NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE MAKING OF THIS WEBSITE
Cover Me Impressed
With a focus on the 60's-90's music scene, CMI is a Paradiso for Lovers Cover Songs! Each post focuses on a particular song and provides its original and most popular recordings as well as covers versions. Patrons of CMI vote on the most deserving cover version, which will then live to compete again, battling other cover songs in a future post.
Bands, musicians, troubadours, and their ilk, submit your cover songs for future CMI competitions.
CMI welcomes the opportunity to introduce new artists.
Contact RDubbs at RDubbsTunage@gmail.com
Music Genres?
We've Got 'em Covered ...
Rock / Alt-Rock / Rock 'n Roll / Rockabilly / Indie Pop / New Wave / Old Wave / Surf / Reggae / Ska / Punk Rock / Psychobilly / Cowpunk / Alt-Country / Bluegrass / Folk / Croon-Tunes / A Cappella / Motown / Gospel / Blues / Rhythm & Blues / Jazz / Big Band / Lounge / Classical / Celtic / Bossa Nova / Worldbeat / Show Tunes / Cartoons / Bizarro / Musical Calamities
So Where Are the Strong, And Who Are the Trusted, And Where is the Broccoli, Sweet Broccoli!
space
I have to admit, before this weekend I had never heard this song, We People Who Are Darker Than Blue. I was taking in some reggae covers when I heard Lloyd Chalmer’s rendition. I looked up Curtis Mayfield’s original version and discovered one outstanding song! Sheesh, where have I been?!!?
space
The Original
space (space)
Curtis Mayfield:
space (space)
And an excellent live version:
space (space)
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
space (space)
Lloyd Chalmers vs. Sinead O’Connor
space (space)
Lloyd Chalmers:
Sinead O’Connor:
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. Only one cover tune will live to play another day and it is your solemn responsibility to decide which one prevails. So tell me … Which Side Are You On?!!?
space (space)
space (space)
Votes can be cast up to three months from the day and time of the original post.
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
Homage or Theft? Paul Weller’s love affair with old school Rhythm & Blues, Soul and Motown have been on display throughout his career, possibly never more than on The Jam’s rollicking, catchy number, Town Called Malice. The song kicks off with the classic bass line that Motown’s legendary session artist, James Jamerson, composed for You Can’t Hurry Love and maintains a similar melding of soul and pop that the great songs from the golden age of Motown pulled off so well.
Town Called Malice appeared on The Jam’s sixth album, The Gift. Released as a single in January 1982, Town Called Malice entered the chart at number one on the British music charts and remained there for three weeks. It was the Jam’s third number-one single in the UK and the band’s sole entry onto any American chart hitting No. 31 on Mainstream Rock Tracks.
The Original
space (space)
The Jam:
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
space (space)
The Adjusters vs. Okano Kaori
space (space)
The Adjusters:
Okano Kaori:
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. Only one cover tune will live to play another day and it is your solemn responsibility to decide which one prevails. So tell me … Which Side Are You On?!!?
space (space)
space (space)
Votes can be cast up to three months from the day and time of the original post.
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
“Free markets will not prevail without unfettered competition among cover songs.” – Milton Friedbyrd
space
Forever Young is one of Bob Dylan’s most beautiful songs. The song expresses Dylan’s hopes and dreams for his children as they progress through childhood. Forever Young is a frequently covered song with the majority of artists attempting in futility to maintain the spiritual poignancy that Dylan achieved.
Forever Young first appeared on Dylan’s album Planet Waves, which was released in 1974. Two versions of the song were included on the album, a slow and fast version. For what it’s worth, I think the slow version is so vastly superior to the fast one that I question why it was even included on the album; the fast version should have been an outtake, packed away for a future rarities release. Forever Young is just one example of the magic Bob Dylan and The Band routinely conjured up. It only solidifies the excellence and expertise of one of the more underrated bands of our time, The Band.
Forever Young is also noteworthy for one of those surreal moments when time just seems to awkwardly stand still. Of course I’m referring to Howard Cosell’s inane recitation of its lyrics when Muhammad Ali outlasted Leon Spinks to win the heavyweight title for an unprecedented third time.
space
Planet Waves: Slow Version
space (space)
Bob Dylan and The Band:
space (space)
Planet Waves: Fast Version
space (space)
Bob Dylan and The Band:
space (space)
The Last Waltz: Simply Outstanding Live Version
space (space)
Bob Dylan and The Band:
space (space)
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
space (space)
Soweto Gospel Choir vs. Neil Young & the Grateful Dead
Soweto Gospel Choir:
Neil Young & the Grateful Dead:
Neil Youngis a recipient of CMI’s universally coveted title of Bi Victor Melodious Maximus in Adversarial Replication. Among the title’s myriad of rewards and benefits, perhaps most desirous is that it bestows upon the recipient the eminently yearned for privilege of having one’s name appear in print media in bold orange!
Young’s triumphal exploits in CMI’s THE CLASH of Cover Tunes competitions are detailed below:
10/18/2013 – “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues” (Bob Dylan) – Neil Young with Booker T & The MGs (100%) throttle Robyn Hitchcock (00%)
9/27/2013 – “Imagine” (John Lennon) – Neil Young (84%) wallops David Bowie (16%)
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. Only one cover tune will live to play another day and it is your solemn responsibility to decide which one prevails. So tell me … Which Side Are You On?!!?
space (space)
space (space)
Votes can be cast up to three months from the day of the original post.
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
And In My Hour of Need, I Truly Am Indeed, Alone Again, Broccoli …
space
One of my favorites from Madness. My Girl appeared on their first album, One Step Beyond, which became a standard of the British ska revivalist movement. When My Girl was spun- off as a single in December, 1979, it reached Number Three in the U.K. charts
The Original
space (space)
Madness:
space (space)
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
space (space)
Skanker vs. Tracy Ullman
space (space)
Skanker:
Tracy Ullman:
Is there anything Tracy Ullman cannot do? Probably, I guess, right?
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. Only one cover tune will live to play another day and it is your solemn responsibility to decide which one prevails. So tell me … Which Side Are You On?!!?
spa
sp
Votes can be cast up to three months from the day and time of the original post.
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
“Free markets will not prevail without unfettered competition among cover songs.” – Milton Friedbyrd
Starmanwas recorded by David Bowie in February 1972 and released as a single that April. FUN FACT: The song was a late addition to Bowie’s album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars at the insistence of RCA’s Dennis Katz, who heard a demo and loved the track, believing it would make a great single.It replaced the Chuck Berry cover Round and Round on the album…Imagine that, axing a cover at the last minute!??! My God what a travesty! Oh the humanity!!!
According to David Thompson of AllMusic: “Starman is arguably the single most influential song in Bowie’s entire catalog. At the time of its release, after all, he was still a one-hit wonder, creaking around the club circuit with a critically acclaimed, but publicly ignored live show, while his Space Oddity signature theme sank ever further back into the mists of time.”
Starman embedded Ziggy Stardust in the nation’s consciousness and established David Bowie as the premier eccentric rock icon of the time. The single reached No. 10 while the album hit No. 5. in the UK charts. Starman remained in the UK charts for 11 weeks. In the US the song peaked at No. 65.
The Original
space
David Bowie:
space (space)
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
space(space)
Nosferatu vs. May Hart Band
space (space)
Nosferatu:
May Hart Band:
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. Only one cover tune will live to play another day and it is your solemn responsibility to decide which one prevails. So tell me … Which Side Are You On?!!?
space (space)
space (space)
Votes can be cast up to three months from the day and time of the original post.
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
They Long to Be Close to You is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. It was first recorded and released as a single in 1963 by Richard Chamberlain garnering precious little attention. However it was not a total lose for Rich; the single’s B-Side, Blue Guitar, would go on to be a minor hit. They Long to Be Close to You was next recorded by Dionne Warwick and released in 1964. Bacharach himself also took a stab at it, releasing his own version in 1968.
But it was in 1970 that musical history would be made! A year earlier, two wild and crazy kids had caught Burt’s attention with their rousing cover of the Beatles’ Ticket to Ride. Burt contacted the sibling pair, Richard and Karen Carpenter, and suggested they arrange their own version of They Long to Be Close to You. They did, thereby producing a wretched travesty for the ages. The single sold over a million copies. They Long to Be Close to You occupied number one pop for four weeks and went to number one adult contemporary later that summer. This horrific song also won the Carpenters a Grammy for Best Contemporary Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group, or Chorus and Best New Artist.
Yet, despite the years of torment we have all endured, involuntarily assaulted by this musical abomination at everywhere from restaurants, elevators, school choruses and commercials to our parents’ stereo, They Long to Be Close to You does claim one undeniable superlative; it is Homer and Marge Simpsons’ love song. They Long to Be Close to You played in the background as Homer Simpson first met and gazed upon Marge Bouvier and in time was the first song they danced to at their wedding.
space
The Original
space (space)
Richard Chamberlain:
space (space)
The Most Popular
space (space)
Carpenters:
space (space)
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
space (space)
Hannah Cranna vs. Ethyl Meatplow
space (space)
Hannah Cranna:
Ethyl Meatplow:
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. Only one cover tune will live to play another day and it is your solemn responsibility to decide which one prevails. So tell me … Which Side Are You On?!!?
space (space)
space(space)
Votes can be cast up to three months from the day and time of the original post.
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
I’m A Believer was composed and recorded by Neil Diamond in 1966. It was released on his album Just for You in 1967. However, in November 1966, The Monkees recorded and released the song to immediate fanfare. I’m a Believer amazingly ranks as the third most popular rock song of the ’60s, behind only the Beatles’ Hey Jude and I Want to Hold Your Hand. It spent seven weeks at number one in America, hit the top of the charts in Britain as well, and charted in over a dozen countries.
The Original
space(space)
Neil Diamond:
This version is just plain weird. It sounds like…well… it sounds like Neil Diamond is singing it…some things are just not right!
space (space)
The Most Popular
space(space)
The Monkees:
There, now that sounds much better…
space (space)
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
space (space)
The Frank & Walters vs. Nina Hagen
space (space)
The Frank & Walters:
Nina Hagen:
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. Only one cover tune will live to play another day and it is your solemn responsibility to decide which one prevails. So tell me … Which Side Are You On?!!?
space (space)
p
space (space)
Votes can be cast up to three months from the day and time of the original post.
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
ACDC, what could you say? You either loved them or hated them! I did not love them. But, gee wizz, on Cover Me Impressed such disdain matters not. If there’s a decent cover out there then there will always be a place for the covered band on CMI. Even ACDC. Hmmm, I think I’ll go take a shower now…
The Original
space (space)
ACDC:
space (space)
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
space (space)
Dropkick Murphys vs. Pat Boone
space (space)
Dropkick Murphys:
Pat Boone:
This is from Pat’s album No More Mr. Nice Guy. Sadly I am not kidding.
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. Only one cover tune will live to play another day and it is your solemn responsibility to decide which one prevails. So tell me … Which Side Are You On?!!?
space (space)
space (space)
Votes can be cast up to seven days from the day and time of the original post.
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
Pink Floyd’s first hit in the United States, Money, from the band’s seminal album The Dark Side of the Moon.
The Original
space(space)
Pink Floyd:
space(space)
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
space(space)
Easy Star All-Stars vs. The Flaming Lips (featuring Henry Rollins)
space (space)
Easy Star All-Stars:
The Flaming Lips (featuring Henry Rollins):
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. Only one cover tune will live to play another day and it is your solemn responsibility to decide which one prevails. So tell me … Which Side Are You On?!!?
space (space)
space (space)
Votes can be cast up to 3 months from the day and time of the original post.
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
“Free markets will not prevail without unfettered competition among cover songs.” – Milton Friedbyrd
space
Gadzooks! It has been exactly one year today since my last post. Due to family flapdoodles too numerous to count, as well as general malaise, I apostatized from my righteous charge of disseminating Cover Tunes. But I’ve recently awakened and recommitted myself to spreading the felicity that is reprocessed tunage. So from this day forward – and for at least a week or two more – Cover Me Impressed will rise from the slag heap of long-defunct blogs! With its second-coming there will be some subtle changes. For one, CMI will no longer offer a daily CLASH of Cover Tunes. The plan is to publish three, maybe four, CLASHes per week. Also the voting period will be significantly increased from the one week time frame used in the past to 3 months. And lastly, from hereon out, any visitors that do not vote will be haunted over the next three nights (as the last stroke of twelve has ceased to vibrate, to be exact) by three spirits. And I’m here to tell ya, entertaining the Ghost of Cover Songs Yet To Come is by no means a joyous occasion. That is one tedious specter! And believe me, he will bore you to tears right through to the daylight hours with his insipid tales of self-important minutia!!
CMI’s inaugural blog and CLASH of Cover Tunes pitted two venerable old codgers – David Bowie and Neil Young – crooning their covers of John Lennon’s immortal masterpiece Imagine. Neil won that bout with 84% of the vote. For the sake of symmetry (and the fact that it is Doug Zaner’s favorite John Lennon song) we’ll reintroduce the blog with Neil defending his rendition of Imagine versus Eddie Vedder’s contribution.
space
The Original
space (space)
Lennon:
space (space)
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
space (space)
Vedder vs. Young
Vedder:
Young:
Young holds the distinction of being CMI’s Reigning Exultant Virtuosic Performer of “Imagine“. Additionally, Young is a recipient of CMI’s universally coveted title of Bi Victor Melodious Maximus in Adversarial Replication. Among the title’s myriad of rewards and benefits, perhaps most desirous is that it bestows upon the recipient the eminently yearned for privilege of having one’s name appear in print media in bold orange!
Young’s triumphal exploits in CMI’s THE CLASH of Cover Tunes competitions are detailed below:
10/18/2013 – “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues” (Bob Dylan) – Neil Young with Booker T & The MGs (100%) throttle Robyn Hitchcock (00%)
9/27/2013 – “Imagine” (John Lennon) – Neil Young (84%) wallops David Bowie (16%)
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. Only one cover tune will live to play another day and it is your solemn responsibility to decide which one prevails. So tell me … Which Side Are You On?!!?
space (space)
space (space)
Votes can be cast up to three months from the day of the original post.
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
cover me impressed 