What is your favorite cover?


There are many great covers, such as Mr. Tambourine Man,by the Byrds.  I'm curious about everyone's favorite.

128x128rockysantoro

My favorite cover was by an art teacher

from the twin cities playing a small venue

in central Wisconsin. He played his version

of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah that blows away

any artist that ever did that song hands down.

He started playing it right after a break so the crowd

was still a little noisy but they quickly quieted down

to the point you could hear a pin drop. It was actually

quiet for a few seconds after he was done because

the audience was just stunned. I have never heard

anything better.

 

King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King

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Really glad builder3 gave some love to Amy’s version of “Will You Love Me Tomorrow.”  With so many great versions of the Goffin/King classic, that version stunned me and caused me to consider it equal (or superior) to the Shirelles’ original, or Ms. King’s very-different-but-equally-great version off her masterpiece, “Tapestry.”

This is a really tough one, but one of my favorite music questions.

I try to think of covers that trounce the originals.

This may be nit-picky, but I don’t really consider songs from the ‘20s-‘40s covers.  Standards that are meant to be recorded again and again by the greats: Arlen, Gershwins, Berlin, Cahn, Porter, Carmichael, Youmans etc.  I don’t count traditional arr. as a cover, either.

Jimi’s “Watchtower” is obvious but really makes the OG seem almost irrelevant, which is no easy task with the great Dylan.

When Harry Nilsson does Randy Newman’s “Living Without You,” I’m putty in Harry’s hands  

Another obvious one is the exhaustively overplayed “Hallelujah” by Buckley, but like Jimi’s cover, it makes the cheap-Casio-garish-‘80s-nightmare that is the great Cohen’s original seem, again, almost irrelevant.  It’s not Leonard’s nor Jeff’s fault that this masterpiece is so overplayed.

As fine as Otis’ original of “Respect” is, not sure it really compares to Aretha’s.

Scott Walker completely obliterated ”The Big Hurt” by Toni Fisher

Marvin Gaye’s version of “Yesterday” is astounding

Stevie Wonder’s cover of “We Can Work it Out” is even more astounding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not my personal favorite, but surprised that no one has thrown out the obvious “Respect” by Aretha.  
 

i think the Ramones are the greatest cover band and there are many to choose from.  How about Let’s Dance. Or Substitute?