Before I get started I would like to address the passing of Meat Loaf. In last weeks article I gave the readers some of the greatest singers of all time and did not include Mr. Loaf. While he had probably one of the greatest rock and roll voices ever, I didn’t include him on my list because I don’t think he produced enough great music. His debut album Bat Out of Hell was one of the best selling debut albums ever. Unfortunately, everything after that really wasn’t very good and yes, he was an incredible singer, but I try not to make judgements based on one record and with Meat Loaf, that was all you got.
I am a little fuzzy on today’s subject because I can’t recall if I actually did a specific column on some of the Best Cover Songs so I apologize if some of these songs are repeats.
“All Along The Watchtower” has to be one of the most covered rock and roll songs ever. Seems like everyone has a version of it. Jimi Hendrix’s version is the one that comes to mind most often but try listening to the Dave Matthews Band’s version. I honestly have never been a big fan because as I have said a few times before, Matthews has a vocal style that I find annoying but his band is great and they do a live version of “All Along The Watchtower” that is probably the best adaptation of a Dylan song ever.
I know I have brought this song up before but Rush’s version of the Buffalo Springfields “Mr. Soul” is as good as it gets as far as cover versions are concerned. Rush has been maligned by some as being too deep and creating musical arcs that only the band understands but when they get down to more accessable music, they can be great. Their version of “Mr Soul” is off of the Feedback Ep which is Rush’s homage to rock and roll.
Now I think there are certain songs that are ripe for being covered by someone else and Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain” is one of those songs. After listening to several talented groups cover this song, none seemed to match the emotional intensity of the original, that is until I heard The Highwomen do it. Brandi Carlisle, Natalie Morris et all, do an acoustic version that is excellent.
An old favorite and one song that is done two different ways and both versions are great. “Woodstock” by Joni Mitchell as done by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Mitchell wrote about Woodstock from afar since she couldn’t attend because of scheduling conflicts. The story was relayed to her by her then boyfriend Graham Nash and while it was just a B-side of “Big Yellow Taxi”, it received more airplay than the “A” side single. Having actually experienced Woodstock, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young decided to include the song on their masterpiece album, Deja Vu. Listen to both and decide.
Here’s a song I keep bringing up and with good reason. “Gloria” by Patti Smith is such a great cover of Them’s version that no list would ever be complete without including it. I never “got” Patti Smith, too raw I guess, but you can tell what kind of singer she is by listening to this version. The Them version with Van Morrison is excellent as well but I like the intensity of Smith’s version more. This is another song that has been covered endlessly and I am sure there are some other great versions out there as well.
One out of left field and I am sure I have mentioned it before is Disturbed’s version of the Simon and Garfunkle classic “Sounds of Silence”. You want something different, this is it. It’s trance like and mesmerizing and after it’s done, you want to listen again. Disturbed is a heavy metal band from Chicago that has a huge following and they tend to lean on a rather loud noise (sorry Metal heads) that I just can’t get into but strangely enough they mix some interesting covers in their sets. Those covers are actually juiced up but not destroyed and are very interesting to say the least.
You want random? I’ve got it. Blondie’s “Call Me” done by the Box Tops. Yes, the Box Tops! The very same Box Tops that released “The Letter” in 1967. It comes from one of the most unusual albums of the last 25 years, When Pigs Fly. For example, this album has Devo doing a weird version of CSNY’s “Ohio” and Herman’s Hermits doing Billy Idol’s “White Wedding”. I think the whole album is a hoot but really, Leslie Gore doing “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”, is a little much. The point of the album, I think, is that getting artists to do songs totally out of their comfort zone, is like getting pigs to fly. Don Ho does “Shock The Monkey”. Oh boy.
Here is a confusing one for you. Rick Derringer wrote “Still Alive and Well” which was recorded by Johnny Winter in 1967. Winter had some pretty good success with the song and maybe he should be the cover artist for the purposes of this article but Rick Derringer recorded it later both live and in the studio so technically he is covering Johnny Winters version…I think. Winter’s version has Derringer on lead so maybe the first version is the original. See, it’s a little confusing but in any event, Derringers version is excellent so I will just have him covering his own song and be done with it.
For this week, the last song I will include is “Feeling Alright” by Dave Mason and The Quarantines. This was a strange accumulation of artists for a Covid recording. Everyone involved was in a different studio and the song was mixed after all the tracks were laid down. The artists included Sammy Hagar, Michael McDonald, Mick Fleetwood, The Doobie Brothers and of course Dave Mason. Funky and fun is how I would describe it.
I know there are hundreds of songs that could be included in this list and eventually I will get to some of them. I try to broaden things and not just go with the traditional cover versions although there is some of that anyway. I don’t know if there has ever been a study but I would bet a pretty penny that more than half of all rock and roll recordings are covers of someone else’s material.
Pete you should have included the King of Covers, Joe Cocker.