Covers: The Good, The Bad, The Meh

[Accidental Martyr]

Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit perform Bruce Springsteen’s “Atlantic City”.

 

[Anduin]

So, a reggae group cover Metallica. No, this is one very much in the good category. Yes, really. Have a listen.

 

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

 

[laughs]

I really like The Black Crowes' cover of Led Zeppelin's Your Time Is Gonna Come.

Jimmy Page at the helm, but there's the Crowes stamp on it, but also plenty of the original Led Zep zing.

 

[WendyCR72]

Just heard Sara Evans on SiriusXM covering, of all songs, "My Sharona". And...no.

[Wiendish Fitch]

Michael Crawford does a lovely rendition of "Reflection" from Mulan.

 

 

[laughs]

This may not be all that popular a cover version, but this is my favorite of the many versions I've devoured on YouTube.

The song: Suite Judy Blue Eyes -- covered by Midnight North

   I also like The Analogues for The Beatles covers.

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

 

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

 

[madmax]

I just found this thread!  I love covers!

My absolute favorite has already been mentioned multiple times:  Hurt by Johnny Cash. My favorite story about that song is when a reviewer called the NIN version a cover of Johnny Cash. 

Other covers I love better than the original:

Oh Well by the Rockets, original by Fleetwood Mac

Superstar by Luther Vandross, original by Delaney and Bonnie, covered also by The Carpenters

Dreams I'll Never See by Molly Hatchet, originally by The Allman Brothers Band

Careless Whisper by Seether

I've Got You Under My Skin also by Seether.  This has a very serial killer feel to it and I love it.

[janie jones]

On 1/15/2021 at 7:49 PM, One4Sorrow2TooBad said:

 

Why the fuck is she on an exercise bike?

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

No telling, but Robert Fripp of King Crimson looks like he's digging it. 

[cpcathy]

This was from early in the pandemic last year. I think it’s beautiful and comforting. I went to listen to the original but did not like it at all!

 

[Annber03]

Oh, neat, I didn't know he'd covered that song. I first heard that song in an episode of "Criminal Minds" years ago, the original version :). I like that version, too, myself, but this cover was nice. 

[Blergh]

IMO,  the legendary Brenda Lee's " Crying Game" (1965) blew both the originator (Dave Berry in 1964)  and then the later interpretation by Boy George (1992) out of the water! I mean,  the 4'9" inch dynamo proved to pack more punch in virtually every note with more natural layers than either of these men did no matter how much much they each were layered and echoed via the song's production! 

 

[kieyra]

5 hours ago, Blergh said:

IMO,  the legendary Brenda Lee's " Crying Game" (1965) blew both the originator (Dave Berry in 1964)  and then the later interpretation by Boy George (1992) out of the water! I mean,  the 4'9" inch dynamo proved to pack more punch in virtually every note with more natural layers than either of these men did no matter how much much they each were layered and echoed via the song's production! 

Weird. I recently (re)watched Disclosure, a Netflix doc that includes some scenes from the film of the same name (although I think it's Jaye Davidson singing the song in the clip?). This caused me to listen to the Boy George version, which I had spent decades thinking was a song he wrote.

Then I went to try to find covers (because I love covers of everything), and discovered that, no, the song was that many more decades old. 

Just a weird coincidence to see the post--this is all in like the last 72 hrs. 

Thread contribution: If there are any metal fans out there, I love Two Minutes To Late Night's covers so much. And it's not all super noisy metal; they do metal-ish arrangements of pop songs like Running Down a Dream, You Make Loving Fun, Rebel Yell, etc. 

[Anduin]

Lukasz Kapuscinski does a version of the Rohan theme from the Lord of the Rings movie. I can't tell you why it grabs me so much, but it does. Helps that Rohan is one of my three favourite pieces of music from LOTR.

Music doesn't have to be complicated. I've heard full orchestras, DJs with arms like an octopus on speed, drummers who sound like they have six limbs, everything. But sometimes one man with an acoustic guitar can outshine them all. Music is amazing.

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

 

[WendyCR72]

On 1/16/2021 at 11:02 AM, madmax said:

Superstar by Luther Vandross, original by Delaney and Bonnie, covered also by The Carpenters

I prefer this cover by Sonic Youth:

Totally agree with your pick of Careless Whisper covered by Seether, though!

 

[xaxat]

More of a mashup than a cover, but Guns and Roses/Stevie Wonder actually rocks.

 

[WendyCR72]

Here's another mashup I think works:

Whole Lotta Helter Skelter.

[madmax]

On 5/14/2021 at 9:23 PM, xaxat said:

More of a mashup than a cover, but Guns and Roses/Stevie Wonder actually rocks.

 

That is fantastic.  Never much cared for Axl's voice but the music usually rocked.  Whoever mashed this one did a great job.

[WendyCR72]

I liked this cover but eventually tired of it because it was over-played, used for TV shows and such, but after so many years, still have a soft spot for it. I had no idea it even was a cover until a few years back. I'm referring to "Cry" by Faith Hill:

 

Here is the original by Angie Aparo, who is a guy:

 

And this is not a cover of the above but damned close down to the title. Seems like a similar song, again from a guy's POV. Meat Loaf's "Cry Over Me". Same theme of feeling more than the deserted other half and all:

 

[JustHereForFood]

I love the cover of Behind Blue Eyes by Limp Bizkit much more than the original version by The Who. (it might be because I heard it first and had no idea it was a cover for years😄)

I also love this version sung by Anthony Head in Buffy the Vampire Slayer:

 

 

 

[AimingforYoko]

Haim covers Adam Sandler's "The Hanukkah Song" with updated lyrics. Sandler obviously approves:

 

[GaT]

As far as I can tell, this song started with Andrea Bocelli,, Celine Dion, Josh Groban, & now, Pentatonix. I ran across it accidentally & keep listening to it because I am amazed that an a cappella group can sound like this.

 

[Bastet]

Oh gods, just seeing the name Pentatonix gave me horrid flashbacks to that year it seemed like their music was in every other commercial.

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

I thought little 15 year old Chloe Agnew did a wonderful cover of The Prayer with Celtic Woman. 

[AimingforYoko]

Discovered due to a Walmart ad, Etta James' cover of "I Got You, Babe":

 

[Luckylyn]

On 12/19/2021 at 6:47 PM, AimingforYoko said:

Discovered due to a Walmart ad, Etta James' cover of "I Got You, Babe":

 

I love her cover of Never My Love

 

[Anduin]

Myrkur sings Lullaby of Woe, from Witcher 3: Blood and Wine. While not my favourite Myrkur performance, this is damn good.

 

[madmax]

My newest favorite cover:

 

[Annber03]

...wow, those two songs really do blend well together. Dang. That was good. 

Heard Cage the Elephant's version of the Stranglers' "Golden Brown" when listening to one of my playlists recently - I love the original, and I really like this band's cover of it, too, they did a cool take on it: 

 

[madmax]

15 hours ago, Annber03 said:

...wow, those two songs really do blend well together. Dang. That was good. 

I couldn't believe how perfect they go together.  First time I heard it, there was no intro, it was just the song and it blew me away when I was expecting U2 and got Metallica.

Chris Cornell did some awesome covers.  Gone way too soon.  ☹️

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

Kim always brings it, nice cover.

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

 

[Bastet]

17 minutes ago, One4Sorrow2TooBad said:

Kim always brings it, nice cover.

I didn't care for that (and had to look up the original, which I wasn't familiar with, either, and also wasn't into), but Kim Wilde + cover = reminding me how very much I love her version of "You Keep Me Hangin' On".  In fact, better than the original (which I also love, as I do so many of songs by The Supremes, but Wilde's cover is my jam).

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

 

[Anduin]

As discovered by twitter, Machine Gun Kelley decided to perform Aerials by System of a Down. He's fucking shit at it, let's be honest. Ten seconds in, he has absolutely zero passion for it. He may be singing the words, but he doesn't capture any kind of feeling for the music. Why the hell is he doing it if he doesn't believe in it? A dare? A joke?

But I heard a bunch of high schoolers perform it recently. The singer needed ten years in his voice, and maybe a shot of cheap scotch to add a little gravel in there. Didn't hurt that I heard a little Tool when they were warming up, and one member wore a Gojira shirt. The passion was there. Teenagers understand pain, suffering, the world is out to get them.

Likewise, these guys believe in the song! I don't know if this is the best cover I've ever heard, but it's certainly a damn good one. If you like metal, and like it good, listen to this.

[Tachi Rocinante]

This should have been used on an episode of Criminal Minds:
 

 

 

[Tachi Rocinante]

One of the best Led Zeppelin covers I've ever heard, and it's live:
 

 

[Twilight Man]

UDiscoverMusic lists their 60 Greatest Cover Songs:

 

10.  Heard It Through The Grapevine --  Gladys Knight

9.  Twist and Shout -- The Beatles

8.  Everybody's Talkin -- Harry Nilsson

7.   All Along The Watchtower -- Jimi Hendrix

6.   Proud Mary -- Ike and Tina Turner

5.   Hurt --  Johnny Cash

4.   Tainted Love --  Soft Cell

3.   Respect --  Aretha Franklin

2.   Nothin' Compares 2 U --  Sinead O'Connor

1.   I Will Always Love You  --  Whitney Houston

[janie jones]

I hate the Johnny Cash version of "Hurt." It's terrible.

(And don't try to tell me that Trent Reznor approves of it. I don't care.)

[Tachi Rocinante]

10 hours ago, janie jones said:

I hate the Johnny Cash version of "Hurt." It's terrible.

(And don't try to tell me that Trent Reznor approves of it. I don't care.)

The song itself is pretty bad, but it's the video that makes the impact.

[Crashcourse]

I've always hated Tina Turner's version of Proud Mary.  I much prefer the original by CCR.

[AimingforYoko]

On 1/1/2023 at 1:49 PM, Crashcourse said:

I've always hated Tina Turner's version of Proud Mary.

Tina sang it, but Ike is the one who arranged it.

[Crashcourse]

18 minutes ago, AimingforYoko said:

Tina sang it, but Ike is the one who arranged it.

I know, but she still sang it.  My point is, I don't like their version.  

[AimingforYoko]

6 minutes ago, Crashcourse said:

I know, but she still sang it.  My point is, I don't like their version.  

I just wanted you to blame the right person.😉

[Crashcourse]

Just now, AimingforYoko said:

I just wanted you to blame the right person.😉

Both of them are culpable.  

[Anduin]

Interesting cover of Enter Sandman, by a trio of young women. While I'm not sure, I think I like it.