Favorite cover song

[Vegeta2711]

Using your logic, there's no difference between Mozart and random white noise, or between Rembrandt and the pattern of urine I left on the toilet seat. You make it utterly impossible to pass judgement on ANYTHING, because after all, "It's all a matter of taste."

To be fair, even though Limpy McBizkets isn't exactly my kind 'o' tune-smith, matt you are simply wrong. It's not that you can't pass judgement on anything art, it's that you can't expect your judgement to be universal. I have to wonder about your example or Urine, was really coencidental?

after all, a famous example of piss-art would be Chirst in Urine

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piss_Christ

Now, looking back on this thread I realize that I was the first to say something mean;

I hold a special hate in my heat for this song. Tons of people like it, but to me it was always like nails on a chalkboard, not actualy sure why.

but I'll never argue that I have to be right when it comes to art.

After all,

"why can't we be friends"
-covered by the MMBosstones!

Actually you can pass judgment on art. It's called critcism. All artists get a lot of it.

EDIT: And to be on-topic.
Angela - Cruel Angel Thesis (only REB would know this one, if anyone.)
The Ataris - Boys of Summer
System of a Down - Shame (Wu-Tang Clan)
Bus Stop - Long Train Runnin  (The Doobie Brothers)

[ELD]

Hole in the Sky - Machine Head

or

Paranoid - Type O Negative

I'm a huge fan of covers, and could go on for days, but those are my actual favorates.  To me it's really fun to see bands put their own spin on music that inspired them to play in the first place.
(War Pigs-Faith No More is tremendous, especially the live version from NIB)  Some of my favorate Cd's are covers.  I really like NIB, NIB II, Metallic Assult, anything with Appocolyptica.  Of course Type O has done tons of great covers.

[Cross]

The version of Boys of Summer by Code Seven is insanely better than the version by The Ataris.

Cash's version of Hurt is better than the original.

Anything Hendrix covered is amazing.

[Norm4eva]

Like honestly, it takes two things to cover a song of the caliber of All Along the Watchtower.  Huge brass balls/guts and fantastic musical talent.  Hendrix had both.  Limp Bizkit, well, they seem to have guts...

Aside: You notice no one is calling me out for attacking DMB's suckitude on All Along the Watchtower?

I'll call you out.  Matthews Band is the shit.  Their Watchtower sort of got watered down over the years though.  Actually in recent years, 'watered down' is a pretty accurate adjective to describe them.  I might have a personal bias since I started playing guitar because of DMB so I cut 'em some slack when they do things like talk to producers.  Feh.

[nataz]

Actually you can pass judgment on art. It's called critcism. All artists get a lot of it.

It's not that you can't pass judgement on anything art, it's that you can't expect your judgement to be universal

[WildWillieWonderboy]

The worth of a cover must always be weighed in terms of the justice it does to the original song. I'm therefore surprised that no one has mentioned Rage Against The Machine's cover of "Fuck tha Police" because of how extraordinarilly apropos it was.

Also, anything off American IV: The Man Comes Around by Johnny Cash is amazing. Johnny Cash covering a song distorts the timespace continuum such that his version becomes the definitive version and the version he was "covering" becomes the cover.

The Social Distortion cover of "Under My Thumb" is similarly awesome.

[Matt]

Also, anything off American IV: The Man Comes Around by Johnny Cash is amazing. Johnny Cash covering a song distorts the timespace continuum such that his version becomes the definitive version and the version he was "covering" becomes the cover.

I disagree. I love the album, but the In My Life cover was pretty unnecessary, and if it wasn't then Danny Boy definitely was. At first I liked IV better than III (I got them simultaneously) but the "standards" wear out pretty fast and now I listen to III much more often, just for the original material.

I really dislike covers which try to ape the original too much, like Elliot Smith's cover of the Batles' "Because," which is virtually a carbon copy. I like the ones where the artist puts his own stamp on the song, like everyone's favorite "Hurt" by Cash and the others I mentioned (KMFDM's "Sunday Bloody Sunday" is tremendous departure from the original).

[Harkius]

The worth of a cover must always be weighed in terms of the justice it does to the original song. I'm therefore surprised that no one has mentioned Rage Against The Machine's cover of "Fuck tha Police" because of how extraordinarilly apropos it was.

I think that you are wrong. I think that is one part of the worth of a cover. But, you should also realize that sometimes covers aren't intended to do justice to the original song. I am reminded a bit of Dead Poet's Society, where they claim that the criteria by which a poem should be judged are what the intention of the poem is and how well it achieves that intention. if the cover's intent is to provide justice to the original, then you are right. If, though, Marilyn Manson covers a bubble gum pop song from the 1950's, obviously "justice" is not the intent, and the cover should not be bashed as a result.

The songs that Limp Bizkit covered that I named, I think that they covered with good intent and did a good job on. Others will disagree, but that is not my point. Rather, I would like to point out a greater trend. There are many reasons on which to find music "good" or "bad." My reasons are just as valid as yours (by yours, I am referring to anyone and everyone). If I like it just because, that is a valid reason.

Cheers,
Harkius

[nataz]

this discussion is fun to watch b/b it mirrors a topic that Nietzsche (and Hegel?) both touch on. The idea is, do you appreciate art for its technical ability, or do you appreciate it for its intent?

I.e., do you appreciate VanGogh b/c his paintings are technical masterpieces, or do you appreciate cafe at night b/c its a powerful image? Whats more important, the craft, or the product?

Anyone can pee in a bottle (or sing like limps-alot McBizket), but when I pee in a bottle (or cover said freddy) do I deserve the same credit?

[Bean]

Metallica- Stone Cold Crazy
Metallica- Last Caress/Green Hell
Johnny Cash- Hurt (So many people think that this is the original)
Richard Cheese- Down with the Sickness- favorite song by his, hilarious in the movie Dawn of the Dead

NOT Sweet Child of Mine by the country girl singer (little embarassed from forgetting her name.)

[Lunar]

excuse me if this has already been mentioned...

Cartman - come sail away

this is perhaps the greatest tune in the history of music...

[WildWillieWonderboy]

Doing justice to a song means doing what the song was meant to do. There was an "I'm a Believer" (at least that's the chorus) cover that was a bit different, but the original artist liked it because it was fun and interesting, which was the purpose of the original. I suppose there are allowances to be made for an ironic twist, such as the versions of "Every Step You Take". Similarly, Rage and Johnny Cash all put their own stylistic stamp on their covers, and at the same time were completely faithful to the original in each case.

Sheryl Crow and Fred Durst can't cover anything because the music was meant to sound good and their singing it is therefore an unfaithful rendering.

[Harkius]

this discussion is fun to watch b/b it mirrors a topic that Nietzsche (and Hegel?) both touch on. The idea is, do you appreciate art for its technical ability, or do you appreciate it for its intent?

I.e., do you appreciate VanGogh b/c his paintings are technical masterpieces, or do you appreciate cafe at night b/c its a powerful image? Whats more important, the craft, or the product?

Doing justice to a song means doing what the song was meant to do. There was an "I'm a Believer" (at least that's the chorus) cover that was a bit different, but the original artist liked it because it was fun and interesting, which was the purpose of the original. I suppose there are allowances to be made for an ironic twist, such as the versions of "Every Step You Take". Similarly, Rage and Johnny Cash all put their own stylistic stamp on their covers, and at the same time were completely faithful to the original in each case.

Sheryl Crow and Fred Durst can't cover anything because the music was meant to sound good and their singing it is therefore an unfaithful rendering.

It seems we're at an impasse. I, personally, think that you are wrong, WildWillieWonderboy. I think that justice to a song is a tenuous concept at best. Paying respect to the original artist is one thing, and I think that it is only to be expected. However, I think that it is a bit silly to claim that a song deserves justice. And, regarding your last comment, it is an opinion, not really an effective argument.

Nataz:
Why can't you appreciate it for both, as well as its aethetic merit? I can't, off hand, think of a large number of artists whose playskill I admire while I hate their music, but I am sure that they do exist. Norah Jones is one example. Not a fan, but I do understand the technical skill is there. The earlier are a little harder to track down, as they vary from song to song. I, frankly, think that a lot of people are just lazy, and they don't want to put the time in for analysis. So, they judge entirely on the basis of aesthetic quality, which varies incredibly from person to person.

Cheers,
Harkius

[The Atog Lord]

3: As has been said before, Hurt.

2: Supernaut, Coverd by 1000 homo dj's, rumored to have Trent Reznor on vocals

1: And my favorite cover song of all time, Istanbul (not Constantinople), covered by They Might Be GIants

[Bram]

0. Slapshot's cover of The Smiths' Bigmouth strikes again.
1. Anal Cunt's cover of Slapshot's Old Tyme Hardcore.
2. Audioslave's cover of The White Stripes' Seven Nation Army.
3. Faith No More's cover of The Commodore's Easy.
4. Me First And the Gimmie Gimmies' cover of anything at all.
5. Beef's cover of Full Force's Alice (I just want you for me).

[Lou]

2. Audioslave's cover of The White Stripes' Seven Nation Army.

I saw them do this one live a couple of years ago at Lalapalooza (sp?), and it was fucking awesome.

[freakish777]

2: Supernaut, Coverd by 1000 homo dj's, rumored to have Trent Reznor on vocals

I was always under the impression that Jourgensen did the vocals for that track (seeing how similar the vocals are to the rest of Ministry's music).

As previously mentioned, Hurt by Cash is good (I still like the original better) as is Supernaut by 1000 Homo DJ's and Jaime by Dashboard.

In any event:

Razed in Black - A Drug Against War
Sigue Sigue Sputnik - Virus
Sigue Sigue Sputnik - Piggy
Tool - Terrible Lie
Tori Amos - Lovesong
Snake River Conspiracy - Lovesong
KMFDM - These Boots are Made for Walking
KMFDM - Material Girl
Homegrown - Barbie Girl

[Ben Kossman]

I prefer original songs myself but I'd go with Hendrix (or anyone else with skillz)covering Dylan who's pretty much my favorite artist of all time. Actually I like Dylan's cover of "Man of Constant Sorrow". I do however agree that Limp Bizkit is in fact a big steaming pile of donkey shit and should die horribly for no particular reason. My friend threatened to hit me when I tried to explain how bad Limp Bizkit actually is and I told him to go ahead so I wouldn't have to listen to "Nookie" again.
I wish they would lock Durst and Scott Stapp in a 6x9 cell, arm them both with rusty spoons and let them fight to the
death...

[The_spooky_kid]

marilyn manson's cover of sweet dreams was pretty cool.

[Mind_under_Matter]

Metallica: Stone Cold Crazy
Johnny Cash: Hurt
Dresden Dolls: War Pigs.

[Godder]

Since a few people have joined me in selecting Metallica's cover of Stone Cold Crazy, a random Question for brownie points:

Who wrote Stone Cold Crazy, who originally performed it, and what album was it on?

Remember, if you post an answer here by looking it up on t3h int4rw3b, you suck.

[freakish777]

Pennywise - Hey Ya

[Kowal]

Dresden Dolls: War Pigs.

I only heard the recording via intarweb of this like a week ago.  I was really disappointed, not because the cover wasn't good, but because it was fucking INCREDIBLE in person like a year ago, and the recording doesn't do it any justice.  80% of the Dresden Dolls is the interaction between Brian and Amanda, and the ridiculous energy that flows off the stage.  Most of their songs still translate very well in to recordings, but the War Pigs cover seems lacking somehow in that respect.

That said, I friggen love the Dresden Dolls.  My favorite cover of theirs was Science Fiction/Double Feature.

[bloodpuppy11]

Johnny Cash's cover of "Rusty Cage" (originally by Soundgarden) is amazing.  I'm also a big fan of the Goldfinger version of "Just Like Heaven" (originally by The Cure).

->patrick

[Mind_under_Matter]

Dresden Dolls: War Pigs.

I only heard the recording via intarweb of this like a week ago.  I was really disappointed, not because the cover wasn't good, but because it was fucking INCREDIBLE in person like a year ago, and the recording doesn't do it any justice.  80% of the Dresden Dolls is the interaction between Brian and Amanda, and the ridiculous energy that flows off the stage.  Most of their songs still translate very well in to recordings, but the War Pigs cover seems lacking somehow in that respect.

That said, I friggen love the Dresden Dolls.  My favorite cover of theirs was Science Fiction/Double Feature.

Amen. They did a Hallelujah cover at the show at the Fox that I loved, but just wasn't as good as War Pigs. I love the Dolls live, but I have to say, I can't listen to the albums over and over again like I can some bands

[Bram]

I was really disappointed, not because the cover wasn't good, but because it was fucking INCREDIBLE in person like a year ago, and the recording doesn't do it any justice

I saw Dresden Dolls live a year back on the Rock Werchter festival. When faced with the choice between watching them finish the second half of their set in the tent, and sitting outside in the rain watching the grass grow, I chose the latter and never regretted it for a second. Dresden Dolls are two kinds of awful.

I was always under the impression that Jourgensen did the vocals for that track (seeing how similar the vocals are to the rest of Ministry's music).

With the right digital distortion, *I* sound like Al 'Jazeera' Jourgensen Rich's corrent about the rumours. For those who care:

The nature of Trent Reznor's contribution to 1000 Homo DJs' records has been debated. What is certain is that Reznor recorded the original vocals for "Supernaut." This performance was not officially used because Reznor's label TVT Records refused to allow his appearance on the release [7]. Reznor's version would ultimately be officially released by TVT Records on the Black Box retrospective of Wax Trax! Records, released in 1994 after TVT's purchase of Wax Trax!.

Jourgensen's immediate response to TVT's ultimatum is uncertain. An oft-quoted story is that instead of recording new vocals, Jourgensen merely ran Reznor's performance through a distortion effect to mask its identity (Ministry FAQ, yahoo.com NIN bio). According to this version, every recording of the song contains Reznor's vocals. However, a dissenting group claims this is an urban legend.

Although the vocal on the released version is very similar to Reznor's vocal style, the dissenters claim that the inflection and accent of the voice is that of Al Jourgensen. Jourgensen seems to confirm this view in a 2003 interview. When asked whose vocals appear on "Supernaut," Jourgensen replied, "That would be me on the original, on WaxTrax! The later version released on TVT was Trent Reznor... then the (12") remixed version had my vocals on it." This corroborates that Reznor's vocals only appear on the Black Box set (i.e. "[t]he later version released on TVT") and Jourgensen in fact sings on most versions of the song. The TVT released track with Reznor's vocal has a similar vocal quality but a slightly different approach to the melody than Jourgensens version. It is possible he intentionally mimicked aspects of Reznors performance.

[Ben Kossman]

I really like 311's cover of Love Song by The Cure and RATM's "How I could just kill a man" by Cypress Hill too.

[Klep]

I really like 311's cover of Love Song by The Cure

I don't see how.  This is possibly the worst cover I have ever heard.  It takes what is a very emotional and touching song and strips all of the emotion out of it.  The first time I heard the cover I had not yet heard the original (though I knew it was a cover), and yet I could still tell that there while there was probably lots of feeling in the original, 311 had managed to capture none of it.  I don't know whether it's a mark of incompetence or talent to be able to do that, but I do know that I thought this cover was awful before it was even a quarter of the way through.

[Bardo]

My pick:

Michael Hedges' cover of Dylan's "Along the Watchtower." It's like the best damn version of that song ever. From this album.

[Nastaboi]

I have to add that I really like HIM's version of Wicked Game by Chris Isaac. The cover just kicks ass while the original sounded pretty lame after that. IMO it's pretty rare that a cover is so much better than the original.