Tune du Jour: “Paint it Black” – The Rolling Stones
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes: U2 vs. Ciara vs. First to Eleven
VOTE, COMMENT, then DO SOMETHING NICE FOR YOURSELF
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The Original
The Rolling Stones:
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
As you could imagine, there is a ridiculous number of great covers for this classic. I picked these three interesting ones for today. I am sure that I will revisit this gem again sometime down the road.
U2 vs. Ciara vs. First to Eleven
U2:
Ciara:
First to Eleven:
SPACE
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. It is your solemn responsibility to decide which cover song prevails. In other words … Which Side Are You On!??!
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
cover me impressed 
This is such a timeless classic that even after a multitude of listenings, I still get into it whenever it pops on the radio.
U2 sounds great but nothing very creative going on here.
Well you certainly cannot say that Ciara did not make the song her own. But this highly acclaimed cover just does not work for me.
As always First to Eleven delivers a flawless cover and the eerie video is pitch perfect.
Audra’s vocals work really well on this particular number and, again, bonus points for the visuals. First to Eleven in a runaway.
U2 didn’t change it much, but sounded better than the competition, thus earning the vote.
Ciara did change it, but I wasn’t crazy about the result.
First To Eleven worth a listen as always, and the halloween / horror film video went well with this dark and gloomy song.
Great song. The first cover versions that came to mind to me were by Eric Burdon and War and Echo & The Bunnymen. I didn’t know U2 recorded a cover and It was much better than I expected. Love the layered sound with echo and feedback. It didn’t seem like The Edge and that’s a compliment. Bono had restraint which is also amazing. They got my vote. There were things I did and didn’t like about First To Eleven’s cover. Auto tuned vocals in the beginning? Ouch! Why? They played it well afterwards. Ciara started out with promise but eventually the dance pop tendencies couldn’t be contained. The second half was about as successful as her husband’s season with the Giants last year.
I hadn’t heard the U2 version in quite a while. I forgot how good it was. Edge stepped out of his usual box; I love his guitar work on this one. I wasn’t crazy about Ciara’s version. Not familiar with First to Eleven, but I see they’re one of those bands Richie favors, with some fungible nubile lead singer in their 20s. Yes, we can credit the Stones with introducing the actual sitar to rock music, but the Kinks did precede them with that Indian drone sound by a year, with the song See My Friend. Just sayin’