Now, I know that there is already a lot of songs about odd remixes of songs. However, I am looking for examples of people sharing their love for said remakes, not just shock. For example, I just stumbled across this CD , which includes a remake of Nik Kershaw’s (Hi, Anastasaeon!) song, “The Riddle” It doesn’t sound all that different, but still, I was pleasantly surprised to hear that anyone remembered it, all the same.
I think the best remake of the last couple of years is big Bill Shatner covering Pulps “Common People”. And whomever brought in Joe Jackson is a production god in my book.
Love it!
That would be Ben Folds, who is a musical genius. That song is one of the best covers of all time, and Shatner’s entire album, *Has Been * (entirely produced by Folds, who also performs on it), was one of the best releases of 2004.
Surprisingly good are Paul Anka’s covers of rock songs. :eek:
I’ve heard, on the radio, his covers of both Van Halen’s “Jump” and Soundgarden’s(?) “Blackhole Sun” and after a brief “WTF?” moment, I found them to be quite fun. He has a CD full of such covers, and I’ll probably pick it up as part of my next Amazon order.
I much prefer the remixed/remastered versions (AKA De-Spector-Fied) of McCartney’s The Long and Winding Road, Lennon’s Across The Universe, and Harrison’s I Me Mine on the Let It Be… Naked album, to the original versions.
two great examples that i can think of would be Kansas’s remake of the Beatle’s All the Lonely People, and this really good remake of Iron Man by the Cardigans
I recently heard a cover of the classic Velvet Underground song “Candy Says” done by the experimental Japanese electronic group, Satanicpornocultshop (the track is called “Anorexia Gas Balloon”). It starts out like a typical super-glitchy, spazzy, sliced-and-diced soundclash, and then a japanese girl starts singing a heartbreaking version of “Candy Says” overtop of it in her delicate, lilting voice. The effect is jaw-dropping if you know and love the original.
Talking of Ben Folds, his remake of Dr. Dre’s “Bitches Ain’t Shit” is fascinating in a morbid sort of way. Other favorites include the fabulous William Shatner’s “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and the Scala Choir singing the Divinyls’ “I Touch Myself.”
Gotta give mad props to Richard Cheese’s cover of “Down With the Sickness” Definitely one of his better covers (he’s got some really good covers and some really bad covers)
Also, I’m fond of Me First and The Gimme Gimmes’ cover of the Hava Nagila song (think of the song that allways plays in movies when Jewish people are having parties), but this is diminished somewhat by the fact that the very next song on the CD is them singing a version of Hava Nagila to the tune of “Feliz Navidad”. twitch
Cat Power covering Oasis’Wonderwall. Was never a big fan of the song, but she made it her own.
Iron and Wine covering The Postal Service’sSuch Great Heights on the soundtrack for Garden State. Loved the song to begin with and wasn’t sure it would translate well to I&W’s style, but if anything, he made it better.
DJ’s Tiesto and Skribbles each for their remixes of Delerium’sSilence. IMO, about as perfect a song as there can be, proven by its malleability.
Modest Mouse and Califone covering Slayer’sSouth of Heaven. I was surprised to even know people were covering Slayer, but it was surprisingly good.
I can’t remember which hard rock band did it (Sevendust? One of those sorts of bands), but there’s a cover of Britney Spear’s Toxic done grunge style which is surprisingly good.
My other fav covers include:
Lots of stuff by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, especially the entire Are a Drag album (all show tunes) and One Tin Soldier (they took quite possibly the crappiest song in existance and made it fun to listen to.)
Guser doing…well…again, almost anything. I have a live version of them doing Like a Prayer and it’s phenemenol. And there cover of Total Eclipse of the Heart they did at a concert at my school was awesome. The drummer (who CANNOT sing) was the lead vocalist.
No Use for a Name’s version of Fairy Tale of New York is vastly superior to the original (which, IIRC, is done by The Pogues.