So this week’s top 5 is one I have been wanting to a whole lot. I love this topic and much like the last top 5 my list changes daily on this one. I tried to skip some of the more obvious, or mainstream, choices. Although thinking about the crowd that reads our site those might have seemed more obscure. Oh yeah, the topic: I want to know your top 5 cover songs! Mine are, as usual, on the tape below but since this is cover songs I included the original versions as well and since I couldn’t decide between two of them I took a little liberty and declare slot five a tie. So this week’s top 5 tape has a cool dozen songs on it and an totally bitchin’ cover as well. Press play and don’t forget to let us know your top 5, but for this one make sure to let us the original artist as well as your favorite cover of the song!!!.
Autopsy IV’s Answers:
American Gun – Moonshiner (This is a traditional song (you can read about the history here) and I have to say American Gun does one of my favorite versions of it)
Johnny Cash – Hurt (I mean…Duh! I swear to god, in 10 years the fact that Nine Inch Nails wrote this song will be forgotten)
Drive-By Trucker’s – Play It All Night Long (the most rocking song to come out of the DBT camp since The Dirty South just so happens to be a Warren Zevon cover)
Old Crow Medicine Show – Wagon Wheel (is it a cover or a collaboration between Old Crow and Dylan? The easy answer is yes. I might be stretching a little on this one but I’m including it anyway.)
Drag The River – Old Sad Songs (one of my favorite Lucero tracks, covered and extended. Too awesome! The lyrics of this song are the theme song to my life.)
AS A SIDE NOTE: IF YOU’RE UP TO IT. EMAIL ME 1 OR 2 OF YOUR FAVORITE COVERS AND WE’LL MAKE A MIXTAPE OUT OF THE WHOLE THING.
41 Responses to “TOP 5: COVER SONGS”
On
I left Hurt out on purpose. I figured it was TOO obvious, but then you went and picked it! I knew it’d show up here somewhere.
I didn’t know Moonshiner was a traditional, pretty cool. I didn’t have a clean version of DTR/Jon doing Old Sad Songs but I have seen him do it live and it woulda made the list if I had a clean version. We need more folks taping shows…
On
Sons of Bill – Fade to Black (Metallica)- Can be found here:
http://sonsofbill.com/wp-content/uploads/02-Fade-to-Black-feat-Nick-Cordle.mp3Metallica – Turn the Page (Bob Segar)
Cross Canadian Ragweed – Mexican Sky (Medicine Show/Scott Evans)
Jason Boland & the Stragglers – Tulsa Time (Don Williams)
The Gourds – Gin and Juice (Snoop Dog)
On
And yet another Top 5 that I missed stuff on. Here’s another one from me, it’s a top 5 and I already cheated anyway so hush…
Jason Boland – Purple Rain (Prince)
@Chuck W – Left out JB (see above), Cross Canadian, and some others. Top 5 is hard to do.
On
Top 5 is hard to do.
no shit.
I could have made 5 Top 5′s on this subject.
On
The TX/Red Dirt acts are good sources of covers. Another fave of mine is the Randy Rogers Band doing Tyler (Toadies).
You got a copy of Boland doing Purple Rain – bet that is awesome!!
On
@Chuck W: You so gotta hook me up with Randy Rogers doing Tyler! I love that song to begin with and have never heard that one.
On
Added to the original post: AS A SIDE NOTE: IF YOU’RE UP TO IT. EMAIL ME (autopsy4@gmail.com) 1 OR 2 OF YOUR FAVORITE COVERS AND WE’LL MAKE A MIXTAPE OUT OF THE WHOLE THING.
On
Gram Parsons- Wild Horses
The Band- Long Black Veil
Drive-By Truckers- Rebels
Bonnie Raitt- Angel From Montgomery
Ben Nichols- If Only You Were Lonely
On
The Flying Burrito Brothers- The Dark End of the Street
The Band- Long Black Veil
Drive-By Truckers- Rebels
Bonnie Raitt- Angel From Montgomery
Ben Nichols- If Only You Were Lonely
On
Elizabeth Cook – Sunday Morning
Drive-by Truckers – Rebel
Caitlin Rose – Dead Flowers
Neko Case – Rated X
Dave Rawlings Machine – Method Acting/Cortez The Killer
On
Yet another one that is tough to ponder on.. lets see
1.Jason Isbell- Into the Mystic
2.The Sundays- Wild Horses
3.Gillian Welch and Old Crow- The Weight
4.Charlie Daniels Band- Let Her Cry
5.Jimi Hendrix-version of Bob Dylan’s “All Along The Watchtower” probably the best cover of all time..Cheers
On
My girlfriend thinks it’s sacrilege that 2 of mine are Beatles-related.
1. “Across the Universe” – Rufus Wainright
2. “Live and Let Die” – Guns N Roses
3. “Hallelujah” – Jeff Buckley
4. “Sweet Jane” – Cowboy Junkies
5. “Nobody Does It Better” – Radiohead
On
Off the top of my head:
$1000 Wedding – Evan Dando and Juliana Hatfield (Gram Parsons)
Thunder Road – Cowboy Junkies (The Boss)
Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis – Neko Case (Tom Waits)
Blind Pilot – Look at Miss Ohio (Gillian Welch)
Angel from Montgomery – Bonnie Rait (John Prine)
Let’s Dance – M.Ward ( David Bowie)
On
wow — most of my first thoughts are taken! (Hurt by JC, Wild Horses by the sundays, sweet jane by cowboy junkies, if only you were lonley, turn the page!!!! – and i have to concur, hendrix has them all beat – EVEN Shatner doing Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds)
while i like the American Gun version, I’ll stick to Uncle Tupelo for Moonshiner (heck, the cover half of March 16-20 really)…
My Favorite Things – Coltrane (Rodgers and Hammerstein – although this might not count because trane fuckin OWNS this tune)
Bitches Ain’t Shit – Ben Folds (Dr Dre) – tied with the already mentioned excellent cover of Snoop’s Gin and Juice by The Gourds
Mad World – Gary Jules (Tears for Fears)
and the piece de resitance: Rebuild the Wall album – Luther Wright and the Wrongs (Pink Floyd’s The Wall)
On
Hello, I Love You – The Cure (The Doors)
Baker Street – The Foo Fighters (Gerry Rafferty)
Sweet Jane – The Cowboy Junkies (Velvet Underground)
Tulsa County – Son Volt (Bobby Bare)
Blue Eyes – Uncle Tupelo (Gram Parsons)I love cover tunes. Got a whole playlist in my ipod dedicated to them and could go on and on, but these are some of my faves.
On
“Dead Souls” Nine Inch Nails (Joy Division)
“Head On” Pixies (The Jesus and Mary Chain)
“Burning Up” Babyland (Madonna)
“Hardly Wait” Swamp Terrorists (PJ Harvey)
“The Thing That Should Not Be” Primus (Metallica)
On
Dinosaur Jr. – Hot Burrito #2 (Flying Burrito Brothers)
Joey Ramone – What a Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong)
Those Darlin’s – Driving Nails in My Coffin(Ernest Tubb is the version I know)
Whiskeytown – Nervous Breakdown (Black Flag)
Wilco – Any Major Dude (Steely Dan)(Meat Purveyos doinf Ratt’s “Round and Round” and Ryan Adams doing Gillian Welch’s “Time the Revelator” just missed the cut)
Like others I tried to avoid what I consdider the obvious for this site.
On
Damn, MDD tears up “Beautiful and Damned”!Totally differnt spin then the way Chad sings it.
On
Wyclef Jean – Wish You Were Here
Graham Parker – Hold Back The Night
Hindu Love Gods – Raspberry Beret
On
Don’t really have a top 5 but some notes. A band from Baltimore called The Brass Uncle Band does my favorite version of “moonshiner”. Some hot mandolin pickin’ on it.
And we used to open Spotucky Radio with Bobby Bare Jr doin’ “Come on Feel the Noise” It’s pretty nutty.
On
“Nobody ‘Cept You” – 16 Horsepower
“Dead Flowers” – Townes Van Zandt
“Atlantic City” – Rodney Parker & 50 Peso Reward
“I Feel Like Hank Williams Tonight” – Jerry Jeff Walker
“Venus in Furs” – DeVotchKa
On
This may fall into the “obvious” category, but Cream’s cover of Robert Johnson’s “Crossroads” seems too seminal to leave off of any such list.
On
okay — i already had my top five, but i can’t beleive i actaully left off a few of my favorites from back in the day:
Just Like Heaven – Dinosaur Jr (The Cure)
Easy – Faith No More (The Commodores)
Creep/My World is Empty… – Afghan Whigs (TLC/The Supremes)…
damn, so many more!!
On
Those Poor Bastards – I Walk The Line
Tom Waits – The Return of Jackie and Judy
The Pogues – Dirty Ol’ Town
Hank III – Ruby, Get Back To The Hills
Pete Yorn – Dancing In The Darknice to see Whiskeytown’s cover of Nervous Breakdown on one of the lists!
On
Man this is tough, but:
1. I Shot the Sheriff – Eric Clapton (Bob Marley)
2. Faster Horses – Larry Keel (Tom T. Hall)
3. Into the Mystic – Wallflowers (Van Morrison)
4. Heart in a Cage – Chris Thile (The Strokes)
5. I’m on Fire – Waylon Jennings (Bruce Springsteen)(I wanted to include Dead Flowers by TVZ, but to me the cover has seem better to me than the original and they’re about equal)
On
Murry Hammond (of Old 97s) – What Are They Doing In Heaven Today? (Charles Albert Tindley published this song in 1901, made popular by others)
Micah P. Hinson – Kiss Me Mother, Kiss Your Darlin’ (an old American folk song)
Possessed by Paul James – Bourgeois Blues (Huddie Ledbetter)
Chris Thile – Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground (The White Stripes)
The White Stripes – Jolene (Dolly Parton)Leaving town today. Will try to send you some of these mp3s next week.
On
Bobby Bare Jr’s “Cum on Feel the Noize” is awesome.
I tried to not include songs that had been on tribute albums, but I have to mention Shudder to Think’s cover of Victoria Williams’ “Animal Wild.” In fact, pretty much that entire record is great.
On
“Faster Horses – Larry Keel (Tom T. Hall)”
YES!
On
“I’m A Ram”-Big Ass Truck(Please refrain from asking the guys when they get back together, I’m pretty sure the answer is never.)
“I Shall Be Released”-The Band(I heard it was written specifically for them by Bob, but most would still consider this a cover.)
“Thirteen”-Cory Branan(I love Big Star and you should too. Cory does the only cover of this song worth mentioning. Everyone else is a big fat pussy and shouldn’t be allowed to touch a Big Star song)
“Hey Joe”-Roy Buchanan(This dude is totally underrated, totally. His cover of “Hey Joe” is so fucking haunting. I can’t get over it.)
“Ain’t No Sunshine”-Lucero(There’s no disagreeing with this one.)
On
jr. juggernaut – trouble (cat stevens)
On
I dunno, Superdrag’s cover of “September Gurls” is pretty damn good.
On
email me some of these songs y’all: autopsy4@gmail.com
we’re putting together a covers mixtape for Tuesday.
On
I think I’m going to retract Waylon’s cover of I’m on Fire by the Boss, for his cover of “Don’t Think Twice” by Dylan… Waylon’s kicks Dylan’s version ass!!
On
I love Keb Mo’s cover of “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” off Timeless: Hank tribute – Lucero “Kiss the Bottle”, Patterson Hood “I’m In Love With a Girl”, Elliott Smith “Thirteen”
On
Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key…Billy Bragg & Wilco(Woody Guthrie)
That’s How I Got To Memphis…Solomon Burke (Tom T. Hall)
Talking Old Soldiers…Bettye LaVette (Elton John)
Wild Horses…Faultline (ft.Joseph Arthur)—(Rolling Stones)
Whiskey In The Jar…Metallica (Thin Lizzy)
On
Smitty, the Elliot Smith version is awful to me. As a Memphis girl I’m pretty sure my word is gold on local bands.(I’m terminally full of shit, sorry)
I was making a general statement. Isn’t it The Quiet Life who do that awesome version of ‘Don’t Lie to Me’? The videos for that on youtube blow my mind everytime.
On
just because it’s fun here are five more I really like:
Ben Weaver – 2 Girls (Townes Van Zandt)
(one of the very few successful TVZ covers I think)Mark Lanegan – Nothin’ In This World Can Stop Me Worryin’ ‘Bout That Girl (The Kinks)
Turbonegro – Gimme Shelter (Stones)
Faces – Maybe I’m Amazed (McCartney)
Bobby Bare Jr – Things I Didn’t Say (Shel Silverstein/Dr. Hook)
also, the Hiram/Huddie tribute had lots of good covers, Whitmore’s The Gallis Pole being my favorite.
On
…and I like Elliott Smith’s version of Thirteen. Not as much as the original, true, but still very much!
On
Ok, I’ll fess up. I’m just not an Elliot Smith fan.
Gonna get shot, but I think the Garbage cover of “Thirteen” is pretty good. Shirley Manson is one of the few girls who make that song sound good.
On
Lots of great stuff here!
How about these?
Dollar Store – Believe (Cher)
Paul Westerberg – I Think I Love You (Partridge Family)
Meat Purveyors – SOS (Abba)
On
RSV — any chance of a re-up of your original cover archive? I thought i had it but must have had an ISP hiccup… and several great tracks didn’t make the final cover mix-tape cut!
thanks