I Got a You Covered, eh?

[Bob Samonkey]

Anything by Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies

[Seppuku]

Tricky did an awesome cover of Public Enemy's "Black Steel in the House of Chaos", and I really like Ryan Adams's cover of Oasis's "Wonderwall".

Great call with Tricky's cover of Black Steel. The best thing is that he's got his girlfriend singing the vocals, and she sings the lines: "a brother like me"...Makes me laugh.

And who was it who did that really annoying, corny-as-hell, but very catchy Neil Diamond-style cover of Wonderwall? I need to know this information people.

[TonyWilson]

Tricky did an awesome cover of Public Enemy's "Black Steel in the House of Chaos", and I really like Ryan Adams's cover of Oasis's "Wonderwall".

Great call with Tricky's cover of Black Steel. The best thing is that he's got his girlfriend singing the vocals, and she sings the lines: "a brother like me"...Makes me laugh.

And who was it who did that really annoying, corny-as-hell, but very catchy Neil Diamond-style cover of Wonderwall? I need to know this information people.

Mike Flowers Pops, and you should be ashamed you don't know this.

[Seppuku]

Tricky did an awesome cover of Public Enemy's "Black Steel in the House of Chaos", and I really like Ryan Adams's cover of Oasis's "Wonderwall".

Great call with Tricky's cover of Black Steel. The best thing is that he's got his girlfriend singing the vocals, and she sings the lines: "a brother like me"...Makes me laugh.

And who was it who did that really annoying, corny-as-hell, but very catchy Neil Diamond-style cover of Wonderwall? I need to know this information people.

Mike Flowers Pops, and you should be ashamed you don't know this.

You can't know just how ashamed I am at this moment. I feel like hiding under the desk... Mike Flower Pops, with the blonde wig (come on, if that wasn't a wig that means his name's probably real 'n all!), thanks a bunch Tony, now I'm gonna have his face stuck in my head all night.

[HollywoodBabylon]

For sheer spookiness and weirdness check out The Langley School Project album 'Innocence & Despair', an album made in British Columbia in the 60's & 70's by a group of shy school kids in an assembley class. Under their music teacher Hans Fenger, they produced cover versions by (among others) The Beatles, Bowie, Wings, Beach Boys, Carpenters etc.
It's seriously, seriously eerie and wonderful in a strange, exalted way.
Highlights:
A deranged rendition of 'Space Oddity' which Bowie himself described as "astonishing."
'Good Vibrations', madder than anything inside Brian Wilson's head.
'Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft (The Recognized Anthem of World Contact Day).' Leaves even the Carpenter's berserk version in the shade.

As cover versions go, you'll never hear anything like it. I know I haven't.

[Seppuku]

Oh yeah, Bauhaus' Ziggy Stardust rocked.

[Ribbons]

Madeleine Peyroux, "Between the Bars," covering Elliott Smith.

Death Cab for Cutie, "Dream Scream," covering Daniel Johnston.

Sugar Ray, "Abracadabra," covering the Steve Miller Band.

Others, I'm sure, that I can't think of right now...

[Walrus]

Anything by the Detroit Cobras, but specifically they did a cover of the Strokes "Last Night", which in and of itself is strange, because it's a new song and they only do covers of obscure 60's R&B singles, but then they went and made it their own.

Also, Tori Amos bitchslapped Eminem and robbed him blind when she covered "'97 Bonnie & Clyde" from the perspective of the mother in the trunk.

I can't believe you bastards finally came up with a topic that made me post here.

[Vegeta]

On Aimee Mann's special edition of her Lost in Space album there is a live cover of "The Scientist" by Coldplay that is just excellent.

[Vegeta]

Also Hayseed Dixie rules! They do blue grass/redneck covers of AC/DC songs. Good shit!

[Seppuku]

OK last one, Siouxsie and the Banshees did a few insanely good Beatles covers, which is quite a feat seeing as how some view them as uncoverable- Dear Prudence and Helter Skelter.

[ZombieZoneSolutions]

Butthole Surfers -- "Hurdy Gurdy Man" (originally by Donovan)

this is a weird one because the original is completely bizarre and unintentionally hilarious in itself, the B*Holes take it to a new level of
insanity. however...

I'm almost torn between which one I like better. I suppose the original one is more authentically weird because the dude really meant it, while the B*Holes are intentionally making it weirder and their doing it sarcastically...

either way, both are hilartiously bizarro songs...

Devo -- "Satisfaction" (Rolling Stones)

The Devo cover version pwns the original by both making it a totally hilarious and robotic anti-cover cover song which not only makes fun of the idea of Official Rock Rebellion (TM), but makes you want to dance like a robot strung out on cough syrup and JR Bob Dobbs -- pulling thee wool over thine own eyes... so to speak...

[Ribbons]

This seems like as good a place as any to mention that indie rockers Tortoise and Will Oldham have just released a CD full of covers, although the name escapes me at the moment. If you're a fan of either or just like listening to cover songs in general then you might want to check it out.

[Seppuku]

I think I might prefer Donovan's Hurdy Gurdy Man, but the Buttholes' version sure is out there. That just reminded me of another great cover actually, R.E.M. - Crazy. I had no idea this song was a cover until I caught the original on a compilation a couple months back, but I've grown up with R.E.M. so I'm gonna have to put my money on that version as being better.

[St. Alphonzo]

Devo -- "Satisfaction" (Rolling Stones)

The Devo cover version pwns the original by both making it a totally hilarious and robotic anti-cover cover song which not only makes fun of the idea of Official Rock Rebellion (TM), but makes you want to dance like a robot strung out on cough syrup and JR Bob Dobbs -- pulling thee wool over thine own eyes... so to speak...

They also do an admirable job of taking the piss out of "Secret Agent Man" as well.

[Lord Voldemoo]

There's a bootleg floating around somewhere on one of those P2P services of Aaron Lewis from Staind covering Pearl Jam's Black, I accidentally downloaded it a while back. It's really, really good.

[TonyWilson]

Haha I got it.

The "Take Warning" album is a whole load of bands like Aquabats and The Blue Meanies doing cover version of Operation ivy songs, that's a cool album.


Edit: Too slow for my own good.

[Lord Voldemoo]

Tony, the two songs you're describing sound like "Knowledge" and "Yellin' in My Ear" by Operation Ivy.

http://www.operationivy.com/lyrics.php

Edit: ditto Ribbons, I can't find the covers album either...

[Ribbons]

Well I'm pretty sure the punk band you're talking about is Operation Ivy. I had no success finding the covers album you're talking about though.

EDIT: D'oh!

[TonyWilson]

Cheers guys, the album is called "Take Warning"

[DinoDeLaurentiis]

I can't believe you bastards finally came up with a topic that made me post here.

PWND!!!

[The Garbage Man]

Renegades, Rage Against the Fucking Machine, Bitch.

[DennisMM]

Devo -- "Satisfaction" (Rolling Stones)

The Devo cover version pwns the original by both making it a totally hilarious and robotic anti-cover cover song which not only makes fun of the idea of Official Rock Rebellion (TM), but makes you want to dance like a robot strung out on cough syrup and JR Bob Dobbs -- pulling thee wool over thine own eyes... so to speak...

Yeah, but when I saw them for the first time on SNL my 15-year-old soul shriveled and hid. The next year I thought they were cool.

[DennisMM]

In college I helped out a friend who had to do a music-based 30-minute show and couldn't think of a theme. I suggested Springsteen covers. We did Manfred Mann's "Blinded by the Light", "Fire" by the Pointer Sisters, "The Fever" by Southside Johnny and several more, playing originals when I had them. Back then, "Fire" was hard to find outside boots, and I didn't have boot money in college. Hell, I don't have boot money now. Thank god for downloads.

[Eric G]

I would have to say Six Feet Under's rendition of "Back in Black" by AC/DC followed closely by Cradle of Filth's cover of Cliff Richard's "Devil Woman". Boy did they give that song some balls.
Here check it out: http://cradleoffilth.jubilee2000uk.org/ Not the best quality as its jsut a sample, but it's a kick ass song.

[Brocktune]

Devo -- "Satisfaction" (Rolling Stones)

The Devo cover version pwns the original by both making it a totally hilarious and robotic anti-cover cover song which not only makes fun of the idea of Official Rock Rebellion (TM), but makes you want to dance like a robot strung out on cough syrup and JR Bob Dobbs -- pulling thee wool over thine own eyes... so to speak...

you are so right. ive never liked the stones, but devo's version of this song is amazing. you know, i actually prefer weird al's version of bohemian rhapsody to queens.

"Mambo No. 5" by Lou Bega. Holy crappa paisan, that song, she was a the best song ever, no? "Little bit of something, doo-doo-doo, something something something else, doo-dee-doo...."

yeah, you can thank the genius of this man:

Perez Prado
for that catchy hook. prado was to mambo what scott joplin was to ragtime. simply put, he was mambo. everyone else was just an imitator. i love this guy. i am always cranking his records at work much to (what im sure is) the disappointment, and annoyance of my coworkers and customers. maybe its the mexican in me, but his sound speaks to me. love this man!


with that being said, here are a couple of covers ive enjoyed over the years:

Faith No More:
"lets lynch the landlord" - dead kennedys
"midnight cowboy (theme) - john barry
"i started a joke" - bee gees
"i wanna fuck myself" - g.g. allin

Mr. Bungle:
"ei raat tomar amar" - mukherjee?
"tower of strength" - trini lopez?

Cibo Matto - "about a girl" (nirvana)
Cornelius - "brazil" (standard)

FUCK! more to come.....

[DrillerKiller]

Can't believe this gem has been left out!

Faith No More - War Pigs (Black Sabbath) FAR superior to the original!!!

Also:
Claypool's Flying Frog Brigade - Animals (the whole Floyd album)
Stanley Clarke & George Duke - Mothership Connection (Parliament)
Primus - Scissor Man (XTC)
Primus - Amos Moses (Jerry Reed)
Rory Gallagher - As the crow flies (Tony Joe White)
Children of Bodom - The Final Countdown (Europe)
Cradle of Filth - Hallowed be thy name (Iron Maiden)
Mr. Bungle - Citta Violenta (Ennio Morricone)
Fantomas - Spider Baby/Ave Satani/Godfather Theme and a glorious album full of other movie scores

[Keepcoolbutcare]

Aretha Franklin - "Respect" - pwns the Otis Redding version. Made the song her own.

[Keepcoolbutcare]

Faith No More - "Easy" -I wouldn't say it's better than the Lionel Richie/Commodores, but it's pretty darn good.

I can't decide which version of "Killing Floor" I like the best, Howlin' Wolf's, Albert King's or Jimi's. All different, all superb.

any cover by Sarah Vaughah, "They Can't Take That Away From Me" in particular. Don't think the Gershwins could've imagined how much pwnage Sarah would attain with their catalogue.

The Chemical Brothers - "Bring the Pain" - Once again, not better per se, but damn those beats are dope.

blasphemous, but I like LCD Soundsystems cover of Nilsson's "Jump into the Fire". Better drumming, suprisingly, with a great Clash riff thrown in for good measure.

Moby's "James Bond Theme".

"Physical", NIN.

"No More Kings", Pavement. Remember Schoolhouse Rocks? Malkmus and Co. made that little ditty their own...ditto for De La's "3 is a Magic Number".

The Pixies slow version of their own "Wave of Mutilation".

Living Colour's cover of the Talking Heads "Memories Can't Wait". Byrne even said it was better!

The Cowboy Junkies version of "Sweet Jane". Different, not necessarily better.

[Carolian]

I really love A Perfect Circle's "cover" of Ozzy Osbourne's "Diary of a Madman" and "Lovesong" by The Cure. If you haven't heard it, DOWNLOAD IT IMMEDIATELY--they mix the music and lyrics so that Maynard sings "Lovesong" over the music for "Diary" and vice versa. Fascinating stuff.

I've already downloaded half a dozen songs mentioned on this thread. Best Thread Ever?

[St. Alphonzo]

Stevie Ray Vaughan's instrumental version of Jimi's "Little Wing" is spectacular.

and if it can truly be called a cover, I'd agree with KCBC about "Waves Of Mutilation - UK Surf Mix", the Pixies' alternate take. Good stuff.

[Keepcoolbutcare]

Stevie Ray Vaughan's instrumental version of Jimi's "Little Wing" is spectacular.

and if it can truly be called a cover, I'd agree with KCBC about "Waves Of Mutilation - UK Surf Mix", the Pixies' alternate take. Good stuff.

I've been missing you lately, glad to have you posting again.

sorry to hear 'bout those 10hr. work days you've been enduring lately.

[Kilgore]

'Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)' - Paul Westerberg and Joan Jett doing Cole Porter - from the 'Tank Girl' soundtrack
Another vote for Johnny Cash's 'Hurt'
'Plateau' - Nirvana covering Meat Puppets - I like this one much more than 'Lake of Fire'
'Black Diamond' - Early Replacements covering Kiss
'Landslide' - Smashing Pumpkins...I think this version is f-ing awesome, depite my feelings that Billy Corgan is a freak.
'I Fought the Law' - The Clash rip this up...
'Top of the World' - Shonen Knife doing the Carpenters - in fact, most of 'If I Were A Carpenter' is cool.

I happen to think that the Bangles cover of 'Hazy Shade of Winter' kicked ass, and I also give props to Diamond Dave's 'California Girls ' and 'Just A Gigolo'...Dave may be kind of a tool, and I like a few of the Van Hagar songs, but Van Halen was never close to the same after they parted ways. In fact for that matter, their 'You Really Got Me' tears it up. But that's the eighties in me.

On the negative side, when No Doubt did 'It's My Life' it nearly ruined my ability to listen to the Talk Talk version for a year...some songs are just completely right the first time around.

[St. Alphonzo]

Stevie Ray Vaughan's instrumental version of Jimi's "Little Wing" is spectacular.

and if it can truly be called a cover, I'd agree with KCBC about "Waves Of Mutilation - UK Surf Mix", the Pixies' alternate take. Good stuff.

I've been missing you lately, glad to have you posting again.

sorry to hear 'bout those 10hr. work days you've been enduring lately.

It's all good... I got a promotion. Which means I'll be traveling to Oakland on occasion. Hmmm....

My posting frequency is somewhat erratic because, well, my life is somewhat erratic. I always swoop in on a good music thread though! Thanks for the good thoughts.

[St. Alphonzo]

On the negative side, when No Doubt did 'It's My Life' it nearly ruined my ability to listen to the Talk Talk version for a year...some songs are just completely right the first time around.

That song was a bit of an icepick to the eardrum, wasn't it. Also, Madonna's version of American Pie turns my bowels to water.

[Kilgore]

On the negative side, when No Doubt did 'It's My Life' it nearly ruined my ability to listen to the Talk Talk version for a year...some songs are just completely right the first time around.

That song was a bit of an icepick to the eardrum, wasn't it. Also, Madonna's version of American Pie turns my bowels to water.

Agreed...also 'American Woman' was difficult to listen to the first time around, then Lenny Kravitz just hammered that mother into the ground and kept stomping. I mean, the guy's whole persona is a cover of several other artists, so there's no need to hump all over somebody else's song while you're at it, regardless of who it is.

Well, unless you're covering something from Styx's Grand Illusion or Paradise Theater, then try to do your worst, you won't out-ass their version, guaranteed.

I'm also pretty sure that was the first song sold off for commercial rights BEFORE it was released to the radio...at least, it seemed that way how I remember it.

[MadCapsule]

I like The Bad Plus's instrumental covers of Smells Like Teen Spirit and Heart of Glass.

[Carolian]

Oh yeah, and Tool did a great live cover of Led Zep's "No Quarter", on "Salival".

[Brocktune]

'Plateau' - Nirvana covering Meat Puppets - I like this one much more than 'Lake of Fire'

i hate those days when i only have something negative to say.
this is probably going to be one of the most contested musical assertions to hit the zone thus far, so im just going to get it out of the way.

nirvana: unplugged fucking sucks.

especially their desrtructive covers of those meat puppets classics.
now, allow me to qualify what i say. for a long time, the longest time in fact, i was a die hard nirvana fan. i have tons and tons of their stuff between bootlegs, officially released stuff (singles etc), vinyl, cd, cassette, you name it, and ive probably got it. now the unplugged record is constantly lauded for what an intimate event it was with one of musics most tortured of souls. ok, thats true, however, other than that, the record plain sucks. krists bass is out of tune the whole fucking time. cobains voice is weak and strained, and now a whole generation of listeners think that those terrible versions of "plateau" and "lake of fire" were actually written by nirvana. im sorry, but as conoisseur of nirvanas work, ive gotta say this record ranks at the bottom of their catalog.
i suggest you go pick up "meat puppets II", and hear, not only a masterpiece, but also the way "lake of fire", "plateau", and "oh me" were meant to sound.

[Brocktune]

Polysics - "good" (pizzicato five)
polysics - "my sharona" (the knack)
reverend horton heat - "stop that pidgeon" (wacky races)
kronos quartet - dinner music for a pack of hungry cannibals (raymond scott)
fantomas - the entire album "the directors cut"
oingo boingo - "violent love" (willie dixon)
oingo boingo - "california girls" (the beach boys)
secret chiefs 3 - "good vibrations" (the beach boys)
the revolting cocks - "do ya think im sexy" (rod stewart)

[minstrel]

Well, almost everybody covers Bob Dylan in versions better than Dylan's. I'm surprised no one's mentioned The Byrds's "Mr. Tambourine Man" yet. Classic.

Hendrix, of course, with "All Along the Watchtower".

Fairport Convention, with "Percy's Song". Heck, Sandy Denny could cover ANYBODY better than the original.

That Bob Dylan 30th anniversary tribute concert a while back was eye-opening. Everybody was outdoing the originals. Notable was Eddie Vedder on "Masters of War" - absolutely riveting. Neil Young rocked his covers, too, as did everyone after him. Pretty much the only ones that didn't work were Lou Reed doing "Foot of Pride" (trying too hard when he didn't know the song), and Stevie Wonder doing "Blowin' In The Wind" (waaaay too over-the-top).

[Carolian]

OK, another Johnny Cash song here... Johnny and Joe Strummer did an amaaaaaaazing cover of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song". Listening to that song, and knowing that neither of those amazing voices will ever record another song, is just unbearably sad.

[Brocktune]

Well, almost everybody covers Bob Dylan in versions better than Dylan's. I'm surprised no one's mentioned The Byrds's "Mr. Tambourine Man" yet. Classic.

shatners version trumps it.

[minstrel]

Well, almost everybody covers Bob Dylan in versions better than Dylan's. I'm surprised no one's mentioned The Byrds's "Mr. Tambourine Man" yet. Classic.

shatners version trumps it.

Oooh, yeah! Especially those anguished cries of "Mr. Tambourine Maaaaan!" at the end ... sheesh.

[Brocktune]

its like he was able to channel all of the anguish of somebody actually listening to his record into the recording of that song. so in addition to being a musical powerhouse, mr. shatner is also clarevoyant.

[Retardo_Montalban]

The HeadStones did a great cover of "Tweeter and the Monkey Man" (The Travelling Willbury's)

Now I'm not a Def Leppard fan, but Emm Gryner's cover of "Pour Some Sugar on Me" made me pick up their greatest hits. I was disapointed. Which makes the cover even better, because I hate Def Leppard.

[Seppuku]

Well, almost everybody covers Bob Dylan in versions better than Dylan's. I'm surprised no one's mentioned The Byrds's "Mr. Tambourine Man" yet. Classic.

shatners version trumps it.

Oooh, yeah! Especially those anguished cries of "Mr. Tambourine Maaaaan!" at the end ... sheesh.

Yeah I'm kind of ashamed, because I'm a giant Byrds fan (I got all their albums and I think Jim McGuinn is soooo hunky and I wish they'd come to England and can I have a piece of David Crosby's hair!!! Pwetty please!). That cover pretty much single-handedly invented indie music, but if you're going to include that cover why not also include any of the other thousand Dylan covers they did: All I Really Want to Do, Nothing Was Delivered, My Back Pages, Spanish Harlem Incident etc. etc.

Also the Band did the best take on a Dylan song in my opinion, with I Shall Be Released, but in a way they part-wrote it, in that they were with him at the time during those Basement Sessions.

[buster00]

The Cardigans - There She Goes (cover of The La's, originally a song about heroin, but when the Cardigans do it, somehow I don't think "heroin.")

Correction, bro -- it was Sixpence None The Richer who covered "There She Goes." Made a bit funnier, unintentionally, by the band's Christian slant.

I'm prepared to take a big smack in the head for recommending anything by John Mayer, BUT he did a solid cover of the Police tune "Message in a Bottle" on his live album. It's worth a download.

[Ribbons]

He actually also did an acoustic cover of Radiohead's "Kid A", believe it or not. An interesting experiment, but I don't think it really works. The original is much better in this instance. But seek it out if you're one of the curious.

[Seppuku]

The Animals' House of the Rising Sun is a fucking grade-A classic. And even better than the Dylan version (which he didn't write).

Also, last one for now, The Ramones take on California Sun makes it a perfect song. And, despite being a big soul fan, I much prefer their version of Baby I Love You than the original reedy-sounding Spector version.