There have been thousands, if not millions, of cover versions over the decades. Many have been made to make a quick buck or perhaps because the artist has run out of ideas, or both.
Personally I’m generally not a fan, but I thought I’d share some of my favourites that have been produced faithfully and respectful the original artist in mind.
I’ve only listed songs that I felt are at least the equal if not better than the original.
1. Police and Thieves – The Clash 1977. (Orig – Junior Murvin 1976) Included on The Clash’s first album and would be the first of many reggae inspired songs they would record.
2. Which Will – Lucinda Williams 1992. (Orig – Nick Drake 1972) A beautiful song from Lucinda’s fourth album, Sweet Old World originally recorded on Drake’s seminal Pink Moon.
3. Me and Bobby McGee – Janis Joplin 1971. (Orig – Kris Kristofferson 1970) An absolute classic from one of music’s finest voices.
4. Eight Miles High – Husker Du 1984. (Orig – The Byrds 1966) A wailing tribute from one of punk’s most influential bands.
5. Don’t Want To Know If You Are Lonely – The Hollowmen 1989. (Orig – Husker Du 1986) Billy Baxter’s band had a cult following in Melbourne during the eighties and made a few excellent albums including So Long which this cover version is taken from.
6. 25-41 – Robert Forster 1995. (Orig – Grant Hart 1989). The ex-Go Between has had a long and successful career and I was rapt that he covered this from my ‘Desert Island Disc’, Intolerance.
7. Thankyou (Falettinme Me Be Mice Elf Agin) – Magazine 1980. (Orig – Sly and The Family Stone 1969) Driven by the thumping bass of Barry Adamson, this is taken from the classic album, The Correct Use of Soap.
8. Nothing Compares To You – Sinead O’Conner 1990. (Orig – Prince 1985) The more you dig deep into Sinead’s catalogue, the more you understand how gifted she was.
9. Nebraska – Ponyface 2008. (Orig – Bruce Springsteen 1982) I’m unsure where this terrific band has gone. They covered Bruce’s entire album and were superb live.
10. And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda – The Pogues 1985. (Orig Eric Bogle – 1971) Arguably the greatest anti-war song ever written was given that extra ‘oomph’ by the gravelly tones of Shane McGowan.
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About Ian Wilson
Former army aircraft mechanic, sales manager, VFA footballer and coach. Now mental health worker and blogger. Lifelong St Kilda FC tragic and father to 2 x girls.
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A real Husker Du flavour there Willo.
I saw Magazine in 1980 – one of life’s highlights.
Have you ever heard Billy Baxter’s exquisite cover of Too Late To Turn Back Now?
Interesting selection Ian. This is the sort of theme that could go on forever!
I was following up on the reference to Billy Baxter & discovered that his 1991 Holler album has a cover of Dylan’s ‘Girl From The North Country’. This cover is not on listed on any of the official ‘covers’ sites and not in my own database – until now, of course. So that was a nice bonus that shows the value of curiosity & connecting the dots.
Speaking of dots, Paul Kelly & The Dots have a song dedicated/inspired by Billy Baxter (titled ‘Billy Baxter’) on their 1981 Talk album.
Cake’s version of Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive annoyed a lot of people but reckon it was a sincere cover. Love the jerky guitar solos.
Soul legend Al Green going country with For The Good Times ,a Kris Kristofferson classic.
Hi Ian, great post, but if I can add a wee bit of caution in considering “covers”. I think we’re around the same age, so our teenage/formative years are smack in the period of originals vs covers, particularly from an Aussie rock pov, and for me at least, specifically growing up in Perth where most of the big popular bands were cover bands. We had our own gang mentality that cover bands were crap and original bands good. That’s a whole other argument for another day. The other point re “covers” is that in some genres (country, soul) many artists would cover a song, but there was no issue and the term, cover, wasn’t generally used. Likewise, through the 50s, 60s and into the 70s, (at least until Dylan, Beatles and the Stones lit the spark) bands didn’t live or die on whether they wrote their own songs or had songs written for them. These factors blur the concept and value of original/cover as well. Finally, and this really is a big one but again, for another article, what do we say of bands who may have original songs but their “sound” is hardly original.
With that as context, there are many bands/artists who cover other artist’s songs, that I just love, without thinking it’s a better version. I just love the way an artist plays the song. Or maybe I heard their version first and associate it with them. Or maybe, … Anyway, you get the point, so here’s five or six of my fave covers.
Streets of Baltimore, by Gram Parsons. It was written by Harlan Howard (brilliant songwriter, not really a performer) and Tompall Glaser, and although Tompall co-wrote it, Bobby Bare was the artist who first recorded it. I’ve heard many versions and I still come back to Gram, for his plaintive singing, that shows both deep hurt and resigned acceptance.
Can’t Hardly Wait, by Justin Townes Earle. The Replacements have at least 5 different versions of their remarkable song and anyone of them is hard to beat. JTE comes along, throws in a mandolin to carry the melody and bang, a great song sounds refreshed.
You Don’t Know Me, by Ray Charles on his incredible 1962 country album and also Charlie Rich on his last album. The song was co-written by Eddy Arnold (big country artists of the 40s/50s and Cindy Walker (like Harlan, brilliant songwriter, not a performer).
Brand New Cadilac, The Clash. Five, maybe 10 albums at most set me on fire, this is one. I was 17 when London Calling came out and it may as well have been from out of space. I couldn’t comprehend it. The title song still reels in my mind 45 years later, but the second song takes things up a notch. A cover of a late 50s UK rocker and The Clash smash it.
Jolene, by Beyonce. More a rewrite than a cover, but still, the audacity to touch such a prized song. Beyonce reimagines the core story/themes 50+ years later, giving the aggrieved protagonist a little more fire in the belly. As Dolly herself observed: Wow, I just heard Jolene. Beyoncé is giving that girl some trouble and she deserves it! I love it.
Sign O the Times and State Trooper, by The Black-Eyed Susans. Saw the Susans blow the roof off an old club in Collingwood called, ah, The Club with their version of the Prince classic. Years later, I was discussing this night with friend and music writer Michael Dwyer. He agreed. In fact, he wrote the essay for their Best of boxset and referenced that gig and cover. We saw the Susan at a much smaller gig, the Union hotel in Brunswick. If you haven’t been, do yerself a favour, the pub is like a country hotel in the inner city, with bands playing a very small stage. This particular afternoon, with rebel guitarist, Dan Luscombe (brother of RocKuiz drummer) towards the end of what was already a blistering set they launched into State Trooper and Dan ripped its guts out, guitar up to 11, reverbing the hell out of the sound and creating the hellscape Springsteen describes in another Nebraksa song, Open All Night.
Good choices.
Thanks so much for the feedback gents it’s much appreciated. Where to start with you Rick? We probably are close in age. I’m May 63, born in the Calista Maternity Hospital, now ironically a mental hospital. It was built to cater for the burgeoning population of UK immigrants sent to build the industry at Cockburn Sound. I never saw a live band in my 17 years in Kwinana. I was aware of the cover bands but no one ever came to us and frankly we were always too broke to get north of the river. Melbourne was a blessing. I know the Union and pretty much every pub in Brunswick. I used to work at the Brunswick Hotel just up the road on the corner of Sydney Rd for an old Kwinana mate on Sundays to give him a break. David Bridie and Charles Jenkins were a couple who played there regularly. I haven’t thought too deeply about the term ‘cover’ but you’re probably right, it should be moreso ‘interpretation’. I’m not being critical of artists using songs or how they interpret them, these are just some favourites. There’s 30 to go so I hope there’s some more you like. Your choices are excellent. The Susans and more specifically Rob Snarski is still very active and performing. Songs from bands whose sounds are barely original might be a subject I’ll steer clear of given I can’t play a chord on any instrument but there’s definitely some I can think of especially post say 1975? Cheers
Thanks for this piece, Willo. When it comes to covers – a term that does have its uses, I feel, though I appreciate the various subtleties of Rick’s discussion – I tend to like best those versions of songs that are particularly inventive takes on their nominal original. An example is Regurgitators take on The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence, in which the band puts the song through the musical mincer, so to speak, making it a grungy, punky piece that sounds like it’s been played through a pair of crappy speakers that are part of an old budget priced department store stereo.
Oops – should be Liberty Valance!
Great stuff, Ian.
Loving it.
My favourite cover versions would be:
Turn! Turn! Turn! (The Byrds version, original by Pete Seeger)
Mr Tambourine Man (The Byrds version, original by Bob Dylan)
Lay down your weary tune (The Byrds version, original by Bob Dylan)
Anji (Simon and Garfunkel version, original by Davy Graham)
The last thing on my mind (The Move version, original by Tom Paxton)
Eldorado (Fleming and John version, original by Electric Light Orchestra)
Go now (Moody Blues version, original by Bessie Banks)
Do ya (Electric Light Orchestra version, original by The Move. The songwriter Jeff Lynne was in both bands).
Also, Sparkle* Jets UK did a fine cover (in a very different style) of the Electric Light Orchestra song Above the Clouds (but nothing could beat the original).
Lastly, I probably have a slight preference for Tom Petty’s cover of the Byrds song I’ll feel a whole lot better.
Thanks for that Liam. None of those will be in these lists but you’ve given me some serious rabbit holes to head down! Cheers