The Daily Telegraph has just published a list of its top 50 cover versions of all time. Assuming we're sticking to popular music - jazz has lots of great cover versions, but the aesthetic of originality is different there - Jimi Hendrix at #1 with his version of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" is a good if safe choice. Aretha's version of "Respect" would be my #1, and yes, that's another safe choice.
Missing from the list - Marvin Gaye's "I Heard it Thru the Grapevine", perhaps such a dominating performance that the first recorded version (Smokey Robinson and the Miracles) and the first released version (Gladys Knight and the Pips) got forgotten along the way. I've blogged about other great covers - Barry White's "Just the Way You Are" and Sonic Youth's "Superstar" are classics - but to my list of favourite cover versions in 2004 I should add Ben Folds' take on "Get Your Hands Off My Woman".
Also - presumably they didn't want too many Bangles songs, but just wanted to note how great the Bangles' covers were: "Manic Monday", "If She Knew What She Wants", "Hazy Shade of Winter", "Going Down to Liverpool".
.jpg?t=20120527181101)
Article comments
1 - Eric Berlin
I'm so glad the list included The Scissor Sister's rendition of Comfortably Numb, by Pink Floyd. It's such a rush of pure new wave disco power pop, it demands repeat listens.
Very disappointed by the inclusion of the Joss Stone cover of The White Stripes' Fell in Love with a Girl/Boy. Weak play for a crossover slow sexy hit, that.
One of my favorite albums for mellow nights is by The Lounge Brigade, who do tounge-in-cheek lounge covers of hits by The Doors, Beck, and No Doubt, among others. Great stuff.
Eric Berlin
Dumpster Bust: Miracles from Mind Trash
http://dumpsterbust.blogspot.com
2 - Daryl
I thought they wanted to be called just "Scissor Sisters", without the definite article, to distinguish themselves from the slew of "the" bands (the Strokes, the Libertines etc).
Speaking of loungey covers, I like random covers - the Diff'rent Strokes casio-keyboard versions of Strokes songs, for instance.
3 - american born confused desi
A great compilation of cover songs has been assembled for you to listen to.