Your favorite cover songs?

[randomname08]

Otis Redding is one of the singers I found in my late teens when I was sort of looking to expand my interests... the way we do when we're growing up. I knew Sitting on the Dock of the Bay but I had no idea he had been as important as he had been. Anyway I heard him sing Hard to Handle - blew me away. Possibly the one that set me off looking for more soul and got me into Sam and Dave, Aretha Franklin and all the others. But I still loved bluesy rock... and along came the Black Crowes covering Hard to Handle. Blew me away again. Different enough to be its own thing but recognisably that same great song.



Otis Redding - Hard to Handle


The Black Crowes - Hard to Handle

[loplop]

Until today, I'd never heard Weezer's cover of Toto's Africa. I didn't realize it was a cover until I looked at the display on Sirius radio as I driving down the street.

Weezer version - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4c7EE8_IX0

Toto version - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTQbiNvZqaY

[bawjaws]

if you hate bad covers stay well away from Mamma Mia 2 soundtrack

[Captain ron]

"Blinded by the Light" by Springsteen was ruined by Manfred Mann

[blondifan]

Can't You Hear Me Knocking?

Was always a fan of the Mick Taylor era Stones and 'Sticky Fingers' was among my first record club purchases as a kid.

This cover's funky though! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ovt22TU8YsE

[Estreeter]

This I've always liked

Big Yellow Taxi

By Counting Crows, but what I like and love her voice is that Vanessa Carlton is also singing

[wimbo77]

I love this one Claudia Brucken did of a Pet Shop Boys song

King's Cross

[Schwenck]

On the whole, it is rare that I prefer a cover version to the original, but there are exceptions:

The Isley's 'Harvest for the World' by Christine Collister - what a voice. And what a low note she hits on the word 'World' - utterly amazing. Ronald Isley could never sing that low.

Leon Rosselson's 'The World Turned Upside Down' by Billy Bragg - a really dramatic rendition.

Nick Lowe's 'The Rose of England' by The Oyster Band - Nick Lowe just ambles through it, whereas The Oyster Band really go for it, and also have the fabulous Christine Collister on backup vocals.

Jerry Lee Lewis' 'It'll Be Me' by Richard & Linda Thompson - well Jerry Lee's version is fine, but Richard & Linda's live version starts out steady, but ends up frenzied in true Jerry Lee fashion, with some utterly amazing guitar solos.

The cover version masters: early Fairport Convention. Their versions frequently blew away the originals. Some of the best:
Emmit Rhodes' 'Time Will Show the Wiser'
Bob Dylan's 'I'll Keep It With Mine'
The Byrds' 'Ballad of Easy Rider'
Richard Farina's 'Reno, Nevada'
Joni Mitchell's 'Eastern Rain' (Mitchell soon moved on to a more sophisticated band sound)
The Everly Brother's 'Gone, Gone, Gone'
I also prefer their covers of Leonard Cohen songs, but I suspect that Cohen fans will not. Much later, a different version of Fairport did a great version of Cohen's 'Closing Time'. Also their very different cover of Bob Dylan's 'If You Gotta Go, Go Now' (of which I love the original) in French as 'Si Tu Dois Partir' with a very laid back, slightly cajun feel, was what got me interested in Fairport in the first place. It was a small hit for them in the UK. Later, they wrote their own songs and mostly dropped covers, apart from Traditional Songs.

The Oyster Band & June Tabor also did some other interesting covers on their collaborations:
Jefferson Airplane's 'White Rabbit'
New Order's 'Love Vigilantes'
Bob Dylan's 'This Wheels on Fire' (A no. 1 in the UK for Julie Driscoll with Brian Auger & the Trinity)
Joy Division's 'Love Will Tear us Apart'
Velvet Underground's 'All Tomorrow's Parties'

[Mal Hombre]

Sympathy For The Devil Motorhead
You do get the feeling that if The Devil did turn up,Mick Jagger would run a mile, Whereas Lemmy would just offer Him a drink....

[blondifan]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J06yQb4lbPk