Best and Worst Remake of Song:

[Piccolo Daimaou]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stromie Queen - Crazy Little Thing Called Love

I hate to be an ass, but this song isn't a cover. Freddie Mercury wrote the song.

 

[FalconP]

Two good ones:

1) Irish harpist/vocalist Aine Minogue covering the Beatle's Across the Universe. Graceful, pensive, literate: she really brings the song to another level.

2) Cellist/vocalist Caroline Lavelle doing Joni Mitchell's A Case of You. Upbeat and chic; Lavelle's smokey voice carries the song perfectly.

A recent horror:
Don't know which, but a boy band has recently covered Mitchell's Big Yellow Taxi -- irritatingly banal disfigurement of a song.

 

[Spyro]

BEST:

Manfred Mann's Earth Band: "Blinded By the Light"
Frank Marino: "All Along the Watchtower"
Diana Krall: "Black Bird"

WORST: already been mentioned.

 

[Jahn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FalconP Two good ones: 1) Irish harpist/vocalist Aine Minogue covering the Beatle's Across the Universe. Graceful, pensive, literate: she really brings the song to another level. 2) Cellist/vocalist Caroline Lavelle doing Joni Mitchell's A Case of You. Upbeat and chic; Lavelle's smokey voice carries the song perfectly. A recent horror: Don't know which, but a boy band has recently covered Mitchell's Big Yellow Taxi -- irritatingly banal disfigurement of a song.

Big yellow taxi - i think that was redone on the 2 weeks notice (name? had sandra bullock in it) soundtrack by that band that sang the "Mr. Jones" song - god i cant remember the name of the band. i dont think my brain is working today COUNTING CROWS ah that's it.

 

[MD1032]

"Mr. Jones"?

You mean from "Ballad Of A Thin Man" ORIGINALLY (where are you coming from?) by Bob Dylan? That's a great song man. The Live version from "Before The Flood" is also excellent.

0 for 2, Jahn.

Oremus...you are so right... my gosh... I am going to do die now.

 

[Jahn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MD1032 "Mr. Jones"? You mean from "Ballad Of A Thin Man" ORIGINALLY (where are you coming from?) by Bob Dylan? That's a great song man. The Live version from "Before The Flood" is also excellent. 0 for 2, Jahn. Oremus...you are so right... my gosh... I am going to do die now.

actually you are 2-2 for misunderstanding my posts lol. check this out -

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...music&n=507846

that's Counting Crows doing a song they wrote called "Mr. Jones" - it had nothing to do with Bob Dylan, and it's not a cover. However they DID cover "Big Yellow Taxi" by Joni Mitchell, which is what my post states, hopefully. Sorry man, you aren't going to catch this nimble poster in a flub, even on an off day! *skips away*


edit - by the way that song "Mr. Jones" DID have a homage to Van Morrison in it however, see if you can spot it!

 

[elrod-tom]

Best = You Really Got Me (Van Halen)

Worst = Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds (William Shatner)

 

[Zoide]

Naaahhh... William Shatner's greates (worst) masterpiece is Rocket Man

 

[Scrith]

Best: All Along the Watchtower by Jimi Hendrix (originally Bob Dylan). I believe I read somewhere that Bob Dylan now performs the song in the style of Hendrix as a tribute.

Worst: any cover by Celine Dion (one of the few singers that actually makes me cringe)

 

[Entropism]

OK, I'll add a few new ones to the mix:

Best:
Mike Ness blowing away Dylan on Don't Think Twice. Best case next to Hendrix of "best cover ever"

Social Distortion - Ring Of Fire

Also good:

Travis covering Hit me baby one more time. They made this song LISTENABLE. Of course, it's a badly recorded live B-side WITH audience laughter. Go figure.

Pearl Jam - Dock of the bay (Off the covering themselves bootleg) If anyone has this CD, I'll pay you to rip it to MP3 for me. It was lost during one of my infamous parties 10 years ago.

Rufus Wainright - Across the universe

Johnny Cash - One (better than the U2 version? Possibly)

Appocalyptica - One (metallica version)

The Commitments cast soundtrack - Mustang Sally

H2O - Like a Prayer (hidden track)

Me First & The Gimme Gimmes - Take Me Home Country Roads

Operation Ivy - These boots were made for walking

Faith No More - Easy

Dropkick Murphys - Black Velvet Band

Nirvana - Lake of fire (The meatpuppets version was godawful)

Cowboy Junkies - Sweet Jane

And now, the worst:
Avril doing Fuel at that Empty-Vee metallica tribute
Fred Durst - Wish you were here (wished he was dead)

 

[pingles]

Quote:

Travis covering Hit me baby one more time. They made this song LISTENABLE. Of course, it's a badly recorded live B-side WITH audience laughter. Go figure

I was going to mention that myself, I believe it was originally recorded during a Radio 1 live lounge set they played on the Mark Radcliffe and Lard show about 3 or so years ago, but I'm sure they've played it numerous times since then. Either way, bizarrely good stuff.

Gwyneth Herbert has just released Bittersweet and Blue, on it there's a cover of Portishead's Glory Box which sounds pretty cool.

I'm also a fan of Jamie Cullum's cover of Pharrel Williams' Frontin', particularly well done (and another Radio 1 live lounge B-side).

Oh, and not quite a cover, but Madlib released an album of Blue Note reworkings called Shades of Blue (on Bluenote), one of the tracks on there (Please set me at ease) is absolutely awesome, really, really good reworking.

As for worst... William Shatner will get another mention for Pulp's Common People, although I think it's doing rather surprisingly well here.

 

[Newbiez]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pingles As for worst... William Shatner will get another mention for Pulp's Common People, although I think it's doing rather surprisingly well here.

Actually it has already fast becoming a cult hit among many people.

 

[Audio Redneck]

Dylan's I'll be your baby tonight

Best: Norah Jones

Worst: Burl Ives

(who would you rather hear sing it?

 

[m0nKeY bUsiNeSs]

Quote:

Originally Posted by eyeteeth Johnny Cash-Hurt Everyone rightfully keeps mentioning this but what about the other tracks?!!! There are 8 CDs of 'American Recordings' if you include the 'Unearthed' box set. Songs I never thought I would ever enjoy, based on familiarity with the title and/or original recording artist of the song covered, I've really liked. Solitary Man (by Neil Diamond), Wichita Lineman (by Glen Campbell/Jimmy Webb), and I See a Darkness (by Bonnie Prince Billy) to name just three are every bit as outstanding as Hurt.

I can understand why people like hurt so much as Cash did an excellent job with it and it really fits him. However, Personal Jesus is my favorite of Cash's covers. The slide guitar has such a great timbre and and Billy Preston's piano playing is just pure rock'n out.

Edit: I just noticed Entropism mention Apocalyptica. Their cover of Nothing Else Matters is absolutely beautiful and sounds so powerful.

 

[timoteus]

Just heard this a few minutes ago. The Neville Brothers brand new and updated cover of the Temptations' "Ball of Confusion". Too good for words. I'm astounded.