[I originally posted this back in 2007, when this blog and the world were young. But after hearing that Smithereens cover album I talked about yesterday, I thought it was newly relevant. I've done a little re-writing and changed one song. Enjoy. -- S.S.]So -- here's a fun project for us all to contemplate.
THE GREATEST COVERS THAT NEVER WERE!!!!!!
You know -- some really fabulous song you'd really like to hear some favorite artiste -- solo or group -- perform or record, but so far they haven't gotten around to it (the bastards!!!).
Okay, my totally off the top of my head Top Nine is:
9. The Hold Steady -- The Boys Are Back in Town [Thin Lizzy]
They've probably jammed on it a million times -- go public, guys!
8. The Posies -- Carrie-Ann [The Hollies]
They already proved they were genetically bred to do Hollies songs with their version of "King Midas in Reverse" -- just think what they would bring to the sunniest of the Clarke-Hicks-Nash classics.
7. The Pretenders -- Every Little Bit Hurts (Brenda Holloway)
My fave 60s soul ballad/torch song would be a natural for Chrissie Hynde, I suspect.
6. Foo Fighters -- Peter Gunn [Henry Mancini/Johnny Kidd and the Pirates]
Oh come on -- you have to ask?
5. Steve Earle -- Street Fighting Man [The Rolling Stones]
Please-- this is the job he was born for.
4. Bob Mould -- Calvary Cross [Richard Thompson]
On the 1994 Thompson tribute album Beat the Retreat, Mould turned the rockabilly tinged "Turning of the Tide" into a killer piece of buzz-saw punk. I swoon to imagine what he could do with Thompson's most intensely doom-haunted song....
3. Emmylou Harris -- Withered and Died [Richard and Linda Thompson]
This song is so heartbreaking that if Emmy covered it I don't know if we'd survive the hearing.
2. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers -- 19th Nervous Breakdown [The Rolling Stones]
Jagger's snarl would morph into Petty's sly drawl pretty good, doncha think? Okay, Petty's death has put the kibosh on this, but still -- I'll bet there's a live tape of it somewhere.
And the number one cover I'd love to hear is....
1. Led Zeppelin -- Bits and Pieces [Dave Clark Five]
For obvious reasons.....
Alrighty then -- what would YOUR choices be?
Have a great weekend, everybody!!!
12 comments:
well, Steve Earle did cover "Dead Flowers" (equally appropriate) on his live "Die Like an Aviator" album.
pretty obscure, but my dream cover has long been k.d. Lang doing Edith Frost's "Cars and Parties." She would kill the chorus. here's the original - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oo-QZgswpnE
Hello all...no, please remain seated,
Fun game to play. Let me hit a few fungoes your way:
1) If Richard Wright were still alive, it would be the total shit to hear Pink Floyd do a long slow version of Elton's Rocket Man. Synthesizer atmospherics and guitar heroics contrasting Gilmour's soft, almost whispered, vocals.
2) If there's a Tom Petty Petty memorial concert, I want Neil Young to Crazy Horse-ify a latter-day TP masterpiece: Swinging, from his Echo album. Honestly, the original already sounds like TP covered a lost Neil and the Horse song as it is. Come on, Neil just make it legal.
3) And at the same TP memorial concert, I want John Prine to cover Echo's other masterpiece: Top of the World. Listen to it and tell me I'm wrong.
Ok...totally on a roll now....
4) Like our esteemed host, I have in recent years had a change of heart about Long Island's favorite son, Billy Joel. I was listening to some of his stuff on Spotify lately and the following thought hit me: Summer, Highland Falls is one amazing effing song. And it also struck me that it sounds like BJ took a lost Jackson Browne early 70's masterpiece and uptempo-ed it. Jackson, I'm telling you this for free: book some studio time.
5) Lastly, I'm going to cheat and give you a cover that has already happened. The neo-classical, new-age-y composer and pianist Ludivico Einaudi covers the Stones deep-cut gem, Lady Jane:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cljl2gqBKr4
Regards,
RichD
RichD
"Summer Highland Falls" is the shit! And great call on Jackson Browne.
It's too late now, but I always heard Robert Palmer doing Sade's "The Sweetest Taboo."
Yes to Led Zep doing Bits and Pieces.
Here are a few more.
1. Van Morrison doing The Waterboys’ Whole of The Moon.
2. Green Day (or The All-American Rejects) doing Bobby Fuller’s Let Her Dance.
3. Dion doing Lloyd Cole’s Perfect Skin.
4. Robyn Hitchcock doing Fleetwood Mac’s Sentimental Lady.
I've always wondered what Lucinda Williams could do covering Richard Thompson's "For Shame of Doing Wrong"?
It seems she should be able to hit it out of the ballpark.
Captain Al
I would kill to hear Richard Thompson cover Nick Drake's "Which Will". In fact, I requested it at an RT all-request show a couple of years ago, but he didn't do it :(
Marc
Led Zeppelin doing Richard Thompson's Shoot Out The Lights.
You're welcome.
Would have loved to hear the Beach Boys cover the Raspberries' "Drivin' Around" or "Cruisin' Music".
How about Marshall Crenshaw covering “Brandy?”
Dave F.
Beck covering 'Hey Jude.' Oh wait, he already did that:
https://soundcloud.com/mashupfan/beatles-vs-beck-jude-is-a-loser-dj-moule-394
Of course, George Harrison could have covered 'He's So Fine'...
Okay, I'll excuse myself now.
I always thought Madonna back in the day could have made Patti Smith's People Have The Power into a huge hit.
Roseanne Cash covering Elvis Costello's "Changing Partners". Just take my money... ~*Neon Serpent*~
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