There are so many terrible cover versions out there. What always irks me most is when I hear a great song redone not particularly badly but with absolutely no innovation whatsoever. What is the point of just trying to sound like the original? Just listen to the original and then make up your own song. Just like with remakes of movies (which 99% of seem to be awful) I can't see why they have done it other than to stand on the shoulders of giants and make a fortune from someone else's art. In the era of the producers pop machine when soulless regurgitating of once great songs is the norm, I thought it might be a good time to highlight some really truly great covers by some of my favourite artists.
I’m sure you all have your own favourites and I have many more than this. It’s been tough narrowing these down but here goes. My ten favourite cover versions:-
(each blue linked title will take you to the youtube video of each song)
1. 'All Along The Watchtower' - The Jimi Hendrix Experience (Original by Bob Dylan)
This is largely considered to be the definitive version of Bob Dylan's classic but nevertheless is a cover. However, even though I claim not to be listing these songs in order, there is only the number one spot for this one. I don't think songs get much more perfect that this. The apocalyptic acoustic opening riff that melts into the rolling high electric wails from Jimi throws you into a magnificent story long before the lyrics begin. How can you argue with Dylan's words combined with Hendrix music?
2.'Heartbeats' - José Gonzalez (Original by The Knife)
It's funny to think that when I heard this haunting acoustic beauty, I'd never even heard of brother and sister geniuses The Knife (Karin Dreijer Andersson and Olof Dreijer). They, along with Fever Ray (Karin's magnificent solo project) are now among my favourite acts of all time. I never tire of this cover or indeed the original. The video I've posted is of the Sony advert where I first heard this, I know I know, but it really is a brilliant advert.
3. 'All My Friends' - John Cale (Original by LCD Soundsystem)
There is also a Franz Ferdinand version of this song, LCD Soundsystem mastermind James Murphy's self-confessed greatest work. I like the Franz version, I have always liked the band, despite criticism from all angles. However I just don't believe front man Alex Kapranos when he sings the Sinatraesque line "I wouldn't trade one stupid decision, for another five years of life." But when this line growls from the mouth of John Cale, the Welsh founding member of The Velvet Underground the band for which the word 'seminal' could have been coined, I believe every word of it. Cale has been to heaven and hell and back again, and you can hear it in every beat and bar of this version. This is a truly masterful reworking of a true masterpiece.
4. 'How I Could Just Kill A Man' - Rage Against The Machine (Original by Cypresshill)
RATM's 2000 album 'Renegades' is a superb compilation of hip-hop, rock and punk homage cover versions and to be quite honest it is difficult to pick one for this list. The eponymous ‘Renegades of Funk’ (Afrika Bambaataa) is amongst the best on here as is ‘Down on The Street’ (The Stooges) and ‘Microphone Fiend’ (Eric B & Rakim) the last of these in my opinion being markedly better than the original. The one I have chosen is significant to me in that the original by Cypresshill was one of the first songs I could ever call my own. Before I discovered Cypresshill I can only ever remember listening to what other people told me to listen to. This song, along with the rest of the self-titled album was played at high volume from my hormone drenched bedroom for hours on end (sorry mum). I even had a massive bright orange 'Rizla' poster with their name emblazoned in it and a t-shirt with a cartoon version of the band holding an enormous joint. Yes, Cypresshill were my introduction to the world of the fan...and the world of weed (again, sorry mum). It seemed like a lifetime at the time but it was probably only about a year before a good friend said the words I'll never forget:
"You don't really listen to much rock music do you? Well if you like rap then you'll like these guys."
And so a 90min TDK with Rage Against The Machine scrawled on it was passed onto me and from there began my lifelong love affair with rock music. It's always nice to know that the bands you love, also love the other bands you love. That's why I picked 'How I Could Just Kill A Man' for my list.
5. 'Love Buzz' - Nirvana (Original by The Shocking Blue)
It wasn't long before my grunge pushing friends had me wearing holy sweaters and ripped jeans, although I never did quite fit in with this crowd. I always wanted to look a bit nicer for the girls (not that it worked either way) and I never could get my hair to go long and straight. As well as that I couldn't go along with their vicious hatred of dance music. I secretly hid my feelings about house and techno, for fear I'd be cast from the group and made to sit on the bench with smelly Peter. I remember being disappointed to find Love Buzz was a cover version, I'm not sure why thinking back now. The Shocking Blue are the dutch psychedelic rock band from the late 1960's responsible for another famously covered song 'Venus' (Bananarama). I love this cover and it is in my top ten because it is Nirvana to me, it is poorly produced, Sub Pop, pre-Geffen, punk ethic, self-loathing grunge. You can hear everything that they were and everything they wanted to be in this song. Kris Novaselic's far from masterful bass playing and Kurdt(sic) Cobain's drunk sounding tones are funny, messy and endlessly cool. Even without Dave Grohl on the drums (Chad Channing played on the debut album Bleach, Grohl would join in 1990) this song oozes that brilliant shitty attitude that in the following years and albums, Nirvana could only perpetuate on a conscious level.
6. ‘The Man Who Sold The World’ - Nirvana (Original by David Bowie)
I'm allowed two by my favourite band of all time. Although this was never studio recorded, 'Unplugged in New York' is such a staple of so many music fan's collections that it doesn't quite feel right to list it under 'live' albums. I was never a fan of David Bowie (I used to be an idiot you see) and especially disliked the original of this. Since then I have grown to love it very much, but I still prefer this cover. As abstract as the lyrics seem to be, I believe Cobain when he sings them. It's quite eerie to think that on some level he did indeed have the world in his hands and gave it up, but that's what happens when you're a teenager obsessed with death somewhat and you analyse lyrics until they just have to mean something. I'm not in the habit of telling people what they should and shouldn't listen to, but you really have to own this album.
7. 'Black Steel' - Tricky (Original by Public Enemy)
This will be high up on my list of 'better than the original' too. This somewhat obscure Public Enemy number is transformed by the bad boy trip-hop genius and original Massive Attack member. The track is chaotic and aggressive from start to finish with a metallic electric guitar sound punching through between each verse and a bassline and reggae influenced beat that has quite often shook my wing mirrors on my car (sorry fellow motorist, I am that twat) Most significant has to be taking the lyrics of black male activist rapper Chuck D and having them sung by a white female vocalist Martine Topley-Bird, and even leaving in lines such as 'I'm a black man'. I think this carries some humour but also somehow for me gives Chuck's lyrics added weight. I wonder what he thinks of this version.
8. 'Comfortably Numb' - Scissor Sisters (Original by Pink Floyd)
I remember first hearing this on a trailer for the great TV show 'As If', the whole advert still sticks in my head, weird. This is such a brilliant and innovative cover song that the rest of Scissor Sister's brief blip in the industry just baffles me. At least when they look back on their mostly bad Bee Gee's parody back catalogue, they will always have this. I'm not a massive fan of Pink Floyd either (eat me) but The Wall is an institution of greatness and I can only give respect to Tiga and Scissor Sisters for doing this track such justice.
9. 'Strange Fruit' - Jeff Buckley (Written by Abel Meeropol made famous by Billie Holiday)
One of my absolute favourite songs. It is originally taken from a civil rights protest poem by Jewish writer Abel Meeropol and was made famous by Billie Holiday. Nothing can touch her when it comes to this song, she lived inside its tale. Buckley comes as close as anyone could possibly get though, I love the production on this track too, it's sounds, like him, way beyond it's years. Jeff Buckley is so well known for his big performances and stunning range but this underplayed heartfelt cover just hits the nail right on the head.
10. ‘Common People’ - William Shatner (Original by Pulp)
From the sublime to the ridiculous. Shatner is in every sense a legend, and this incredible cover version is so funny but brilliantly performed. There is such a musical theatre aspect to Jarvis Cocker's lyrics and Shatner does what great actors do best. Instead of trying to sing it beautifully, he spits out every line like he means it, like that ignorant posh girl is standing right in front of him. By the time the choir kicks in, if you're not already in love with this cover you certainly will be. Ben Folds produced, and all power to him. I give my leftun to work with the Shat.
I bumped a few brilliant covers in the end, Sex Pistols' Sid Vicious singing ‘My Way’, Joe Cocker's explosive soul version of 'With a Little Help From My Friends’ (my girlfriend's favourite) and another Beatles cover which is underrated in my opinion, Michael Jackson's 'Moonwalker' version of ‘Come Together.’ I feel bad about not including any of the excellent Nouvelle Vague covers too. Kate Bush's 'Hounds of Love' fantastically performed by The Futureheads probably belongs in there too. If I had to bump one for this it would be 'Comfortably Numb', but for innovation, it was just pipped to the post.
My final word on the 'songs that should really be in there' has got to be of the nu:funk outfits Apples and SixToys. Apples have brilliantly covered Rage Against The Machine's 'Killing in the Name of' (Just titled 'Killing') and 'The Power' by Snap. SixToys version of 'Voodoo People' by The Prodigy is a live masterpiece to behold.
I could go on forever so I will concede that without regret, the ten songs listed above are my greats.
Hope you enjoy.
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