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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
Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton, Kansas City Bill & Orch. (January 1953):
Most Popular Cover
Elvis Presley (July 13, 1956):
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
Eric Clapton vs. Jimi Hendrix vs. John Lennon
Eric Clapton:
Jimi Hendrix:
John Lennon:
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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.
Tune du Jour: “(What’s So Funny ’bout) Peace, Love and Understanding?” – Nick Lowe
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes: Midnight Oil vs. Big Fish Ensemble feat. the Indigo Girls vs. Bruce Springsteen et al. vs. Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox feat. Sarah Potenza
VOTE, COMMENT, then DO SOMETHING NICE FOR YOURSELF
Never knew of nor heard this original version before …
Brinsley Schwartz (June 1974):
Nick Lowe (who wrote the song) with his band at the time His Sound (October 1978):
Beautifully written plea for sanity. For all his acclaim I still feel that Nick is an underrated songwriter. He has written some brilliant lyrics, often poignant, often satirical, always first-rate. Unfortunately, this song has more relevance now more than ever. John Lennon quoted the song in 1980 in a Rolling Stone interview. What more can you say …
Most Popular Cover
Timeless, superb version! One of my EC favorites from the first time I heard it. Such energy, attitude and passion!!! Recently saw EC and, of course, he sang this as the last song of his encore. During the show he gleefully told of a time long ago in Detroit when Donald Trump (or as he referred to him as “the spoiled son of a slumlord”) tried to glom onto him after a show and he told him to eff-off! Yes, now that’s a punk attitude!!!
Elvis Costello & The Attractions (Nov 7 1980):
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
So many great covers of this song. It was ridiculous whittling it down to four. Will probably re-visit this masterpiece again … and maybe again.
Midnight Oil vs. Big Fish Ensemble feat. the Indigo Girls vs. Bruce Springsteen et al. vs. Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox feat. Sarah Potenza
Midnight Oil:
Big Fish Ensemble feat. the Indigo Girls:
Atlanta hometown heroes! The Indigo Girls made it … Big Fish Ensemble should have …
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, the Dixie Chicks, Eddie Vedder, Dave Matthews, John Fogerty, Michael Stipe, Bonnie Raitt, Keb Mo and Jackson Browne (Great Scott, Batman!!!):
Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox feat. Sarah Potenza:
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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.
What a song!!! It was revolutionary for its time. Changed music forever! Melts me …
The Original
The Ronettes:
I know. I know. Five songs are a bit much! I always try to limit it to a maximum of four and only rarely at that. But I did my damnedest to keep it at four but then found a Beach Boys live cover. While not a fan I know a few of you are so I broke precedent and begrudgingly went with five.
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
The Dollyrots vs. Yo La Tengo vs. John Lennon vs. The Beach Boys vs. 6X
The Dollyrots:
Yo La Tengo:
John Lennon:
There is another longer outtake of John doing this song on youtube that is also brilliant. Seek it out!
The Beach Boys:
6X:
Don’t worry Be My Baby is just over three and a half minutes long. The rest is a hidden track that, frankly, is not very good. However, this local Atlanta band produced a lot of great songs. I really hate hidden tracks!
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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.
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes: Manic Street Preachers vs. Marilyn Manson vs. Screaming Trees
Everybody’s Dressin’ Funny … Cover Me Impressed!
Read it in Sunday Papers …
Tough manhunt … German police began searching for a drunken reveler who smashed another reveler over the head with a beer stein at an Oktoberfest celebration. They described the perpetrator as having “blond hair and pale skin, and wearing lederhosen.”
The Original
John Lennon:
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
Manic Street Preachers vs. Marilyn Manson vs. Screaming Trees
Manic Street Preachers:
Marilyn Manson:
Screaming Trees:
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?!!?
For our purposes we will rely on medley standards as outlined at the 2012 Institute of Chartered Music Listeners Music-Medley Symposium, which identified and defined the following categories of
Broccoli For Miles And Miles And Miles And Miles And Miles … Oh Yeah!
Music Medleys:
The Meager-Medley – a musical composition comprised of parts from two independent songs.
The Mini-Medley – a musical composition comprised of parts from three independent songs.
The Medial-Medley – a musical composition comprised of parts from four independent songs.
The Mega-Medley – a musical composition comprised of parts from five or more independent songs.
THE CLASH of Cover Medleys
Circle Jerks vs. Eugene Chadbourne and the Red Clay Ramblers vs. Soul Asylum
Circle Jerks: Golden Shower of Hits
“Along Comes Mary” (The Association) / “(They Long to be) Close to You” (The Carpenters) / “Afternoon Delight” (Starland Vocal Band) / “(You’re) Having My Baby” (Paul Anka) / “Love Will Keep Us Together” (Captain & Tennille) / “D-I-V-O-R-C-E” (Tammy Wynette)
Eugene Chadbourne and the Red Clay Ramblers: Medley in C
“Always on My Mind” (Willie Nelson) / “Whiter Shade of Pale” (Procol Harem) / “San Francisco Nights” (The Animals) / “Ain’t Misbehavin’ ” (Louis Armstrong) / “Imagine” (John Lennon) / “TV Party” (Black Flag) / “Misty” (Johnny Mathis) / “Dang Me” (Roger Miller) / “England Swings” (Roger Miller) / “I Started a Joke” (Bee Gees) / “To Sir With Love” (Lulu) / “Waltz Across Texas” (Ernest Tubb) / “The Shah Sleeps in Lee Harvey’s Grave” (Butthole Surfers)
Soul Asylum: James at 16
“The Cross” (Prince) / “For What it’s Worth” (Buffalo Springfield) / “I’m Waiting for My Man” (The Velvet Underground) / “Birth, School, Work, Death” (The Godfathers) / “Damaged Goods” (Gang of Four) / “Play that Funky Music” (Wild Cherry) / “Free For All” (Ted Nugent) / “I Don’t Believe You Want to Get Up and Dance (Oops, Upside Your Head)” (The Gap Band) / “Body Slam” (Bootsy Collins) / “Stayin’ Alive” (Bee Gees) / “Wishing Well” (Terence Trent D’Arby) / “Get Down Tonight” (KC & the Sunshine Band) / “Peaceful Easy Family” (The Eagles)
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Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. It is your solemn responsibility to decide which medley of cover songs prevails. In other words … Which Side Are You On?!!?
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
Who in the Hell Do Think You Are? A Broccoli Stalk? Well, Right You Are!
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Instant Karma! was written by John Lennon and released In February 1970. The song was written, recorded and released within a period of ten days, making it one of the fastest-released songs in pop music history. Instant Karma! reached the top 5 on the UK and US singles charts, becoming the first solo single by a former member of the Beatles to sell a million copies.
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The Original
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John Lennon:
Live at Madison Square Garden, August 30,1972
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THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
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Laura Jane Grace with Frnkiero AndThe Cellabration vs. Midnight Oil vs. The Vitamin String Band
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Laura Jane Grace with Frnkiero AndThe Cellbration:
Midnight Oil:
The Vitamin String Band:
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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?!!?
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Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
I’m Gonna Have Fun in the City, Me And My Girl And Mr. Broccoli
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What a great song! One of my favorites from the ’60s, a decade that produced an incredible amount of marvelous tunes. Seems every band with a modicum of aesthetic awareness has covered this gem at one time or another. If not recorded and cataloged then at the least live or in practice. Yet, through all its covers, weak and strong, I’ve yet to hear one that exceeds The Easy Beat’s original take.
The Original
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The Easy Beats:
And check out this great live version. Notice they’re wearing the same natty attire as on the cover of the 45. Why wouldn’t they I suppose?
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THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
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David Bowie vs. The Space Negros vs Richard Thompson
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David Bowie:
The Space Negros:
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Richard Thompson with Judith Owen & Debra Dobkin:
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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?!!?
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Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
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Unrelated But Not Without Ample Merit
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It’s Murder by Numbers…
A plurality of Democrats, 39%, say John Lennon is their favorite Beatle. Just 15% of Republicans agree. 49% of Republicans name Paul McCartney as their favorite. (Public Policy Polling)
There’s plenty to be read between the lines in this polling. Just saying …
1952 Black Lightening, one of the all-time great ballads.
“Red hair and black leather, my favorite color scheme…”
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The Original
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Richard Thompson:
Great live version recorded around 2006 when Thompson crashed at my apartment for a few weeks. I dearly love the man but he still owes me $20 dating back to that sojourn!
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THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
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Mary Lou Lord vs. Sean Rowe
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Mary Lou Lord:
Sean Rowe:
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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?!!?
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Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
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Unrelated But Not Without Ample Merit
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Won’t You Listen to What the Man Says?e)
“Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.” John Lennon as quoted in CNN.com
We Can Work It Out was recorded during the Rubber Soul sessions and released in December 1965 on the ground-breaking first ever “double A-sided” single. Apparently Paul wanted We Can Work It Out to be the A-side of a single with Day Tripper as the B-side. Shockingly, John disagreed, preferring the opposite (i.e. Day Tripper on A-side and We Can Work It Out on the B-side). Ah, but necessity is the mother of invention. And just like that the ingenious double A-Sided single was born. The first album We Can Work It Out appeared on was Yesterday And Today, which was released in June 1966 to the American market only.
We Can Work It Out was a collaboration of lyrics and music between McCartney and Lennon, which after their hits of 1963 had become an exceedingly rare occurrence (A Day In The Life was another brilliant example). Generally speaking, the more optimistic parts of We Can Work It Out were McCartney’s creation while the darker, impatient parts were Lennon’s contribution.
We Can Work It Out was wildly successful reaching number one on both the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and U.K. Singles Chart. We Can Work It Out also holds the distinction of having spawned the most commercially successful cover of a Beatles song when Stevie Wonder’s version reached number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned Mr. Wonder a Grammy Award nomination in 1972, for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.
The Original
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The Beatles:
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Hey, That’s One Successful Cover!
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Stevie Wonder:
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THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
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Jorge Luis Rojas (aka “Rojitas”) vs. John Wicks & The Records
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Jorge Luis Rojas (aka “Rojitas”):
John Wicks & The Records:
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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?!!?
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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
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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.
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The Original
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Lennon:
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THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
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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?!!?
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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 