pbleighton Posted June 27, 2006 Report Share Posted June 27, 2006 Two requirements: 1. The original has to be a recognized rock classic.2. The cover has to be better than the original. My pick: Joan Jett's version of "Summertime Blues". Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pclayton Posted June 27, 2006 Report Share Posted June 27, 2006 Elton's Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds comes to mind, but I bet I can think of something better. Great question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hrothgar Posted June 27, 2006 Report Share Posted June 27, 2006 No sure if this qualifies, but I was SHOCKED the first time that I heard No Doubt covering "Its My Life" by Talk Talk. Probably not a classic, but still a definite staple from the early days of MTV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hrothgar Posted June 27, 2006 Report Share Posted June 27, 2006 "Tears of a Clown" Definitely a classic and I prefer the English Beat version... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike777 Posted June 27, 2006 Report Share Posted June 27, 2006 Twist and Shout come to mind, the Beatles doing the cover. Twist and ShoutFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to: navigation, search"Twist and Shout" Single by The Beatles from the album Introducing... The Beatles in the United States and Please Please Me in the United Kingdom Released 1964 (US) Format vinyl record 7" Recorded Abbey Road: 1962 Genre Rock and roll Length 2:23 Label Tollie 9001 (US-1964)Capitol 5624 (US-1986) Producer(s) George Martin Chart positions #2 (US-1964) #23 (US-1986) The Beatles singles chronology "Roll Over Beethoven"(1964)---"Beatles Movie Medley (1982) "Twist and Shout"(1964)---(reissue-1986) "Can't Buy Me Love"(1964)---"Baby It's You (1995)" "Twist and Shout" is a song originally by Phil Medley and Bert Russell. It was originally recorded by the Topnotes and the Isley Brothers and was later covered by The Beatles, with John Lennon on the lead vocals, and originally released on their first album Please Please Me. This version was recorded in a single take, a rarity in rock and roll. It was covered again by Chaka Demus and Pliers, reaching #1 in the UK charts on 8 January 1994. Contents [hide]1 History 1.1 Isley Brothers version 1.2 Brian Poole and the Tremeloes 1.3 The Who version 1.4 The Beatles version 2 Instrumentation for Beatles version 3 See also 4 External links http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twist_and_Shout Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike777 Posted June 27, 2006 Report Share Posted June 27, 2006 Of course the greatest rock and roll song of all time is a cover version by the Kingsmen. Louie, Louie, written by Richard Berry. Your continued donations keep Wikipedia running! Louie, LouieFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to: navigation, search"Louie, Louie" is an American rock 'n' roll song written by Richard Berry in 1955. It has become a standard in pop and rock, with hundreds of different versions recorded by different artists. A version by The Kingsmen recorded in 1963 is perhaps the best-known recording; it was also the subject of an FBI investigation about the potential obscenity of the lyrics, an investigation that ended without prosecution. Contents [hide]1 Original version 2 Version by The Kingsmen 3 Recent history 4 The Louie Louie Riff 5 Sample 6 Reference 7 External links [edit]Original versionAccording to a history documented in Rhino Records liner notes in a 1989 re-release of "The Best of Louie, Louie" (Rhino R1 70605), Berry was inspired to write the song after listening to and performing René Touzet's "El Loco Cha Cha" with Ricky Rivera and the Rhythm Rockers. In Berry's mind, the words "Louie, Louie" superimposed themselves over the bass line of the song, a walking ten-note riff. The first person perspective of the song was influenced by "One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)", which is sung from the perspective of a customer talking to a bartender. Berry cited Chuck Berry's "Havana Moon" and his exposure to a lot of Latin music for the song's speech pattern and references to Jamaica. Richard Berry recorded it in 1956 with his backing band, the Pharaohs, and scored a minor success on the rhythm and blues charts in the U.S., which were dominated by black artists and bought almost exclusively by black listeners. The song is written in the style of a simple Jamaican ballad, and tells, in simple verse-chorus form, the first-person story of a Jamaican sailor returning to the island to see his lady love. [edit]Version by The KingsmenIn the U.S. music industry of the 1950s and '60s, mainstream white artists would often re-record songs by black artists. On April 6, 1963, a new rock and roll group from Portland, Oregon called The Kingsmen chose "Louie, Louie" as their first recording. There is some controversy as to the circumstances of this recording. It is definitely known that the Kingsmen recorded it at Northwestern, Inc., Motion Pictures and Recordingin Portland as a demo for a possible cruise ship gig. The group paid a small sum of $36 for a one hour Saturday afternoon session. The Kingsmen's lead singer, Jack Ely, briefed the band on the song, basing his version on a 1961 recording of Berry's tune by another band from the Pacific Northwest, Rockin' Robin Roberts and the Fabulous Wailers (no relation to the band headed by Bob Marley years later), perhaps intentionally introducing a slight change in the rhythm as he did. It was recorded in one or two takes (with the second being used); according to some reports, the band may have thought they were rehearsing rather than laying down the final track. Ely himself, depending on which source one believes, was either hoarse from singing the night before, wearing braces on his teeth, hung over, obliged to shout the lyrics into a boom microphone which couldn't be adjusted to his height, or some combination thereof - or it could have been that Ely, along with the rest of the group, simply lacked the talent to produce a proper recording. Robert Lindahl, then-president and chief engineer of NWI, and the sound engineer on the Kingsmen's and Paul Revere & the Raiders' later session of the same song in the exact same studio, recalled in interviews that both times the boom mics were parked against the wall and never used, and noted that the Raiders' version is not known for "garbled lyrics" or an amateurish recording technique. Another rather large error left on the track is when singer Jack Ely begins singing the verse of the song much too early after the guitar break in the middle, at about 1:58. He realizes he's made a mistake and drummer Lynn Easton was left to cover the error with a sloppy drum fill. Whatever the factors in the session, the Kingsmen transformed Berry's relatively easy-going ballad into a raucous, anarchic, rock 'n' roll romp, complete with a twangy guitar, occasional background chatter, and almost completely unintelligible lyrics by Ely. The version quickly became a standard for teen parties of the Sixties in the U.S., fueled by tremendous but inexplicable popularity in Boston, and reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Another factor in the success of the record may have been the rumor that the lyrics were intentionally slurred by the Kingsmen to cover the fact that it was laced with profanity, usually in the graphic depiction of sex between the sailor and his lady. Crumpled pieces of paper professing to be "the real lyrics" to "Louie, Louie" circulated among teens. It was banned on many radio stations and in many places in the United States, including Indiana, where it was personally banned by the Governor, Matthew Welsh, simply on the rumor alone, as practically no one could understand the actual lyrics. The Kingsmen and Ely protested, when asked, that the lyrics were sung more or less as Berry had written them, but this did not stop the controversy. Even the FBI became involved in the controversy - but concluded a 31-month investigation with a report that they were "unable to interpret any of the wording in the record" [1]. Oddly enough, the song does contain one possibly obscene moment that the FBI missed. Immediately before the second verse (approximately 54 seconds into the song), drummer Lynn Easton supposedly banged his sticks by accident and shouted "F.....K!" [edit]Recent historySince its pressing, the Kingsmen's version has remained the most popular version of the song, retaining its association with wild partying. It enjoyed a brief comeback which also associated it with college fraternity parties in the 1970s when it was sung, complete with the supposedly obscene lyrics, by Bluto (John Belushi) and his fellow fraternity brothers in the movie National Lampoon's Animal House. A more faithful rendition of the song was recorded by Belushi for the accompanying soundtrack album. It is unknown exactly how many versions of "Louie, Louie" have been recorded, but it is believed to be over 1,500 variations, according to LouieLouie.net. This popularity helped Berry receive overdue compensation for unpaid royalties. Some bands have taken liberties with the lyrics of the song, including attempts to record the supposed "obscene lyrics". It is believed the first artists to do so were The Stooges. Iggy Pop would later record a more civilized cover version of the song, with new lyrics composed by Pop, for his 1996 album American Caesar. A version of "Louie, Louie" performed by The Clash can be found on a vinyl bootleg of the band called "Louie is a Punkrocker". A solely instrumental version is heard during the last scene and closing credits of The Naked Gun. "Louie, Louie" has figured in the musical lexicon of Frank Zappa quite often throughout his career. An early live version of his original composition "Plastic People" (from his You Can't Do That Onstage Anymore series of live albums) is actually set to the melody of "Louie, Louie" (the official version was released on the album Absolutely Free). At a Zappa concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Mothers Of Invention keyboardist Don Preston climbed up to the legendary venue's pipe organ, usually used for classical works, and played the signature riff. Quick interpolations of "Louie, Louie" have also frequently turned up in other Zappa works. Louie Louie was Motörhead's first single for Bronze Records, it was a relatively faithful cover of the song, with "Fast" Eddie Clarke's guitar emulating the Hohner Pianet electric piano riff. Nirvana's popular single Smells Like Teen Spirit uses a loose adaptation of the Louie, Louie chord line by way of Boston's "More Than a Feeling" (according to Kurt Cobain in a 1992 Rolling Stone interview) as its introduction. Black Flag released their own version of Louie, Louie in 1981 on Posh Boy Records, then later reissued the single on their own SST label and as part of the anthology The First Four Years. It features Dez Cadena on vocals for the lead track, with Cadena's own lyrics for the song, which he apparently improvised on the spot, as an alternate version heard on the 1982 outtakes compilation Everything Went Black with completely different Cadena-originated lyrics suggests. A live recording of Black Flag's version of the song (from the 1986 live album Who's Got the 10½?) features Henry Rollins following in the band's tradition of improvising new lyrics for the song. In 1988, rap trio The Fat Boys covered the song for their fourth album Comin' Back Hard Again, with new lyrics by the band that focused on the history of the song. During the 1980s, there was a move in the state of Washington to make "Louie, Louie" the official state song; this effort ultimately failed to pass the state legislature. Also in the early '80's, Rhino Records released on vinyl and cassette two editions of The Best Of Louie Louie. The first features Richard Berry's original recording, the Kingsmen's influential version, Black Flag's version, and several other, often bizarre versions, including ones recorded especially for the album by a college marching band and by an unidentified a cappella group singing the song's title to the melody of Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus" In August, 2003, 754 guitarists played a ten-minute rendition of "Louie, Louie" at Cheney Stadium, in Tacoma, Washington, United States, in what was believed to be the world's largest jam session [2]. In July 2004, singer-songwriter Todd Snider released the song, "Ballad of the Kingsmen" on his CD entitled "East Nashville Skyline" which tells the tale of "Louie Louie" the FBI and the plight of the Kingsmen. The song later morphs into a song about censorship. There is a growing movement [3to declare April 11, Richard Berry's birthday as International Louie Louie Day. [edit]The Louie Louie RiffThe chords to the main riff to "Louie, Louie" are A major, D major, and E minor. (In tablature: A-A-A, D-D, Em-Em-Em, D-D.) [edit]SampleDownload sample of The Kingsmen's "Louie, Louie" [edit]ReferenceMarsh, Dave. Louie Louie. Hyperion, 1993. ISBN 1562828657. [edit]External linksLouieLouie.net Louie Louie Web The Louie Louie Pages Classic Bands entry on The Kingsmen What are the REAL lyrics to "Louie Louie"? courtesy of The Straight Dope Are the lyrics to 'Louie Louie' obscene? at snopes.com Excerpts from the FBI file about the song, from The Smoking Gun Dragonball Z Revelations - a music video with Dragonball Z characters. Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louie%2C_Louie"Categories: Pop songs | Rock songs | 1955 songs | 1963 singles | Obscenity controversies | 1960s pop songs | The Beach Boys songs http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louie,_Louie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbleighton Posted June 27, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2006 Joan Jett has an awesome version of Louie, Louie. Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aberlour10 Posted June 27, 2006 Report Share Posted June 27, 2006 My pick: "Roadhouse Blues" written by The Doors, covered by The Jeff Healey Band Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elianna Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 "Smells Like Teen Spirit". Tori Amos covering the Nirvana classic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sigi_BC84 Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 I don't know what "Rock'n'Roll" is supposed to mean these days. Anyways, here's my pick for one awesome cover version: Personal Jesus by the great Johnny Cash (original by Depeche Mode). --Sigi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luke warm Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 i'd vote for the ball and chain cover, for the song by that name, on janis' 'cheap thrills' album Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdeegan Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 ;) One vote for Elvis' cover of Willie Mae Thornton's 'Hound Dog'. Honorable mention for the Beatles covers of Chuck Berry's 'Roll Over Beethoven' and Buck Owens 'Act Naturally' with Ringo on the vocal. Also, Creedence Clearwater's cover of 'SuzieQ'. Do you know the most covered song of all time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badmonster Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 All Along the Watchtower. Dylan then Hendrix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbleighton Posted June 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 "All Along the Watchtower. Dylan then Hendrix" Wondered if someone would mention this. Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotShot Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 SIMON AND GARFUNKEL - HAZY SHADE OF WINTERand i think the Bangles version is better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aberlour10 Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 "All Along the Watchtower. Dylan then Hendrix" Wondered if someone would mention this. PeterI picked this song for the thread "Greatest Rock'n'Roll songs" Bob Dylan himself recognized Jimi's cover version as the best. Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ochinko Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 Neither the greatest, nor better than the original, but still one of my favorites: Frank Zappa's version of Purple Haze If I remember correctly it was performed only to test the microphones before a concert. Don't ever listen his version of Stairway to Heaven. Worst. Parody. Ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshs Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 I am never sure what exactly is a classic. I don't think a classic means it was written in the 1970's or earlier. My vote for the best cover is a folk classic, and most of you probably never heard of it. "The Kid", Orginal by Buddy Mondlock, Covered by almost every contempory folk singer, Covered best by Dar Williams and Lucy Kaplansky on the Cry Cry Cry allbum. Also maybe obscure (where obscure means, not known to absolutely everyone):Hallelujah. Orignal by Leonard Cohen, Cover by Jeff Buckley. If you are a west wing fan the cover was playing the entire scene when the agent protecting CJ Cregg was killed. A scene (and fitting music) thats impossible to forget. Definitely not Obscure:Sweet Jane, Orginal by the Velvet Underground, Cover by the Cowboy Junkies. Its close which version is better.Eye in the Sky, Orginal by Alan Parsons Project, Cover by Jonatha Brooke. The cover totally shows why the orginal was a great, but overproduced, song. I prefer the orginal of Hazy Shade of Winter but the cover is great.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mycroft Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 Maybe not a classic, but Joan Jett's "Pretty Vacant" (orig. Sex Pistols). Am I allowed to mention William Shatner's "Lucy"? (very much a joke). I don't think it's clearly better, but it is very good, and very different: Iron Maiden, "Cross-Eyed Mary". Given my opinion of most popular 90's music, I would say any of Weird Al's Polka remixes are likely to be better than the originals... Michael. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike777 Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 I am never sure what exactly is a classic. I don't think a classic means it was written in the 1970's or earlier. My vote for the best cover is a folk classic, and most of you probably never heard of it. "The Kid", Orginal by Buddy Mondlock, Covered by almost every contempory folk singer, Covered best by Dar Williams and Lucy Kaplansky on the Cry Cry Cry allbum. Also maybe obscure (where obscure means, not known to absolutely everyone):Hallelujah. Orignal by Leonard Cohen, Cover by Jeff Buckley. If you are a west wing fan the cover was playing the entire scene when the agent protecting CJ Cregg was killed. A scene (and fitting music) thats impossible to forget. Definitely not Obscure:Sweet Jane, Orginal by the Velvet Underground, Cover by the Cowboy Junkies. Its close which version is better.Eye in the Sky, Orginal by Alan Parsons Project, Cover by Jonatha Brooke. The cover totally shows why the orginal was a great, but overproduced, song. I prefer the orginal of Hazy Shade of Winter but the cover is great.... Sweet Jane, agree both these versions are great.....truly great.....but are you not too young to know these songs? :) I guess you got to start talking about Suzzane if you are going to mention Cohen..again are you not too young? :) Glad to see all the Joan Jett songs... Speaking of All along the Watchtower..how about: Star spangled banner by Jimmy Hendrix,,much better than originial....:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshs Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 Speaking of All along the Watchtower..how about: Star spangled banner by Jimmy Hendrix,,much better than originial....:) ROFL. I think the original had the fireworks (over Baltimore) in the background also. But Guitar fireworks are cooler! One of the challenges in this game is figuring out what was a classic in the first place. For instance, hendrix's cover of All Along the Watchtower is clearly a classic but is Dylan's original? Now I am a big Dylan fan and not a big Hendrix fan... It doesn't pass either "classic" test for me:a. Everyone knows the song (who here has even heard Dylan's orginal?)ORb. It is frequently covered (so it has become part of the cannon as a written song, but not as a recorded song) Along those lines these don't qualify for me:Mannford Mann's Cover of Bruce Springstein's Blinded by the Light (who has heard the Orginal?)Natalie Imbruglia's Cover of Ednaswap's Torn (do you even know who Ednaswap is?). I actually think the original was slightly better... Someone mentioned The Bangles cover of Hazy Shade of Winter. Suzzanna Hoffs has made a career of producing great covers. I especially love "All I want" Orginally by The Lightning Seeds (unless you listened to alternative rock from the late 80's early 90's you will not know them). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jikl Posted June 29, 2006 Report Share Posted June 29, 2006 I second Jeff Buckley's cover of Hallelujah; it is an amzing track. One of the most popular answers to this question is usually "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell. A little known fact is that this is in fact a cover of a son originally performed by Gloria Jones. (Personally I prefer Marilyn Manson's version) I will try to think of some more obscure ones :) Sean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badmonster Posted June 29, 2006 Report Share Posted June 29, 2006 Along those lines these don't qualify for me:Mannford Mann's Cover of Bruce Springstein's Blinded by the Light (who has heard the Orginal?)Natalie Imbruglia's Cover of Ednaswap's Torn (do you even know who Ednaswap is?). I actually think the original was slightly better... I've heard the original, and it's much better. Ok, it's more discordant, but is that a bad thing. Mannford Mann's version is just pasturized pop. Bruce's version is long before he considered pop. And it's my favorite Boss album. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bid_em_up Posted June 29, 2006 Report Share Posted June 29, 2006 Manfred Mann's Cover of Bruce Springstein's Blinded by the Light (who has heard the Orginal?) I have, I own it even, lol. One of the greatest lyrical songs of all time, imo. Manfred Manns version also drops two of Springsteens original verses: "Oh, some hazard from Harvard was skunked on beer, playin' backyard bombardier Yes, and Scotland Yard was trying hard, they sent some dude with a calling card, he said, "Do what you like, but don't do it here" Well, I jumped up, turned around, spit in the air, fell on the ground and asked him which was the way back home He said, "Take a right at the light, keep goin' straight until night, and then, boy, you're on your own" And now in Zanzibar, a shootin' star was ridin' in a side car, hummin' a lunar tune Yes, and the avatar said, "Blow the bar but first remove the cookie jar, we're gonna teach those boys to laugh too soon" And some kidnapped handicap was complainin' that he caught the clap from some mousetrap he bought last night Well, I unsnapped his skull cap and between his ears I saw a gap but figured he'd be all right" I can never help but wonder, WHAT. THE. HELL. WAS. HE. ON. when he wrote this?? LOL. Manfred Mann also covered another Springsteen song ("For You") on the "Lies(Through the 80's)" album. Much better than Springsteens version. Other great covers: Take Another Piece of My Heart - Melissa Etheridge (orig. Janis Joplin). If you havent heard this, find it, preferably the live version. Its awesome. Forget the Beatles version of Roll Over Beethoven. Give me Electric Light Orchestra's any day. Guns and Roses version of Knocking On Heavens Door. Johnny Cash's version of NIN's, Hurt. (Liked his cover of Personal Jesus also). But I dont really consider either of these to be classics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshs Posted June 29, 2006 Report Share Posted June 29, 2006 I also love GNR's cover of Knocking on Heaven's door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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