Colin McEnroe Show: Great Cover Songs
From Johnny Cash to The Beatnix, our music mavens round up their favorite covers
Note: A complete playlist from today's show is below.
The cover version is an odd creature. Ideally, it pulls a new idea out of an old song and retains from the new artist, some of the old artist's sensibility.
On the recent Buddy Holly tribute album, one of the successes, I thought, was "True Love Ways" by My Morning Jacket, mostly because I never heard My Morning Jacket sound anything like that.
Today we're talking cover versions. What are your favorites?
Leave your comments below, e-mail colin@wnpr.org or Tweet us @wnprcolin.
ERIC:
1. "Pocket Calculator" by Brent Amaker & the Rodeo (original by Kraftwerk)
2. "Since U Been Gone" by Ted Leo (original by Kelly Clarkson)
3. "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" by JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound (original by Wilco)
4. "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" by Frightened Rabbit, featuring Craig Finn (original by Elton John & Kiki Dee)
JOAN:
1. "Close To You" by Hannah Cranna (original by The Carpenters)
2. "Baby Blue" by Aimee Mann (original by Badfinger)
3. "Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley (original by Leonard Cohen)
4. "Stairway to Heaven" by The Beatnix
WALLY:
1. “For No One” by Rickie Lee Jones (original by the Beatles)
2. “Sisters of Mercy” by Serena Ryder (original by Leonard Cohen)
3. “It’s A Man’s Man’s World” by Etta James (original by James Brown)
4. “Sea of Love” by Tom Waits (original by Phil Phillips)
COLIN:
1. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Paul Anka (original by Nirvana)
2. "This Must Be The Place" - Shawn Clovin
3. "Hurt" by Johnny Cash (original by Nine Inch Nails)
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EMAIL FROM ANDY:
Just a bit of grist for the mill:
Devil with a Blue Dress On/Good Golly Miss Molly - Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels
Nina Simone arranged and sang many covers, but I'd like to point out, from her album "To Love Somebody": the title track and another BeeGee's smash, "I Can't See Nobody." Emotive, beautiful, evocative in ways the Gibb boys had perhaps not contemplated. On the same album are two Dylan songs, "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" and "The Times They are a-Changing" -- both in a slow smolder, the latter done in gospel style. The unusually well-written liner notes say "Nina Simone walks in musical grandeur where few dare stray." No argument here.
Glad your cousin mentioned "After the Goldrush" by Prelude. I haven't heard it in 40 years and was talking about it with a friend on Sunday. Nice coincidence; indelible song.
Fun, thoughtful show, your standard.
Jubilant Sykes covering Tom Waits
I heard one of my favorite covers for the first time when Colin let a "bumper" song play all the way through one day after a commercial break on his TIC program; Jubilant Sykes doing "Take it with when I go" by Tom Waits. I like Waits but his version of this song is virtually unlistenable; Sykes completely redefines it, and it is mesmerizing. Some other not-as-successful covers on the same CD, but he and Jennifer Warnes do a wonderful version of John Hiatt's "Have a little Faith" - Sykles hits a couple of notes during that one that are about as pure and powerful as the human voice can get.
EMAIL FROM ED:
As far as cover tunes Kevin Gilberts version of Kasmir is one of my favorites...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdviI2Ic6PM
He also did some great covers of Genesis tunes that got him to the point of being considered as a vocalist for the band when they were looking for a replacement for Phil Collins in the 90s.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iW57uYoQ0H8
Better than the original ...
Luka Bloom covering LL Cool J's "I Need Love" (with zero irony).
Blue Öyster Cult
Favorite Covers: Suicide is Painless by Manic Street Preachers (original by Johnny Mandel and Mike Altman) and Burning for You by Shiny Toy Guns (original by Blue Öyster Cult). I was always a fan of the originals, but these covers seem to bring a depth to the music. Listening to the original versions now feels like trying to eat london broil after eating filet mignon.
EMAIL FROM DAVE:
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I didn't get to write in while I was listening because I was driving on the highway, but I heard Louie Armstrong singing Give Peace a Chance the other day and it was amazing. I think Democracy Now was using it as transition music. I haven't even heard the whole thing, but what Louie did with it was great.
cover songs
Why Can't We Live Together -- Sade (original Timmy Thomas)
Rock Around the Clock by the
Rock Around the Clock by the Sex Pistols and Hotel California by The Gypsy Kings.
E-mail from Susan
Los Lobos cover of Marvin Gaye’s “What Goin’ on”.
Al Green doing the Bee Gee’s “How Do You Mend a Broken Heart”.
E-mail from Cynthia
Haven't been able to catch the whole show but when you mentioned Huey Lewis & The News, I thought of some amazing covers they have done, including an entire album of blues covers, Soulsville.
Aside from Soulsville, "But It's Alright" is an old fave of mine, as is Huey's & Gwyneth Paltrow's cover of "Cruisin.'"
Also, when the show Glee covers a song, it is often far superior to the original - plus I love that it's introducing some great old music to my two young kids and their generation.
Just my opinion...! ;-) Love the show!
E-mail from Tom
Several covers come to mind: Richie Havens - "Here Comes the Sun" Joe Cocker - "She Came in through the Bathroom Window" Bruce Springsteen - Woody Guthrie album There are so many more good ones, but a really bad one was any cover by Leonard Nimoy.
Oh, and another one: Tin Men (New Orleans band of washboard, tuba, and guitar) - "Immigrant Song" by Led Zep
E-mail from Amy
Favorites off the top of my head:
Prince: Crimson and Clover (TJ Shondells)
Radiohead: Headmaster Ritual (Smiths)
Elliott Smith: Trouble (Cat Stevens)
Richie Havens: Strawberry Fields (Beatles)
Sarah Jarosz: Come On Up to the House (Tom Waits)
Don Ross (instrumental): Crazy (Gnarls Barkley)
E-mail from Donna
Two of my favorite covers are by the same singer, Antony Hegarty (Antony & The Johnsons) - his covers of If It Be Your Will by Leonard Cohen and Crazy in Love by Beyonce are amazing.
P.S. Check out the version of Hallelujah by Tim Minchin and Geraldine Quinn on Youtube - caught live in Edinburgh in 2005.
E-mail from Katie
Devo (Whip It) singing Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young's Ohio: http://www.amazon.com/When-Pigs-Fly-Various-Artists/dp/B000067FTM
Quite a few odd covers on this album.
E-mail from Robert
Cover Art by Shawn Colvin (you're gunna make me lonesome when you go, every little thing she does), mrs Robinson by lemonheads, Billie Jean by civil wars
E-mail from Mindy
Shawn Colvin singing, You’re gonna make me lonesome” Nice version.
E-mail from Colin B.
In my mind, the worst cover of all time is William Shatner's version of Mr. Tambourine Man. It's so bad it's delicious.
E-mail from Marie
Ultimately, you can’t top the King, but one of my all-time favorite covers is the Fine Young Cannibals’ Suspicious Minds.
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