UPDATED: Obsessive List 3: Cover Songs
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A 1-2 punch. It started with an email from guest blogger Jason, who sent me a list of some of his favorite music covers of all time. It was arranged in a neat little table that had the original artist as well as the covering artist. Was this some sly attempt to shame me with his musical knowledge? Impressing me by knowing not only that Hey Joe is a cover (I think everyone knows that), but that it was originally done by The Leaves (which I bet not nearly as many people know)? Who knows? It makes for a great list, so I hereby give you Jason's list of his all-time favorite cover songs (in no particluar order):
- Death Letter by The White Stripes, original by Son House
- All Along the Watchtower by Jimi Hendrix, original by Bob Dylan
- Hazy Shade of Winter by The Bangles, original by Simon and Garfunkel
- No Quarter by Tool, original by Led Zeppelin
- Ziggy Stardust by Bauhaus, original by David Bowie
- Forward to Death by Nomeansno, original by Dead Kennedys
- Sweet Dreams (Are Made of These) by Marilyn Manson, original by The Eurythmics
- I Put a Spell on You by Creedence Clearwater Revival, original by Screamin' Jay Hawkins
- Crossroads by Cream, original by Robert Johnson
- Me and Bobby McGee by Janis Joplin, original by Kris Kristofferson
- Hey Joe by Jimi Hendrix, original by The Leaves
- I Can't Quit You, Baby by Led Zeppelin, original by Willie Dixon
- We've Gotta Get Out of This Place by Jello Biafra w/ DOA, original by The Animals
- Kick Out the Jams by Henry Rollins w/ Bad Brains, original by MC5
- Respect by Aretha Franklin, original by Otis Redding
- Head On by The Pixies, original by Jesus and Mary Chain
- The Passenger by Siouxsie & The Banshees, original by Iggy Pop
I will eventually get Jason to do a little commentary or intro for his list; in the meantime, my list is below. The only rule I gave myself is I couldn't double any of his. Again, in no particular order:
- Walking With a Ghost by The White Stripes, original by Tegan and Sara
- Mr. Tambourine Man by The Byrds, original by Bob Dylan
- Imagine by A Perfect Circle, original by John Lennon
- Memories Can't Wait by Living Colour, original by Talking Heads
- Killing Me Softly by The Fugees, original by Roberta Flack
- Day Tripper by Jimi Hendrix, original by The Beatles
- People are Strange by Echo and the Bunnymen, original by The Doors
- I Fought the Law by The Clash, original by The Crickets
- Walk This Way by Run DMC, original by Aerosmith
- Across the Universe by Fiona Apple, original by The Beatles
- Whipping Post by Frank Zappa, original by The Allmann Brothers
- Higher Ground by Red Hot Chili Peppers, original by Stevie Wonder
- Needles and Pins by The Ramones, original by The Searchers
- In Between Days by Ben Folds, original by The Cure
- I Put a Spell on You by Them w/ Van Morrison, original by Screamin' Jay Hawkins
- Gloria by Patti Smith, original by Them w/ Van Morrison
- I Love Rock and Roll by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, original by The Arrows
- Comfortably Numb by Scissor Sisters, original by Pink Floyd
- I Heard it Through the Grapevine by Gladys Knight & the Pips, original by Marvin Gaye
- Proud Mary by Tina Turner, original by Creedance Clearwater Revival
I'll try to get a few samples up here in the next few days!
UPDATE #1: Yesterday I was driving to Queens from the new place to pick up some meat for a barbecue (say what you want; I'm still leery of buying my meat in Long Island for fear of swallowing that which I despise), rocking the wife's car with the windows down and the stereo blaring. Before I got to the deli I heard two songs that made me smack my head and exclaim "Damn! Why didn't I put those on my list!" So, see the above for #19 and #20.
UPDATE #2: It took a day or so, and now you can see why: Sean has jumped into the fray with his own list of favorite covers, and in typical Sean fashion he couldn't narrow it down to less than 100! So, for your listening pleasure (yeah, you can download these puppies), here are Sean's 100 Rocktastic Covers:
Click here for creamy goodness part 1!
