Johnny Winter playing Barefootin'
What is your favorite cover?
There are many great covers, such as Mr. Tambourine Man,by the Byrds. I'm curious about everyone's favorite.
112 responses Add your response
Somebody mentioned Susanna Hoffs but forgot about The Bangles version of Hazy Shade of Winter (Simon and Garfunkel). Somebody else mentioned Little Wing but forgot about Sting's version, which is truly ethereal on a great imaging system. Nobody mentioned Rhythm of the Rain by Dan Fogelberg (originally by the Cascades) which is also an incredibly well recorded tune. Sounds like you could hear a pin drop on Fogelberg's version. I apologize for naming more than one. |
Satisfaction ... Cat Power ...
Things We Said Today ... Morgo Timmins ...
Return of the Grievous Angel ... Lucinda Williams & David Crosby for that matter, all the covers on Return Of The Grievous Angel: A Tribute To Gram Parsons are really good
just about all the songs on Bleeker Street Greenwich Village in the 60's https://youtu.be/vF_WVExdQYo?list=PLoERbxXMyKwb-OON8pm6VPgOsBJIyx5v
just about all the songs on Poet: A Tribute to Townes Van Zandt https://youtu.be/vF_WVExdQYo?list=PLoERbxXMyKwb-OON8pm6VPgOsBJIyx5v
|
@berner99 Her name is Toni Lindgren. Fabulous guitar player, My favorites change frequently. Currently enjoy Katie Pruitt's cover of After the Gold Rush. Katie Pruitt - After the Gold Rush (Official Audio) - YouTube Good quality recording, 24/96 on Amazon Ultra HD. |
| Post removed |
Quicksilver Messenger Service - Happy Trails (Roy Rogers & Dale Evans) Tomita - Pictures at an Exhibition (Mussosky/Various Artists) The Force - Star Wars Disco (John Williams) Manfred Mann - Blinded by the Light (Bruce Springsteen) Honorable Mention: Fraternity of Man - Don't Bogart that Joint (Okay, maybe there wasn't an earlier version, but the chances of these lyrics being sang, hummed, slurred, or st-st-st-studdered by the Flower People in the Bay Area after a couple of "hits" in the 60's was a certainty) Doobie Brothers - Black Water (First sang by Bob Winnebago in 1966 as he was dumping the sewage tank on his first RV) |
And to follow up on @bigtwin 's comment, it is interesting to consider what makes a good cover. So much of music history had a separation of composer and performer. I always think of a good cover as one I want to listen to as much or more than the original. Sometimes a new performance shows something else magical about the composition itself that the original doesn't capture for lots of reasons. Thanks again to the OP for generating this offering of performances! |
Leonid & Friends doing any of Chicago's catalogue. Check them out on youtube - out - frickin - standing!!! All songs note for note identical & perfect even though they may not even really know what the songs mean. Funny. They're all Russians but simply great artist citizens - nothing to do w/ crazy man Putin. |
@ozzy - Cool! I hope you really enjoy it! There was another one that Kingdom Come did called 'Galactic Zoo Dossier' that is well worth a listen. A number of years ago, there was a live performance of the Pretty Things' 'SF Sorrow' at Royal Albert Hall or someplace, and Arthur did the narration.... |
@notlistening - Indeed! Most of those covers on those Rick Rubin- produced Johnny Cash albums sound like they were written for him! My favorite might be 'The Mercy Seat', which is great whether Nick or Johnny sang it. That would be a good cover, 'Only Happy...'. |
|
My favorite cover was by an art teacher from the twin cities playing a small venue in central Wisconsin. He played his version of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah that blows away any artist that ever did that song hands down. He started playing it right after a break so the crowd was still a little noisy but they quickly quieted down to the point you could hear a pin drop. It was actually quiet for a few seconds after he was done because the audience was just stunned. I have never heard anything better.
|
Really glad builder3 gave some love to Amy’s version of “Will You Love Me Tomorrow.” With so many great versions of the Goffin/King classic, that version stunned me and caused me to consider it equal (or superior) to the Shirelles’ original, or Ms. King’s very-different-but-equally-great version off her masterpiece, “Tapestry.” This is a really tough one, but one of my favorite music questions. I try to think of covers that trounce the originals. This may be nit-picky, but I don’t really consider songs from the ‘20s-‘40s covers. Standards that are meant to be recorded again and again by the greats: Arlen, Gershwins, Berlin, Cahn, Porter, Carmichael, Youmans etc. I don’t count traditional arr. as a cover, either. Jimi’s “Watchtower” is obvious but really makes the OG seem almost irrelevant, which is no easy task with the great Dylan. When Harry Nilsson does Randy Newman’s “Living Without You,” I’m putty in Harry’s hands Another obvious one is the exhaustively overplayed “Hallelujah” by Buckley, but like Jimi’s cover, it makes the cheap-Casio-garish-‘80s-nightmare that is the great Cohen’s original seem, again, almost irrelevant. It’s not Leonard’s nor Jeff’s fault that this masterpiece is so overplayed. As fine as Otis’ original of “Respect” is, not sure it really compares to Aretha’s. Scott Walker completely obliterated ”The Big Hurt” by Toni Fisher Marvin Gaye’s version of “Yesterday” is astounding Stevie Wonder’s cover of “We Can Work it Out” is even more astounding.
|
@hanfrac - one of my very fave covers is the Ramones doing ’SURFIN’ BIRD’!!!! Pa Pa Pa Pa Pa Mow Mow, Pa Pa Oo Mow Mow Mow THAT always got a mosh pit going!!!! |
@tony1954 + 1 on the Johnny Winter track, it just shreds One more; Heroes - Peter Gabriel (amazing version and beautifully recorded) |
