Improbable covers that....DIDN'T suck?

Cafe Society
1

Having just seen MTV Icons Metallica I was struck…

Avril Levign’s version of Fuel didn’t suck.

It was, actually, pretty good. (The band seemed impressed, too.)

(I was also surprisingly impressed by Limp Bizkit’s version of Sanitarium.)

Speaking of Metallica, Apocalyptica, a group of Cellists made a reputation for themselves covering Metallica (though that’s not all they do).

And Angels of Venice have a pretty nifty version of Nothing Else Matters. Played primarily on harp.

So, this thread is for celebrating, or at least boggling at, the improbable coversongs that just WORKED.

2

Cake, I will Survive.
Marilyn Manson, Tainted Love.
Gary Jules, Mad World.

3

For Marilyn Manson, I would have picked Sweet dreams are made of this.

4

I liked Alien Ant Farms cover ofSmooth Criminal

5

Bigod 20 did a remake of Madonna’s Like a Prayer, and I LOVED it. Very heavy compared to the original.

I liked Johnny Cash’s version of NIN’s Hurt, but really hated what he did to Depeche Mode’s Personal Jesus.

6

Dolly Parton’s cover of both ‘Shine’ and ‘Stairway to Heaven’ are astonishingly good.

I prefer Parton’s StH as she almost turns it into a gospel song. This gives it greater meaning than the half-assed mysticalness of the Led Zeppelin version.

7

Avril Levigne’s “Fuel”…?? I was under the coffee table with fingers in my ears when she performed that one. (Of course, Metallica’s original elicits the same reaction…)

Speaking of Depeche Mode, In Flames did a fantastic cover of “Everything Counts” – doubly impressive due to the fact that nobody knows how to cover Depeche Mode properly.

And call me crazy, but I actually liked Dolly Parton’s version of “Stairway to Heaven”…

8

J.C.…jinx. :wink:

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Toad the Wet Sprocket’s version of “Rock and Roll All Nite.” They actually made a Kiss song feel poignant!

10

Sarah Bernhard’s “Maniac Superstar.” I never expeted it to actually be good.

11

“My Way” by Sid Vicious. A gazillion times better than the original. but is it really that improbable?

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I’m ashamed to admit that I actually like The Cardigan’s cover of “Iron Man.”

13

U2 did a cover of Unchained Melody as a b-side for one of their singles. They took a song whose definitive version by the Righteous Brothers is a hopeful ballad of maintaining love despite separation and turned it into a raw, desperate plea for forgiveness. I like it.

Johnny Cash’s Hurt deserves all the mentions it can get. Hell, I haven’t run across a Johnny Cash cover I didn’t like. Including Personal Jesus. The piano riff gets my attention - and I never was that impressed with the original.

The Chieftains and Roger Daltrey did a kickass cover of Behind Blue Eyes as an Irish folk song that works in a twisted “ballad that occasionally turns into a reel” sort of way.

14

Devo’s “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.”

15

Fear Factory’s version of Gary Newman’s Cars kicks ass. Very guitar heavy and cool.

Nirvana’s cover of Kiss’s Do You Love me? is way good also.

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Or, for that matter, their cover of “Are You Experienced”.

Heh. “Not necessarily stoned…but mutated.”

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This gave me the picture of Sarah Bernhardt standing on a stage in 1890 belting out “Maniac Superstar.”

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Along similar lines, I like U2’s cover of Cole Porter’s Night and Day – a song I usually associate with Fred Astaire in top hat and tails, sighing languidly over thoughts of Ginger Rogers. The U2 version has a raw edge to it, and sounds as if Bono really has been up day and night, night and day, over this obsessive love.

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Dynamite Hacks cover of Boyz N The Hood is excellent.

20

I like the Sex Pistols’ cover of “I’m Not Your Stepping Stone” (was that what it was called … ?)