche and fill it perfectly.

ETA: One more!

Dead Kennedy’s Holiday In Cambodia by DJ Lebowitz (solo upright piano) - I actually met this guy about 25 years ago when he performed at my venue in college; I was the audio/lighting guy. His performances are incredible and I got him to autograph copy of his album Beware Of The Piano. I contacted him a short while back to get his permission to post a video for IMO his best song, Airplane (not a cover and likely will never be covered).

3

Regina Spektor does a beautiful version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps with shamisen accompaniment. Also more people should watch Kubo and the Two Strings.

4

Great; somehow I still fucked up the coding in that post. /facepalm

Rage Against The Machine’s Killing In The Name Of by The Wackids

5

Well, there’s the 2 Cellos guys.

I like Jeff Beck’s Amazing Grace, and Mason Profitt’s take on same.

Now you can say that cellos, electric guitars, and harmonicas aren’t all that unusual, but I’d never heard them used in that way, for those kinds of songs, so, to me, unusual.

There you go. Take it or leave it.

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Also here is Stairway To Heaven on 20 String Koto with flute accompaniment.

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And one of my favourites, Orkestra Obsolete playing Blue Monday using only 1930s technology and instruments.

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How about playing a modern (metal) song on modern instruments, but recording it with 100 year old equipment? Rob Scanlon is a guitarist/songwriter who recorded his metal band on a wax cylinder.

9

Zadok the Priest

This is the British coronation anthem, played on a ukelele. Odd, but very well done.

10

The TV show/YouTube channel that’s from, NHK’s Blends, is usually at least fun, and often awesome – covers of Western pop using (mostly) traditional Japanese instruments. Here’s one more: “Smooth Criminal” on bamboo flute, koto, and jushichigen.
ETA: one more awesome MJ cover

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I am not a fan of Depeche Mode or New Order in anyway, but of course I know this song. And this version totally fucking rocks! Thanks; I’m off to listen to more from the Orkestra!

12

Men Without Hats was a groundbreaking local act which remain a guiltless pleasure today, so I know their catalog of songs quite well. This guy’s shared appreciation for MWH’s compositions, and Morrissey-like sad cheer interpretations might be a bit too specific for general appreciation, so I’ll add that he’s how I imagine every single Doper IRL, even the ones without “Ukulele” in their names. :smiley:

13

Pink Floyd’s aborted Household Objects album has a case of this in reverse.Wine Glasses, recorded using—presumably—wine glasses, rubber bands, and other non musical stuff, was later “covered” by the band using real instruments and became the beginning of Shine On You Crazy Diamond.

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When he cranks up the theremin, you just want to cheer.

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I love going down this kind of rabbit hole on YouTube: here’s Ennio Morricone’s “The Ecstasy of Gold” {from The Good, The Bad And The Ugly} on just vocals and theremin. And it’s utterly beautiful.

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I see your AC/DC and raise you Rime of the Ancient Mariner bluegrass version.

I must say the Sultans of Swing cover was really good. Works well because Knopfler picks when he plays.

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psychonaut mentioned Luna Lee in the op, which was who I was going to mention. So instead I give you robots playing Ace Of Spades:

I failed the “unusual instruments” requirement- oops.

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Ooh, that video reminds me of the most unusual instrument ever, the Floppotron. It consists of an array of old floppy disk drives, along with some old scanners and hard drives. It makes music by running the devices’ stepper motors at different speeds, and by clicking the hard drive heads. My favourite covers:

[ul]
[li]Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana)[/li][li]Take On Me (A-ha)[/li][li]Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) (Eurythmics)[/li][li]The Theme to Inspector Gadget[/li][/ul]

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Stairway to Heaven on A Harp

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For a few weeks now, I’ve been fascinated by this cover of Toto’s Africa on the harpejji:

The musician has other covers up on youtube as well.
I’d love to try this unusual instrument but they’re a couple grand.