Entertainment For Lively Minds
The Most Beautiful Cover Version ?
Posted by RobertC on 6 October 2009 - 4:57pm.
The Band with I Shall Be Released got me thinking.
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I rather like this version too -
In fact, JC is rather adept at classy covers, his Just Like a Woman is great too, not to forget the overexposed but still superlative WALHFMF!
THIS IS
absolutely brilliant
Suggs
Years, years ago, I think I saw Suggs doing the most gorgeous slow, wistful cover of "Everyday Is Like Sunday" on TV. It must have been in the mid 90s. I can't remember much about when or where I saw it, just remember being totally blown away by it.
And Johnny Cash's 'Hurt', of course.
Ah...
If you're talking Smiths covers look no further than The Dream Academy's version of Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want.
There's a version of this Smith's song
on 'This is England' which is not bad at all
Was it "Suedehead"
He did that on the great Danny Baker show - can't embed, but youtube link here :
Mark Kermode on Bass?!
Yep, it says so in the credits.
negged ?
Can anyone explain why this post was negged ?
Looks harmless to me.
Looks like
Mozzer's lurking...
That's it!
Wow - thanks so much for posting that... of course, 'Suedehead'.
And isn't it just beautiful?
The Swans
version of Blind Faith's Cant't Find My Way Home. I think it was a 12 ". Haunts me still but can't find it.
Yvonne Elliman with Clapton's band
This version is pretty good:
I've always been a bit partial to this ...
The correct answer...
has to be the Queen of Covers, K.D. Lang* (sorry, Sheev). There are lots to choose from, but this'll do nicely:
____
*Yes, I know, but it's my post and my rules: the lower-case business is just a logo, like Motorhead's umlaut, ABBA's mirrored "B" or AC/DC's lightning flash.
I'm not a fan of the "Concept Album"
But "Drag", kd's album of songs about smoking is a thing of beauty.
The Air That I Breathe :
I'd forgotten all about that
Good, isn't it.
As is this
http://open.spotify.com/track/3MWfN2TBM5hMVrFwnEfRXF
Her version of one of Macca's most towering melodies (Golden Slumbers / The End for the Spotify-denied). One of the best voices in pop, no question.
It's depressingly predictable when talking to less musically enlightened friends how quickly the L word gets mentioned. As in: "yes, but she's a (insert whatever derogatory term is in vogue at the time), isn't she?"
Wot?
A Liberal?
Lithuanian?
The swedish cover
of the Dan's "rose darling" that was posted here a while back was drop dead gorgeous-just grabbed it for the iPod with the snazzy new RealPlayer
As usual, the answer
is - 'ere no stop it - you daft ha'porths - it really is - stop messin' about -
David Bowie - "Wild is the Wind"
Agreed.
His version of this taught me how to listen to ballads.
Bit of an odd choice this...
... but I love Boards Of Canada and think this is astonishing
No idea who Bibio is or are. Will be looking around sharpish.
If we're talking Joe Cocker ...
... then his cover of the HJH 'With a Little Help From My Friends' is the very tip-toppermost cover of a Beatles song ever.
As I'm on an Ian Dury
mission at the moment can I recommend Sinead O'Connors version of "Wake Up and Make Love With Me" from the tribute album "Brand New Boots and Panties". The song is tipped on it's head sung from a female perspective and O'Connors vocal is eerily sexy.
The rest of the album isn't too shabby either, an interesting mix of artists? Highly recommended.
1. Wake Up And Make Love With Me - Sinead O'Connor
2. Sweet Gene Vincent - Robbie Williams
3. I'm Partial To Your Abracadabra - Paul McCartney
4. My Old Man - Madness
5. Billericay Dickie - Billy Brag And The Blokes
6. Clevor Trever - Wrecless Eric
7. If I Was With A Woman - Cerys Matthews From Catatonia
8. Blockheads - Grant Nicholas
9. Plaistow Patricia - Shane Mac Gowan
10. Blackmail Man - Keith Allen
Elliott Smith - Because
Elliott Smith - Don't Fear The Reaper
No comments needed, really.
That is gorgeous
I have to have it. Where can I get it?
On a different note...
have you ever heard the cover version BEFORE you heard the originals? Most of the 'Pinups' album and Ferry's 'These foolish things' I'd never heard most of the originals being 16 or so. (late developer) I still prefer Bowie's version of 'See Emily Play' (cowers) and Ferry's 'Sympathy for the Divil' (jumps off cliff). But the sweetest saddest cover version of a Dylan song has to be "You're gonna make me lonesome when you go" by Shawn Colvin; not that french woman she murders it. Come to think of it, Dylan makes it sound like a piece of shite he's wiping off his shoes, only heard that version after Shawn's. rubbish
Shawn Colvin, Queen of Covers
Shawn Colvin has done a lot of covers over her career, and the standard has been extraordinarily high. I agree with you about Dylan song with long title; from the same album, there's a stunning re-invention of a Talking Heads song I'd never previously liked. Here's the live version I found of her doing Naive Melody (This Must Be The Place). She also does a wonderful version of When The Rainbow Comes, by World Party. It's on Spotify. Anyway, enjoy this...
Can I confess?
Subterranean Homesick Blues? Higher Ground? I first heard the versions by The Red Hot Chilli Peppers.
But they led me to the originals, so that's ok (I think)
Couple of Beatles ones
In my youth, I thought Helter Skelter was a Siouxsie and the Banshees song and Money was by the Flying Lizards.
I remain convinced that Siouxsie's cover version eclispes the original.
Original of "Money"
"Money" wasn't by the Flying Lizards ... and it wasn't by the Beatles either.
It was written by Berry Gordy and Janie Bradford and first recorded by Barrett Strong in 1959. The Beatles did a cover version of it.
Tim Buckley's original is great
but this, for me, is greater still:
I have a soft spot for this cover of it
Liz Fraser's cover of Robert
Liz Fraser's cover of Robert Wyatt's cover of Chic's At Last I'm Free is the most beatiful cover I know. It can be found on that 25 Years of Rough Trade compilation.
Ian Brown "Billie Jean".
Like all good covers it stays true to the original and the covering artist just does what they do.
I actually think this is very, very good.
He also does a cover of "Thriller"....
That's surprisingly great.
You could almost mix it in with Fools Gold. He suits a touch of funk. And he deserves a better audience.
Seconded
I played it mainly to have a laugh, but really enjoyed ut. It´s always nice to be proved wrong.
Ryan Adams - Wonderwall
Scott Walker?
Master of beautiful Brel covers.
Formerly "Ne Me Quitte Pas" by Jaqcues Brel. Walker's version DEFINTELY eclipses the original. Though Brel's does retain a raw charm.
How about these
One of several wonderful covers on this live album - was going to post 'Night Flight' but couldn't find it.
I wouldn't call it beautiful but it's a great cover
Also, Hot Burrito #1 by The Mavericks is a great cover on 'Return of the Grievous Angel' tribute album, along with Elvis' version of 'Sleepness Nights'
Shock Me
by The Red House Painters. Originally by Kiss. I've never bothered to listen to the original...because I'm not really a fan of the I Was Made For Loving You hitmakers.
Thunderclap Newman
Their version of Open the Door Homer is sublime.
Nadeah Miranda
from Hollywood Mon AMour album - beautiful
Susanna Hoffs
a minor Ian Broudie hit.
Another This Mortal Coil classic
of Chris Bell's 'You and YOur Sister'
Hey, I'd like to
hassle the Hoffs
I second that emotion!
I second that emotion! (Let's form the head of a queue...)
Dusty In Here
Cathal Coughlan sings the Go Betweens
Bloody Hell.... I'm actually
Bloody Hell.... I'm actually just glad that this exists, almost regardless of what it sounds like. And the original was awesome as well.
Good isn't it? I discovered
Good isn't it? I discovered it via a posting the forum on his website.
Ian McNabb
He's always fond of a cover, but his version of They shoot horses don't they ? is fantastic - shame I couldn't find a clip of it. His voice is amazing and it made me like a song I never really cared for.
Another Day
This Mortal Coil are already quite well-represented on this thread. But this is a bit special. It takes a small detail from the Roy Harper original and builds the whole arrangement around it. If you don't like Liz Fraser, this won't convince you. But if you do, it'll make your day.
Here you go...
Elvis, 'Tomorrow is a Long Time' - Perfect.
Many, many thanks
for this, ian. I've never heard it before - it just blew me away.
I found it on an Dylan
I found it on an Dylan tribute album that I picked up cheap round about 1988, had never seen it before and have long thought that it was the best vocal performance ever.
the SEXIEST cover version ever has to be...
Perhaps an obvious choice but I've loved this version
since the day I first saw him do it
Viva Las Vegas
as done rather effectively by Phil Cody (whoever he is)
Anyone who had a heart..
would like to have found a good Dionne Warwick but this is a pretty good version of a great song, complete with tenor sax solo and this exhilerating chord swing from B to G# at the end, plus Bacharach himself on piano
Kathryn Williams
Best version of "Hallelujah"
all due respect but
the best version of Hallelujah is the original version. That's the one that will remain. The Buckley version and all other good versions are nothing compared to Leonard Cohen.
Heresy perhaps, but...
what is Hallelujah really about?
Sounds profound, but...
all answers on a postcard to...
Ii just gave you
a verse by verse analysis of the song and then accidentally refreshed my webpage while trying to google search for quote html code.
So I'm afraid you get the short version (this is probably preferable!):
It is the story of the breakdown of a romance using the metaphor of the lover/singer as the worshipper and the woman as the god(ess) that he worships. He could impress her with his sex and his songs once but now she isn't interested in that and he has nothing else to offer and so he loses her. This is something that has happened to him before in other relationships. He always makes the same mistakes. No matter how good a song he writes (or how much he reminds her how good the sex was at the beginning - see verse 4 for the x rated bit) she won't feel the same for him again and he will still be flawed. But at least he has written the song and will have that in his favour when he comes to be judged. And he never lied, he was always upfront. And he loves her but painfully not enough and not in the right way.
well according to the BBC...
We kick off in the Book of Samuel with David who is, as well as a nifty fighter, a mean harpist. His "secret chord" that "pleased the Lord" is enough to release an evil spirit from Saul, the man he is shortly to succeed as king.
That done, David spies the beautiful Bathsheba "bathing on the roof" and gets her pregnant. Little good comes of this - Bathsheba's husband Uriah is one of David's soldiers and winds up dead.
Then before you know it, we skip to the Book of Judges and David has become Samson. When we hear the line "she broke your throne and she cut your hair", we all know what happened next - although Hallelujah doesn't depict the part where Samson, his eyes gouged, pulls down a temple killing himself and around 3,000 guests for good measure.
Cohen's own ends on a far more upbeat note, lyrically, with a vow to "stand before the Lord of Song with nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah". At the very least, this fits a festive feel better than the S&M of "she tied you to a kitchen chair".
His versions - one Biblical and another secular - take us through a huge range of emotional places, with the different hallelujahs expressing despair, sexual ecstasy and religious devotion.
As the Bishop of Croydon put it in a recent Radio 2 documentary, "what it comes from is being open and transparent before God and the world and saying 'this is how it is, mate'".
well the answer is Hurt by Johnny Cash or Nothing Compares 2 U
by Sinead O'Connor.
But they were the answers I gave for a best music video thread so I will offer up these three interesting live covers:
The RT is brilliant isn't it!
I love his 1000 years of popular music covers album - some typical gloomathon pieces lightened with music hall levity, sums him up in a nutshell I suppose.
Randy Newman covered
Liltingly.Poignantly.
Baltimore by Nina Simone
Smiths Cover
The version of Please, Please, Please let me get What I want featured in the film 'This is England' is by Clayhill.
I saw them live for the first time at Kings Place (near Kings Cross)in early September and thought they were wonderful. Sadly they announced that the gig was their last!
This Is England - that reminds me
of this amazing cover of Sid Giffin's Everywhere that ends that film so hauntingly:
Beat The Retreat
Being an album of songs by Teddy Thompson's Dad covered by numerous Word-friendly types.
Highlights for me are 'A Heart Needs A Home' sung by Loudon Wainwright and Shawn Colvin, 'Dimming of the Day' sung by the Blind Boys of Alabama and 'When The Spell is Broken' sung by Bonnie Raitt.
Who is Teddy Thompson's Dad anyway?
Various come to mind
Feeder's 'Beautiful Boy'; Placebo's 'Running Up That Hill'; The Manics' 'Out Of Time' (plus 'Last Christmas', obviously). I love George Michael's 'They don't go where I go' and didn't know it was a Stevie Wonder song for about 10 years. And I've still never heard the original. Roger Taylor's 'Racing In The Street' is great, and again, the first version I heard. Bruce's sounds way too slow for me still.
Cliff Richard goes roots
I came across this last week a folky rework of Cliff's We Don't Talk Anymore
http://www.last.fm/music/Nancy+Wallace/_/We+Don%27t+Talk+Anymore
The Sight Of You
Ride covered this Pale Saints track to gorgeous effect.. shoegazing bliss!
Take away the bombast
add a wonderful voice and you get this:
Boards Of Canada geek that I am...
... this blew me away. Really lovely stuff. I'd never heard Bibio before. He's rather good...