Friday, June 22, 2007

Weekend Listomania

Well, it's Friday and you know what that means. Yes, in honor of the first days of summer, my Oriental houseboy Kato and I are joining a gaggle of Druids at an upstate New York Stonehenge for a weekend of introspective contemplation of our oneness with the Earth (and a little oral sex). Could be a hot one!!!

In the meantime, here's another little project for you all:

Best Cover of a Bruce Springsteen Song NOT By Somebody Who Lived In Bruce's General Neighborhood!

My totally off the top of my head Top Five:

1. Robert Gordon with Link Wray -- Fire (the single version is slightly different from the album cut -- don't remember which one is better. Anyway, either one is way better than the Pointer Sisters version)

2. Greg Kihn -- Rendezvous

3. Any Trouble -- Growin' Up

4. Patti Smith -- Because the Night (yes, I know she's from Jersey, but the Pine Barrens is not Asbury Park, okay?)

5. Johnny Cash -- Highway Patrolman

Join in, won't you?

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

I like 10,000 Maniacs "Because the Night"

Anonymous said...

Advatage of being a west coast dude: it's still early here, and I'm again the first in.

4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) - The Hollies

Brilliant Disguise - Elvis Costello

Cover Me - Thea Gilmore

I'm On Fire - Big Country

Atlantic City - The Band

And just for fun:

The Big Payback - Mojo Nixon & Skid Roper

steve simels said...

Mike:

The Hollies version of Sandy is exquisite.

But did you ever hear Alan Clarke's "Born to Run"?

He actually released it before Bruce's version...

steve simels said...

Ooh -- and I forgot my absolute favorite --

Alan Rich (son of Charlie) -- The Fever.

Anonymous said...

Okay, not first in.

I love that Hollies cover. I thought I had Allan Clarke's version of BTR somewhere, but I guess I was wrong. I do have his recording of If I Was The Priest, according to my official records.

That Growin' Up by Any Trouble is crackin' as well.

dave™© said...

Greg Kihn's version of "For You" is the greatest Springsteen cover ever.

It was the reason Springsteen wrote "Rendezvous" for him.

dave™© said...

I also like Bowie's cover of "It's Hard to be a Saint in the City".

I know Steverino disagrees with this...

steve simels said...

dave™© said...
I also like Bowie's cover of "It's Hard to be a Saint in the City".

I know Steverino disagrees with this...


Well, haven't heard it in years, but if memory serves...

dave™© said...

...haven't heard it in years, but if memory serves...

Check it out!

dave™© said...

And here's Greg Kihn!

Kid Charlemagne said...

OK, what's the name of that song about being ripped up like a douche? :o)

Anonymous said...

Hank Williams III cover of Atlantic City, and Dar Williams, doing Highway Patrolman.

The Kenosha Kid said...

No love for Manfred Mann on this thread, huh?

OK, how about the Elmer Fudd version of Fire?

Feral said...

Oh, I don't know, MM's Spirit in the Night was interesting. He did 2 slightly different versions iirc.

Feral said...

And here's a few more...

Jeanne Needs a Shooter - Warren Zevon

State Trooper - Steve Earle

Pink Cadillac - both Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis

I'm on Fire - Johnny Cash

Anonymous said...

If I Should Fall Behind - Linda Ronstadt

Pink Cadillac - Natalie Cole

Anonymous said...

From Small Things (Big Ones Come) - Dave Edmunds
Racing in the Street - Emmylou Harris
Stolen Car - Patty Griffin
State Trooper (live version )- Steve Earle
-bill buckner

Thers said...

Portastatic -- Growin' up

dave™© said...

No love for Manfred Mann on this thread, huh?


Well, it just seemed too obvious.

It's true, though, that most people would never have heard anything by Springsteen if it weren't for their versions of "Spirit in the Night" and "Blinded by the Light."

I lived in a weird little town where the AM Top 40 station in the next big town over actually played the Springsteen version of "Blinded by the Light" when the first album came out. And "Born to Run".

But "Born to Run" was not a big hit, and there was a certain amount of backlash from the Time/Newsweek cover stories.

Anonymous said...

as for 'best', I'd agree with both feral liberal and anonymous. In particular, the patty griffin version of stolen car is chilling.


Not the best, and not even my favorite, springsteen cover, but it made me cry (despite my best efforts, people!) when I saw it: melissa ethridge covering "Thunder Road" along with Springsteen on her Unplugged special. In retrospect, it was (like most of ME's stuff) too overdone, but it was a big "lesbian music" moment. It's one thing for a lesbian to sing that song, it's quite another for the man that wrote it to sing it with her.

Heather said...

"All That Heaven Will Allow" as done by the Mavericks. I just adore Raul Malo's voice.

zombie rotten mcdonald said...

Streets of Philadelphia by Richie Havens
Stolen Car by Elliot Murphy
Atlantic City by Kurt Neumann of the BoDeans
One Step Up by Paul Cebar
Janey, Don't You Lose Heart by Mrs. Fun

All on a comp called "One Step Up/ Two Steps Back"