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The Ultimate Cover Song Mixed Tape

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by TonyPSchaefer, Jan 16, 2015.

  1. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    I recently discovered Santana covering "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" with India.Arie and Yo Yo Ma. It's off the "Guitar Heaven" album, which is entirely cover songs.
    So this got me thinking: if I were to create a mixed tape entirely composed of covers, what would be on it? What would you put on it? But let's make sure there are really good reasons for each submission. Not just "everything from my favorite artist". I'm talking about real, evaluative reviews of why the cover is so good and, in some cases, perhaps better than the original.

    Since it's my thread, I'll start:
    • Echo and the Bunnymen, "People are Strange" from the "Lost Boys" soundtrack
      Of all the Doors covers I've heard - and I'm a Doors fan so I've heard a lot - I think this is the best cover of any Doors song.
    • Frankie Goes to Hollywood, "Born to Run"
      Frankie takes Springstein's classic and picks up the pace. The song is about getting in your car and driving as fast as you can and yet Bruce performs it as a slow-paced ballad. Frankie kicks it up a notch and creates a fast-paced song that actually makes you want to drive fast.
    • Frankie Goes to Hollywood, "Ferry"
      Another one off the "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" album. This time, Frankie takes a song originally a quick-paced, almost swing style, and slows it down turning it into a ballad.
    • Devo, "Working in the Coal Mine"
      In my opinion, Devo's quirky and choppy style plays well here. They way they stress the beats gives the impression they are singing the song while actually working in a coal mine.
    I'll try to come up with more of my favorites. What have you got?
     
    #1 TonyPSchaefer, Jan 16, 2015
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  2. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    Guns and Roses, "Sympathy for the Devil"
    Axel Rose really did (key word 'did') have a good vocal range. Mind you, I'm not discounting Jagger here. Just that I prefer the harder rocking version from G&R with Axel's deep parts paying against his ability to jump an octave on demand.
     
    #2 TonyPSchaefer, Jan 16, 2015
  3. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    Johnny Cash's cover of Nine Inch Nails "Hurt".
    Removing all the technica, and reducing it to mostly just Cash's voice made the song more poignant. He also has a cover of a Motorhead song, but I'm not familiar with the original.

    The Sisters of Mercy will do a cover of "Comfortably Numb" at their shows. Noteworthy just for the confusion it can cause on the Goths faces.
     
    #3 Trollbait, Jan 16, 2015
  4. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    I won't take the time to make a mix tape but I'll listen to this entire cover album any time:

    Kiss My nice person: Classic Kiss Regrooved - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    I wasn't really much of a KISS fan growing up back then; never bought one album, 8-track, or cassette but this one is now one of my all time favorite albums. . They were just inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame and I was astonished that no one covered a song(s) at the ceremony.

    If you don't care to get the whole album, I highly suggest the raw big band sound cover of Detroit rock city by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and the classical cover of Black Diamond by Yoshiki (always gives me goosebumps and a good test of your sound system).
     
    #4 fotomoto, Jan 16, 2015
  5. rcf@eventide.com

    [email protected] Member

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    The Far Corporation cover of Stairway to Heaven. Disco anyone?
    Street's totally different (medley) take on the Beatles If I Needed Someone (hear for yourself at
    )

    I stop the list here, reluctantly. I've never thought of Echo and the Bunnymen as a cover band and I don't remember them doing any when I saw them live, fossil that I am. But they have a really interesting sound.

    Richard
     
    #5 [email protected], Jan 16, 2015
  6. Yakoma

    Yakoma Active Member

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    Cool thread.

    Watched Eternal Sunshine Of A Spotless Mind last night and it closed with The Korgis' 1980 tune Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime covered by Beck. His minimalist rendition transforms it from a poppy tune to a gut-tugging ballad. Don't think I've heard that song since I was in my 20s, but that version made me go download it.

    Another (and this will get some haters)...Prince's Kiss covered by Tom Jones. Not a fan of Tom Jones, but every time I hear this song it cracks me up because he pwned this song.

    Gotta mention a good cover album by Shawn Colvin called Cover Girl. She does some respectable renditions of Tom Waits, Jimmy Webb, David Byrne, Dylan and topped off by Steve Earle's Someday. Her creative arrangements - coupled with a female perspective - brings new life to most of these tunes.
     
    #6 Yakoma, Jan 16, 2015
    Last edited: Jan 16, 2015
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i don't like covers, never heard one that was as good as the original. hated the james taylor cover album, yet i love jimmy t. sorry.:unsure:
     
    #7 bisco, Jan 16, 2015
  8. Yakoma

    Yakoma Active Member

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    I'm JT's biggest fan but not a fan of Covers either. My feeling is that his own tunes are better than most of those. And, if anything, others should be covering him.
     
    #8 Yakoma, Jan 16, 2015
  9. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    agreed. he did a great job with you've got a friend, and up on a roof, but i still like cc better.:)
     
    #9 bisco, Jan 16, 2015
  10. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    I forgot about this. If you are not familiar with "Only 1 Noah", check him out on YouTube. I'm not sure if you can download this or not, but I like it better than the original. He takes the goofy, quirky, silly original and makes it - dare I say - soulful.
     
    #10 TonyPSchaefer, Jan 16, 2015
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  11. Yakoma

    Yakoma Active Member

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    Well done, Noah. He's got some nice digital vocal enhancement there to accompany a fine voice.
     
    #11 Yakoma, Jan 16, 2015
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