MetaChat - Your favorite cover song? Your favorite original song?

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11 June 2006

Your favorite cover song? Your favorite original song? So, I was asked to DJ and they wanted me to do a covers collection. I fear I don't have enough to play with and ask ye talented mechamusikfreaks to please teach me more! I got two weeks to beef up my collection, wanna start listening now.

post by: dabitch at: 06:39 | 28 comments

...oh, duh. And by original song I mean something that was famously covered, like Linda Lyndell/Salt n' Pepa "what a man". Linda's version is so uch better IMHO.

posted by dabitch 11 June | 06:42

Almost everything Dylan ever wrote was covered better. Though I'm not sure how many are what a DJ would be looking for.

posted by callmejay 11 June | 07:25

The Clash's cover of "I Fought the Law,"

posted by LarryC 11 June | 08:30

The average age of my favorite songs is most probably older than you. Lisa Germano's "These Boots Were Made For Walkin'" is pretty good in a "sloppy drunk punks with aspirations toward cabaret-style musicianship" kind of way. (via mudpuppie)

posted by mischief 11 June | 08:59

Jeff Buckley, "Halleluiah" (Leonard Cohen)
Johnny Cash, "Hurt" (Nine Inch Nails)
Sonic Youth: "Superstar" (The Carpenters)

And some aussie ones for good measure:

Frenzal Rhomb: "The Dead Heart" (Midnight Oil)
Powderfinger: "Blackfella Whitefella" (The Warumpi Band)

posted by Jimbob 11 June | 09:41

Oh shit, how could I forget...

The Dead Kennedys version of Viva Las Vegas.

posted by Jimbob 11 June | 09:42

Cowboy Junkies' cover of "Sweet Jane"
Rufus Wainwright's cover of "Hallelujah"

posted by goatdog 11 June | 10:06

Cake covering "I Will Survive".

posted by fenriq 11 June | 10:36

Jasdon & the Scorchers' cowpunk rendition of "Take Me Home, Country Roads," is awesome.

posted by jonmc 11 June | 11:04

Devo does "Head Like a Hole" better than NIN

posted by yhbc 11 June | 11:59

and Art of Noise (w/Tom Jones) does Prince's "Kiss" justice as well
("think I better dance now!")

posted by yhbc 11 June | 12:07

yhbc, thanks for that Tom Jones, it is good stuff! I am not ashamed to admit that I really like Tom Jones but I am not going to throw my panties at him.

posted by fenriq 11 June | 12:10

Otis Redding's versions of 'Satisfaction' and 'Respect.' The original version of 'Tainted Love,' though I forget who sang it. Tom Jones' cover of 'Motherless Child.' Several reggae versions of 'Billie Jean' and 'Human Nature.'

posted by box 11 June | 12:17

U2's version of Patti Smith's "Dancing Barefoot".

posted by brujita 11 June | 12:42

The Cure's version of Love Will Tear Us Apart?

I'm really hung over right now so my mind isn't really working properly. I'll return here with more once I'm on my feet again.

posted by sveskemus 11 June | 13:10

Liza Minelli did a version of 'You Pay My Rent' by the Pet Shop Boys that is absolutely stunning, emotionally bleak and very moving. If anyone has a copy of it, please YSI.

There's also a great version of the Eagles' "Take It To The Limit" by, I think, Etta James, with a gospel choir.

posted by essexjan 11 June | 13:53

Hey dabitch, check out this music blog for some awesome covers of Depeche Mode, Rolling Stones and more.

posted by alteredcarbon 11 June | 14:04

Aztec Camera's version of Van Halen's "Jump"
Johnny Cash's cover of U2's "One"
Tom Jones' cover of "Mama Told Me Not to Come"
William Shatner's cover (with Joe Jackson) of Pulp's "Common People"
The kid in The Commitments cover of Otis Redding's "Try a Little Tenderness"

posted by kirkaracha 11 June | 14:58

There was a pretty good AskMe about covers that might help.

And I'll just quote myself from that:

Emm Gryner's cover of Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar on Me." She turns it into a piano-accompanied lush ballad, and it becomes a woman really crawling out of her skin to be touched. Made me actually like the original, as well.

posted by occhiblu 11 June | 15:02

Favorite cover: Hank Williams III's cover of "Atlantic City."

posted by deadcowdan 11 June | 17:13

Just found this live acoustic cover of China Girl by Anna Ternheim, "a 26-year-old singer/songwriter from Stockholm". Get it quick cuz Big O does not leave links up long.

posted by mischief 11 June | 17:25

@yhbc: Thanks for the Devo!

posted by mischief 11 June | 17:31

You're welcome ~mischief! (and others!)

And because I like covers, here's two that have been mentioned already:

Sonic Youth - Superstar

William Shatner/Joe Jackson - Common People

And two more that haven't:

A Perfect Circle - Imagine

Less Than Jake - Theme from "Gilligan's Island"

Ironically, I don't seem to have digital copies at the moment of either of the two songs that I would personally vote for "best cover evar" - The Beatles, Twist and Shout, and Talking Heads - Take Me To the River. In each case, the cover version became so identified with the covering band as to (almost) wipe out the original (even though the Beatles' version of T&S was almost identical to the Isley Brothers original!)

posted by yhbc 11 June | 20:03

Bauhaus - "Telegram Sam" and "Ziggy Stardust"
Scott Walker - "Jackie"
The Fall - "Victoria"
Van Halen - "Where Have All The Good Times Gone?"
Dessau - Isolation
Ray LaMontange - "Crazy"
The Damned - "Alone Again Or"
The Clash - "Police On My Back"

posted by black8 12 June | 00:28

*takes notes*

Thanks you all are awesome! I had a few mentioned, but lacked some vital ones. Must beef up Tom Jones wing of my album collection. Yes, wing. It's ok to like the man ya know fenriq. Sans panty-throwing of course. ;)

posted by dabitch 12 June | 05:06

yhbc , that perfect circle version of Imagine was just the bridge I was looking for. You rule! thanks!

posted by dabitch 12 June | 05:15

Feist's cover of the Bee Gees song "Inside and Out"
Video is here

Anything by Richard Cheese, that lovable sleaze. Here's a taste, on Youtube.

posted by overanxious ducksqueezer 12 June | 16:08

My god! Brilliant stuff! And video too, merci overanxious ducksqueezer!

posted by dabitch 16 June | 16:28

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