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July 07, 2004
Cover songs: Good or Bad?
On my way home from work today I heard Paul Westerberg on the radio covering Nico's "These Days." It took me about 20 seconds or so to realize it was the same song. Westerberg's version was a little bit countrified and the lack of a German accent threw me a little. Still, it wasn't bad, although it didn't make me feel the same as Nico's version, which I will always associate with that beautiful scene in The Royal Tenenbaums when Margot is picking up Richie at the bus station.
There are some covers I like better than the originals. Dinosaur Jr.'s version of "Just Like Heaven" is better than the Cure's version, if only because J. Mascis sounds even more torn up than Robert Smith does. Jay Farrar's live version of "Lucifer Sam" is pretty faithful to the Pink Floyd original but there's something about his version that I like better. I think it's the rockin'. And of course there's Johnny Cash's version of "Hurt." Johnny lived a more painful life than Trent Reznor could ever hope for, and it shows in the song.
I'm still on the fence on "Head On", Pixies v. Jesus and Mary Chain. The JAMC original is much longer and sometimes I like that. Other times I prefer the way Black Francis and company barrel into the song and finish it up quick. Sometimes I find myself liking the Mike Watt version of "Tuff Gnarl" better than Sonic Youth's original, but that is solely because of Carla Bozulich's creepy, sexy vocals.
What cover songs do my four readers prefer over the originals?
Posted by Half-Cocked at July 7, 2004 08:23 PM