What are the best cover songs? What are the worst?
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 12:45 pm    Post subject: What are the best cover songs? What are the worst?

I used to hear arguments all the time about how cover songs always sucked and how the originals were always better, and when younger I used to agree with this sentiment. But the more I listen to music the more I realize this is hogwash. Yes, there are bad covers, but there are also good ones.

The good:
Foo Fighters - Baker Street
Train - Ramble On (live on Howard Stern)
Jimi Hendrix - All Along the Watchtower
Gipsy Kings - Hotel California
Smashing Pumpkins - Landslide
Ben Folds - Tiny Dancer
Guns 'n' Roses - Live and Let Die
Foo Fighters - Have a Cigar
Lemonheads - Mrs. Robinson
Juliana Hatfield - Say It Ain't So
White Stripes - Good To Me
All Led Zeppelin songs (as done by Led Zeppelin, that is)

The bad:
Dave Matthews - All Along the Watchtower
Cat Power - New York, New York

The tired:
Marilyn Manson - Sweet Dreams
Seal - Fly Like an Eagle
Lenny Kravitz - American Woman
Most anyone doing Wonderwall.....again

Thousands of others, but this just to get started.

What are other ones, for any category?
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 12:57 pm    Post subject:

best: Jimi Hendrix- All Along the Watchtower
worst: Limp Bizkit- Behind Blue Eyes
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 3:28 pm    Post subject: Re: What are the best cover songs? What are the worst?

encina1 wrote:

The tired:
Most anyone doing Wonderwall.....again


I actually think Ryan Adams version is better than the original. But then again, I think Oasis is one of the most overrated bands of their era.
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 3:33 pm    Post subject:

Good:

Led Zeppelin - You Shook Me

Bad:

Iron Maiden - Communication Breakdown
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 4:15 pm    Post subject:

Joe Cocker - With A Little Help From My Friends (not that Ringo's version sucked)

Van Halen - The Kinks' You Really Got Me

Stevie Ray Vaughan - Hendrix' The Sky Is Crying

Ike/Tina's version of Proud Mary wasn't bad considering CCR is a tough act to follow.


Crap:
There are a lot, but Madonna covering Don McLean's American Pie didn't need to be attempted.

Van Halen - Dancing In The Street (the one Eddie wants to forget). Mick Jagger and David Bowie did an even gayer version where in the video, they flounced and minced in the street.

Puffy ripping off Every Breath You Take. That wasn't a sample, he stol'd the whole template, and what's worse, look what it was eulogizing.

Jessica Simpson did an atrocious remake of Berlin's Take My Breath Away. Surely a drippy pop song and it was lyrically up Jessie's alley, but where she went wrong is that Teri Nunn had a top drawer voice despite working in the synthwave genre.


Last edited by non-player zealot on Sun Feb 17, 2008 4:28 pm; edited 1 time in total
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 4:23 pm    Post subject:

Good:

The Ataris - Boys of Summer
Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Blinded by the Light

Though I haven't heard the studio album, Deana Carter was on Mark & Brian a few weeks ago and did an accousical version of Simon & Garfunkel's The Boxer that was awesome.
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 4:44 pm    Post subject:

I personally like this version of Bob Marley's Redemption Song.

Chris Cornell Covers Redemption Song


Still on Chris Cornell's covers, this is a cover from Michael Jackson's Billie Jean, from the same concert:

Chris Cornell Covers Billie Jean
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 5:08 pm    Post subject:

The Dan Band - Total Eclipse of the Heart

Total Eclipse Of The Heart

The Dan Band - Genie in A Bottle

Genie In A Bottle

The Dan Band - Theme from Ice Castle

Theme from Ice Castle

The Dan Band - Flashdance

Flashdance
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 5:26 pm    Post subject:

Worst: Alien Ant Farm - Smooth Criminal
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 9:19 pm    Post subject:

Here's one nobody else is going to name:

Kevin Gilbert -- Kashmir
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 9:21 pm    Post subject:

Johnny Cash doing Hurt. The song was good, the video was the best that has ever been made.
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 9:26 pm    Post subject:

venturalakersfan wrote:
Johnny Cash doing Hurt. The song was good, the video was the best that has ever been made.


I think him being as old as he was at the time gave the song more meaning. I liked the Nine Inch Nails version but Cash's version was amazing.
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 9:30 pm    Post subject:

LarryCoon wrote:
Here's one nobody else is going to name:

Kevin Gilbert -- Kashmir


I saw Kevin Gilbert do The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (The Genesis Classic) not to long before he died.

(Larry: If you don't know how he died, message me...)

THE Good:
Social Distortion doing:
Ring of Fire
Under my Thumb

NOTE: I love Hendrix's "All along the Watchtower" but another interesting version was done a year or so ago by Byan Ferry and Robin Trower plays guitar in it...
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 10:00 pm    Post subject:

AirKobe8 wrote:
I personally like this version of Bob Marley's Redemption Song.


When it comes to covers of "Redemption Song", it doesn't get better than Joe Strummer and Johnny Cash.
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 10:06 pm    Post subject:

unleasHell wrote:
THE Good:
Social Distortion doing:
Ring of Fire


That was good.

But better:

Wall of Voodoo

(Totally my opinion - WOV's version is definitely an "acquired" taste)

Quote:
NOTE: I love Hendrix's "All along the Watchtower" but another interesting version was done a year or so ago by Byan Ferry and Robin Trower plays guitar in it...


That one was alright - I'm a big fan of both Ferry and Trower - but that one kinda misses the spirit of the tune - it just doesn't have the same soul as other versions.
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 11:17 pm    Post subject:

Oh c'mon...the correct answer is Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah. Actually anything Buckley covered was totally amazing. RIP.

Other good ones I can think of right now:

Living Colour - Memories Can't Wait
Talking Heads - Take Me To The River
Radiohead - Nobody Does it Better
Ben Kweller - Today
Beck - Creep
Elliott Smith - Jealous Guy
Foo Fighters - Darling Nikki
Nirvana - Jesus Don't Want Me for a Sunbeam
Faith No More - Easy (Like Sunday Morning)
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Search and Destroy
Primus - Silly Putty
Thom Yorke - After the Gold Rush
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 11:29 pm    Post subject:

Decapitated covering Mandatory Suicide is a good one. I don't think anybody else is going to be mentioning that one, or even know wtf I'm talking about
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 2:06 am    Post subject:

Good:

The Sundays - Wild Horses (Rolling Stones) - Better than the original. No one will be able to convince me otherwise.
Fiona Apple - Across the Universe (Beatles) - This video is awesome, too. I believe it's directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood, Boogie Nights, Magnolia) who was her boyfriend at the time.
Feist - Secret Heart (Ron Sexsmith) - This is the performance that made me fall in love with Leslie Feist. If you just know 1234 then you haven't really heard her.
The Futureheads - Hounds of Love (Kate Bush)
Gillian Welch - Black Star (Radiohead)
Lily Allen - Up the Junction (Squeeze) - Actually, this one isn't really good. I'm just glad she didn't try to change it. You don't mess with perfection.


Bad:

Charlotte Martin - Cherry Coloured Funk (Cocteau Twins) - Poor decision to strip this song down. It doesn't work that way without the acidy dream pop/shoegazing music behind it. And only Liz Fraser's ethereal voice can sing these lyrics, otherwise it's just a bunch of nonsense.

I like female vocals.


Last edited by Triumph on Mon Feb 18, 2008 10:04 am; edited 1 time in total
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 3:29 am    Post subject:

Walking On The Moon by some dude on America's Got Talent
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 6:36 am    Post subject:

The Sundays is a good one, Triumph, and I will throw out the other Lily Allen tune "Oh My God."

Somewhere, someone did a punk cover of "Cabaret" that was interesting.

I like the Sex Pistols version of "My Way"

Sarah Slean covered Radiohead's "Climbing Up The Walls"

Carbon Leaf did a live version of Led Zeppelin's "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" that was really good.

Nirvana's "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?"
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 7:38 am    Post subject:

AirKobe8 wrote:

Still on Chris Cornell's covers, this is a cover from Michael Jackson's Billie Jean, from the same concert:

Chris Cornell Covers Billie Jean


I love this version! I like the live version more than the album version, I love how his voice isn't perfect.

one of the worst covers, is Mariah Carey covering Def Leppard's, "Bringin' On the Heartbreak." it's horrible. I don't recommend listening to it.
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 7:51 am    Post subject:

Some of my favorite covers:

Al Green - I Want To Hold Your Hand
The Fugees - Killing Me Softly
Beatles - Twist and Shout
Isreal Kamamawiwo'ole - Somewhere Over The Rainbow
Johnny Cash - Hurt
Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah
Sinead O'Connor - Nothing Compares To You

many more...
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 8:16 am    Post subject:

Higher Ground by RHCP is one that comes to mind that I like...

Co-Sign Sinead O'Connor - Nothing Compares To You and The Fugees - Killing Me Softly

Worse, Britney Spears My Prerogative...

Most memorable: Whitney Houston - Star Spangled Banner - Superbowl 25

Oh, and let's not forget Walk This Way by Run-DMC
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 8:37 am    Post subject:

As others have already said here, the first 3 that jump into my head right away:

- All Along the Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix
- Hurt - Johnny Cash
- I Fought the Law - The Clash

One horrible one that comes to mind is Green Day doing I Fought the Law. Just awful, and I generally like Green Day.
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 9:37 am    Post subject:

Nirvana's cover of "The Man Who Sold the World"
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