I’m a lover of rock, and I especially like covers. A cover is when someone records a song someone else did, often putting his/her own spin on the song. I’ve decided to start a new series of posts where I share my favorite covers.
The list’s criteria will be as follows:
- One cover per artist. This not only applies to the artist, but to the artist being covered. So no list will have more than one Jimi Hendrix cover, for instance.
- The original artist must not be involved in the cover. For example, the Run-DMC version of “Walk This Way” is not eligible, because Aerosmith performs the song with them.
- I must be able to find the song on Youtube.
- Tribute songs, such as Ice Cube’s “Bop Gun (One Nation)”, are not covers.
1. “Blue Suede Shoes”–Elvis Presley (original: Carl Perkins)
original:
cover:
The fact that Elvis recorded this song during a time when many radio stations refused to play black musicians is irrelevant to me. Elvis had a presence that, to this day, cannot be matched. So what if the King never wrote any of his material? He still had talent.
2. “I’m Not in Love”–Tori Amos (original: 10cc)
original:
cover:
This song comes from Tori Amos’s cover and concept album, Strange Little Girls. Tori Amos is a true talent, and she is no stranger to great covers. I first heard her when she covered Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” on her Crucify EP. To be honest, I can’t stand the original version of this song. So to hear someone I like do the song better is enough to include her in this list.
3. Bananarama–“Venus” (original: Shocking Blue)
original:
cover:
In many cases, a cover can overshadow the original. This is definitely the case for Bananarama’s version of “Venus”. For me, the song suits female vocals better than male vocals. Besides, I’m a child of the 80’s and I completely embraced the New Wave movement.
4. “The Sky is Crying”–Stevie Ray Vaughn (original: Jimi Hendrix)
(note: I could not find a video of the Hendrix version)
<iframe width=”420″ height=”315″ src=”//www.youtube.com/embed/PlRpxyY_QkY” frameborder=”0
There are many guitarists who have attempted to cover Hendrix. Stevie Ray Vaughn took it one step further. The man doesn’t just emulate Hendrix, he channels Hendrix’s spirit into his body and produces a masterpiece.
5. “Shine”–Pillar (original: Collective Soul)
original:
cover:
When Collective Soul recorded this song, I had a feeling a Christian artist would come along and do their own version. Pillar is one of the best Christian rockers out there (check out their song “Front Line” for proof), and they do a great job with this song.
6. “If You Want Me to Stay”–Red Hot Chili Peppers (original: Sly and the Family Stone)
original:
cover:
I’m a Chili Peppers fan. Do you really think I wouldn’t include one of their covers? This was the first cover they released, and they do a good job. Flea shows why he is one of the best bassists in rock.
7. “Games Without Frontiers”–Arcade Fire (original: Peter Gabriel)
original:
cover:
This comes from a double CD called Scratch My Back And I’ll Scratch Yours. The first CD is Peter Gabriel doing covers, while the second is artists returning the favor. Arcade Fire does a great job here.
8. “Let’s Go Crazy”–Incubus (original: Prince)
original:
cover:
To me, Incubus is a band that deserves way better than they already have. Their song “Drive” is good, but there is so much more to them. And if you’re going to cover this song, you’d better be able to do it justice, because Prince just wails on the guitar. Incubus is certainly up to the challenge.
9. “Rock of Ages”–Kelly Hansen (original: Def Leppard)
original:
cover:
For those who don’t know, Kelly Hansen is the current lead singer for rock legend Foreigner. If he can do this to Def Leppard, I have got to see him on a Foreigner song.
10. “No Matter What”–Def Leppard (original: Badfinger)
original:
cover:
And speaking of Def Leppard, here’s one of their covers from their cover album simply titled Yeah!, which was released between Slang and X. I think it’s a great way to showcase Vivian Campbell as a good replacement for Steve Clarke, who was a tough act to follow.
If you know of any other great covers, contact me at rocklobsterjwt@gmail.com and put “covers” in the subject line. I will be doing more of these in the future.
cover
Aspie Catholic 