There are enough covers of this song. This means no more are needed, by anyone, especially if this "anyone" is Macy Gray, and especially if the advertisement that the cover is being used in is supposed to encourage people to buy a product.
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posted
To add to the list of songs that no longer need to be covered by anyone anywhere ever:
867-5309 Brick House Brown Eyed Girl Anything written by Pink Floyd, you will only mess it up Mrs. Robinson.....
There are another couple hundred, but I think we get the point.
Anyone here pick up a copy of Sevendust's new cd and notice that the tribute to Cash was a cover of hurt which wasn't even his song? AM I the only person bothered by this? The man in black had enough songs of his own that you could choose as a tribute.
posted
That reminds me of a story. I used to be a DJ, and when I was doing a show with my friend, we'd do screwy things just to amuse ourselves at the expense of others. Once we had a trivia contest with some sort of stupid prize. The question was as follows: Who did the original version of this song? We then played the original Neil Diamond version of Red Red Wine. We immediately got about 50 calls from people claiming that Neil Diamond was covering the UB40 song. Not a single person caught on that the version we were playing was the original. We laughed ourselves silly.
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Landslide Big Yellow Taxi Tainted Love The Monkees Anything by Bob Dylan that's already been covered.
*******
What, though, in your opinions, are fabulous covers? I vote for Alanis's unplugged version of "King of Pain." I also saw Barenaked Ladies do a live version of "Bootylicious." That was pretty fabulous.
posted
"Yesterday" also has enough covers, I've decided.
I wish a modern-day artist would cover "Eve of Destruction", though. I love both Barry McGuire's and The Turtles' versions.
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posted
I had to buy it as a single on eBay, but it was relatively easy. (I'm speaking of the Pirates Who Don't Do Anything) It was utterly fantabulous.
I'm not much of a punk fan (at least not what they're calling "punk" these days), but punk covers can be really funny. My friend's brother's band (a lovely group of chaps calling themselves Therapist Off) does a punk cover of Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On."
Posts: 8504 | Registered: Aug 1999
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posted
Wow, Speed. I'm feeling sheepish that, not only have I discussed this exact thing before, but I made the exact same comments. And not only have I discussed this exact same thing and made the exact same comments, but it was two months ago!
<---- old and senile
Oh, and by the way, the Hawaiian version of "Over the Rainbow" you mentioned in the other thread is by Israel Kamakawiwo`ole, who you can find called simply "Iz" in some places. Posts: 8504 | Registered: Aug 1999
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posted
Don't worry... if I spent as much time making scholarly and insightful comments on all known forms of art, I'm sure I wouldn't be able to remember them all either. The only reason I was able to remember that thread two months ago is that I've only made one coherent cultural comment since then, so I didn't have too much to keep track of.
PS Thanks for the tip. I'm going to go look that dude up immediately.
[ August 21, 2004, 12:38 AM: Message edited by: Speed 2: Cruise Control ]
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posted
Another song that should never ever be covered:
Bohemian Rhapsody
I can't think of anyone that would be able to sing it properly in the frist place. Except maybe the lead singer from The Darkness. I forget his name. Justin something
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posted
No covers of pop standards unless you have the voice for it. The versions by Rod Stewart drive me up a tree. And they play them all the time at work just to annoy me No one can sing Marvin Gaye who ISN'T Marvin Gaye. I can think of a ton of other songs people need not to cover. Smashmouth should not do covers!!!
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quote: No one can sing Marvin Gaye who ISN'T Marvin Gaye.
I mentioned this before... as a rule I think you're right. But listen to CCR's version of I Heard It Through the Grapevine. Of course, if you're just listening for vocals, you might not be too impressed. But if you hear the way the Fogerty brothers' guitars tear that song up, you might just change your mind. That jam is the closest you'll ever get to heaven on earth.
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posted
I'd like to add the following to the "Do Not Cover" list:
-Every Beatles song that exists.
Seriously, nobody but the Beatles can perform a Beatles song correctly. Every single Beatles cover I've ever heard sucked. Any time you're preparing to record yourself performing a Beatles song, stop and ask yourself the following question: "Was I in the Beatles?" If the answer is no, then do not, repeat, DO NOT proceed with the recording.
quote:I wouldn't call his songs covers. I consider them parodies. It is a very funny song though.
Weird Al I mean.
Considering that he left the lyrics to "Bohemian Rhapsody" intact, I would say that "Bohemian Polka" was, in fact, a cover, and not a parody. It's true he played it in a polka style for humorous effect, but recording an existing song using a different genre is nothing new.
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quote: I'd like to add the following to the "Do Not Cover" list:
-Every Beatles song that exists.
Dude, have you ever heard Alison Kraus' version of I Will? Fricking amazing. If it were only for this version alone, I'd say you were crazy.
I heard Sting do a concert version of A Day In the Life that was really cool. And Phish did the whole White Album once in concert, and did a really good job.
This is going to sound really weird if you only think of him as the Don't Worry Be Happy dude, but if you've never heard Bobby McFerrin's version of Blackbird, you're really missing out on something amazing.
Earth Wind and Fire's version of Got To Get You Into My Life is a funk classic.
You are aware that U2 did a version of Helter Skelter, right? I suggest you withdraw your statement before Annie sees it.
Johnny Cash's version of In My Life gives me chills.
Don't tell me you've forgotten Shatner's immortal cover of Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds. (Okay, that was pretty bad, but I needed a good laugh.)
If you're into jazz in any manner, you've heard and grooved to Bela Fleck's version of Michelle.
Speaking of jazz fusion, what about the Crusaders' version of Elanor Rigby?
Don't say anything until you've heard Jeff Beck's version of She's a Woman, either in the studio, or the live version with the Jan Hammer Group. That's the shiz-nit.
Listen to Michael Hedges' version of Come Together sometime before you die. You'll be glad of it.
Yes did a pretty cool version of I'm Down that was released as a bonus track on their box set.
Stevie Ray Vaughan did a version of Taxman, which is all anyone should need to know.
See, I think part of the genius of the Beatles is how well they lend themselves to covers. Sure, if you don't know what you're doing you'll just sound like an idiot. But Beatles songs are like Gershwin songs. They can be re-invented for just about any different genre, including genres that didn't exist when the songs were written. And if they're done right, they can come to life in a way you'd never expect. Piles of covers have already been done, and every time you think the well's run dry, someone else will come around and prove you wrong.
[ August 22, 2004, 08:08 AM: Message edited by: Speed 2: Cruise Control ]
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posted
See, the thing about music is that there's so much of it out there that it's impossible for any one person to be familiar with even a large percentage of it. It's true that most of my comments were phrased as an absolute, and I used a little hyperbole in an attempt at humor, but really the whole thing revolved around this statement:
quote:Every single Beatles cover I've ever heard sucked.
And obviously I can't evaluate that which I've never heard.
quote:You are aware that U2 did a version of Helter Skelter, right?
No, but it's hard to imagine how it would change my mind. I admit that since I haven't heard it, it may be brilliant . . . but since I don't like U2, I'm not exactly predisposed to assume it is.
quote:Stevie Ray Vaughan did a version of Taxman, which is all anyone should need to know.
I will, however, concede the point here. I had forgotten about this one. Clearly not every Beatles cover I've ever heard sucked. There was one that didn't, and "all but one" is not "every". Statement withdrawn.
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And to counter Verily's statement, I would venture to say that the only good Beatles song is a covered Beatles song. See: entire I Am Sam soundtrack. "Across the Universe" by Rufus Wainwright? Bloody brilliant! "Come Together" by Aerosmith?
And the best Beatles cover EVER is Bernadette Peters doing "Blackbird."
Heh. Infidels.
*goes back to watching Rattle & Hum.*
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posted
I seem to recall hearing a good cover of "Dear Prudence" once. It wasn't any match to the original, but it worked. I can't remember the name of the singer, though. I think it was a female.
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posted
I'm not sure who did this first or if either of them can claim to be the original writer but I love both versions of "Romeo and Juliet" by the Indigo Girls and Dire Straights
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In my opinion, Smashmouth should not be allowed near either recording equipment. That's just me, though.
Regarding Beatles covers:
It's possible that the version of "Dear Prudence" you may be thinking of was by the Grateful Dead. [Edit: Or, you know, maybe not, since you said it was a woman... I bet learning to read would help me a lot in life.] And both Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder have done covers of songs by the Beatles that even Paul McCartney liked.
posted
Romeo and Juliet was a Dire Straits song. I personally liked the original better, but the remake was good as well.
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