AoC #2: Seven covers that work
Posted 27 Oct, 2005 at 20:19 by matt in /Music | Permanent link
So what does make a good cover? Here are some songs that (I feel) exemplify the breed.
All Along the Watchtower (Jimi Hendrix): The canonical example of a cover that's better than the original. Bob Dylan wrote this one -- the evocative lyrics and the foreboding tone are all Dylan -- but Hendrix brought it to life. (And Dylan even agrees; I heard that after the Hendrix release, Dylan started to perform the song less like his original conception and more like a fusion.) Jimi brings two things to this song: his fabulous guitar work, and a passion to the vocals that contrasts sharply with Bob's slight detachment.
Boyz-n-da-Hood (Dynamite Hack): West Coast gangster rap done in the style of the Everly Brothers, more or less. The original NWA track is pretty seminal; Dynamite Hack (a punk-lite band that had their 15 minutes) subvert it wonderfully with plucked acoustic guitars and occasionally soaring harmonies. Possibly the best example of "cover as novelty" I've heard.
Downtown Train (Everything but the Girl): Most people from our generation associate this song with Rod Stewart; actually, its first appearance was on Tom Waits' Rain Dogs. The original is hard to beat -- Rockin' Rod doesn't even come close -- and EBTG doesn't even try: their moody duet hits a different tone than Waits' savage isolation: still lonesome, but wistful where old Tom's despairing.
Everybody Knows (Concrete Blonde): You might remember this from the soundtrack to Pump Up the Volume. It's originally a Leonard Cohen song, driven by a steady, relentless tempo and delivered in Cohen's usual half-declaiming style. Concrete Blonde speeds it up and smooths it out, and in doing so refines the insinuation and the biting wit of the original. (There's also a version by Don Henley, which is far less interesting.)
Mad World (Gary Jules): This one's come up before on this site, and I have little to add to prior commentary. Tears For Fears wrote and performed it first, and it sounds like any other Tears For Fears song. Jules turned it into something sweet and sad, far removed from the slightly preachy synth-pop of the original.
Run Run Away (Great Big Sea): Tight and fast: two adjectives that describe the opening track to GBS's major label debut, which coincidentally do not describe the "glorious glam" approach of the Slade original. A marvellous rendition, and a great way to kick off an album.
The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead (Crash Test Dummies): This one's a bit of a split decision for me: I like the Dummies' woman's delivery much more than the XTC original, and I like the faster tempo. I think the loss of a verse weakens the narrative, though, and the guitar in the cover doesn't quite have the crunch of the original. Still, an excellent rendition and one well worth seeking out.