Subject: Favorite Covers
Date: Fri Oct 30 13:34:06 2015
User: BuzzClik
Message:Songs being covered by other artists is an honored tradition. The cover pays homage to the original while allowing a different interpretation. Or maybe just a simple imitation.
Indie groups cover each other or remix each other's songs all the time. Sometimes the results are horrible (for example, Arcade Fire treading on hallowed ground by covering Talking Heads' "This Must Be the Place"), most are pedestrian, but some are quite fun.
Here's my first offering: Youth Lagoon covering one of my very favorite songs, The Sundays' "Where the Story Ends."
The original: https://youtu.be/FHsip5xOenQ
Link: Youth Lagoon: "Where the Story Ends"
Date: Fri Oct 30 13:44:52 2015
User: BuzzClik
Message:While exploring, I stumbled on this: Mikal Cronin covering The Mighty Mighty Bostones' "The Impression That I Get." Again, the original is real high on my list of all-time faves. Cronin and his band pretty much mangle the song, but I still love it. As explained in the video, this was something of a challenge they were given, and I give them mega kudos for stepping up.
The original: https://youtu.be/NIGMUAMevH0
Link: Mikal Cronin, "The Impression That I Get"
Date: Mon Nov 2 00:00:50 2015
User: HdV
Message:BuzzClik,
I like both of your nominees.
My favorite (by a nose) is Dixie Chicks' covering of Stevie Nick's "Landslide".
Very close second favorite is the amazing version of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah by Renée Fleming.
Date: Mon Nov 2 07:39:06 2015
User: BuzzClik
Message:Dixie Chicks "Landslide": https://youtu.be/J4_wXPZ1Bnk
Renee Fleming "Hallelujah": https://youtu.be/ghYpcdH4FCw?t=3m3s
I have seen entire threads dedicated to covers of "Hallelujah"...
Date: Mon Nov 2 09:15:56 2015
User: The_Revelator
Message:I like to think this is an homage...
One of the originals: Blind Willie Johnson, "John the Revelator" https://youtu.be/5hucTDV1Fvo
A nice cover: Government Mule, https://youtu.be/LB8SOCtSJWs
Depeche was treading on thin ice with this one:
Link: John the Revelator
Date: Mon Nov 2 12:48:54 2015
User: TNmountainman
Message:ix posted this 2.5 years ago. Not saying it's a fave of mine, but it's just cool enough to see again.....
Link: Space Cowboy
Date: Mon Nov 2 19:50:05 2015
User: HdV
Message:BuzzClik wrote: "I have seen entire threads dedicated to covers of "Hallelujah"..."
Newsweek decided to rank them, too. Needless to say, I don't agree with the rankings, but the attempt is a hoot...
Thanks to all for the other links.
Link: Newsweek ranks 60 covers of Hallelujah
Date: Wed Nov 18 13:53:10 2015
User: BuzzClik
Message:Just heard this one. This is a collaboration between Marie Seyrat and Bruce Driscoll called Freedom Fry. Their cover is "1979" of Smashing Pumpkins fame. The original: https://youtu.be/4aeETEoNfOg
Nice cover of a fantastic song.
Link: Freedom Fry -- 1979
Date: Tue Jan 12 13:10:17 2016
User: BuzzClik
Message:This may not mean much to anyone, but I found it really funny.
I can provide context if needed...
Link: https://youtu.be/ZXHfxz4G_3E
Date: Tue Jan 12 17:31:47 2016
User: hotnurse
Message:Buzz, interesting listing for the 60 covers of Hallelujah...several good ones there but my number one is still Jeff Buckley. Also, and I'm sure you are not a fan of American Idol, but Jason Castro did a good job covering it a few years ago.
Date: Tue Jan 12 21:12:24 2016
User: olblue
Message:I always liked this cover of Skynyrd's Simple Man. The band in the video, Shinedown, is not only from Jacksonville like Skynyrd was but the lead guitarist in Shinedown is married to Melody Van Zant, daughter of the late Ronny Van Zant.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgFQ6WmxdMs
Date: Tue Jan 12 23:46:17 2016
User: BuzzClik
Message:hottie --64 million hits on Buckley's Hallelujah. Nice count! Couldn't find Castro's cover with a quick look (and you're correct -- I've not watched American Idol).
olblue -- Very nice!
Date: Thu Jan 14 00:59:14 2016
User: olblue
Message:Simon and Garfunkel's The Sounds of Silence has been covered by a really unique band, one you would never think could do a S & G song. But the do, and do amazingly.
Link: The Sounds of Silence by Disturbed
Date: Thu Jan 14 10:58:36 2016
User: hotnurse
Message:blue, Sounds of Silence has been my number one fav song for forever. I like the version of Paul Simon doing it alone better than the duo. The one you linked is pretty good too.
And can't beat Mony Mony...Idol does a great job on that too...as all of his songs.
I got into a Billy Idol mode on Monday and must have listened to 30 tunes...not a bad one there.
Date: Thu Jan 14 15:39:44 2016
User: olblue
Message:I agree hn, Billy Idol rocks. Ok, here's a song you might not consider as being your usual song for covering but this little band kills it! In fact, I think I prefer the cover over the original. Sorry Elton.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4MLrxKTeAk
Date: Sat Jan 16 23:20:27 2016
User: TNmountainman
Message:The entirety of my knowledge of Justin Timberlake's music consists of whatever he's done on SNL, and his collaborations with Jimmy Fallon brought to my attention on this board. Don't think I've heard a single song of his on the radio. But, I offer this, which is apparently a cover, even tho I've not (knowingly) heard the original. I put forth another cover of theirs, "Billie Jean", on another thread about covers, that some seemed to like. I think this one may even be better. This girl can bring it. But they're more than just her pipes.
Link: "My Love' - Humming House
Date: Sun Jan 17 10:28:21 2016
User: BuzzClik
Message:Although Timberlake is immensely talented (a conclusion I accepted reluctantly), his roots were in Top 40 bubblegum tracks. "My Love" epitomizes that. The cover is far better than the original.
Date: Fri Jan 22 00:27:41 2016
User: jcj
Message:I've got to admit that several (not just one or two) of my favorite covers are covers of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower." From Hendrix, Clapton, and Springsteen/Young to indie groups.
Date: Fri Jan 22 09:25:12 2016
User: BuzzClik
Message:Nice choice, jcj.
Here's Dylan's original: https://youtu.be/HyIlDPLDCP0
Hendrix: https://youtu.be/TLV4_xaYynY
Dave Matthews: https://youtu.be/TLV4_xaYynY
Springsteen/Young: https://youtu.be/YQXAsRl_rJc
John Mayer's (which is really good): https://youtu.be/fJlkkRub6MU
Lenny Kravitz/Clapton (another good one): https://youtu.be/1fMvW_FtALU
Grateful Dead: https://youtu.be/D69V5R09naQ
I'd be very interested in hearing some of your indie choices, jcj. The song has been covered thousands of times, and it's a sea of videos out there.
Date: Fri Jan 22 16:08:22 2016
User: ElGuapo
Message:Johnny Cash doing NIN's "Hurt" is probably my favorite cover:
https://youtu.be/vt1Pwfnh5pc
I also have a soft spot for The Killers cover of U2's Ultraviolet, not sure why:
https://youtu.be/oPkgH8xjqgY
Date: Sat Jan 23 18:39:49 2016
User: Dr.Bombay
Message:OK olblue, Disturbed sends Sounds of Silence out of the park. Paul Simon is a great songwriter and Disturbed gives the lyrics a fresh twist.
Seems I recall another thread on Covers many moons ago. Hendrix doing Watchtower is not only my favorite, I think it's the best R&R song ever.
Date: Sun Jan 24 07:34:22 2016
User: Zonny
Message:Dinosaur Jr's cover of "Just Like Heaven." Robert Smith himself said it has influenced how The Cure plays the song in concert since.
“J Mascis sent me a cassette, and it was so passionate. It was fantastic. I’ve never had such a visceral reaction to a cover version before or since.”
Link: Just Like Heaven - Dinosaur Jr.
Date: Mon Jan 25 18:39:21 2016
User: olblue
Message:Hello Dr.Bombay, long time no chat! I agree, Disturbed really nailed that one.
Date: Tue Jan 26 11:57:03 2016
User: TNmountainman
Message:User: Dr.Bombay
Message:
"Seems I recall another thread on Covers many moons ago. Hendrix doing Watchtower is not only my favorite, I think it's the best R&R song ever."
--------------
Yes, of course we discussed this, and I think there's maybe more threads than this one I link below, which was entitled "really different covers". I link to page 2 wherein the mentions of "Watchtower" take place.
[Afterthought: I notice that that thread was resurrected after a four-year hiatus in 2014, and the last linked song in that thread is the Humming House version of "Billie Jean" that I mentioned above - for those who don't remember it.]
Link: Dr. Bombay earlier discusses the Dylan/Hendrix gem
Date: Tue Jan 26 12:17:28 2016
User: TNmountainman
Message:Dr. Bombay also included "Watchtower" as one of the "songs I think are defensible as best ever Rock n' Roll song".
Note carefully how he worded that. Although on his list "Watchtower" is #2, he did *not* say that he thought it second best to Orbison's "Pretty Woman" - only that it is defensible as perhaps the best, along with the rest of the list. Cleverly nuanced wording there - with correct reasoning.
Lots of 'opinionated' comments in that thread, myself included.
Link: Dr. Bombay's earlier list
Date: Tue Jan 26 12:20:31 2016
User: TNmountainman
Message:I just looked at Aqua's "Barbie Girl" (mentioned in the just-above linked thread as one of Rolling Stones' worst songs of the '90s). It has nearly a quarter of a *billion* plays. Staggering.
Date: Wed Jan 27 00:24:26 2016
User: Dr.Bombay
Message:There's really two lists: what are you own personal favorites vs. if you were in the room of writers and editors from Rolling Stone magazine working on their next version of best rock and roll song (or cover) ever, what songs would you push for?
I'm sure I'd argue for the Hendrix version of Watchtower now. It still gets continuous radio play and sounds like it could have been done yesterday. Five years or so ago I was walking around the little Lisbon section of Newark, New Jersey in the summer catching up to a car with four 20-somethings waiting at a red light. The windows were down and their radio started playing Watchtower. They turned the volume way up, air-playing to the music. Their parent may not have even be born when that song came out and yet they were obviously huge fans.
Date: Wed Jan 27 02:08:17 2016
User: TNmountainman
Message:I was at a college basketball game last week, before which was the standard National Anthem. This time performed, solo, by a kid (~18?), with just an electric guitar and small amp. He of course did it in the Hendrix Woodstock manner (tho not quite Hendrix level). This is with ROTC color guard, etc., all the trimmings one would expect. I thought to myself (and said to my buddy) - "wow - *that* would have never happened when that song came out - or even 10-20 years ago. My how times change.....
That said......I understand your concept of two lists. Sadly....Rolling Stone long ago lost the collection wisdom of Dave Marsh, John Swenson, et al., so I personally quit putting much faith in their reviews sometime in the mid- to late-'80s (in general), when they went WAY too far in favor of punk, and then later WAY too far in favor of grunge (sorry Dr. Bombay), and then WAY too far towards (c)rap and hip-hop. (Although I know you were just using Rolling Stone as a proxy example.)
Prejudiced? Me? Of course. But I think much more of the music of the late '60s and '70s has "stood the test of time" (whatever that truly means) than some of that other stuff. Which is not to say "that other stuff" is worthless. A lot of it was/is, but far from all of it. And as Denny has theorized on these pages, some (I think himself included) hold at least somewhat to the theory that whatever music one 'grows up in' is where one becomes "stuck" (paraphrasing, not quoting him). All *that* said, for myself, I certainly don't consider myself "stuck", and continue to attend great live music on a regular basis, much of it new(ish), and most of it Americana, somewhat by choice, somewhat by the incredible richness of that genre where I live. But don't try to tell me that today's best hip-hop or pop can hold a candle to the best of the '60s and '70s - 'cause it just can't.
Sorry for that long diatribe. For those wishing to rev up their knowledge level of the quality music of that time period, I still highly recommend the first three editions of "The Rolling Stone Record Guide", with top preference to the second edition (circa 1983(?)), which is far more comprehensive than the first edition (circa 1979(?)), and they tweak some of the reviews with more time perspective. The third edition is not totally a waste, but that second edition, imo, hit the sweet spot.
Hmmm.......a quick search brought up this, and my 1983 date above appears to be on target.
[As a partial disclaimer.....I think we all know we'll all have disagreements on these things, which is part of the fun of them. But I'll have to say that I have agreed with the reviews of the first two editions of that book about 85-90% of the time, which is remarkable. Anyone who is a serious music lover needs to have this in their book collection as a "bible" of reference. And for some of you younger cats, open your earbones to some things on this list you may never have heard of.]
Link: 5-star albums (as of 1983)
Date: Wed Jan 27 10:03:03 2016
User: hotnurse
Message:TN, I don't have those books but I do have the Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll, third edition and the Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll, pub. 1976. I have used those books as a references a gazillion times. Now I tend to google more than go to my books.
I admit that I am not into music as seriously as you and Buzz but I enjoy reading your takes on what you see and hear.
Date: Sat Jan 30 22:00:37 2016
User: Dr.Bombay
Message:I always appreciate covers that really change up the original song (for the better). UB 40 did a number of covers but this one took a mediocre at best Neil Diamond song and gave it life.
Link: great version of a mediocre song
Date: Sat Jan 30 22:32:17 2016
User: BuzzClik
Message:Good choice, Dr. B. I was totally unaware of Neal Diamond's version.
Here's one: Tears for Fears put out "Mad World" in 1983 very much in the 80s style. It was a nice song with great lyrics. https://youtu.be/SFsHSHE-iJQ
But, when Gary Jules put it out again for the Donny Darko movie, the song took on new qualities.
Link: "Mad World," Gary Jules
Date: Sat Feb 6 22:44:39 2016
User: Dr.Bombay
Message:I was never an Eagles fan - maybe they were too Country for my taste - but Springsteen did a cover of Take it Easy that (imho) emphasizes the lyrics more than the original. In a tribute to Glen Frey during his River show tour:
Link: Springsteen cover of Eagles Take It Easy
Date: Mon Feb 8 17:44:56 2016
User: jcj
Message:Great choice, Dr.Bombay.
I've been off-line for a couple of weeks. Having returned, I gave some thought to the question of Indie covers of "All Along the Watchtower." But, I can't single out one Indie cover of the song any more than I can single out a mainstream one (with the obvious exception of Hendrix). It's just one of those songs that musicians (including Bob Dylan) can make their own.
Great thread, BuzzClik.
Date: Tue Feb 9 00:35:51 2016
User: slofstra
Message:I like Lisa Hannigan's cover of "Somebody that I used to know" more than the original by Gotye ... and I don't mind it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m27V_uTFOKk
And if you like that, also check out Hannigan's original material in an Irish folk vein. It's all good, if you like that kind of music.
The BBC has a lot of covers in its "Live Lounge" series.
Here's a playlist of 216 of them, many of them covers.
I'm not really a Taylor Swift fan, but I like her cover Vance Joy's Riptide. It's somewhere in that list .. I've only played a small portion of them myself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnOd1SRwy7Q&list=PL1CA6335E0D3699B6
Date: Tue Feb 9 16:15:24 2016
User: olblue
Message:Another cover of Somebody I Used To Know by a band called Walk Off The Earth. They're not only talented musicians but make some pretty unique videos as well.
Link: Walk Off The Earth
Date: Tue Feb 9 21:58:29 2016
User: slofstra
Message:olblue, "Walk Off the Earth" live about 30 miles from us in Ontario, Canada. Another Canadian success story, and they secured their reputation entirely on 'youtube'. I like their stuff.
Date: Wed Feb 10 00:41:45 2016
User: Dr.Bombay
Message:The Walk Off the Earth cover of "Somebody that I used to know" just sounds like an attempt at an exact match of the original.
In the mean time, Disturbed's cover of "Sounds of Silence" seems to be adding 1M hits per week (half of them mine).
Date: Wed Feb 10 19:54:55 2016
User: olblue
Message:slofstra, I've only seen their videos and they are some really unique ones. Have you seen them live, I'm curious how their live shows are.
Dr, did whoever recorded the original have five people all playing one guitar? I thought that was kinda neat. I agree about Disturbed's cover of Sounds of Silence, it's GREAT!
Date: Fri Feb 12 13:15:45 2016
User: BuzzClik
Message:This doesn't qualify as a "favorite" cover, but it is interesting.
Tame Impala (discussed on another thread) released their "Currents" album in July 2015. Tame Impala is an indie fave; the release was highly anticipated and well received. One of the songs typical of the Tame Impala style is "Same Person Same Ol' Mistakes." https://youtu.be/qjWs-lVa8Oc
In the past few days, Rhianna released her Anti album, and the Tame Impala song is right there. Lots of buzz in the indie world about this; one doesn't normally mention Tame Impala and Rhianna in the same sentence.
Rhianna did nothing new with the song. The Rhianna production created fuller sound, and Rhianna's vocals are a bit more rich. Otherwise, the two versions are nearly identical.
Link: Rhianna, "Same Ol' Mistakes"
Date: Tue Feb 16 09:01:17 2016
User: HdV
Message:BuzzClik,
Tame Impala may have crossed the line to mainstream. Theiy performed at Alexandra Palace (a 10,000 person value) last week.
Date: Tue Feb 16 12:34:53 2016
User: BuzzClik
Message:Very possibly. There are various litmus tests for being "indie", but indie fans often aren't tuned into the mainstream to perform them. The definitive test is the record label: when a group signs a long-term contract to a record label, they are no longer "independent." It's not clear if Tame Impala has done that, though their Currents album was released by a relatively large US label.
Many indie snobs (my term) abandon performers the moment they become successful at any level, stripping them of their indie moniker and declaring them as "sold out." Tame Impala may have, indeed, crossed the threshold out of the world of indie. One thing for me is certain: it would be rare for me to attend a concert for my favorite group at a 10,000 seat "palace", unless they were the warm up group. I've actually done that, leaving the concert after the warm up.
Date: Wed Mar 9 01:20:34 2016
User: Kaos
Message:OK olblue, if we ever meet at a cellstock, I'm buying you beer for the night. I'm officially addicted to Disturbed's cover of Sounds of Silence and I don't seem to be alone based on youtube play count. It's everything a good cover should be.
What's interesting is all the chatter about how bad it is that this is now Disturbed's most popular song by far. But, we have:
Paul Simon: best lyricist ever recorded by Disturbed
Paul Simon: best songwriter ever recorded by Disturbed
David Draiman: best vocalist for Sounds of Silence
Date: Wed Mar 9 01:40:30 2016
User: Kaos
Message:Bruce Springsteen loves to cover songs. So much so that he covers his own songs as much as he covers anybody else's. He had this one kicking around when he was putting together Darkness on the Edge of Town. He could not fit it into the album so he gave it to Patti Smith who was recording Horses at the same time in the same studio. Dumbest thing he has ever done since I think it is his 2nd best song ever/
Link: Is this the cover - or the original?
Post follow-up