Leonard Cohen, as we all know, is a genius. But the fucker can’t arrange music for shit. Hallelujah is the obvious case for the prosecution here, a brilliant song murdered by him. Till John Cale got his hands on it… (every other cover is after that really)
Here’s an odd case though. First We Take Manhatten. Not terrible his version, but REM just grab this thing by the scruff of it’s neck. Same album, I’m Your Fan, as John Cale’s Hallelujah. It’s an album which practically reclaims his later work.
However none of this is important. I’d just like to hear some cool new cover versions. Please post some…
Prefer Jennifer Warnes’ “original” myself
I saw Postmodern Jukebox on Tuesday evening: one imaginative cover version after the other.
Like Hey Ya here.
I bagsy Stackridge. Okay?
Love that REM cover, never heard it before so cheers for that one @ganglesprocket
A few decent covers here for you;
Villagers – great cover of Wichita Lineman
Norah Jones covering Jesus Etc. by Wilco!
Ameries classic pop track 1Thing covered acoustically by some hipsters. Should be awful but is in fact gorgeous
I have a covers playlist which you can check out here if you so wish
At work right now so unable to access my covers vault, but I wonder whether you, like me, have wondered who was doing the Black cover used to advertise cheap hotels. So, courtesy google and youtube:
Strange how it loses some of its inoffensive appeal on learning it’s Katie Melua, but it’s still OK
It has to be Jennifer Warnes version. Sorry Mr Sprocket I can’t take that REM cover at all.
Yep, see above
Yep! You are correct. I claim the video though.
Hey Springer – where you been?
On sabbatical. Probably lost my mojo and became a lurker and got very lazy. I saw Bisto swinging by lately so I thought that I’d have another go. ?
I can weary of the meme of a woman with a pretty voice slowing down a rock number, but when the woman in question is Thea Gilmore I could listen all night.
THere ia actually a song in there! Much better without that bloke from AC/DC screeching.
Yuk!
I’ll see your yuk and raise you a GAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!
There is literally nothing worse in this world than some acoustic bore ‘stripping down’ a rock anthem. Literally.
That woman isn’t even pretending to have a strangulated hernia. How the hell does she expect to sing a Gurns classic?
Would it be wrong to say:
“I prefer the Sheryl Crow version”
It would
May I suggest another R.E.M cover? Their take on the sublime Wichita Lineman is itself sublime, I have a love/hate relationship with Stipe’s voice but I think he sings really well here.
Wichita Lineman
R.E.M
Whilst we REMinisce,
I particularly love Mike Mills piano at 2.20
(And is it MikeH’s choice of hardest working man in music, BJ Cole on steel? Bet it is.
Not a cover version but the coolest collaboration EVER!
https://youtu.be/Niy4Q_1d8Zw
I really like this version of one of my favourite songs:
I really like that too. Great choice of a song for restoration
“If you’re going to do a cover version of a much loved American rock song, do it salsa stlyee”, said no-one ever.
Except the Beautiful South:
That’s great . Bit of an underrated singer is Paul Heaton imo. Love that song which despite being a radio staple is one I never tire of hearing. Thanks for posting RD
de-sweared and funked right up
Ooh I love this thread. I have a few covers I like, I’ll post more later. But this….
I adore Roddy Hart and I believe there’s a bit of love amongst AWers for Gemma Hayes. They were born to duet on this Dylan cover.
Swoonsville ❤️
Stop messin’ about… best cover version ever: end of debate
https://youtu.be/Dgz88voETRM as
Curiosity got the better of me & clicked on the link.
I’m glad I did – I love that! Top drawer film too!
That’s great
My own favourite cover of late is this Bob Dylan ditty by Cat Power.
On the other hand my favourite cover ever is Dylan’s Mr Tambourine Man by The Byrds. And it’s better than Dylan’s effort. Fact.
Her version of Dylan’s I Believe in You is also rather good:
It certainly is. We could be friends Lando
We should do a thread …. Dylan but better than Dylan. This would be my next.
This is sublime. Possibly my favourite Dylan cover.
Pencilsqueezer that is beautiful.
Funny you should say that @springer, my radio chums and I did just that.
https://m.mixcloud.com/carlymck/the-p-list-does-bob-dylan/
I think he’s a great song writer but I’m not keen on his voice ❤️
Fair play Today. That’s really cool.
The ever marvellous Tracey Thorn – along with Jens Lekman – does a splendid cover of the Magnetic Fields’ Yeah! Oh Yeah, which is miles better than the original. This video is worth watching for the cakes alone.
Cheers for posting that, Lando – very nice (although I still like Claudia Gonson & Stephin Merritt’s version just as much).
Tracey and Jens should have a go at “Papa Was a Rodeo” too!
They really should.
By the way, judging by Red Rocks, I think we may have erred re the 78 box set…
Emmylou Harris’ version of Wrecking Ball is, I suggest, better than old Neil’s original:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9N5MGRPV0I
It is.
Is not.
It is
Is not. I’m right, you’re wrong. Get over it.
I’ll give you my final 2 offerings.
Margot Bingham singer/actress covered the old Ma Rainey Farewell Daddy Blues in a season finale of Boardwalk Empire. It’s terrific and its here.
And then searching for some more I found out that she only went and covered The White Stripes Fell in Love with a (in her case a boy) …… No come back …… It’s really good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WM_keZhDl-8
Found this on my monthly trawl thru’ new releases on http://www.secondhandsongs.com , a database I find very useful when penning pieces for http://www.covermesongs.blogspot.co.uk
OK, it has somewhat pedestrian “drums” but it is good to see Seal singing something other than hit songbook compilations
The friend I’m staying with chanced to put on Clare Teal’s show on Radio 2 and she played this:
Xavier Cugat: The third Man Theme
Clare also played this scorcher.
Gerard Presencer play Eleanor Rigbt
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MPGOVnzwAc
A Morricone/Baez cover (!) by CGS Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino who are currently touring in the UK.
It was first recorded for the soundtrack of Sacco e Venzetti, a film about the two Italian anarchists who were sentenced to death in the US in the 1920s. Joan wrote the lyrics, Ennio the music.
Well I am late to this thread but I’ve never heard a better cover. This sound is ubiquitous now but this was yeeeaaaaars before advertising agencies ruined many of your favourite songs with their “here’s a shit cover cos we don’t want to pay the licensing fee for the original” routine.
Nina Gordon, Straight Outta Compton.
The Cure do Thin Lizzy; rather well.
This thread will run longer than The Mousetrap.