Ragnar Paulson Posted July 3, 2003 Share Posted July 3, 2003 Hey, a while back we had a thread on favorite music. This is a variant on that. I love covers, I like hearing different renditions and interpretations (sometimes manglings) of my favorite songs. Does anyone else? (well there are some websites devoted to this topic ... but mostly from the website authors view).There are covers that outshine the originals (Jimi Hendrix' All along the Watchtower), covers that I thought were original (Soft Cell cover of Tainted Love was a sixties R&B number for Gloria Jones), covers that re-interpret (Johnny Cash version of Hurt gives me an entirely different mood and connotations from the Trent Reznor) and covers that didn't need to be made (Eric Clapton's I shot the Sherriff) ... of course the latter category is huge. For some people all covers are bad! Anyone else want to weigh in here ... send me off on a search for new CDs. I recently heard a snippet of "sixteen tons" on The Wire (HBO) which made me go to the Internet, find the bar band (The Nighthawks) and order a CD (its good, not great). Course the recording I want is out of print (anyone have "Rock this House" by the Nighthawks?).Or am isolated in this hobby.Ragnar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted July 3, 2003 Share Posted July 3, 2003 Well Rock this house may be out of print, but it is still available at at least two places on the web:Nighthawks CDs (in association with Amazon)And at a store on the other side of the pond:THE NIGHTHAWKS (DiscoWeb)I too love the odd and sometimes paradoxical covers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragnar Paulson Posted July 3, 2003 Author Share Posted July 3, 2003 Thanks. I had found sites in Europe earlier but balked at paying close to $30 (before shipping). Amazon previously showed it as out of print, but this is the first time i've seen their resell links, sort of like E-bay is it? Do they actually take possession and reship, or would I deal direct with the seller?Big Mo records also claims to have Rock this House in stock, but I haven't gotten around to phoning to check on the claim.Did you know Santana's version of Black Magic Woman is a cover? Ragnar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GolfProRM Posted July 3, 2003 Share Posted July 3, 2003 My favorite cover: "I'm a Man" Sung by Chicago (back in the late 60's). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted July 3, 2003 Share Posted July 3, 2003 Ryan -- Really ... a Chicago cover is your favorite ... I never would have guessed LOL! Ragnar -- Big Mo records also claims to have Rock this House in stock, but I haven't gotten around to phoning to check on the claim.Yeah, I went there too, but it wasn't in their 'I have this' list of albums so I didn't list that one ;)There certainly are a lot of great top hits out there that were basically covers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted July 3, 2003 Share Posted July 3, 2003 Ragnar -- Amazon previously showed it as out of print, but this is the first time i've seen their resell links, sort of like E-bay is it? Do they actually take possession and reship, or would I deal direct with the seller?Not sure about how they do business, but it would be good to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GolfProRM Posted July 3, 2003 Share Posted July 3, 2003 Ryan -- Really ... a Chicago cover is your favorite ... I never would have guessed LOL! Yeah... I know. The interesting this is that "I'm a Man" was the only song Chicago covered until they did a version of "Sing, Sing, Sing" on the album "Night and Day" in 1994. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted July 3, 2003 Share Posted July 3, 2003 And that's a very impressive thing considering how prolific they were all along! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebone Posted July 3, 2003 Share Posted July 3, 2003 Some that come to mind:Psychedelic Furs' "The Ghost in You": cover by Counting CrowsBlind Faith's "I Can't Find My Way Home": cover by Ellen McIlwaineBobby Gentry's "Ode to Billy Joe": also covered by Ellen McIlwaineJoni Mitchell's "Urge for Going", "Circle Game", "Tin Angel": cover by Tom Rush (Are these considered covers? Tom put these to vinyl before Joni did)Donovan's "Season of the Witch": cover by Juli Driscoll, Brian Auger and the TrinityJohn Prine's "Angel From Montgomery": cover by Bonnie RaittDylan's "Wicked Messenger": cover by Patti SmithGladys Night and the Pips' "I Heard it Through the Grapevine": take your pick: cover by Marvin Gaye or Creedence Clearwater RevivalHonorable Mentions:Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe": cover by The TurtlesJimi Hendrix's: "Up From the Sky" cover by Ellen McIlwaineBen E. King's "Stand By Me": cover by John LennonLittle Richard's "Long Tall Sally": cover by The BeatlesBuddy Holly and the Crickets' "Not Fade Away": cover by The Rolling StonesHey Joe: cover by Jimi Hendrix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragnar Paulson Posted July 3, 2003 Author Share Posted July 3, 2003 Awesome list littlebone. Are you perhaps an Ellen McIlwaine fan? I saw her at a club in Saskatoon (ohmygod 20 years ago!) ... great show, great fun. I've only got the one album on vinyl, bought that night and signed. I should get more. Especially as I never listen to albums anymore, not even sure what shape they're in Ragnar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henderrob Posted July 3, 2003 Share Posted July 3, 2003 I like the Rippington's cover of Jimi Hendrix' Star Spangled Banner. I also like most of the covers that Diane Krall does. I think she's great! Canadian, too. Hey Joe, Hendrix cover was made into a play by my junior high class. I don't think it would be politically correct today Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebone Posted July 3, 2003 Share Posted July 3, 2003 Are you perhaps an Ellen McIlwaine fan?  I like Ellen's music, but her first album had many covers on it. I really like the ones I listed. I never liked the original Ode To Billy Joe. McIlwaine's version is a synchopated marvel.The "I Can't Find My Way Home" cover could be played with the original, intertwining verses. I like both.While we're on the subject:Jake Holmes' "Dazed and Confused": covered by (and credit stolen by) Led Zeppelin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted July 3, 2003 Share Posted July 3, 2003 And of course there is the great work of Jimmy Webb which many covered! Of course only some, I guess, would have been considered Covers at the time, but Jimmy Webb has done many of his songs himself since then. So do we call them "Retro Covers" ??? LOL! Glen Campbell - "By The Time I Get To Phoenix," "Wichita Lineman," "Galveston," "Where’s The Playground, Susie"Richard Harris - "MacArthur Park," "Didn’t We"Fifth Dimension - "Up, Up and Away," "This Is Your Life"The Brooklyn Bridge - "Worst That Could Happen"Art Garfunkel - "All I Know"Linda Ronstadt - "Easy For You To Say"Joe Cocker - "The Moon’s A Harsh Mistress" Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and Kris Kristofferson hit #1 in the late eighties with another Webb standard, "The Highwayman," a ballad which won him yet another Grammy for Best Country Song of the Year, and a CMA Award for Single Of The Year. Linda Ronstadt, who has recorded a multitude of his songs throughout her recording career, included four of his efforts on her double platinum album, "Cry Like A Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind." With a discography that reads like a "Who’s Who" in the music world, Webb’s songs continue to grace a multitude of major recording artists’ albums, from Tony Bennett and Rosemary Clooney, to Urge Overkill, Reba McEntire, and R.E.M."I really enjoy the Jimmy Webb's songwriting. We had fun finding out some information about Jimmy Webb through a song we recently heard on the radio which we hadn't heard in quite a while. The song was "The Worst That Could Happen." You can read about our search and where it led us in my Tangled Webb article. The quote above is from Jimmy Webb's website which is listed in the article. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebone Posted July 3, 2003 Share Posted July 3, 2003 Joe Cocker - "The Moon’s A Harsh Mistress"Great song! When you heard this it seemed like Joe Cocker was on the verge of losing his voice forever, but he's still going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonicDragon Posted July 4, 2003 Share Posted July 4, 2003 I also love covers and hearing different peoples interpretations of songs. Not many are coming to mind right now but...Miles Davis playing Gershwin's Summer Time.Miles Davis playing Time After Time by Cindi Lauper.Why can't i think of any others.........I think i'll be back to edit this post... =============================================I thought of another:The Counting Crows playing "Pave Paradice and Put up a Parking Lot". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeber Posted July 4, 2003 Share Posted July 4, 2003 "Old Fogey Alert!!"I used to have an assistant who loved "Me First and the Gimme-Gimmies"...all they do is covers, and (this is what the O.F. alert is about) they do them badly. But they have fun doing them badly. You might want to check out The Cover Project web page. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragnar Paulson Posted July 4, 2003 Author Share Posted July 4, 2003 OF alert!! I have a "me first and the gimme-gimmes" albums ... I love it. (my wife of course disagrees). Take any song and convert it to a 3-chord punk tune ... mind you the novelty wears off after a while. (guess that's why i don't own their other albums). The covers projects unfortunately is all but dead. unchecked and unauthenticated entries into the database have made the whole list dubious. They had a short lived forum (no registration required to post) and it was abused as well ... i think the demise of the covers project lead me to start this thread. Ragnar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeber Posted July 4, 2003 Share Posted July 4, 2003 The covers projects unfortunately is all but dead. unchecked and unauthenticated entries into the database have made the whole list dubious. They had a short lived forum (no registration required to post) and it was abused as wellBummer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cluttermagnet Posted July 6, 2003 Share Posted July 6, 2003 Thanks, guys-For a nice walk down Memory Lane. An interesting way to look at it- in terms of covers instead of music. I reread this thread twice, because I wanted to be sure you are talking about album releases and not singles. I'm still not sure. Some singles did have cover art- a few. Most of my collecting took place in the era of vinyl LP's. By the time CDs came out, I was inactive and buying very little music. I continued to favor the vinyl a long time past then.I don't remember many you mentioned, though in many cases I know the artists and their work pretty well. I can't picture most of the covers. I'm sure they could be looked up on the AMG (All Music Guide) site . I still can't tell if people are pulling up covers simply that they feel have artistic merit, or whether they also think the music is as exceptional as the cover art. With that in mind, I spent a pleasant 5-10 minutes going through my 33-1/3 vinyl looking at cover art. I came up with over a dozen. BTW one of the few I did recognize is Donovan/ Season of the Witch, mentioned by littlebone. I know that one well, but am surprised there was no mention of Donovan/ Mellow Yellow. A very trippy, artistic cover drawing- I think it's even better.I'm amazed by the diversity- of your posts, of my own collection. A lot of my early years were shaped by what was happening musically. My musical scene was less of a pop/rock radio station thing, and more of an at home, with friends, play a nice album and talk/ laugh/ carry on sort of thing. With that all in mind, my list...Gordon Jenkins/ Seven Dreams (1954- you youngsters just forget about this one) Joni Mitchell/ For the Roses ( folk style yet uniquely hers, delivered in her usual melancholic dialect)Ahmad Jamal/ Ahmad Jamal Trio at the Pershing (mellow, inspired- the young Ahmad with fire in his belly)Donovan/ Mellow Yellow (his career peak, IMO- trippy)Bob Dylan/ John Wesley Harding ("Dear Landlord", a classic- wonder what these guys were smoking?)Seals and Crofts/ Down Home (at the peak of their careers- awesome)Manhattan Transfer/ Extensions ("Nothing You Can Do About It", "Twilight Zone/ Twilight Tone"- awesome)Joni Mitchell/ Hissing of Summer Lawns (insightful, one of her best)Duran Duran/ Rio (I just bought it for the cover, I barely know the music)Ahmad Jamal/ Tranquility (smooth, brilliant work)James Taylor/ Walking Man (more for the music than the cover, the title piece says it all, numerous other standout cuts)Firesign Theatre/ I think We're All Bozos On This Bus (Wonderful! Original cover art by Phil Hartman of Saturday Night Live fame- shot dead while sleeping by his drug-addicted spouse- he should never have told her he was about to leave her)The Doors/ Strange Days (Indeed: "When the still sea conspires an armor, and her sullen and aborted currents breed tiny monsters, true sailing is dead..." Morrison fancied himself a poet)Tim Buckley/ Goodbye and Hello (you need to get your nervous system retuned to listen to this guy- he has a small but exceedingly loyal following including some new fans from a different generation nearly 30 years after his untimely death- most folks will hate this guy's work)The world is a wonderful and highly varied place. Musical and artistic picks differ incredibly from person to person. We are lucky when we find another person who shares even 5-10 percent of what we love in music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cluttermagnet Posted July 6, 2003 Share Posted July 6, 2003 "Old Fogey Alert!!"I used to have an assistant who loved "Me First and the Gimme-Gimmies"...all they do is covers, and (this is what the O.F. alert is about) they do them badly. But they have fun doing them badly. You might want to check out The Cover Project web page.Duh. Oh, OK. Now I get it, more or less. I know of plenty of examples. Who did a better rendition of "Sunny Goodge Street? Donovan or Judy Collins? I like both versions. Who did "Stoney End" better, Laura Nyro or Barbara Striesand? Wow, it sounds like 'cover songs' is a really arcane branch of musicology. I had never even heard of the concept before now. This must be like something kids play in the car on a long boring trip to avoid going crazy- see how many states (or countries) you can count by looking at license plates on cars. :lol:I guess I don't share Ragnar's and Jeber's liking for even badly done 'covers'. Most amateur nights have featured performances that made me wince and want to jump up and run out of the room. I have been fortunate (or unfortunate) to grow up in an era of exceptional performers and performances, with musical media promoted and distributed nationally and even internationally, and with such a treasure of fancy audio recording electronics (I'm also thinking "synthesizers" and "multi-track mixdowns" here). I am therefore a member of a generation who have been very much spoiled by many extremely polished and stellar performances. As a general rule, I like artist's recorded works even better than their live performances, by a wide margin. One of the very few artists who were just as good live or in the studio were Seals and Crofts. What an incredible pair of consumate musicians they were. Most artists fall to pieces live, IMO. There are exceptions, of course, including some artists who are even better live.After reading Ragnar's original post, I still didn't understand what a 'cover song' was. It sounded like maybe the "title song" of an album. I just pictured the cardboard jackets LP's come in. "Album covers", get it? This is all getting rather esoteric. The other day jbredmound mentioned "inter-special" in the context of genetics. I never did get a good feeling for how he meant his use of the term. I did find some other interesting stuff during my Google search, at least. This is why I use so many quotation marks and semi-quotes in my writing. Many things have multiple meanings. I often use these punctuations to alert readers when I'm using a word or phrase in an unusual or lesser known way.No, I'm not going to start a new thread about good music albums which also have unusually good cover art- although that is what I ended up posting about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted July 6, 2003 Share Posted July 6, 2003 (edited) I think in the original sense, "Covers" in relation to musicians had to do with professional recording artists "covering" (performing) other bands' material or songwriters' material during their live performances and on recordings as opposed to performing their own material, or in addition to their own material.That is what many local bands still call it when they perform other bands' material during their live performances.Over the years many singer/songwriters have written songs specifically for another band, such as Jimmy Webb writing music and lyrics for songs for Glen Campbell and many others. Later these two artists also did some of these songs themselves. Edited July 7, 2003 by LilBambi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbredmound Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 Ragnar --Amazon previously showed it as out of print, but this is the first time i've seen their resell links, sort of like E-bay is it? Do they actually take possession and reship, or would I deal direct with the seller?Not sure about how they do business, but it would be good to know. You deal directly with the seller, Like Ebay, the sellers earn ratings as they go, and you can see who is offering and what their rating is.I have purchased a lot via the Amazon resellers, and actually prefer it to ebay, as it seems easier. The resellers have some stick guidelines to go by, just like ebay. Since I have never had a problem, I can't tell you how Amazon handles those.BTW, you pay Amazon, who pays the sellers. This is a part that I like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FuzzButt Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 Well My favorite cover has required much thought on my part. I have heard many artists cover other band's tunes in the past. I like it when the covers are of great song's done by another great band. Any backyard band can do a cover but when another great band does one it is real cool.Now I have narrowed it down to a few:Nickelback's cover of "Mistake" by Big WreckJani Lane's (Warrant) cover of "Photograph" by Def LeppardZZTop did a cover of "Viva Las Vegas" by Elvis on their Greatest Hits CD that is better than the original.By the way the answer is yes I have them as MP3's. 2 of my 3 selections are not on released CD's her in the US and that makes finding them a bit harder without P2P software. Part of the reason Napster was so great. Sure anyone can go to the record store but finding the obscure stuff is for the internet.Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.