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Cover music

Overnight on the website of The Independent I spotted an article by Chris Mugan reviewing two new ‘whole album’ tribute releases – music so ‘current’ that many Rust readers, me included, may not have come across them previously and almost certainly otherwise would not have done so in the future.

See here for a link to said item – THE INDEPENDENT

Reading the article, with its mention of the Booker T and the McGs’ McLemore Avenue version of Abbey Road … which ‘back in the day’ I actually purchased for myself and should estimate I listened to less than one and a half times in total … I got to thinking about one of those all-time classic musical ‘lists’ (the sort of thing that Dotun Adebayo sometimes features on his Up All Night programmes on Radio Five Live), viz. The All-Time Top (As In Best) Cover Versions Of Other People’s Songs.

For consideration of Rust readers, therefore, today I offer my own personal Top Ten choices, in no particular order of importance or ranking and giving the ‘covering’ artiste first. My criteria for picking them (deliberately giving myself only a half an hour of contemplation to identify them) was that the cover versions must either be ‘better than the original’ and/or ‘take the original somewhere quite different and thereby adds significantly to its lustre’.

[All versions shown courtesy of YOU TUBE]:

 

JOE COCKER

With A Little Help From My Friends (original artiste The Beatles, composed by Lennon-McCartney).

There’s no doubt that this soulful tour de force was one of the first great covers of a Beatles’ song.

See here – JOE COCKER

 

JIMI HENDRIX

All Along The Watchtower (original artiste and composer Bob Dylan).

This was a total game-changer in my opinion. Hendrix, inevitably, could never be accused of doing anything other than ‘his own thing’ but where he took Dylan’s country-influenced original was several millions of miles into outer space.

See here – JIMI HENDRIX

 

MANFRED MANN

With God On Our Side (original artiste and composer Bob Dylan).

Manfred Mann remain a much-underestimated British band who combined R & B influences with a ‘pop’ feel and, of course, had Paul Jones (one of Britain’s greats in my view) as lead singer. This soulful version of Dylan’s original stood proud in its own right.

See here – MANFRED MANN

 

PETER SELLERS

A Hard Day’s Night (original artiste The Beatles, composer Lennon-McCartney).

Peter Sellers’ version ‘in the style of a Laurence Olivier’s interpretation of Shakespeare’s Richard III’ was a brilliant collision of comic genius and ‘taking the original somewhere else’. For the anoraks amongst you, on the B side he took on the ditty Help!

See here – PETER SELLERS

 

MADELEINE PEYROUX

You’re Going To Make Me Lonesome When You Go (original artiste and composer Bob Dylan)

I came across Peyroux via a Sunday newspaper review of her album Careless Love (2004), which I duly went out and bought. Her version of this much-loved Dylan song stopped me stone cold in my tracks and for some reason reduced me to the point of tears.

See here – MADELEINE PEYROUX

 

ARETHA FRANKLIN

Respect (original artiste and composer Otis Redding)

What can you say? The ‘Queen of Soul’ could sing a telephone directory and make it sound a million dollars.

See here – ARETHA FRANKLIN

 

THE BEATLES

Twist And Shout (original artiste The Isley Brothers, composer Bert Berns and Phil Medley)

When recording their 1963 album Please Please Me in a single day at the Abbey Road studios, the Beatles saved this track until last, with only 15 minutes’ recording time left – simply because by then they judged that John Lennon, who had been singing all day and was suffering from a heavy cold and taking regular doses of cough drops – was only going to be able to do one take of it. This was it. They did attempt a second take, but quickly abandoned it – as George Martin put it “John’s voice had gone”.

See here – THE BEATLES

 

THE CLASH

I Fought The Law (original artiste Bobby Fuller, composer Sonny Curtis)

I was not a particular fan of the Punk era but this was a classic and remains a personal favourite.

See here – THE CLASH

 

ROLLING STONES

Not Fade Away (original artiste and composer Buddy Holly).

This was the first Rolling Stones track and single that really did it for me.

See here – ROLLING STONES

 

SINEAD O’CONNOR

Nothing Compares 2 U (original artiste and composer Prince).

O’Connor is an acquired taste, but she really nailed this one – and also, the music video she made to promote it (in which she break down in tears) was a show-stopper.

See here – SINEAD O’CONNOR

 

[And with my apologies for featuring nothing whatsoever after 1990 – but that’s just a sign of my vintage …]

 

 

 

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About Michael Stuart

After university, Michael spent twelve years working for MELODY MAKER before going freelance. He claims to keep doing it because it is all he knows. More Posts