h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Bryan Ferry's cover of the Stone's 'Sympathy for the Devil'.Fantastic!

Incog.

King Curtis's instrumental cover of "A Whiter Shade of Pale". So much better without those stupid forced-surreal lyrics on the original.

I really enjoy listening to both versions of "Tuesday's Gone" by the original band Lynyrd Skynyrd and the cover by Metallica off the "Garage inc. Album"

I have real trouble listening to Roxy Music's "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall" - not because it's a bad version as such, just i can't imagine why they'd want to do it, what were they up to? It confuses me as much as it entertains me. Very odd.

The Sex Pistols doing No Fun - hairs up on the back on my neck every time.

Robert Wyatt singing Shipbuilding - guaranteed to make me cry.

The Fall doing Lost in Music or Victoria

The Jesus and Mary Chain doing Surfing USA

Elvis Costello doing My Funny Valentine; or the album of country covers Almost Blue

Nick Cave doing In the Ghetto or anything from his covers LP Kicking Against the Pricks

The Clash playing Police and Thevies

Momus singing the songs of Jaques Brel on the 'Nicky' ep.

The Beatles doing Long Tall Sally, Roll Over Beethoven, Sweet Little Sixteen etc

Nirvana doing In the Pines

Mama Cass singing Dream a Little Dream (I assume this is a cover).

And the great Johnny Cash has performed probibly ALL the great songs of the age but on his last few albums has laid down a few definitive versions.


I got a bit carried away there didn't i.

To be fair, Will Young isn't covering the Doors' original of Light My Fire - he's covering Jose Feliciano's version almost note for note, so any issues anyone has with Mr Pop Idol should probably take it up with that blind guitarist who started it all off...

As for good cover versions, well the Beatles did a fair few: "Long Tall Sally" (Little Richard), "Baby, It's You" (Burt Bacharach), "Twist and Shout" (The Isley Brothers) to name but a few.

I love covers. I think one of the stupidest things anyone can say is "Oh that's ruined the original" - how? You still have the original, and any new version is either going to make you appreciate the original more or else it will add to your appreciation. Surely?

Aaaanyway, fave covers:

- Fraisier Chorus' etherial cover of the Pistols' "God Save The Queen".

- The Stranglers' covers of "Walk on By" and "All Day and All of the Night"

- Candy Flip's "Strawberry Fields" - Madches-tastic.

- Marc Almond's pretty much appropriated Tainted Love, and I like it just as much as the Gloria Jones original. The Flying Pickets did a good version of it too.

- Tears For Fears' "Ashes to Ashes" was almost note-for-note, but still good. Quite Like Samantha Mumba's use of the main intro to the song for her "Body to Body".

- The Fugees (the "Jive Bunny" of the 1990s) did "Killing Me Softly", their most blatant cover, but for mix-mash genius, their version of the Delfonics' "Ready or Not" which uses a sample of Enya's "The Celts" was sublime, while their "Rumble in the Jungle" uses the bass-line from Abba's "Name of the Game" and the chorus of Juice Newton's Angel of the Morning.

... however, I think westlife have a lot of explaining to do. At the very least, someone should tell them why grinning all the way through" Seasons in the Sun" wasn't exactly appropriate for the song

Jimster

Oh - forgot "The love child of Janet Ellis and the alien warlord BEX-tor" aka Sophie Ellis Bextor, whose "Take Me Home" makes good use of the Cher original, while Cher's version of Buck's Fizz's "Heart of Stone" is also quite nice.

Jims

ERmmm Zagreb. The instrumental version of A Whiter Shade of Pale... surely that is just Bach's Air on a G String.

She's got a point, you know

The cover I love at the moment is Maralin Manson's version of Tainted Love - fantastic cover!

They're playing Puff Daddy's "I'll Be Missing You" right now on the radio. That is one that is better than the original. Especially since that one just sucked. But in general covers are blasphemy.

Never afraid to swim against the tide, eh Xanatic?
Puff Daddy better than The Police...

"To be fair, Will Young isn't covering the Doors' original of Light My Fire - he's covering Jose Feliciano's version almost note for note, so any issues anyone has with Mr Pop Idol should probably take it up with that blind guitarist who started it all off..."

Blind ...and deaf, by any chance?

CANDY FLIP? Were you on one when you listened to it last?

Eloise by the Damned

Spirit in the Sky by Dr and the Medics - even Norman Greenbaunm said it was better

I don't want to Talk about it - by Everything but the Girl rather than Rod stewart. Their versionof the Only Living Boy in New York is up there, if not better, as well...

Eloise
Spirit in the Sky
Only Living Boy in New York: no way - can't be!

Now, if you'd said Spirit in the Sky by (We've Got a) Fuzzbox (and We're Gonna Use it)...

Nah - I've got it on one of the Now compilations and it's just an inoffensive bit of fluff. No worse than the Beatles did to Carl Perkins or Buddy Holly

Adding to the covers of Tainted Love, The Inspiral Carpets did a dreadful version of it.

... and can I also name-check Faith No More's "Easy Like Sunday Morning" (The Commodores), The Housemartins' "Caravan of Love" (The Isley Brothers), Beats International's "Dub Be Good To Me" (kind of SOS Band, but with extra bits) and Ami Stweart's (Edie Floyd's / Otis Redding's) "Knock of Wood" - diddlydiddlydiddlydiddlydum DUM DUM DUM!


But not The Proclaimers' "King of the Road"...

Jimster
Keeper of the Dodgy Covers, maybe?

I think yes, as most of the ones you've quoted (and I have personal experience of others) are ing awful.

I agree about Fugees' Ready or Not. One of those pivotally evocative records in my life.

Prince - Kiss covered by The Art of Noise and Tom Jones
both are good

Blues Shark - yet again I find myself in full agreement with you!! Posting 37 really sums up Jim's musical tastes!