# Tribute Albums-Good and Bad **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 28, 2020, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-albums-good-and-bad/854585 "2020-05-28T06:17:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-albums-good-and-bad/854585/1 "2020-05-28T06:17:00Z")
Collections of one group’s music sung by others in tribute. There are many of them out there, but some stand out(for good or ill). Just finished listening to _A Lowbudget Barrel Of Monkees_(2013) and I was pleasantly surprised by a few of the tracks. Bonnie Gordon pulls a bit of soul out of “I Want To Be Free”, “You Just May Be The One” is given new life by Capital Six, and “Ziltch” by Chuck U and Lady Di is how I envision the Monkees would have done it today. Another favorite of mine is the soundtrack of _All This And World War II_ with an amazing list of performers giving The Beatles their due: Ambrosia - Magical Mystery Tour Elton John - Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds The Bee Gees - Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight, She Came In Through The Bathroom Window and Sun King Leo Sayer - I Am the Walrus, Let It Be and The Long And Winding Road Bryan Ferry - She’s Leaving Home Roy Wood - Lovely Rita Keith Moon - When I’m Sixty-Four Rod Stewart - Get Back David Essex - Yesterday Jeff Lynne - with a Little Help from My Friends/Nowhere Man Lynsey de Paul - Because Richard Cocciante - Michelle The Four Seasons - We Can Work It Out Helen Reddy - the Fool on the Hill Frankie Laine - Maxwell’s Silver Hammer Brothers Johnson - Hey Jude Roy Wood - Polythene Pam Status Quo - Getting Better Henry Gross - Help! Peter Gabriel - Strawberry Fields Forever The soundtrack to _Sgt. Pepper_? It belongs out in the cornfield forever. So…got any tribute albums you love or hate? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-albums-good-and-bad/854585/2 "2020-05-28T13:58:37Z")
One that bored the crap out of me was _Spin The Bottle-An All Star Tribute To Kiss_. It had a good line-up of rockers, but they all did their best Kiss imitation-no imagination, no variation, no personalization. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-albums-good-and-bad/854585/3 "2020-05-28T14:40:12Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > The soundtrack to _Sgt. Pepper_? It belongs out in the cornfield forever. > So…got any tribute albums you love or hate? As it happens, the entirety of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was IMHO very well covered by [the Easy Star All-Stars as reggae](https://open.spotify.com/album/7iehh77UNP03AllcLAB69M) pretty well. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-albums-good-and-bad/854585/4 "2020-05-28T14:40:56Z")
Tom Waits now has six tribute albums recognizing his talent. The latest is _[Come On Up To The House: Women Sing Waits](https://www.npr.org/2019/11/23/781764291/on-a-tom-waits-covers-album-women-transform-a-classic-catalog)_. Previous albums are; _Anywhere I Lay My Head_, _New Coat Of Paint_, _Step Right Up; The Songs Of Tom Waits_, _Temptation_, and _Wicked Grin_. Waits fans likely know all these albums, but more info[here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Tom_Waits_tribute_albums). ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-albums-good-and-bad/854585/5 "2020-05-28T14:45:03Z")
> [@robardin](#): > > As it happens, the entirety of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was IMHO very well covered by [the Easy Star All-Stars as reggae](https://open.spotify.com/album/7iehh77UNP03AllcLAB69M) pretty well. I loved their take on “A Day In The Life”. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-albums-good-and-bad/854585/6 "2020-05-28T15:20:29Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I loved their take on “A Day In The Life”. Musically, I really like some of the rearrangements (esp. “With A Little Help From My Friends”, and having a woman sing “She’s Leaving Home” added something) And the little lyrical tweaks for being a reggae dub are fun, like little easter eggs. Lovely Rita: _Lovely Rita, meter maid, may I inquire discreetly - when are you free to smoke some tea with me?_ A Day In The Life: _I woke up, fell out of bed, dragged my fingers through my dreads_ ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-albums-good-and-bad/854585/7 "2020-05-28T15:24:41Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Tom Waits now has six tribute albums recognizing his talent. The latest is _[Come On Up To The House: Women Sing Waits](https://www.npr.org/2019/11/23/781764291/on-a-tom-waits-covers-album-women-transform-a-classic-catalog)_. > > Previous albums are; _Anywhere I Lay My Head_, _New Coat Of Paint_, _Step Right Up; The Songs Of Tom Waits_, _Temptation_, and _Wicked Grin_. Waits fans likely know all these albums, but more info[here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Tom_Waits_tribute_albums). Any of them strike you as exceptionally good, bad or boring? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-albums-good-and-bad/854585/8 "2020-05-28T15:34:35Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Any of them strike you as exceptionally good, bad or boring? They’re all pretty much excellent. I’d say the worst are _Anywhere I Lay My Head_ (all vocals by Scarlett Johansson) and _Temptation_ (all vocals by Holly Cole). The other four are all different artists. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-albums-good-and-bad/854585/9 "2020-05-28T15:35:44Z")
“Beat the Retreat - Songs By Richard Thompson”. Some great RT covers by X, Graham Parker, David Byrne, Bonnie Raitt, Los Lobos, Blind Boys of Alabama, and many more. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-albums-good-and-bad/854585/10 "2020-05-28T15:35:58Z")
Two of my favorites: [Till the Night is Gone: A Tribute to Doc Pomus](https://theband.hiof.no/albums/doc_pomus_tribute.html) [Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary Concert](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_30th_Anniversary_Concert_Celebration) - Or as Neil Young called it, “Bobfest.” ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-albums-good-and-bad/854585/11 "2020-05-28T15:41:04Z")
> [@robardin](#): > > Musically, I really like some of the rearrangements (esp. “With A Little Help From My Friends”, and having a woman sing “She’s Leaving Home” added something) > > And the little lyrical tweaks for being a reggae dub are fun, like little easter eggs. > > Lovely Rita: _Lovely Rita, meter maid, may I inquire discreetly - when are you free to smoke some tea with me?_ > > A Day In The Life: _I woke up, fell out of bed, dragged my fingers through my dreads_ [This Dylan tribute album](https://www.discogs.com/Various-Is-It-Rolling-Bob-A-Reggae-Tribute-To-Bob-Dylan-Vol1/master/341371) is kind of along those lines as well. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-albums-good-and-bad/854585/12 "2020-05-28T17:14:30Z")
> [@robardin](#): > > As it happens, the entirety of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was IMHO very well covered by [the Easy Star All-Stars as reggae](https://open.spotify.com/album/7iehh77UNP03AllcLAB69M) pretty well. Ooooh! Gotta check that out. There are two albums of prominent reggae artists covering Grateful Dead songs, too. I love the 1992 Sgt Pepper tribute by Big Daddy, the retro band, which recreates the entire album in various 1950s styles. Johnny Mercer doing “A Little Help from my Friends,” Buddy Holly doing “A Day in the Life,” etc. The best is “Within You Without You” in the style of a beatnik poetry reading, backed just with bongos and string bass. It works better than the original. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-albums-good-and-bad/854585/13 "2020-05-28T17:41:09Z")
Three of my favorites: [Sweet Relief - A Benefit For Victoria Williams (1992)](https://www.allmusic.com/album/sweet-relief-a-benefit-for-victoria-williams-mw0000619371) This is an outlier, because Victoria Williams wasn’t very famous at the time and her oeuvre was still small, but it was a benefit album for her to pay her medical bills because she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The cream of American independent and alt country acts of the time, with a surprise appearance by Lou Reed which is very good. I have to confess that I never really liked Victoria Williams’ voice, but the album shows that she’s a great songwriter. One of my favorite albums from that time. [The Return Of The Grievous Angel - A Tribute To Gram Parsons (1999)](https://www.allmusic.com/album/return-of-the-grievous-angel-a-tribute-to-gram-parsons-mw0000238824) Emmylou Harris is all over this album, and of course that’s a good thing. All the usual suspects, some of them the same as on the aforementioned “Sweet Relief”. [The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams (2011)](https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-lost-notebooks-of-hank-williams-mw0002201892) Unpublished Hank Williams lyrics, set to new music by the artists in a congenial way, ranking from veteran greats like Bob Dylan and Merle Haggard to contemporary artists like Norah Jones or Jack White. They all do a very good job at emulating the Hank Williams spirit. Overlooked by Bob Dylan himself. ---
**Author:** ![cormac262](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@cormac262](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cormac262)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-albums-good-and-bad/854585/14 "2020-05-28T18:06:17Z")
The first that comes to mind is “Two Rooms” which is a tribute album of Elton John and Bernie Taupin songs. Some really good covers including The Who doing “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting” “A Tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughn” contains the likes of BB King, Buddy Guy, and Eric Clapton doing some decent covers (but I prefer the SRV versions still). ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-albums-good-and-bad/854585/15 "2020-05-28T18:33:34Z")
Goes all the way back to 1979. At the time I thought the idea of a tribute album by an established star was a silly idea but, man, [Willie Nelson Sings Kristofferson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sings_Kristofferson) was pure genius. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-albums-good-and-bad/854585/16 "2020-05-28T19:00:32Z")
My favourite is [Tribute On Nutz: A Tribute To The Slipnutz](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhPoOPZpq9M) featuring Steve Winwood, Patti Smith, Coldplay, Los Lobos and John Mayer (Dolly Parton refused to participate). ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-albums-good-and-bad/854585/17 "2020-05-28T19:41:22Z")
I know, or at least know of, lots of tribute albums, but they seem to be a relatively recent phenomenon. This thread got me wondering what was the first tribute album that was actually _called_ that (“A Tribute To…”). Looking through Wikipedia’s [List of tribute albums](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tribute_albums), the earliest I can see is [Beyond The Wildwood - A Tribute To Syd Barrett](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyond_the_Wildwood). ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-albums-good-and-bad/854585/18 "2020-05-28T19:48:44Z")
I don’t know if it exactly counts as a “tribute” album as such, but how about **Stay Awake** , which has various artists covering songs from classic Disney films. If you’ve never heard Tom Waits’ cover of “Heigh-Ho”, you’re in for a treat. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![journeyman\_southpaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5e9695/32.png) [@journeyman\_southpaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/journeyman_southpaw)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-albums-good-and-bad/854585/19 "2020-05-28T20:12:35Z")
There were a ton of heavy metal ones in the '90s and '00s - the Cleopatra label practically specialized in them for a while, mostly as an example of bad ones since they were churned out so fast and many of the artists were no-names, but anyway, the two [Judas Priest: Legends of Metal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Tribute_to_Judas_Priest:_Legends_of_Metal) albums on Century Media stand out as particularly good. They got a lot of good bands for them. I also like the [Tribute to Accept](https://www.discogs.com/Various-A-Tribute-To-Accept-Vol-I/release/1779982), 19 tracks is a pretty generous helping of songs and again, they got a lot of good bands. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-albums-good-and-bad/854585/20 "2020-05-28T20:35:29Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > I don’t know if it exactly counts as a “tribute” album as such, but how about **Stay Awake** , which has various artists covering songs from classic Disney films. > > If you’ve never heard Tom Waits’ cover of “Heigh-Ho”, you’re in for a treat. 😃 BIG thumbs up for The Replacements’ drunken take on “Cruella de Ville.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-albums-good-and-bad/854585.md?page=2)