# The best covers you ever heard **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 10, 2001, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-covers-you-ever-heard/75708 "2001-08-10T01:59:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-covers-you-ever-heard/75708/41 "2001-08-13T14:12:58Z")
In a post lost to the sands of time thanks to our hacker on Friday I nominated The Power Station’s “Bang a Gong (Get It On)” and Quiet Riot’s “Cum on Feel the Noize” as being huge improvements over the originals. I also confessed to liking Sinead O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” better than Prince’s original version under certain conditions, despite the fact that I don’t normally care for female vocalists, Sinead O’Connor in particular. I disagree that Stevie Ray’s “Voodoo Chile” is better than Hendrix’s … it’s merely a copy with no additional work put into it at all. I’d much rather nominate Stevie Ray’s “Little Wing,” which is more of a cover and less of a clone. Hendrix’s “All Along the Watchtower,” it should be noted was his biggest hit. I love his live version where he says to the audience, “Yes, I know I missed a verse, don’t worry.” ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-covers-you-ever-heard/75708/42 "2001-08-13T14:45:23Z")
I thought I already posted this, but maybe it got lost in the “hack attack.” Wilson Pickett’s cover of “Hey Jude” is one of the best things he ever did. And it doesn’t hurt that there was a Mussel Shoals sessions guitar player named Duane Allman wailing away on the cut, either! ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-covers-you-ever-heard/75708/43 "2001-08-13T14:55:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Pessor \* > \*\*hey SPOKE- do you live near the real " 'crossing"?? \*\* Not unless it is in Atlanta and has somehow escaped my notice. One more: **Roxy Music/Bryan Ferry- “Jealous Guy”** (Orig. by John Lennon) ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-covers-you-ever-heard/75708/44 "2001-08-13T17:10:51Z")
X- “Breathless” (Jerry Lee Lewis. And there aren’t many who can cover Jerry Lee Lewis without embarrassing themselves.) The Revolting Cocks- “Let’s Get Physical” (Olivia Newton John. And the aren’t many who would bother covering an embarrassment like Olivia Newton John but if anybody should the Revolting Cocks should.) REM- “First We Take Manhattan” (Leonard Cohen) ---
**Author:** ![NutWrench](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nutwrench/32/20193_2.png) [@NutWrench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NutWrench)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-covers-you-ever-heard/75708/45 "2001-08-13T17:18:26Z")
_I want a Fat Babe_ by the SnackTreat Boys. 🙂 It’s a Shockwave video. [Here’s the link.](http://myboringlife.com/i_want_a_fat/babe.html) –Nut ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-covers-you-ever-heard/75708/46 "2001-08-13T22:03:25Z")
Any of the covers done by Guster, especially “Like a Prayer.” Irronically enough, the Dan Landberg Musical Community does a great cover of “Medicine,” by Guster. (of course, since the DLMC is right now a local band with no album per se, you probably don’t know who they are. (extra cool points of you do.)) ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2001, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-covers-you-ever-heard/75708/47 "2001-08-14T10:30:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by betenoir \* > \*\*The Dickies- “Knights In White Satin” > \*\* The Dickies are the ultimate cover band. They’ve done: Sounds of silence Silent Night Paranoid The Banana Splits Theme Eve of Destruction and many more…all classics… But of course there is [**Dread Zeppelin**](http://www.iuma.com/IUMA-2.0/ftp/music/Dread_Zeppelin/) Reggae covers of Zepp tunes! Lead singer is a bad Elvis impersonator(the great Tortelvis). ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2001, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-covers-you-ever-heard/75708/48 "2001-08-14T11:41:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by spooje \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by betenoir \* > > \*\*The Dickies- “Knights In White Satin” > > \*\* > > The Dickies are the ultimate cover band. > > They’ve done: > Sounds of silence > Silent Night > Paranoid > The Banana Splits Theme > Eve of Destruction > and many more…all classics… > > \*\* Yes! And yet Knights in White Satin is still my favorite. I mean if there was ever a song that needed to be covered by the Dickies… ---
**Author:** ![sjc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@sjc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sjc)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2001, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-covers-you-ever-heard/75708/49 "2001-08-14T21:52:35Z")
Fiona Apple does a good job on her cover of The Beatles ‘Across the Universe’. I’ve got a CD of covers of Cole Porter songs, many of them are very good. The highlights: Iggy Pop and Debbie Harry sing “Did You Evah” Sinead O’Connor sings “You Do Something to Me” David Byrne sings “Don’t Fence Me In” The Neville Brothers sing “In the Still of the Night” Another CD with good covers is Sympathique by the group Pink Martini. Some of the songs include “Que Sera Sera”, “Brazil”, Ravel’s “Bolero”, and “The Children of Piraeus”, to mention some of the best. I just got a CD that is called “Might as Well… The Persuasions Sing Grateful Dead”. I like their covers a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Chinaco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71c47a/32.png) [@Chinaco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chinaco)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-covers-you-ever-heard/75708/50 "2001-08-15T00:33:33Z")
The one that sticks in my mind is Kevin Gilbert’s cover of Kashmir - I think it was only released as an EP and got minimal airplay on the radio, but it’s phenomenal. (Kevin Gilbert’s the guy that cowrote most of Sheryl Crow’s songs with the actual Tuesday Night Music Club). ---
**Author:** ![bwk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@bwk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bwk)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-covers-you-ever-heard/75708/51 "2001-08-15T06:26:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by spoke- \* > \*\* > > **Tom Petty- “Needles and Pins”** (Orig. by The Searchers)\*\* The Ramones cover of this song is wonderful. \*\* > [@](#): > > Also, I’ll concur that Aerosmith’s “Come Together” squashes the Beatles version like a grape. \*\* YES! Definitely. Also love it when they do ‘train kept a’rollin’, I don’t remember who originally did that. I also enjoy Joe Perry covering Hendrix’s ‘Red House’ in concert, but that may be because I have a massive thing for Joe. And kind of a thing for Jimi too. Also, TLC’s cover of Prince’s ‘If I was your girlfriend’ is great, so much better than Prince’s. Sorry, Prince, or whoever you are this week. And, Will Smith’s cover of ‘Ring my bell’ by Anita Ward, I think she did it originally. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-covers-you-ever-heard/75708/52 "2001-08-15T14:09:21Z")
I like _Los fabulosos Cadillacs_ cover of the Beatles’ song “Strawberry Fields Forever”. Ok, so almost nobody knows of what band I’m talking about, but the cover was good. ---
**Author:** ![psychogumby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c0e974/32.png) [@psychogumby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychogumby)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-covers-you-ever-heard/75708/53 "2001-08-15T15:40:34Z")
some EXCELLENT cover versions: “Tainted Love” - The Living End (Soft Cell) “Baker Street” - Foo Fighters (Gerry Rafferty) “Fly Like An Eagle” - The Neville Brothers (Steve Miller Band) “Elouise” - The Damned (don’t know the name of the guy who sang this originally) “Tra La La (Banana Splits Theme)” - Liz Phair (?) “Stairway To Heaven” - Rolf Harris (Led Zeppelin) “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?” - Revolting Cocks (Rod Stewart) “Blue Monday” - Orgy (New Order) “Creep” - Chrissie Hynde (Radiohead) “Are You Gonna Go My Way?” - Tom Jones (Lenny Kravitz) … actually, all of Tom Jones’ covers are pretty good, but that one deserves a special mention. My all time FAVOURITE cover version of a popular song was performed as a one-off for an Australian TV show in 1993. I think that most of the antipodean Dopers here know which song/performer/TV Show i’m going to refer to. The Late Show, “I Love Rock and Roll” by Joan Kirner. For those of you who are unfamiliar with famous Australians, Joan Kirner was the Premier (highest ranking government official, kind of like a state governor in the US) of the state of Victoria. Imagine a heavy-set, matronly, fiftysomething woman belting out a hard rock classic with a singing voice that only a woman of that age could possess and you wouldn’t even begin to comprehend just what an amazing performance this was. The fact she wore a leather jacket with a skull and crossbones emblazoned on the back was the aspect of this amazing performance that _really_ took the biscuit, IMHO. Back to the main thread … It helps when I like the original version of the song, and whoever is doing another version of the song interprets it in a manner that is sympathetic to the original, yet is not an attempt at a carbon copy. On the same token, any twat that takes a classic riff and/or tune and either puts some crappy ‘gangsta rhymes’ to it or puts an appalling techno backing to it with a quintet of overwaxed pretty boys squawking to it should have their skull cavity filled with metal filings and subjected to unhealthy levels of electromagnetic rays. Bastards. Cripes. It’s 1.12am and I have to be at work by 8.30am to attend an all day sales seminar. Arrrrgggghhhhh! ---
**Author:** ![London\_Calling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@London\_Calling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/London_Calling)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-covers-you-ever-heard/75708/54 "2001-08-15T16:04:52Z")
I don’t think they’re the _best_ but a couple that make me smile and haven’t been mentioned are; ‘Sweet Jane’ – Cowboy Junkies (originally by The Velvets) ‘All the Love in the World’ – Iggy Pop (Louis Armstrong, maybe) I also chuckle a little at one or two of those macho guitar / thrashy versions of ‘I Will Survive’ - kind of fun. Sting also reworked the lyrics of ‘I’ll be watching You’ a long time ago as a closing credit track for a Brit teevee show (Spitting Image). The emphasis changed to a nuclear disarmament theme - just made an impression on me as a tender teen. Thought the context was much more poignant for the song. ---
**Author:** ![London\_Calling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@London\_Calling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/London_Calling)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-covers-you-ever-heard/75708/55 "2001-08-15T16:07:56Z")
Another giggle is Moby’s cover of the ‘James Bond Theme’ - wouldn’t mind that as my casket moves down the conveyor belt. ---
**Author:** ![Ins\_Outs\_What-have-yous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8797f3/32.png) [@Ins\_Outs\_What-have-yous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ins_Outs_What-have-yous)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-covers-you-ever-heard/75708/56 "2001-08-15T16:35:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bearflag70 \* > \*\*William Shatner - Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds (Beatles) > William Shatner - It was a Very Good Year (Frank Sinatra) > William Shatner - Mr. Tambourine Man (Byrds) > William Shatner - Rocket Man (Elton John) > > They’re SOOOO bad that … they’re GOOD! Hilarious! > > Oh, and… > > Tears for Fears - Ashes to Ashes (David Bowie) \*\* Mr. Tambourine Man is an original by Bob Dylan, not The Byrds. Any cover of a Bob Dylan song is far better than the original. Yes, even Shatner’s version is better because at least it’s hilarious. The best, of course, is Hendrix’s cover of Dylan’s All Along The Watchtower. I am compelled also to mention Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young’s cover of Woodstock by Joni Mitchell. That’s a great cover. ---
**Author:** ![warmgun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecccb3/32.png) [@warmgun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/warmgun)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-covers-you-ever-heard/75708/57 "2001-08-15T20:25:54Z")
I know the world is crazy for Bob Dylan and I love Hedrix but was AATW really all that great? I think a better Hendrix cover is Johny B. Goode (from’ In The West’) (Berry) And: Lunatic (Pink Floyd) by The Austin Lounge lizards Always on My Mind by Pet Shop Boys Don’t Be Cruel (Blackwell/Presley) by Cheap Trick Little wing (the spanish version - Mariposa Libre) (Hendrix) by Sting - very haunting… And a friend of mine has the all-time kick-ass version of Bobby D’s Mac the Knife - live version - chills! Anyone know any other obscure covers of songs made popular by Elvis…I’m always on the look-out. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-covers-you-ever-heard/75708/58 "2001-08-15T20:37:42Z")
I wouldn’t call it obscure, but Dwight Yoakam did a cover of “Little Sister.” ---
**Author:** ![bdgr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@bdgr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bdgr)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-covers-you-ever-heard/75708/59 "2001-08-15T21:15:25Z")
I have a MP3 of Rush doing a cover of Bad Boy, with thier new drummer Niel Peart(it apparently was done right after thier first album) Roll over Beetoven, by ELO Golden shower of hits by the Circle Jerks Viva Las Vegas, and take this job and shove it by the Dead Kenedeys Terraplane Blues, by Foghat Dust My Broom, by ZZ Top Oye Como Va, by Santana Texas Flood, by SRV Man down there, by Allman brothers Whole lot of shaking going on, by Jerry Lee Lewis ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2001, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-covers-you-ever-heard/75708/60 "2001-08-16T01:24:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by psychogumby \* > “Tra La La (Banana Splits Theme)” - Liz Phair (?) Yup, Liz Phair (with Material Issue). She can sing "Fleegle, Bingo, Drooper and Snork and make it sound sexy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-covers-you-ever-heard/75708.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-covers-you-ever-heard/75708.md?page=4)