Unravel

Bjork, Radiohead

I came across this on Radiohead.tv sometime ago. Pretty interesting with minimal instrumentation which is as good as no instrumentation compared to the original by Bjork. Even more interesting is the fact that i used to wonder if anyone would have covered Bjork and how they would have done. And, here we have a good cover.

Dub Side of the Moon

Easy Star All-Stars, Pink Floyd

I wouldn’t count myself as a huge fan of Reggae or Pink Floyd for that matter. But this album is a complete makeover of the Dark side of the moon with Reggae style… It’s a MUST listen for everyone… Time is done in a very interesting style…

They have another such album called Radiodread

Renegades

Maggie’s Farm
Bob Dylan, Rage against the machine
Renegades

As usual I had to have all the albums of Rage against the machine. All songs are covers and not really done all the songs separately apart from Maggie’s Farm (Bob Dylan). This was their last album and they had too leave us all wanting more… It was released in 2000, after Rage singer Zack de la Rocha had already left the band, but featured his vocals. It is rumored that Zack did not want the album to be released… interesting

Bodhisattva

Steely Dan, Toto
I picked up this album called Through the Looking Glass by Toto, that’s when I had just done XX and VII and was desperate to try more. This entire album is a mix of all covers. In that is where I discovered my favorite band being covered, you should all try it. In fact there is a cool version of “Could You Be Loved (Bob Marley)” and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Beatles cover)”.

Superstar

The Carpenters, Sonic Youth

In my growing up days, Carpenters was one of the bands introduced by uncles in the family. Say about 2 years ago, when i was discovering Sonic Youth and totally enjoying it, i could not believe when i stumbled upon a cover version of 'Superstar' by The Carpenters. The song does not feature in any of their (Sonic Youth's) albums and it appears in a Tribute album to the Carpenters called 'If I Were a Carpenter'.

White Rabbit

Jefferson Airplane, Sanctuary

I am really curious to know what excites / interests Warrel Dane to do covers? The latest is that he is covering Paul Simon's 'Patterns' in his solo album which he is currently working on. Can't wait to hear that!

I'm not in Love

10CC, Tori Amos

here's the 10CC version. Let me try and get Tori's version too from the album Strange Little Girls

(Big) Hard Sun

It was goosebumps all around the first time i heard this song in the middle of the night. Eddie Vedders vocals accompanied by the great canvas that sean penn seems to have directed.
Only eddie could do this i thought.
Duly got the complete Into the Wild OST the next day. After many listens, i bumped into the tiny details that this song is actually a cover. By a band called Indio. Duly got that too. And i like eddie’s cover even more now, because it was such a good song to start with, which means anybody covering it has to do justice to it and take it to another levels. i now love eddie’s cover even more because of this. You can see the Eddie Effect. I prefer the cover actually now.

Big Yellow Taxi

Joni Mitchell, Counting Crows (but why?)

At somepoint, everyone around was raving about that 'new song' from Counting Crows. ok. I will admit. I never listened to much of the crows unless it was always played by someone else. For some unknown strange reason I was curious to listen to that 'new song' - that was it. I was fuming.

New Dawn Fades

Joy Division, Massive Attack
Or Massive Attack, Joy Division??

There are covers. And there are covers. Self-sustained. Each an interpretation. Good. Bad. Better than original? Better left alone? Subjective opinions. We could agree to disagree.
And then along comes a song – New Dawn Fades, in this case.
And I use this as an illustrative example ‘cos i both the bands.
And along comes a song – New Dawn Fades, in this case.
And I use this as an illustrative example ‘cos i love both (?) the songs involved.

More so, because i got into Joy Division because of this song.
And i got into this song ‘cos i like Massive Attack.
Massive Attack => New Dawn Fades => Joy Division.
And Joy Division was such a great discovery.
Do i thank the song? Do i thank Massive Attack? Do i thank Joy Division from whom came New Dawn Fades originally, ‘cos it’s a loop? Should I be grateful it was the Massive Attack cover I listened to? Well. Whatever. Nevermind. I still like Massive Attack. I like Joy Division. I love New Dawn Fades.

There are stories. And I’m sure you have one too. So. Has there been a cover by a band you personally like, which you didn’t know was a cover at first, but once you listened to the original, you got hooked on to the original artist? We’d like to know.

Sappy / Verse Chorus Verse

Again a Nirvana song. Again, sung with a lone acoustic guitar. And again, by a lady with an irresistible voice. This time, with the name of Scout Niblett. Sappy was planned to come just before All Apologies in the album tracklist, but was omitted from it before its release. Later, the track 'appeared' in a compilation album of various artists as a hidden track.

Even if you are not one of those who are way too proud of smoking scandalous vegetation; even if you don’t wear Nirvana tee-shirts with a blown-up Cobain face; even if you can’t recite Cobain’s suicide note with all the comas correct when woken up from a late night slumber after a hard day; you can still be curious about the song that is considered to be Cobain’s most favourite song which he never was happy about, and its title that was assigned and reassigned to different songs at different times, and still is ambiguous.

Bang Bang

Nancy Sinatra, Terry Reid

Ziggy Stardust

David Bowie, Bauhaus

All Apologies

Nirvana lyrics are not to be understood by the words; they are meant to create the mood, rather than a meaning. That’s what the experts say. I have a different theory though. The absurdity, or abstractness, of the lyrics is the result of a commonsensical insight Cobain had. Which he penned down for the song In Bloom. This time, very explicit.

He's the one
Who likes all our pretty songs
And he likes to sing along
And he likes to shoot his gun
But he don't know what it means
Don't know what it means
And I say... yeaahh

All apologies, what else should he say after that. And when Sinead O’ Connor sings that to you strumming a lone guitar, what else can you say, than to accept that unconditionally!

The Nurse Who Loved Me

Failure, A Perfect Circle

The 'Nurse Who Loved Me' features in Failure's album Fantastic Planet. APC's rendering of the song feels more 'drowsy' compared to its original. Both the versions are a good listen.

When Doves Cry

Prince, Ani DiFranco

The one I have access to and have heard is a live version. And, DiFranco has definitely done a good job.

Pink Moon

Nick Drake, Sebadoh

Another one of Nick Drake covers. Nick Drake rules! Click on the artist names to listen to samples from Amazon.com

Simple Twist of Fate

May be, this song has nothing to do with Joan Baez. But in her own words, Bob Dylan is one who is so good with words, and at keeping things vague. And when Baez covers a Dylan song, it’s also about making it a little less vague. The same year Dylan released this song, he was also touring with Baez for his Rolling Thunder Revue. Baez covered Simple Twist of Fate soon after that tour. Baez didn’t interchange every he and she in the song, but changed the last verse almost completely. And that seems to complete the blame on the simple twist of fate.

Black Eyed Dog

Nick Drake, Gomez

Incidentally, I discovered Nick Drake through Gomez when they covered this song in their 2005 album - Out West. Ofcourse, I would vote Nick Drake's version any day compared to the cover by Gomez. However, Gomez have done a decent job and also it was interesting the way they have fused this song with one of their own compositions - Free to Run.

Here's an attempt to document various cover versions of Nick Drake (it does not seem to be completely updated!)

तू इस तरहसे मेरे ज़िंदगी में शामिल है

Tu is tarah se mere zindagi mein shaamil hai....
Mohd. Rafi. Manhar Udhas.

Billie Jean

Michael Jackson. Chris Cornell.
Yeah. That one wonly.

Stairway to Heaven

There’s nothing much to talk about songs that are carbon-copied than covered. This song is an exception – even playing it exactly as Led Zeppelin did is a feat of its own. In such a case, improvisations can only be an excuse for ineptitude, or exhibiting mere lack of perfection. Well, you have an exception for that too – the one by Jimi Hendrix. May be because, when he covered the song, he was pretty close to heaven. Or, may be because, he is actually a few steps above Jimmy Page as Rolling Stones has placed him.

Hush

Deep Purple made their studio debut with this track. It was an almost instant hit. It’s one of the most played tracks in their live concerts, unaffected by their lineup changes. Probably, performed live by the band more number of times than any other of their songs. It was celebrated by a rerecording with Gilian and Glover, on the 20th Anniversary of the band. Thin Lizzy, as Funky Junction, covered the song in their Tribute to Deep Purple album. It was after many years of listening to Deep Purple, I came to know that Hush was a cover version. The original song was written and produced by Joe South for the country singer Billy Joe Royal, which was only a moderate success. A couple of years later, South recorded the song himself, which is, technically, another cover of the song.

Enter Sandman

With horns. Pat Boone’s cover of Metallica’s monster hit is almost a mockery – intentional or not, that I’m not very sure. This lulled version of the big boy's lullaby comes from Pat Boone's album titled In a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy. Not very nice, I agree. At the end of the song, after singing ‘We're off to never never land’, Boone adds, ‘Let’s go!’. And that! It cracked me up.

Imagine

John Lennon, A Perfect Circle

Enjoy the Silence

Depeche Mode, Tori Amos

People are People

Depeche Mode, A Perfect Circle

Sound of Silence

Simon & Garfunkel, Nevermore