I thought the Yo La Tengo cover of Speeding Motorcycle really worked..

I dunno.... i mean see what everyone's saying about not covering dylan, the fall, and SY... so far the bulk of people... and jimi... but i still feel it's ok to come up with your own interpretations if you feel you have a connection with the song and wanna play it. Like I wouldn't mind learning how to play memphis blues (it would be fun to jam on with a band) or an sy song.
I mean i'm learning 'johnny b. goode' right now which I'd say probably fits up there with a lot of what's been mentioned... i think the difference is that i just want to learn as I see it as a mantra, moto, to the guitar itself and just fun as hell to play.

But, just to be fair, i think we're mainly talking about recorded covers that are genreally shit.

Yeah, you're mostly right...

but you forgot "In my Time of Dying" by Led Zeppelin.

Led Zeppelin also did some wicked Elvis covers (Plant's favorite), but never recorded 'em...they were played at soundchecks and you can only get them on bootlegs.
Please note that I normally would not use "wicked" as a modifier; in this case, it's appropriate, however.

oh my, that's bob? that's a great one. i love zeppelin.

Of course, the Byrds' "Mr. Tambourine Man" cover made folk incredibly popular for a time, and perhaps, urged Dylan on to destroy it with his electric music.

some bands that are hard to cover:

jefferson airplane
the beatles (many try, no one ever gets it right)
sonic youth
velvet underground
television
animal collective
deerhoof

Even if you can play the music, it's pretty much impossible to create the same atmosphere as they do.

Johnny and June Cash did a cover of It ain't Me Babe, which is a good cover. Ryan Adams would be the best person to do a Dylan cover these days.

OH! i forgot, i love PJ harvey's cover of highway 61 revisited. so i've heard like 4 good dylan covers in my life.

Not true. At the Drive-In did a fantastic cover of "This Night Has Opened My Eyes".

No one can cover At the Drive-In, The Bronx, Refused, or The Blood Brothers. Rage Against the Machine are another band that every cover band tries to play but everyone wonders why they did and wishes they didn't.

my favourite Bob Dylan cover is by Half Japanese. They Do Tangled Up In Blues, it's really fuckin great. I think it's off their first album.

Good Beatles covers-
Within You, Without You- Sonic Youth
Happiness is a Warm Gun- The Breeders
Honey Pie- The Pixies
Across the Universe- David Bowie (arguable, I think it isn't all that bad)
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band- Jimi Hendrix -he covered it on the sunday after the friday release of the album (He also covered Day Tripper)
Here Comes the Sun- Richie Havens- I saw him do it live. He's like 70 years old and he is still awesome. Very good cover version.

Plus, apparently there are 20 Beatles covers on the I Am Sam soundtrack, atleast one has to be good. I've only heard the Nick Cave one, it isn't too bad. I think it would have better if he did it in his Birthday Party days.

And people keep saying you can't cover Jimi after I proved you wrong. DEVO MOTHERFUCKAS.

untrue. i like the flaming lips cover of unmade bed.

yeah but i think when you're doing a cover you shouldn't try to copy the original song, you should rework it and make it your own.

now i do, since you've properly explained yourself.
[/smug]

The Smiths can't be covered?

Have you never heard ATDI's This Night Has Opened My Eyes?

Fantastic.

And Jeff Buckley covered the Smiths. Jeff Buckley can do no wrong. Except swimming with his clothes on in the Mississippi. That was pretty fucking dumb.

MOTHA FOCKING DEVO COVERED HENDRIX AND IT WAS AWESOME. SURE THEY CAN'T PLAY LIKE JIMI, BUT THEY'RE AWESOMENESS LEVEL IS AT THE SAME PLACE.

SOME FUCKING RECOGNITION!

SHOUT OUT FOR DEVO MOTHA FOCKA!

DEVO owns all.

Gloria, Yesterday, Louie Louie, and the Batman theme.

Devo are great.

devo are great. and might i add, they can be covered. i like nirvana's cover of "turnaround" on incesticide.

So true, so true. And if someone tried, they'd probably get laughed at.


Frank Zappa's songs are almost impossible to cover.

I did and it is rubbish,hence what i stated sweetheart.In fact ATDI are rubbish in general and not just for that cover.

Well with this post, you clearly state your taste is in your bum.

more like Cedric sounds like he has his finger up his bum. Best way to hit those high notes

If you say so........

there are at least 2 brilliant prince-covers:

the jesus & mary chain - alphabet street
age of chance - kiss

But why should a cover song have to sound like the original? Flying Lizards' "Money" bears little resemblance to the original, but that doesn't make it a bad cover version.

I don't really want a cover version to sound like the original, I want it to take the original to new places. An exception to this is Bowie's cover of Pixies "Cactus", which ended up being taken to an awful place.

I own a CD that features an ambient electronica version of "Starpower" which is really quite lovely.

And Smiths-wise, I thought that Schneider TM's version of There Is a Light That Never Goes Out was generally regarded as being something pretty special.

I'd love to hear that Mary Chain one. Where do I find it?

Hmmm....i'm beating myself up for that.That's the only noteworthy cover of The Smiths that i know of.

Oh yeah, another SY one - didn't some grunge band do quite a good cover of Halloween?

Oh yes Pearl Jam,innit guv?

In case anybody missed this.

it's on Come On cd-single (part 2):


not sure if it's included on any of the compilations, but it's a great version!

I prefer it to the original, and I'm a big fan of the Smiths.


Not so sure about the age of chance one, it being crap and all. Wouldn't mind hearing the J&MC one though. Anyone voting for Tom Jones' version of kiss will have their throat slit.

The Smiths - How soon is now.