Need Help With A Mix CD Of Covers

Cafe Society
1

I’m putting together a mix CD of covers. I’ve got about 12 songs. I think about 4 more should finish it quite nicely. After looking through my rather large music list, I find that it is incredibly lacking in that area.

Here’s what I have so far…

Marah- Streets of Philadelphia (Springsteen)
Boy Least Likely To- Faith (George Michael)
Tom Jones- Burning down the House (Talking Heads)
Butthole Surfers- Hurdy Gurdy Man (Donovan)
Antony and the Johnsons- Knocking on Heaven’s Door (Dylan)
Concrete Blonde- Everybody Knows (Cohen)
Scissor Sisters- Comfortably Numb (Floyd)
Red House Painters- Follow You Follow Me (Genesis) They also cover The Cars All Mixed Up, it was a tough decision.
Jaimie Cullum- High and Dry (Radiohead)
M Ward- Let’s Dance (Bowie)
The Cure- Purple Haze (Hendrix)
Jane’s Addiction- Sympathy For the Devil (Stones)

I could use a little help rounding the CD out. I’m looking for covers that are not faithful recreations of the original. One’s where the artists puts his/her own spin on it. The more ironic the the pairing is the better. I want to avoid jokey covers too, for example, Richard Cheese type covers. Other than that I’m open to suggestions.

Oh and if you can find youtube links to your suggestions that would be super. Thanks a bunch!

2

Off the top of my head, I feel the need to suggest any of Apocalyptica’s Metallica covers. Picture 4 Swedish guys playing cellos, doing note for note covers of Metallica’s heaviest songs. And it’s even better than it sounds :cool:

Apocalyptica - The Unforgiven

Apocalyptica - Master of Puppets

3

Don’t forget Manfred Mann covering Springsteen!

Aside from their Snoopy and airplane stuff, The Royal Guardmen were primarily a cover band. Notably “Alley Oop” (Hollywood Argyles), “(The Ballad of) Bonnie & Clyde” (Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames), “Gimme Some Lovin’” (Spencer Davis Group), “(The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance” (Gene Pitney), “Road Runner” (Bo Diddley), and “Little Red Riding Hood” (Sam the Sham & The Pharaohs). Some good, and not jokey, stuff there.

For a different direction, search YouTube for Leningrad Cowboys.

4

Daughtry - Poker Face (Lady Gaga) This is acoustic.

Original: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONqBj8aTMN8&feature=related

5

How about Iron & Wine covering Waiting for a Superman by The Flaming Lips?

6

Can’t YouTube at work, but I have mentioned this before: New Grass Revival doing a bluegrass version of Marvin Gaye’s Ain’t That Peculiar. It works, too.

7

Israel Kamakawiwo’ole - It’s a Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong)

The Gourds - Jin and Juice (Snoop Dogg)

Hayseed Dixie - Anything from this AC/DC cover album:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/recsradio/radio/B00005CCB0/ref=pd_krex_dp_001_001?ie=UTF8&track=001&disc=001

Paul Anka - Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana)
(Really, anything from Anka’s “Rock Swings” lounge cover album is a lot of fun.)

8

Toad the Wet Sproket covering Rock and Roll all Nite

Dread Zepplin covering Heartbreaker and Heartbreak Hotel

SSG Schwartz

9

Frente’s version of* Bizarre Love Triangle* by New Order is great.

10

That was awesome. Man, that singer almost looked like Melissa Ethridge for a second.

11

Ding ding! I think this one is going on the list.

12

Dropkick Murphys: Skinhead on the MBTA
Cake: I will Survive. (The lead singer claims this is not sarcastic, but that his natural singing voice always sounds ironic.)
Lemonheads: Frank Mills (not to mention Mrs. Robinson, but I don’t think it’s a particularly jarring contrast.)

13

This may help you decide. Coverville does podcasts, usually with a thematic thread, of cover versions. Brians (the host) voice-overs are a little annoying but he manages to put together some interesting shows. At the very least you may get some ideas to complete your playlist.

14

EXCELLENT choice. I love their cover of I Will Survive.

I would add Devo’s cover of Satisfactionby the Rolling Stones (youtube link - live version but no video; just audio.)

The lead singer of the Red House Painters and Sun Kil Moon, Mark Kozelek, did an album of Bon-Scott-era AC/DC covers - all slow and emotive, per his style. I haven’t heard them but I have heard very good things…

15

There’s also www.coversproject.com.

One of my favorites is Pulp’s “Common People” arranged by Ben Folds with vocals by Joe Jackson (singing) and William Shatner (speaking). I know, it sounds like a joke, but I really like both versions.

16

How about something from Richard Cheese. I can’t Youtube at work so here is his website:

http://www.richardcheese.com/rchome.html

“LOUNGE SINGER VERSIONS OF YOUR FAVORITE SONGS & TV THEMES!”

If you turn on your sound when you go to his site little snippets from different songs play.

And here is an amazon list of his songs you can download.

http://www.amazon.com/s/qid=1248199584/ref=sr_tc_2?ie=UTF8&search-alias=digital-music&field-artist_id=pa300031660&field-keywords=Richard%20Cheese

17

Shatner’s version is far better than the original. How often can one type that statement?

My friend commented that Ben Folds “punked” Shatner into making a good record. It’s true.

18

Oh, and you NEED the Johnny Cash version of Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt”.

19

And here’s the Shatner/Folds/Jackson version of “Common People”.

Also - if you don’t like the Paul Anka cover of “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, here’s a Tori Amos version.

20

Good, but I can top it.