Take a good song, redo it. It happens a lot. I always thought the idea was to make the song better or at least unique. Hendrix did it with Dylan's All Along the Watchtower. Alien Ant Farm did a pretty decent version of ol' MJ's Smooth Criminal (from back when he still had it). But what's up with all of these current remakes groups are releasing that absolutely degrade the integrity of songs that were much better before the remake? And why is Matt Pinfield still on TV?
I got to thinking about it this morning. I was chilling in the living room, reading a book. I like background noise so I turned on VH1 because they actually show videos for a small segment of their available programming time, mostly in the early morning. Like right now. So they start showing a U2 video, the song One. A great U2 song, I'll have to admit. So I actually start to watch it. Right before the first verse, Mary J Blige appears. Huh?! Then she does all of the singing while the band plays the music. It seems like the current trend in voice stars is to embellish to the extent that you can't really tell that they're crappy (okay, mediocre at best) because they're all over the place notewise. It's hard to be off key when you sing in every key for each phrase. Ewwy, ewwy, ooh.
Notable Cover Tunes
Respect - Aretha Franklin (did you know this was originally by Otis Redding?)
All Along the Watchtower - Hendrix (Dylan)
Hard to Handle - The Black Crowes (Redding again)
Killing Me Softly - The Fugees (Roberta Flack)
Higher Ground - Red Hot Chili Peppers (Stevie Wonder)
Hurt - Johnny Cash (NIN)
I Will Survive - Cake (Gloria Gaynor)
Tainted Love - Soft Cell (Gloria Jones)
Mr Bojangles - Nina Simone (Jerry Jeff Walker)
Total Ass Covers
Sweet Child O' Mine - Sheryl Crow (Guns n Roses)
One - U2 w/ MJ Blige (U2, ruined their own song. sad)
Stairway to Heaven - Dolly Parton (Led Zeppelin)
American Pie - Madonna (Don McLean)
Turn the Page - Metallica (Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band)
Tuesday's Gone - Metallica (Lynryd Skynyrd)
Big Yellow Taxi - Counting Crows (Joni Mitchell)
These lists could go on and on.
What's your favorite/least favorite cover tune?
5 comments:
For a fav, I'd probably have to pick Cash's version of "Hurt". It haunts me.
So many awful covers to choose from...but Paul Anka's swing versions of "Black Hole Sun" and "Smells Like Teen Spirit" are truly hateful. Actually, that whole "Rock Swings" album pretty much makes me want to go on a killing spree.
I'll have to agree that Johnny Cash's vocals on that track made the song about eleventy billion times creepier than Reznor's version which was already more than slightly disturbing.
I love Johnny Cash's "Hurt", and also the Tori Amos version of "Smells Like Teen Spirit".
I also really love the cello covers of Metallica songs (can't remember the name of the band or whatever that does it).
Anyone who covers an Eagles song should be put out of their misery. Yuck. The Eagles suck - and no one can make it better.
You are thinking of Apocalyptica. And yes, they rock.
They've also done some great Slayer and Faith No More covers.
Oh, man! I think Counting Crows really improved Joni's Big Yellow Taxi. Her version, while the original, just never cut it.
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