The EditoriaList: Ten Totally Righteous Covers

posted in: FeaturesMusic News

A friend of mine suggested some good ground rules for this one: You have to strip out covers of old blues tunes (sorry Stones and Beatles). Also strip out cover bands (sorry Joe Cocker and Nouvelle Vague) and cover [tribute] albums. He suggested “Police & Thieves,” with which I concur, as well as Souxie And The Banshees’ “Dear Prudence,” with which I do not. This could still be a huge, huge list, but these are some of the very best, in order.

10. Benny And The Jets “ Beastie Boys w/ Biz Markie (original by Elton John)

Benny And The Jets is my least favorite of Elton’s hits (I’m not counting anything after 1989, cause why would I?), but it is given a reason for existing here by The Biz, who was fucking around in the studio with The Beastie Boys, checking out old records, and decided to cut this version, where he slurs lyrics he clearly doesn’t know, ridiculous crowd noise included. Hilarity ensues.

9. Quicksand “ Dinosaur Jr. (original by David Bowie)

This is great because Dinosaur main man J Mascis not only welds another Bowie song (Andy Warhol) to the front of this one (from the same album, Hunky Dory), but also basically re-writes the lyrics to his peculiar specifications. He does away with Bowie’s somewhat overwrought poetic and political references and inserts recurring Dino Jr. motifs, including references to the wagon and Uma Thurman.

8. “Crimson And Clover” “ Joan Jett & The Blackhearts (original by Tommy James and the Shondells)

Over the last thirty years, Tommy James has basically become a gold mine for artists looking for cover material. He wrote great pop songs, yet is not really remembered as well as many of his ’60s contemporaries, so artists can really put their own stamp on the songs”or at least try and pass them off as original. Anyway, Joan Jett came off The Runaways with this song which was a hit for her and her band The Blackhearts. The drummer doesn’t seem to get the feel, but this is still ultimately a great version, showcasing Jett’s hard rocking melodicism.

7. “Happiness Is A Warm Gun” “ The Breeders (original by The Beatles)

Recorded before the breakout success of The Breeders, and while Tanya Donelly was still in the band; she and Kim Deal trade off sections on this spare, raw take on The Beatles’ classic, changing the dynamics considerably. Awesome, spooky version. Dig that crazy vocal delay on the “I need a fix” section.

6. “Got The Time” “ Anthrax (original by Joe Jackson)

Joe Jackson was extra aggro for a new-waver, and this song, from his start-to-finish-excellent Look Sharp LP, lends itself perfectly to Anthrax’ speed metal. The band keeps it melodic, harmonies and all, and the cover sounds fully realized in a way that Jackson probably did not imagine. Singer Joey Belladonna says that they used to rehearse in the same building as Jackson, and heard later that he liked their version. This was Anthrax’ biggest hit and it was the only video I ever saw on both 120 Minutes and Headbanger’s Ball.

5. “Run” “ Spiritualized (original by JJ Cale (“Call Me The Breeze”))

This is borderline, because it’s really just some of the lyrics and a basic blues structure that ties Spiritualized’s version of this oft-covered song, made most famous by Lynyrd Skynyrd, to JJ Cale’s original or any other version. It is totally re-imagined here and is incorporated into a suite of strung-together songs on the band’s Lazer Guided Melodies. The fuzz bass riff that carries the song is pretty much the greatest thing ever.

4. “Police & Thieves” “ The Clash (original by Junior Murvin)

Written by Murvin and Lee Scratch Perry, this song began as an occasional jam by The Clash before they recorded it for The Clash. It fits right in to the Clash aesthetic, taking Murvin’s smooth groove and turning it into a driving and scathing anthem. Murvin reportedly hated it, but what the hell does he know.

3. “Without You” “ Harry Nilsson (original by Badfinger)

Many covers of this song have been recorded, several of them hits, including versions by Air Supply and Mariah Carey. Purists stick with Badfinger’s comparatively rough original over the sickly sweet and over-the-top Carey and Air Supply hits, but the happiest medium is Nilsson’s simple, heartfelt and yearning rendition, on which most future versions are based.

2. “Baby It’s You” “ Smith (original by The Shirelles)

Despite having been hits for huge acts like The Shirelles and The Beatles, this Bacharach-Dixon-David song reached its highest point (Number 5) on the charts in 1969 with a version by Smith. Many of us discovered this version in Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof. A few are not ashamed to admit we didn’t know it before then. This cover is a truly intense, visceral reading of a simple pop tune, and it really brings out the drama inherent in the melody and chord changes.

1. “(What’s So Funny ˜Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding” “ Elvis Costello & The Attractions (original by Brinsley Schwarz)

Elvis’ producer Nick Lowe wrote this one for his old band, Brinsley Schwarz, and it’s a great version, but Elvis delivers this vocal like it’s his firstborn child, and The Attractions are the world’s greatest band for three minutes and forty-six seconds. This is one of those songs I should be tired of hearing, but every time it comes on, I stop thinking about whatever else I was thinking about and just listen. Maybe this is why I’ve been in so many car accidents. When Curtis Stigers’ (awful) version of this song appeared on The Bodyguard soundtrack, it reportedly made Lowe a millionaire. There is justice in the world.

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