Anyone else like listening to covers of songs? I love listening to a different artist's take on the original, if only to hear it in a different way. I can sit for hours and just listen to random acoustic covers on youtube.

My roommate on the other hand hates cover songs, no matter what they are. Everytime he walks by my room, he ask "Why dont you just listen to the original?"

Maybe its just personal preferance.

Anyways, what are your thoughts of cover songs? Also, what are your favorites? One that ive been listening to alot lately is Obadiah parker - Hey Ya (I would link it, but I dont have access to youtube atm).

Some I like better than the original and others just seem to butcher it.

I like the variety and change that it offers.

Here is one of my favorite acoustic Covers:
John Mayer: Free Falling

Sounds amazing on my m80's on the Where the Light is Bluray

I LOVE cover songs. After only being familiar with the Led Zep version of "Nobody's Fault but Mine", I heard a traditional rendering recently and was mesmerized.

I like Shatner singing Green Tambourine and Rocketman.

Renegades by Rage Against The Machine, is the best cover album ever, full stop!

If you don't agree, you don't know music .

I like some cover songs, but I find covers of the Beatles to be abominations unto Nuggan.

Even Earth, Wind and Fire's "Gotta get you into my life"? I always like that one. In general, I'm not sure I need to hear any more Beatles songs ever again.

Edit: I heard Bob Marley's "Jammin" by Eliane Elias recently and enjoyed her interpretation quite a lot.

I started to say that I liked the song "Merry Christmas (the war is over)" by Sarah Mclachlan on the Wintersong CD, but then while I was exploring this, I discovered that this song has been a cover song for 45 different performers. (This song was originally performed by John Lennon and Yoko Ono.)

Cheap Tricks full-length rendition of the Sgt. Pepper's album is pretty good. Certainly a big gamble. They're still touring it.

Cheap Trick played Sgt Pepper's? never knew....Ain't that a Shame!

Does The Beatles Love album count as a cover? It is very very good.

If it's still the Beatles singing it, it doesn't count as a cover.

It's the Cirque du Soleil remix.

<hisssssss>

Johnny Cash and Soundgarden's "Rusty Cage"

My favorites are Tori Amos performing Led Zep's "Thank You" and Tori Amos performing George Michael's "Father Figure." I also love John Coltrane's version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "My Favorite Things."

Totally agree on the Coltrane. But do standards count as covers?

Worst cover I can think of: Axhole Rose and G 'n' R doing Paul McCartney and Wings' "Live and Let Die."
(I'm sure there are "better" worse ones.)

Band doing the most covers of their OWN material: Maroon 5.

Good one: Aerosmith's "Come Together."

And if you haven't heard new UK artist, Kate Rusby, do an acoustic version of The Kinks' "Vlge. Gr. Preservation Soc.," check it out.

re: Kinks; Van Halen's "You Really Got Me."

Don't they become "standards" BECAUSE there are sooooooo many covers?

Probably 80% of jazz is artists covering other artists' material, so I did have reservations about including it.

Hi,

I love great covers; they often improve on the original artist's version. One of the definitive ones is Joe Cocker's cover of the Box Tops' hit "The Letter." Leon Russell's backup piano is outstanding:
http://www.youtube.com/watchv=4RnjWLVyMps

Cocker's version of Leonard Cohen's "Bird on a Wire" is also great. I much prefer listening to Jennifer Warnes' covers of Leonard Cohen songs on her album "Famous Blue Raincoat" than to Cohen himself (not to diminish Cohen's talent, but Warnes is a fine singer and Cohen isn't).

Alan

OMG! Forgot "W/a Little Help from My Friends" by Cocker. No one ever complained then. It redefined the song (and covering The Beatles) forever.

A horrible one: House of the Rising Sun by Frigid Pink

(Not to be confused with Shocking Blue: "I'm Your Venus.")

Absolutely! The definitive version, no question.

Alan

I'm surprised no one has mentioned grunt's thread on cover songs from last year. It got a lot of traffic.

I was wondering when someone would link to that. I was too lazy to. I was also too lazy to re-post what I posted in that thread. I must be done trying in 2010.

Does somebody need a Winston Churchill quote of inspiration?

Aaa. Nope.

Me, too! Not, I mean.

And we ALL forgot Dread Zeppelin's "Hairway to Steven." Florida's answer to metal, The Fuggs and Weird Al.

Another one rides the bus.

You mean, Another One Bites the Dust? Yes. Yes. The accordion doing the bass and guitar parts is genius!

Weird Al is a genius. Hard to single out just one or two favorites, but I really like "All about the Pentiums" and "The Saga Begins".

Yeah, sometimes I like to play historian. I get out my action figures and everything.

"You're not right, ya liberal policy wonk!"

"You're not either, ya jack-boot neocon!"

"Turn off that dang Olbermann!"

"But I need him to wash away the stain of Fox News!"

This goes on for a while. Meanwhile, governmental paralysis ensues. Wheee!

Just vote for Kodos next time.

Bump - now listening to Pandora, and Sixpence None the Richer's cover of "There She Goes" is just awesome.

Listening to "Simply Eva Cassidy"....all nice covers, just her and guitar.

I remember liking that.