# Spot-on covers **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 3, 2018, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-on-covers/825482 "2018-12-03T04:52:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Flare4roach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7cd45c/32.png) [@Flare4roach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flare4roach)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2019, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-on-covers/825482/61 "2019-03-15T06:40:46Z")
> [@Sauron](#): > > This isn’t quite a “spot-on” cover, because you can tell it’s a different singer … but when [George Michael sang “Somebody to Love” with Queen in 1995,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYAR8RigqDA) I thought it was as close to being as good as the original as you can get. I was playing guitar with a friend of mine and he was going on and on about Garth Brooks. I’m not really a country guy but my friend loves him. He was telling me how talented he was and finally he turned me onto Garth Brooks doing “Somebody to Love” and I could NOT tell it was a cover. I kept saying during the song “Wait a minute, THIS is Garth Brooks?” Apparently Garth put out a box set called “Blame it on the Roots” in which he did various covers of the bands he loved growing up. I only heard the Queen song but it was so close to the original that it was scary. Garth Brooks does an EXCELLENT Freddie Mercury whether it’s the low breathy jive or the high powered finale vocals. He’s spot on. The next day I scoured the internet for it to play it for my wife but Garth doesn’t want it on there for whatever reason. Wish I could provide a link. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2019, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-on-covers/825482/62 "2019-03-15T07:54:18Z")
Karen Carpenter sang a slower, bluesy version of ‘Ticket to Ride’. I always liked that. I never was a Carpenters fsn. My sister was crazy for them, so I heard it alot. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2019, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-on-covers/825482/63 "2019-03-15T09:22:11Z")
Melissa Etheridge’s cover of Janis Joplin’s “Piece of My Heart” is very faithful to the original, note for note. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2019, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-on-covers/825482/64 "2019-03-15T17:33:50Z")
[While My Guitar Gently Weeps](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8yzQQkQv8U) –Girl In A Coma Great song by George, but after 50 years it needed a woman’s touch. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2019, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-on-covers/825482/65 "2019-03-16T13:47:08Z")
Today I heard for the first time a male band who covered Little Eva’s song Loco-motion. Turns out it was Grand Funk Railroad (Get it! Railroad locomotion). And it was a really good cover. ---
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2019, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-on-covers/825482/66 "2019-03-17T02:09:33Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > That’s a cool version but I don’t think it’s particularly spot-on to the original. I think some of their covers of _This Must be the Place_ are more spot-on. Eg: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kghEAghEP-s&t=60s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kghEAghEP-s&t=60s) it is, IMHO, most definitely;) almost spot on … ---
**Author:** ![Mike\_Mabes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mike_mabes/32/1782_2.png) [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2019, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-on-covers/825482/67 "2019-03-17T04:55:53Z")
Alison by Linda Rondstadt. I had forgotten about the song until I saw this thread. Listening now. I would argue that her version is better than the original Of course I am biased. I was 16 when it was recorded, in love, in lust, infatuated with her, then and now. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jmuoLvCnB4c/hqdefault.jpg "Linda Ronstadt-1978-04-Alison") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmuoLvCnB4cl) ---
**Author:** ![Mike\_Mabes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mike_mabes/32/1782_2.png) [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2019, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-on-covers/825482/68 "2019-03-17T05:09:05Z")
Hell, I just found this. Linda, with Emmylou, singing the Hank Williams song I Can’t Help it If I Am Still in Love with You. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/MZbUYS7Qos4/maxresdefault.jpg "Linda Ronstadt - "I Can't Help It If I'm Still In Love With You"") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZbUYS7Qos4) ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2019, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-on-covers/825482/69 "2019-03-17T11:16:29Z")
> [@Flare4roach](#): > > I was playing guitar with a friend of mine and he was going on and on about Garth Brooks. I’m not really a country guy but my friend loves him. He was telling me how talented he was and finally he turned me onto Garth Brooks doing “Somebody to Love” and I could NOT tell it was a cover. I kept saying during the song “Wait a minute, THIS is Garth Brooks?” Apparently Garth put out a box set called “Blame it on the Roots” in which he did various covers of the bands he loved growing up. I only heard the Queen song but it was so close to the original that it was scary. Garth Brooks does an EXCELLENT Freddie Mercury whether it’s the low breathy jive or the high powered finale vocals. He’s spot on. The next day I scoured the internet for it to play it for my wife but Garth doesn’t want it on there for whatever reason. Wish I could provide a link. Garth Brooks did a spot-on cover of “Hard Luck Woman.” Of course, with KISS backing you up, you’re going to sound perfect, but Brooks does a fantastic job of sounding like original vocalist Peter Criss. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ZTRrotIedp8/maxresdefault.jpg "Hard Luck Woman - Kiss/Garth Brooks - Kiss My Ass 1994") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTRrotIedp8) ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2019, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-on-covers/825482/70 "2019-03-17T11:20:42Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Garth Brooks did a spot-on cover of “Hard Luck Woman.” Of course, with KISS backing you up, you’re going to sound perfect, but Brooks does a fantastic job of sounding like original vocalist Peter Criss. > > [https://youtu.be/ZTRrotIedp8](https://youtu.be/ZTRrotIedp8) And I see I already mentioned this before. Oh well. Carry on, then. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2019, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-on-covers/825482/71 "2019-03-17T13:59:31Z")
Summertime Blues: [Eddie Cochran](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=In7z7B87Puc&frags=pl%2Cwn) [Brian Setzer](http://youtube.com/watch?v=nA4xa7KzPTo) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-on-covers/825482/72 "2019-03-18T15:16:44Z")
Not exactly spot-on, but [The Bangles](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cNeXWpTVlo) cover of [Simon & Garfunkel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnZdlhUDEJo)’s, “Hazy Shade of Winter,” is a big improvement. Plus, they sing the pants off it. ---
**Author:** ![LLCoolL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/llcooll/32/3596_2.png) [@LLCoolL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LLCoolL)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2019, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-on-covers/825482/73 "2019-03-24T07:49:47Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > I’ve only read the title and the OP, and what first came in mind was Tom Petty’s cover of “I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better” by the Byrds. It’s very close to the original, the only difference is between the 80s and 60s production. Even Petty (as always) sounds much like Roger McGuinn (I think Tom Petty, through some strange cosmological quirk, was really the love-child of McGuinn and Dylan). Please compare: > > The Byrds - [I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to-RVV_3anw) > > Tom Petty - [I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSgdqwlb8M0) Agreed. Note for note. Same gorgeous 12-string Rickenbacker sound. (And luckily Jeff Lynne didn’t ruin it with excessive “aah” backing vocals.) I approve, cuz that’s probably my favorite Byrds track, and they essentially just cleaned and cleared up the sound. ---
**Author:** ![LLCoolL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/llcooll/32/3596_2.png) [@LLCoolL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LLCoolL)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2019, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-on-covers/825482/74 "2019-03-24T07:56:13Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Not exactly spot-on, but [The Bangles](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cNeXWpTVlo) cover of [Simon & Garfunkel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnZdlhUDEJo)’s, “Hazy Shade of Winter,” is a big improvement. Plus, they sing the pants off it. I’ve revisited the Bangles 30+ years after the fact, and found that I’d terribly underrated them during their 80s heyday. They can really play and sing. Watch their recent live clips on YouTube - those do better justice to their capabilities than their original studio recordings. Bonus: Susanna Hoffs must have made a deal with the devil, because she looks \*\*amazing \*\*for her age. Hell, she just plain looks amazing. Without the 80s big hair and heavy makeup, she looks more appealing now than she did then. And she was smokin’ then… ---
**Author:** ![LLCoolL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/llcooll/32/3596_2.png) [@LLCoolL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LLCoolL)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2019, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-on-covers/825482/75 "2019-03-24T07:59:10Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > I had heard _so_ much buzz about (Weezer’s cover of “Africa” by Toto) before I listened to it, which made it all the more disappointing that there was virtually nothing to distinguish Weezer’s version from the original. I am still trying to figure this one out. Their straight-up, note-for-note cover is either an incredibly subtle in-joke - or they genuinely respect the song. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2019, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-on-covers/825482/76 "2019-03-24T13:56:53Z")
How about a different Jeff (Foskett) performing ELO’s _Telephone Line_? It was on a Jeff Lynne tribute album called _Lynne Me Your Ears_. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/MXcSnh5jr1I/maxresdefault.jpg "Telephone Line") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXcSnh5jr1I) ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2019, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-on-covers/825482/77 "2019-03-24T15:44:06Z")
ELO cover that hits the spot (if not precisely spot-on): by [Fountains of Wayne](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48qd_jr3lcU&frags=pl%2Cwn). ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2019, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-on-covers/825482/78 "2019-03-24T19:51:44Z")
The Beach Boys do a great cover of Stevie Wonder’s “I Was Made to Love Her” on their 1967 album “Wild Honey.” ---
**Author:** ![Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/59ef9b/32.png) [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorkshire_Pudding)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2019, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-on-covers/825482/79 "2019-03-24T21:09:24Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > Point of information, your honour! That’s a Mike d’Abo song, first recorded (or at least released) by Chris Farlowe. Rod Stewart and Stereophonics are _both_ covers. > > CF: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3yN0JvG5co](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3yN0JvG5co) > MD: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApIMvj3xLvM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApIMvj3xLvM) > > As for which (d’Abo or Farlowe) also has to be categorised as a cover…mmmm…my head hurts. > > j I only found out that it was a d’Abo track relatively recently when I took my Ma to see the Manfreds for her birthday, and they did various non-Manfred bits they’d each been involved with - Tom McGuinness’s 'When I’m Dead & Gone being a real show-stealer - and it was the first time I’d ever heard “Handbags & Gladrags” without completely hating it. ---
**Author:** ![Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/59ef9b/32.png) [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorkshire_Pudding)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2019, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-on-covers/825482/80 "2019-03-24T21:14:50Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > ELO cover that hits the spot (if not precisely spot-on): > > by [Fountains of Wayne](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48qd_jr3lcU&frags=pl%2Cwn). This is weird. REALLY weird. I _adore_ Fountains of Wayne. They’re up there vying for position as my favourite band ever. And I have that ELO track and have listened to it - by ELO - dozens of times. And now, reading your post, I notice for the first time that that Fountains live track from Out Of State Plates is an ELO cover. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-on-covers/825482.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spot-on-covers/825482.md?page=5)