Favorite cover track?

[Pete the Griphead]

cover tracks are a tough one. you kind of have to chose carefully if you're a band, and are looking to pay tribute to an existing band that you respect, while also offering your own unique flair to the track to warrant covering it in the first place.

so, what's your favorite cover track folks? for me, i would probably narrow it down to U2's cover of The Stone's "Paint it Black", from the "Achtung Baby" b-side era, or Echo & the Bunnymen's cover of The Door's "People are Strange", from the killer flick LOST BOYS.

i'd love to hear some other fav's,, pete

 

[SoulRebel]

The Clash's cover of Pressure Drop by Toots and the Maytals

 

[slacker2114]

Iron Maiden's cover of Cross-eyed Mary from Jethro Tull was pretty good. I have them doing a version of Communication Breakdown from Led Zepplin too.

Others would be...
Anthrax covering Parasite from KISS
Slayer doing Iron Butterfly's In-a-Gadda-da-Vida
Korn did a pretty badass live version of Metallica's One

 

[poopies]

Manfred Mann's cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Blinded By the Light."

The most obvious one is Hendrix's cover of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower," which was so good even Dylan prefers it.

Also, System of a Down's cover of Berlin's "Metro."

 

[daddy]

Van Halen - You Really Got Me, originally done by the Kinks

peace out,
daddy

 

[Evil Dave]

Cash's cover of Hurt by Nine Inch Nails does it for me.

 

[xochipilli]

OMG awesome thread. I might have to go with Wilson Pickett's cover of "Hey Jude."

A close second/third for Marvin Gaye's and Creedence's versions of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by Gladys Knight and the Pips, though.

 

[xochipilli]

Oh, I forgot!

Joe Cocker, "Get By With a Little Help from My Friends." For all the fans of The Wonder Years out there.

 

[BostonTickling]

"Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinead O'connor. The original was actually done by Prince. But never a single. She definitely made it her own.

 

[Bohemianne]

"Scarborough Fair" - Queensryche

"Roxanne" & "Like a Virgin" - Done @ Moulin Rouge (hahahaha)

"Bizarre Love Triangle" - Frente

"She's Not There" - Santana

 

[..Glamorous..]

Fall out boy's cover of "Beat it". I think the vid rocks too- Plus Wentz licking his Bass has got to be the hottest thing I've ever seen!

 

[Pete the Griphead]

Cash's cover of Hurt by Nine Inch Nails does it for me.

abso-frickin-lutely,, this may be the best example yet of a song that is actually enhanced during it's cover (and i've heard rumors that even Trent Reznor agrees). this is as great an example of a good situation as Sheryl Crow's cover of G&R's "Sweet Child O' Mine" is a bad example (or, rather, a good example of Sheryl Crow ruining the song).

lovin' the feedback on this thread folks,, LOTS of great examples of kick ass covers. anyone got their worst cover examples?

 

[poopies]

John Lennon's cover of Ben E. King's "Stand By Me" is freaking awesome.

As for bad covers...

Limp Bizkit's butchered cover of The Who classic "Behind Blue Eyes."

Hillary Duff covering another Who classic "My Generation." She even had the audacity to change the "Hope I die before I grow old" lyric to "I hope I don't die before I grow old." Horrible, horrible, horrible.

Uncle Kracker's cover of Dobie Gray "Drift Away" was equally vomit inducing, almost to the point where I can't even enjoy the original anymore.

Tiffany's cover of Tommy James and The Shondells' "I Think We're Alone Now."

And lastly, this doesn't really classify as a cover, but that new Kid Rock song which is just "Werewolves of London" crossed with "Sweet Home Alabama" makes me want to do terrible things to my cochlea.

 

[xandier]

Got to be Radioheads cover of "Nobody does it better"! Bloody brilliant!

 

[InspectorJapp]

Bruce Springsteen - Jersey Girl

By Tom Waits, but The Boss has the definitive version. And that's saying something!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL9mpYJ2ZLM

 

[jamie jugs]

The Veils' cover of R.E.M.'s "Drive" comes to mind, since i've recently gotten a tad bit hooked on a compilation REM cover album. Another good one on there is Bodies of Water's take on "Everybody Hurts".

jugs

 

[Fangz]

Johnny Cash's cover of Hurt originally by Nine Inch Nails.

 

[chicago]

Johnny Cash does an even better cover of Bonnie Prince Billy's "I See A Darkness." It was awesome just to see Cash cover an indie song, let alone make it amazing and haunting.

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[Evil Dave]

Johnny Cash does an even better cover of Bonnie Prince Billy's "I See A Darkness." It was awesome just to see Cash cover an indie song, let alone make it amazing and haunting.

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I have to admit to not having heard the original but that is rather good.

 

[Soda Bobinski]

The Doors cover of Them's already awesome-as-hell original ... Gloria.

 

[xochipilli]

(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction

I'm eternally torn between these two versions of the classic.

The first:

<div><object width="480" height="348"><param name="movie" value="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x398k_devo-satisfaction_music&related=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x398k_devo-satisfaction_music&related=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="348" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always"></embed></object><br /><b><a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x398k_devo-satisfaction_music">Devo - Satisfaction</a></b><br /><i>Uploaded by <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/LeBalayeur">LeBalayeur</a> - <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/us/channel/music">Watch more music videos, in HD!</a></i></div>

and the other by the late, great Otis Redding:

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I'll admit, I posted the second version partly because I just find it hilarious to watch the crowd be as unresponsive as humanly possible. Also, since I'm on the topic of Otis, I can't in good conscience not nominate Aretha Franklin's version of "Respect." Obviously, a classic in and of itself.

 

[xochipilli]

The Doors cover of Them's already awesome-as-hell original ... Gloria.

I see your Doors cover, and I raise you one Patti Smith version.

 

[Soda Bobinski]

I see your Doors cover, and I raise you one Patti Smith version.

Heh ... yeah , I like that one , too :

"Jesus died for somebody's sins but not mine."

 

[alchemy]

Ronnie James Dio and Yngwie Malmsteen covering Aerosmith's "Dream on"

 

[TiCKleMaN87]

Jeff Buckley's cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah"

Definietly. I also like Rufus Wainwight's version as well.

Also like James Taylor's cover of Carole King's "You've got a friend."