Tune du Jour: “Waterloo Sunset” – The Kinks
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes: David Bowie vs. Robyn Hitchcock vs. The Jam vs. Rhett Miller
VOTE, COMMENT, then DO SOMETHING NICE FOR YOURSELF
CoverMeImpressed.blog CoverMeImpressed.blog CoverMeImpressed.blog
Such beautiful imagery, vocals and music … The Kinks at their best.
The Original
The Kinks:
Ray Davies and David Bowie:
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
David Bowie vs. Robyn Hitchcock vs. The Jam vs. Rhett Miller
David Bowie:
Robyn Hitchcock:
The Jam:
Rhett Miller:
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 
I can’t believe I had to suffer through four version of this fucking piece of shit song.
Kidding. The Kinks are my favorite band, period. And this song hold a very special place in all Kinks’ fans hearts. This is one of those situations where almost all cover versions will sound okay because the song is just so fabulous. Indeed, all four versions here were great, but I had to give it to Bowie, who famously said that he had never heard a Kinks song he didn’t like. Bowie’s voice, strong but restrained, rises above the other versions here, in my opinion. Very nice way to start my day.
Classic Kinks!
Bowie really nails this song! Short on creativity but long on perfection.
Hitchcock is just so talented. He has done such a catalog of covers spanning the Beatles, to Hendrix, to Dylan, Young, VU, The Furs, Pink Floyd and the list goes on … even an acapella version of Kung Fu Fighting! Wide variety of genres .. but consistently an expert product.
Now The Jam put a little bit more juice into the song with their mod interpretation … sumptuous …
Rhett’s opening banter sets the stage for such a pleasant ride. I love this stripped down version.
Four wonderful covers of a fantastic dream … I am going to give it to Rhett simply because he pulled it off beautifully with one instrument, alone on stage … impressive …
Such a beautiful song. One of The Kinks best and they have so many good ones. Bowie’s vocals fit the song well. It’s surprisingly faithful to the original with louder, more modern production. Very thick and ultimately not as good. I don’t remember hearing this Jam take. They have covered several other Kinks tracks so it’s appropriate. The photo and sound suggest that it was early in their run. The production sounds cheap and clunky so they likely didn’t go to Sync Studios. Not bad but could and probably should have been better. Glad to see Rhett Miller loves this beauty so much and he plays and sings it as such. Very well done and I like him for second place but I voted Hitchcock. His voice and acoustic playing are a great fit, the background vocals are on point. Simple, clean and probably sounds better with an English accent.
One of the very best offerings from The Kinks, and that’s really saying something.
I didn’t know this was covered by The Jam. Looks like it appeared on the Deluxe Edition of Sound Affects.
Lots of good covers today, with some strong performers. Nobody changed the song drastically. I voted Hitchcock in a close call.