Right now it's "Black Star" covered by Gillian Welch

Craziness. :)

Big Sugar's cover of BTO's "Let It Ride."

The solo is absolutely brilliant.

I like...

Tom Waits' cover of Somewhere (from the film West Side Story)
and
Tom Waits' cover of Sea of Love (Phil Phillips)

kd lang's cover of The Joker (Steve Miller)

Aimee Mann's cover of One (Three Dog Night)

Norah Jones' cover of Cold, Cold Heart (Hank Williams)

Cowboy Junkies' cover of Sweet Jane (Velvet Underground)

Talking Heads' cover of Take Me To the River (not sure who did this one first, but I know Al Green did it)

Lyle Lovett's cover of Stand By Your Man (Tammy Wynette)

...that's all I can think of right now.

Is that the Radiohead Black Star?? I'd love to hear that.

Later...

Oh!
Dolly Parton's cover of Shine (Collective Soul) - I liked her version much better than the original, but then I just like everything she does.

It is that very same song. I don't know if you're on myspace, but if you are you can listen to it on her myspace page.

Awesome! I'll go check it out. Thanks. :)

...about 15 minutes later...I just went and listened to it. It is a great cover. Thanks for turning me onto it! :)

I like the Ozzy and Primus version of Black Sabbath's "Nativity In Black".

You're welcome. I'm glad someone else on here appreciates the gillian welch.
I saw them play it live, and, despite me being incredibly hot and completely exhausted it was amazing.

yes, and speaking of Gillian Welch, I love her cover of Long Black Veil :)

I still have heard of no other cover than Cash's rendition of 'Hurt'...

does a cover have to be an exact(variable only slightly in terms of lyrics) imitation of the song in question? [I think I answered my own question...:paranoid:]

If you've listened to Rock, Pop or Country radio in the last 30 years, then you've heard a cover song. There's almost always a cover of some sort in rotation.

Also if you've ever seen any of the following movies (as well as a host of other movies and tv shows) then you've heard a cover:

Less Than Zero
I am Sam
Shrek 1 & 2
Zoolander
Lost Boys
The Faculty
Sky High
Doinnie Darko
Cursed
Frighteners
50 first dates
Not Another Teen Movie
Clueless
Threesome
The Punisher
Interview with a Vampire
200 cigarettes
Jawbreaker
Stir of Echoes
Gothika
Runaway Bride
Bride of Chucky


In response to the OP, one of my favorites is Phantom of the Opera by Nightwish, originally by Andrew Lloyd Weber.

I love a good cover song, as long as it is different from the original in that the covering artist adss their own spin, otherwise there is no point in re-doing a song.

Yeah I am ashamed to say that I have not heard modern radio in the last 30 years, nor have I seen any of the afore-mentioned movies. :|


But I am still digesting it all... I have enjoyed most of the songs that pinkie and pig have listed, though, but still have trouble finding the original version :D

No, that is usually what makes covers so interesting... the different interpretations of the same piece of music.

For example, going back to "All Along the Watchtower"... it was written and recorded in 1967 by Bob Dylan. However, I bet if you ask 10 people who wrote it, at least 5 of them will answer with Jimi Hendrix. The reason for this is that his version was much more popular, breaking into the Top 40 and is known as one of the top rock songs of all time.

If I were you, I'd get ahold of versions by both Hendrix and Dylan... as well as Dave Matthews Band. They are all three vastly different takes on the same piece of music... it's pretty damn cool if you ask me.

Oh, by the way... did you watch the Super Bowl this year? Prince did a cover of it during the halftime show.

To answer your answer question: No, I did not watch the Super Bowl this year.

To substitute my own: Is the song "Stuck in the Middle with You" a cover as well? I recently watched Reservoir Dogs for the first time(don't ask why it took me so long) and obviously that scene with Madsen stuck. When I looked it up, it had credits going to both Bob Dylan and Stealin' Wheels.

So is that right?

I hadn't heard it before you mentioned, despite the fact that it's on my computer. I listened, it's not bad.

Haven't seen this one mentioned, Disturbed doing Land of Confusion! What a great rendition.

Children of Bodom's cover or Ramones' Somebody Put Something In My Drink.

The Tea Party's cover of Paint it Black
FNM's cover of War Pigs

Oh, I finally got one!


Fugees - Killing Me Softly cover (predominantly Lauryn Hill's vocal singing throughout the song)

a beautiful rendition of whoever they were paying homage to... :D

jane's addiction's cover of "ripple"
metallica's cover of "whiskey in the jar-o"

They were already mentioned, but it's very true: the Foo Fighters' "Baker Street" and Nirvana's "The Man Who Sold the World" are both amazing.

One I haven't seen:

10,000 Maniacs - Because the Night

Originally recorded by Patti Smith, written by Bruce Springsteen
(but the Boss's live renditions of the song trump all)

Volbeat - I Only Want to be With You

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ts19Nn-xyGs

And one more cover that I have come across that is exceptional: Santana - Black Magic Woman

This song I reckon is more easily recognized and associated to Santana, although it was orginally composed by Fleetwood Mac.

i turned the radio off around the year 2000 and haven't really turned it back on. corporate music sickens me. However, the odd time that I catch MuchMusic or MuchMoreMusic on TV, i usually pick up on a track or two that turns my head.

Back on topic...

Since I'm a huge fan of R.E.M., I love their covers as well...

r.e.m. - lucky (radiohead)
r.e.m. - one (u2)
(i know there are more...)

reel big fish - take on me (a-ha) <-- I second this one!
lemonheads - mrs.robinson (simon & garfunkle)

erasure - lay all your love on me (abba)
(the entire 'abba-esque' album was pretty fun)

linkin park - enjoy the silence (depeche mode)
(this is the only track by this band that i like...don't get me started on their other music :P)

Anything and everything by Wierd Al. I grew up on this man and will always love his spin on pop music.

bnl - lovers in a dangerous time (bruce cockburn) <-- I second this one as well :)

There's a TOTALLY rockin' version of Boys Of Summer by a group called The Ataris.

This is one of the most 'covered' songs ever -- it's a standard, I'd say -- but there's a cool version of Route 66 by Depeche Mode that was on the soundtrack for Earth Girls Are Easy -- fun movie.

The Pointer Sisters' version of Fire by Bruce Springsteen certainly redefined that song.

Devo's version of Satisfaction is a riot.

Killing Me Softly by the Fugees

Cocaine and After Midnight by Eric Clapton (covers of JJ Cale). Cale also wrote Call Me The Breeze.

Joss Stone has a very cool version of Some Kind Of Wonderful (Grand Funk Railroad).

Which reminds me, she did an ok Janis tribute at the Grammys a few years ago ... but Melissa Etheridge TOTALLY tore up Piece Of My Heart!!! and she was bald cause of her chemo... somehow the impact of that just added something.

The whole soundtrack CD of Me, Myself and Irene is comprised of Steely Dan covers, if you like them. :P I like several of those.

Last but not least, the cover of Tears For Fears' "Mad World" that was done for Donnie Darko.[/QUOTE]

I've been a huge T4Fs Fan for a real long time, and the Mad World from Donnie Darko is so much deeper. Couldn't agree more!

Yeah and Cowboy Junkies version of "Sweet Jane"...so great.

Fozzy - Genie In A Bottle

Metallica - Last Caress

Billy Idol - L.A. Woman

Lita Ford - Only Women Bleed

Megadeth - No More Mr Nice Guy

Mark Ronson is someone to watch. he's been producing for some of girls on the pop chart lately

anyway, check out his cover of Radiohead's "Just" if you've not heard it ... great stuff i'd say. low quality video that omits the intro --

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYngU49mBQ8

or higher quality Essential Mix that includes the track --

http://www.pearsontowers.com/mixlink.../essential_mix

Johnny Cash - Hurt (NIN)
Bill Shatner - Common People (Pulp)
Great Big Sea - End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine) (REM)

It may have been mentioned before, but I love Jeff Buckley's cover of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah.
Rush did great covers of Crossroads and The Seeker on an EP a few years back.
For anyone into Canadian rock, listen to The Weakerthans covering The Rheostatics 'Bad Time to be Poor'.

Since it doesn't look like anyone is going to claim my bonus points, I'll chime in. It was actually a trick question, sort of. Rodeo Clowns is Jack's song, but was featured on G. Love and Special Sauce's 1999 album Philadelphonic (with Jack as a guest) two years before Jack Johnson put out an album of his own and a full four before he had his own recording of the song on an album.

More covers...

U2's version of Helter Skelter (originally the Beatles) off Rattle and Hum is much more how the song should be played. The Beatles never seemed able to get the mood quite right. But then, that's just my opinion.

Tool's No Quarter (originally Led Zeppelin) is quite fun. It's what Zep would sound like if they were more metal.

The Offspring covering Feelings (originally by Morris Albert) is so punk it hurts.

Reel Big Fish doing Take On Me (originally by A-Ha). Take On Me is already a song that should've been ska. And yeah, I know, RBF is third wave (I know there's at least one hardcore ska fan here, so he'll know what I mean) but I honestly never got this idea that third wave was somehow inferior.

In the category of songs that a lot of people don't realize are covers, Rage Against the Machine's Renegades of Funk (originally by Afrika Bambaataa) just rocks my world. De la Roche may be a gigantic douche, but at least he's a talented douche.

Nirvana's Unplugged album has good covers. Man Who Sold the World (originally by David Bowie) and Lake of Fire (originally by the Meat Puppets) are my two favourites.

And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Janis Joplin doing Me and Bobby McGee (originally by Roger Miller) at some point.

Honourable mention also goes to Jack Johnson for covering We're Going to Be Friends (originally by the White Stripes) and managing to avoid having it sound creepy. Jack White is incapable of doing this.

And that's all that occurs to me for now.

EDIT - Because I apparently don't know my album titles.

Because I prefer them to the original versions

Mexican Radio - Celtic Frost
Am I Evil - Metallica
Baby Please Don't Go - AC/DC
Frankenstein - Overkill
Diamonds and Rust - Judas Priest

This song is great by a lot of people, but this is my fav: Van Morrison - Baby Please Don't Go (By Big Joe Williams)

Mike Patton can make anything weird: Fantomas - Chariot Choogle (By T-Rex)

I like very few female singers, but she's one of them: Annie Lennox - Train In Vain (By The Clash)

I haven't actually heard the original... I should do that.: Solomon Burke - None Of Us Are Free (By Barry Mann)

My favourite band... they really turned this song up: Our Lady Peace - Needle and the Damage Done (By Neil Young)

Shatner is just plain fun: William Shatner - Common People (By The Pulp)

AFI's cover of "Don't Change" by INXS
Nine Inch Nails cover of "Dead Souls" by Joy Division
Apoptygma Berzerk's cover of "Fade to Black" by Metallica
Nofx's cover of "Radio" by Rancid
Red Hot Chili Peppers' cover of "Subterranean Homesick Blues" by Bob Dylan
Jimi Hendrix's cover of "All Along The Watch Tower" by Bob Dylan
The Echoing Green's cover of "Ceremony" by New Order/ Joy Division

At a concert earlier this year i saw Breaking Benjamin, mostly Ben, cover NIN's Hurt, it was a really good cover.

Pearl Jams Cover of Crazy Mary

Whiskey in the Jar- Metallica
Land of Confusion- Disturbed
Davidian- Lostprophets (dont knock it 'til youve heard it !! seriously)
Eyeless- Bring Me The Horizon

Deadsy's version of Tom Sawyer originally done by Rush is off the chains.

Many good covers in here. I will have to download a few...

My Personal Favorite: Tool's cover of "No Quarter" by Led Zeppelin

I've been a huge T4Fs Fan for a real long time, and the Mad World from Donnie Darko is so much deeper. Couldn't agree more![/QUOTE]

Gary Jules is The Man.

I'd also have to agree with Disturbed's Land of Confusion.
Johnny Cash's Redemption Song, Heart of Gold and Personal Jesus.

and Alanis Morrisette's <I>Crazy</I> originally done by Seal.