Personally I usually think cover’s are a pale comparison of the original but there are some pretty good one’s
I figure if you’re going to do a cover - do something really different with it…
I like Tori Amo’s Smells Like Teen Spirit
I’m surprised and disappointed Brian missed out one classic Kiwi “cover”:
Head Like a Hole’s cover of the classic Sesame Street “One of These Things” song. Oddest choice for a rock-style cover EVER.
And good as in “so bad it’s good”, Gene Simmons (yes, that Gene Simmons) just did a cover of Prodigy’s 1997 hit “Firestarter”. WTF?
If you think that’s an adequate example of a so-bad-it’s-good cover, you really should feast your ears on Type O Negative’s cover of “Cinnamon Girl”.
Allow me to confess my musical ignorance; I have never heard a song from Trans, which is Neil Young’s half-hearted foray into electro-pop. However, I will brave the swamp of my lack of knowledge and proclaim the aforementioned cover to be worthy of inclusion on Trans.
Uh, because it’s originally a Neil Young song, it has a synth, and it’s shitty.
Me First and The Gimme Gimme’s cover of “Country Road” by John Denver
The Blue Meanies cover of the Grinch song ( you know "You’re a mean one, mister grinch)
Minor Threat’s cover of “Stepping Stone” by the Monkeys
It’s late, I’ll wade in with a few.
I had a really cool version of Tangled up in Blue by a band called Kim Larsen and JungleDream. They were a one hit wonder with Sitting On a Time Bomb (Baby…) and I chanced across the cover and really liked it.
And in keeping with The Bard…
All Along the Watchtower by Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush. This guy was funny. Apparently, a particularly bad acid trip channeled the spirit of Hendrix into him and he picked up a guitar and wailed. Never touched one before. Saw him with Eddie Money (Remember? 2 Tickets to Paradise)
Ummm…GrandFunk’s We’re an American Band was covered by that guy who used to wrap his face up in bandages…damn…it’s late and I can’t remember…anyway…his went “I’m an American Band” and it was really cool.
Cowboy Junkies Sweet Jane…haunting…
April Wine did King Crimson’s 21st Century Schizoid Man.
Uranus was this relatively unknown Canadian band that did the wickedest version of Gilligan’s Isle…started as C&W, segues into hair rock and the last movement was au deathspeedpunk…
But my all time would have to go to The Allan Parsons Project for their epic cover of The Tales of Mystery and Imagination of Edgar Allen Poe.
By the last breath of the 4 winds that blow I’ll have revenge upon Fortunato
Smile in his face I’ll say come let us go, I’ve a cask of Amontillado
ToeParidigmshifts
Oh yeah…prompted from another thread…even outshines APP/EAP…Bowie singing Jacques Brel’s My Death…
And to cross reference this…to best concert ever…my friend Elizabeth Stepkowski, member of the very avant-garde Canadian Theatre Company One Yellow Rabbit, sang a duet with Mssr. Boo-oui live in my living room as a party I was hosting dwindled down to the wee hours…okay okay, Mssr. Boo-oui was trapped on vinyloid. But Lizzie’s got pipes, let me tell you…I fell in love with her that day.
If anyone reads this and lives in Calgary, Alberta…you will really enjoy that barren frozen wasteland a lot more if you can get to hear this siren perform.
ToeRepresents
Rod Stewart’s cover of Tom Waits Downtown Train…
Frente’s cover of Bizzare Love Triangle and their cover of Chris Knox’s not given Lightly Shihad’s cover of Bowie’s Boys Keep Swinging. Metallica’s cover of Killing Joke’s The Wait. Keith Caputo’s cover of an Annie Lennox song. Life of Agony’s cover of Simple Mind’s Don’t forget about me.
Did a doubletake on that and then immediately went off and downloaded it.
You’re right.
HG
[quote=“juvenilemania”]Personally I usually think cover’s are a pale comparison of the original…/quote]
Are you kidding? Much of the jazz tradition is based on taking someone else’s song and putting your stamp on the original. You can also find covers in literature (Faulkner’s TheBear probably came from Thoms Thorpe’s The big Bear of Arkansas . This happens in movies all the while, though, movie covers/remakes generally follow the originals too closely.
My faves…
John Coltrane: My favorite things (from the movie, Sound of Music)
Nina Simone: I put a spell on you (Screaming Jay Hawkins) CCR also did a great rendition
Branford Marsalis’ cover of Coltrane’s A Love Supreme–If you want a wicked 8-minute version of a 40+ minute song.
Miles Davis’ Concierto de Aranjuez on the Sketches of Spain album (Juan Rodrigo)
Hendrix playing The Star Spangled Banner ar Woodstock
Hendix’s cover of Dylans All along the watchtower
Neil Young’s cover of All along the watchtower
Zeppelin’s cover of Baez’s Babe I’m gonna leave you
Zeppelin’s When the levee breaks by Memphis Ninnie
Urge Overkill Girl you’ll be a woman soon by Neil Diamond
Rod Stewart’s You make me feel like a natural WOMAN by Aretha Franklin
Cowboy Junkies’ Sweet Jane by Lou Reed
Peter Tosh’s rendition of Chuck Berry’s Johnny B Goode ranks at the top of my list
As does Joe Cocker’s [i]With a little help from my friends /i
And Lou Reed absolutely showed Dylan how Foot of Pride is to be sung/stylized.
But what about worst covers:
Black Crowes’ Hard to handle (Otis Redding)
Tori Amos’ Happiness is a warm gun (Beatles)
Heard Linda Rondstat butchering Jimmy Cliff’s Many Rivers to Cross once on radio–Ugghhh!
George Thorogood’s version of J.L Hooker’s One bourbon, one scotch, one beer, sorry, not up to the original
Anything by Michael Bolton
Rolling Stones
Correction:
Rod Stewart’s You make me feel like a natural WOMAN by Aretha Franklin
should have gone in the worst covers section
That record by Jet is a great covers album. Chock full of blasts from the past. 
Seriously though, best cover version is Cake’s version of “I Will Survive”.
Thought I’d give this thread a bump.
The following cover versions all kick serious arse.
Machinehead’s cover of The Police message in a bottle
Marilyn Manson does Annie Lennox’s sweet dreams
Metallica’s version of Blue Oyster Cult’s astronomy
Goldfinger’s punked up version of Nena’s 99 red balloons
Jimi Hendrix’s cover of Dylan’s all along the watchtower
System of a Down’s covers of Black Sabbath’s snowblind and Berlin’s [/i]metro[i]
And of course Kurt Cobain’s renditions of [/i]the man who sold the world and where did you sleep last night on Nirvana’s MTV unplugged album.
The Sex Pistols do renditions of “Rock Around the Clock” “My Way” and “God Save the Queen” that are pretty shite.
Oh yes, that were the daddy!
Maybe so, but I’ve heard Dylan cover his own …Watchtower at least 6 times since the mid-90’s (when Dylan woke up from the whatever phase he was in, noted by tigerman upthread; one of Dylan’s more famous quotes involves his response to a question about the efficacy of anti-depressant medicine in the West: “I never understood depression, there’s always [illegal] drugs”).
Nobody covers Dylan tunes like Dylan, believe me. The man is, and has been, at the very top of his game since sometime in the mid-1990’s.
To see him circa 2006, and whatever band he has chosen to back him, is to see the equivalent of WA Mozart ca. 1790.
Sorry, dbl quote
[quote=“mod lang”]
The Pixies did a kickass version of the Jesus & Mary Chain’s “Head On”, as well.[/quote]
Yes!
Only other two I can think of:
Jazz Butcher: Everybody’s Talking
Jam: David Watts
THought I mentioned it before, but I can’t seem to find my old post so here goes:
My favorite Beatles covers:
Gomez’s Getting Better
Fiona Apple’s Across the Universe
Joe Cocker’s With a Little Help from My Friends
Earth, Wind, and Fire’s Got to Get You Into My Life
I love Nirvana’s version of Man Who Sold the World
I love what Eric Clapton and Led Zeppelin did to the blues.
And Joe Cocker’s Bye Bye Blackbird adds so much depth to what is an otherwise rather flat song.
There.
H
I have to also mention the following covers:
-Lenny Kravitz’s “Fly Like an Eagle” and “American Woman”…much sweeter than the Steve Miller Band’s and Guess Who’s renditions
-UB40’s “Red, Red Wine” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love”
-Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s “Facing Future” which is a medley of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “What a Wonderful World” played only with his voice and a ukelele.
-Ruth Buzzi’s “I Love You, Sweetums” (the cover of Valli’s “I Love You, Baby” that she did on the Muppet Show).