What are your favourite cover songs

pappyodaniel

Some of mine
In no particular order:

Cat Power and Karen Elsom - I Love You (me neither) (Original Serge Gainsbourg)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dJnF8JWZ9Q

Ben Folds - Bitches Ain't **** (original Dr Dre)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3C4N6p78io

Easy Star All-Stars - Money (original Pink Floyd)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_aYli_1iqs

Elliott Smith-Trouble (orig. Cat Stevens)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XM_8HnfA_NA

Feist- Inside and Out (Beegees)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmG0sPyZJBg

Futureheads - Hounds of Love (Kate Bush)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcMAM9B7yAA

Guitar - Just Like Honey (Jesus & the Mary Chain)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHcf4Xd1o94

Tim O'Brien and Jerry Douglas - Hey Joe (pre Hendrix?)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62db5rMc2ns

LCD Soundsystem - No Love Lost (Joy Division)

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

Nouvelle Vague - Making Plans for Nigel (XTC)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aH3x1PSYcm8

Primal Scream;Kate Moss - Some Velvet Morning (Nancy Sinatra?)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wB4TSsxR5zc

Rachid Taha - Rock El Casbah (Clash)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DbFYsi9iSg

Seu Jorge - Life On Mars (Bowie)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6l8zrsf4LY

Siouxsie and the Banshees - Dear Prudence (Beatles)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkMcCYy3M3E

Other mentions would be ANYTHING from the I'm Not There Soundtrack, Ramones covers or William Shatnercovers...

...and just for fun

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A8_a--Ni4Q

lordgoat

I really dislike covers for the most part. I especially detest what the futureheads did to Hounds of Love. A truly awful cover imo.

I have a soft spot for the Flaming lives cover of Borderline. I think pitchfork described it as 'one quarter the speed and 4 times better than the original' not sure if i agree with that but it is a great take on a very good pop song.

jill_valentine

Sufjan Steven's version You Are the Blood is absolutely amazing, but I don't think the original is well enough known for it to be really be considered a great cover, if that makes sense.

Other than that, Grizzly Bear's cover of Hot Chip's Boy From School is pretty great.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mvhpz1AV9BE

homerun_homer

Here's some of mine

TV on the Radio cover Daniel Johnston

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tb-rudMA32k

John Lennon cover

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAe1lVDbLf0

Carpenters cover

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y21VecIIdBI

Kate Bush cover

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUYh-oembtM

Clash cover

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGL5EtYGGDM

Elliott Smith cover

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6ZC01suRbo

Kraftwerk cover

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCxsEJ9xYfE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjqKtbu-txA

S.M.B.

lordgoat wrote: »

I really dislike covers for the most part. I especially detest what the futureheads did to Hounds of Love. A truly awful cover imo.

Interesting...

I've no time for The Futureheads and I'm a massive Kate Bush fan yet I really like that cover.

I think it's a very good example of a band stamping their own style on a song and creating a completely different entity. I think they should be commended even if one isn't a big fan of their music in general.

rednik

One of the most unusual covers for me has to be comfortably numb by the scissor sisters. Being a huge floyd fan I was very sceptical about this until my daughter bought the album and I had a sneaky listen:D and thought it was excellent hence I went to see them in the point and am going again this sun in the olympia. I probably would never have listened to or heard it until she bought it.

Miguel_Sanchez

Disney sounds better with Waits:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4_zaZ3utUY

I heard this first when I was about 9 or 10 and it left a lasting impression. It was probably the reason I was so receptive to Tom Waits at a young age. My brother would put him on and say "It's the guy who did the Seven Dwarfs song" so I'd listen intently.

There's plenty of covers that I enjoy listening to but this one was probably the most influential on me.

Thundercats Ho

My Morning Jacket - Rocket Man (Elton John)

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

Albert Niland - Wuthering Heights (Kate Bush)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyiSJi1VEws

Smashing Pumpkins - Dancing In The Moonlight (Thin Lizzy)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_2Q7QST66Q

I know it's not alt, but still.
Johnny Cash - Sunday Morning Coming Down (Kris Kristofferson)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBWFJ85n_w0

ricero

kasabian - sweet escape
best cover i ever heard and its live
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75dAhb2Vg0A

and arctic monkeys - love machine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTNC9l46oR4

cinnamon girl

As good as Beatles covers get.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqAWr1Lda-0

aliocroc

I have a few top ones in my head at the mo-
Im in work so cant post the YouTube links but,
Foo Fighters-Baker Street! They use some serious guitar to make up for the absence of sax-its pretty sweet!
Maximo Park do a good version of Shiver (Natalie Imbruglia)-sounds way better, think they done it acoustic on BBC Radio 1
And there was a warchild album released about 8 years ago with a load of bands doing different tunes-Oasis done a cover of "So here it is Merry Christmas, Everybodys having fun...etc"-brill version, actually a really good covers album if you can get it-has a big picture of a heart on the front of it as far as I can remember!?

tman

That Lily Allen cover of straight to hell is shocking!

Quite fond of this one myself, but I'm sure others will hate it...
Beck - Everybody's gotta learn sometimes (Korgis)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIVh8Mu1a4Q

jefreywithonef

Pixies did a plethora of brilliant cover songs like I've been Waiting For You, Winterlong, Head On, Cecilia Ann and Evil Hearted You, but I think their cover of Leonard Cohen's I Can't Forget is my favourite of the lot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sojmdvJQMx8

This cover of the Byrds song deserves a mention too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBKyBlJ_JN8

rcaz

Cake - I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=596qaxm-u4o

Cake - Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps (Osvaldo Farrés)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AV5PwN2e88Y

The Bad Plus - Flim (Aphex Twin)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sX_Iij8Eyts

[WHAT A DRUMMER!!!]

Banyan - Maggot Brain (Funkadelic)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmddP2cJkJ8

[Nels Cline... Omg, sir.]

I couldn't find a video, but I've seen The Flaming Lips play Moonlight Mile by The Rolling Stones in Cork in 2007, and it was incredible.

hatful

Stevie Wonder covering the Beatles.

ElaElaElano

The XX's cover of Teardrops is quality. And I love Cap'nJazz doing 'Take on me', it just feels right even though it's a bit...horrific.

mosstin

jill_valentine

I'm kinda unimpressed by the Patrick Wolf cover of Running Up That Hill. I like the Placebo cover of it though, despite kinda hating Placebo. They did a pretty great job of it, IMHO.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4W-E1sVCzs

Waterloo Sunset

Johnny Cash's version of Hurt has to be up there as one of the best (along with every other cover on that album IMO)

I've always had a soft spot for Editors version of Orange Crush, even though they didn't really do much with it - I think I liked how it remained true to the original song.

Franz Ferdinand did a cover of Call Me by Blondie that was pretty epic too.

homerun_homer

Waterloo Sunset wrote: »

Franz Ferdinand did a cover of Call Me by Blondie that was pretty epic too.

I had that in my post and it wouldn't load. Couldn't remember what song it was that was missing so I deleted it.

milkycoffey

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gv4JnFClVmo

Lay Lady Lay by Magnet and Gemma Hayes.
I like the video too

Enjoy!

Yi Harr

Epic cheese acceptable??

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fn40B9ugcrs

glanman

The postal service version of against all odds is epic...

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

pappyodaniel

While we're on The Postal Service, I love Iron&Wine's cover of Such Great Heights

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

Kid V

I have a real soft spot for a good genuine cover

Grizzly Bear 'He Hit Me And It Felt Like A Kiss' (The Crystals)

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

Radiohead 'The Headmaster Ritual' (The Smiths)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtmS2ePSSdU

homerun_homer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=di3s-ZaD_pk

Kid V

Just to make it three in a row.

One of the best/worst covers of all time. love playing this to infuriate some of my friends

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N5G6-UiCns

Shulgin

Dynamite Hack - Boyz in the hood (Eazy-E - NWA)

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

Dimmu Borgir - Burn In Hell (Twisted Sister)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv3eg_ZROeQ

JerryHandbag

Billy & Robert Smith do the Bee Gees

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kG8CSPm6cjw

Iron & Wine doing New Order

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugx0zC3Otwk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEskyP3ImJ4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Mgl273KZ9E

mathie

A Perfect Circle - What's Going On
A Perfect Circle - Passive

Fanny Cradock

Surprised no one has yet mentioned Hurt

Miguel_Sanchez

Fanny Cradock wrote: »

Surprised no one has yet mentioned Hurt

Surprised you didn't read the thread before posting.

Waterloo Sunset wrote: »

Johnny Cash's version of Hurt has to be up there as one of the best (along with every other cover on that album IMO)

lordgoat

I'm going come out and say it. I can't stand Cash's version of Hurt. I'm just sick to the teeth of it. Of everything about it. I think the original is so much better, the cover version for me turns it into a radio trendy kind of preachy OMG you have to hear this tune. Not for me. I didn't like cash's cover of I see a Darkness too much either. Don't get me wrong i love Mr Cash but i don't need to hear him sing other peoples songs for 3 (4?) albums.

Miguel_Sanchez

lordgoat wrote: »

I'm going come out and say it. I can't stand Cash's version of Hurt. I'm just sick to the teeth of it. Of everything about it. I think the original is so much better, the cover version for me turns it into a radio trendy kind of preachy OMG you have to hear this tune. Not for me. I didn't like cash's cover of I see a Darkness too much either. Don't get me wrong i love Mr Cash but i don't need to hear him sing other peoples songs for 3 (4?) albums.

Ooooh controversial!

I really like his version of I See A Darkness - I don't think it's better than the original but I do really like it.

As for Hurt - well, I was never a NIN fan so I don't really care too much.

Woden

Didn't even know this was U2 when I found it originally on Spotify..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CROUAE9bhp8

SilverScreen

Placebo did this fantastic cover of Robert Palmer's song. I think it's better than the original, the original is a nice little tune but it just lacks something. Placebo nailed it and made it their own.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQkolY7BPxQ

I couldn't find the studio version on youtube but this live version will have to do. Galaxie 500's version of The Velvet Underground's 'Here She Comes' betters the original. It has more passion and emotion and just sounds more beautiful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8hixY2vHpU

Waterloo Sunset

lordgoat wrote: »

I'm going come out and say it. I can't stand Cash's version of Hurt. I'm just sick to the teeth of it. Of everything about it. I think the original is so much better, the cover version for me turns it into a radio trendy kind of preachy OMG you have to hear this tune. Not for me. I didn't like cash's cover of I see a Darkness too much either. Don't get me wrong i love Mr Cash but i don't need to hear him sing other peoples songs for 3 (4?) albums.

Harsh!

The thing that makes the Cash albums special, despite being chock full of covers is how he managed to take all these songs from so many genres and artists and essentially reinvent them. The stripped down musical style combined with songs chosen carefully to fit lyrically, paints a picture of exactly what Cash was - a legend fading before our eyes, accepting that he was no longer for this world and the fate that was to befall him (death). It just plain old works for me anyway

Dirty Frank

Devotchka - Venus in furs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4CQEruH1JQ

Miguel_Sanchez

Woden wrote: »

Didn't even know this was U2 when I found it originally on Spotify..

Ah back when U2 were good. I remember that.... vaguely.

lordgoat

Waterloo Sunset wrote: »

Harsh!

The thing that makes the Cash albums special, despite being chock full of covers is how he managed to take all these songs from so many genres and artists and essentially reinvent them. The stripped down musical style combined with songs chosen carefully to fit lyrically, paints a picture of exactly what Cash was - a legend fading before our eyes, accepting that he was no longer for this world and the fate that was to befall him (death). It just plain old works for me anyway

Cash has plenty of albums with no covers that are much better than the american series. I disagree that he re-invented them he just sang them the only way that Johnny Cash can, stripped down and honest. And it was very intersting at first and the song choice was generally very strong. I just think it went on a bit long. I loved hearing his new songs more than the covers. And would love it if The Man Comes Around was as well known as Hurt.

Not at you:

I find the over romanticised back story trite too, people looking for poignant meanings and deeper levels i find at times miss the point.

Anyways i'll leave it here and shall go back to covers in general from now on!

Waterloo Sunset

There's no over-romantiscised back story to it though. Covers were randomly thrown at him and he made them. Between clever selection and the way Cash sang them, I see it as highlighting his fading star.

There were new songs scattered in the album too, but he probably just wasn't up to a new album any more (and also wanted to experiment with new styles)

Annnyway I agree that's enough on this! More covers I say!

KT Tunstall did a pretty good version of Tangled up in Blue.

pappyodaniel

Avalanches - Why So Sad (Manics)

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

Calexico - Alone again Or (Love)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o14hqYc96gE

Beck - Some things last a long time (Daniel Johnston)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnhE1i1eSg0

Buena Vista Social Club - The dark of the matinée (Franz Ferdinand)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8cRHfsE1lE

Willy Mason - The Message (GrandMaster Flash Cover)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JX6lDU-kJU0

.....on a side note, whatever happened to Willy Mason? I loved his album where the humans eat. Such wisdom in his voice which defied his age.

Howard the Duck

Alot of my favourite covers have already been posted here but here are a few that haven't.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4M31fwVkSYI

Check out the funky dancing on this one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWr6Ep8N3OU

Love this but the video is pretty rubbish

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pmpo8THQJk

Amazing Guitar player who sadly died.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41l3UzA64sE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTGV-GVSwO0

Eels - Living Life (Daniel johnston cover)Probably my favourite cover ever. Check out the Daniel Johnston Tribute album "Late Great Daniel Johnston: Discovered Covered" The front cover is a picture of him standing at his own grave

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBu9P8XlGM8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1LWOuFhal0

totallytrees

pappyodaniel wrote: »

.....on a side note, whatever happened to Willy Mason? I loved his album where the humans eat. Such wisdom in his voice which defied his age.

Good question...loved where the humans eat, every track on it was class. Saw him in the Sugar Club yeeeeeears ago when Fionn Regan was supporting him!

A contribution to the favourite cover song would be Klaxons - Its Not Over Yet, loved that!

Also enjoyed The Coral - Bye Bye Love, nice tune

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTc-JFhO_nA

irish_stevo815

One of the greatest covers of recent times, in my opinion, has to be Chris Cornell's version of Michael Jackson "Billie Jean". Great voice and great guitar.

It's been done many times, but I think Muse do it perfectly - "Feeling good"
Absolutely amazing live.

Just recently found this one, but it's pretty damn good and gives Kurt Cobain and Nirvana the respect they deserve - "Heart Shaped Box" by Evanesence.

rcaz

I also hate Cash's version of Hurt. One of the thing that annoys me most is "I wear this crown of thorns" instead of "I wear this crown of ****". Trying to make the song eloquent and referential, completely missing the point.

And any 'artist' releasing an album of mostly covers... Cop out, I think.

AnonoBoy

El Pr0n wrote: »

I also hate Cash's version of Hurt. One of the thing that annoys me most is "I wear this crown of thorns" instead of "I wear this crown of ****". Trying to make the song eloquent and referential, completely missing the point.

I always thought that "crown of sh*t" line was very cringeworthy - sounded to me like a teenager wrote it. I was glad Cash (or Rick Rubin or whoever) changed it.

And any 'artist' releasing an album of mostly covers... Cop out, I think.

How is a covers album a cop out?

rcaz

AnonoBoy wrote: »

I always thought that "crown of sh*t" line was very cringeworthy - sounded to me like a teenager wrote it. I was glad Cash (or Rick Rubin or whoever) changed it.

That's the point. It's a song about being reduced to that kind of thinking. It's not supposed to be eloquent or classy or whatever. And then 'crown of thorns' gives the song a religious allusion, which nobody needs in there.

AnonoBoy wrote: »

How is a covers album a cop out?

A covers album is an 'artist' not challenging him/herself. I'd hesitate to use the word artist. To use an example, I would say Tom Jones is a singer, and not an artist.

jill_valentine

Peter Gabriel's recent Scratch My Back project is an extreme example of the worst elements of that. He covers a load of his favourite songs, and the artists in question are supposed to cover his songs in return.

The thing is, his covers are really bland, lounge singer versions - he doesn't bring anything to them, and only the fact that he picked some really brilliant songs makes it in any way tolerable. Still, he managed to make David Bowie's Heroes boring, which is just obscene. And then he turned around and asked those artists to cover him, which is just the indulgence on the cake, IMHO. "I think you're great, what's your favourite thing about me?"

Anyway. Sometimes covers can be great - greater than the original even - but if they aren't done for the right reasons, it tends to show through.

homerun_homer

Another Franz cover version for the sake of it. David Bowie cover with Girls Aloud on backing Vox.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PS939rR6lBw

S.M.B.

I wouldn't listen to Johnny Cashs Hurt too often but I'd find it hard to knock it like others have. I think it's popularity has had quite a negative effect on how some people perceive it.

Anyway, talking of NIN, thank **** I got to see this performed live.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3ulfmCfT94