We haven't done one of these for a while, so it is high time we roll out another bunch of interesting cover versions.
Some people can get a bit snooty about covers - 'they can never be as good as the original' - and that is certainly true of many of them. But, there are more than a few that are better, or at least attack the original tune from a different angle.
So, here are ten more that take an interesting tack on (mostly) well known songs. As ever, hopefully there is something in here for everything.
1. Devo: (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
Straight in at the deep end with this one. The original Keith Richards riff is one of the most iconic in rock, so you have to be careful how you approach this one. Otis Redding and Britney Spears are two that have attempted it, but we have gone with the Devo one. They originally recorded it in 1977, before re-working it with Brian Eno for their 1978 debut, Q. Are We Not Men? A. We Are Devo! An appearance on Saturday Night Live gave them some valuable airtime, although the UK was the only place where it threatened the charts. It also made it into Martin Scorsese's 1995 film, Casino. They approached this in only a way Devo could - don't be expecting any rip roaring guitar riffs on this one.
(Official music video)
2. Yo La Tengo: Here Comes My Baby
We stay in the 1960s for the origin of this one too. Interestingly, the song was written by Cat Stevens in the days before he could get himself a record deal, and became the first hit for The Tremeloes after lead singer Brian Poole had left. A Stevens version did also appear around the same time, on his debut Matthew & Son. Yo La Tengo's fourth album, 1990s mostly acoustic offering, Fakebook, consisted of five originals and six covers. There are tunes by Ray Davies, Gene Clark and John Cale, and also this one - a beautiful, authentic version.
(Audio only version)
3. The Raincoats: Lola
We just about break into the 70s for this one. The inspiration for this song is hotly debated, but it is undoubtedly a classic, coming from The Kinks' 1970 album Lola Versus The Powerman And Moneygoround, Part One. Seven years later, Ana de Silva and Gina Birch met at Hornsey College of Art, and formed The Raincoats, a experimental post-punk outfit whose biggest claim to fame might be that they were a huge inspiration on a young Kurt Cobain. This charmingly lo-fi cover closed out side one of their debut album, The Raincoats.
(Audio only version)
4. Robyn Hitchcock: The Ghost In You
This was the second single from the Psychedelic Furs 1984 album, Mirror Moves, and is one of the gentler moments from their earlier work. Robyn Hitchcock was a founder of closet 1970s legends, The Soft Boys, who were a huge inspiration on bands like REM and The Replacements. After that, Hitchcock formed the Egyptians, did some solo stuff and also had a band called the Venus 3. He was been a frequent collaborator with people like Peter Buck (REM), Gillian Welch and Andy Partridge (XTC). The Ghost In You appeared on his 20th album, The Man Upstairs, which included half originals and half covers, and was produced by folk legend Joe Boyd.
(Live at City Winery, NY, 2014)
5. Kid Congo Powers & The Pink Monkey Birds: Jump Into The Fire
This was a single from Harry Nilsson's 1971 album, Nilsson Schmilsson, which re-surfaced in 1990 in (spookily, another Scorsese one) Goodfellas. Kid Congo Powers (Brian Tristan) is something of an underground legend in the US, having spent much of the late 70s and 80s in bands like The Gun Club, The Cramps and also as one of Nick Cave's Bad Seeds. But, the Pink Monkey Birds has been his mainstay since then, and this cover appeared on a limited edition set in 2011 called Five Greasy Pieces.
Confession time: I had heard this cover on a radio station somewhere, sometime, but now that I have written about it, I can't find it on You Tube, or even Bandcamp or Amazon Music. So, here is the original (rather excellent) version for you.
And here are the Pink Monkey Birds doing a great cover of The Gun Club song, Sex Beat, by way of a humble apology.
6. China Drum: Wuthering Heights
There isn't a huge amount of love in this household for Kate Bush, so the only she was likely to feature was in the background. This was her debut single in 1978, written after watching the BBC's 1967 adaptation of the book. China Drum were a punk band formed in Northumbria in 1989, and got some attention supporting the likes of Green Day. Debut album, Goosefair, eventually came out in 1996, and their slightly less delicate interpretation of this song, featured as the B-Side to Can't Stop These Things. A headbanging joy!
(Audio only version)
7. Spizzenergi: Virginia Plain
Virginia Plain, written by Bryan Ferry, gave Roxy Music a Top10 hit in 1972, but did not make it in time for the original release of their eponymous debut album (it did end up on later re-issues). It was inspired by a painting he had done that was based on the tobacco product with the same name. Spizz (Kenneth Spiers) formed Spizzenergi in late 70s Solihull. He prided himself on regularly changing the bands name, and they have also been known as Athletico Spizz 80, Spizzoil and The Spizzles, amongst others. They are perhaps most famous for their cult punk hit from 1980, Where's Captain Kirk? This version somehow manages to remain authentic and yet add a slightly crazy element, in a wonderous two and a bit minutes. It had cropped up as the B-Side of earlier single, Soldier, Soldier.
(Audio only version)
8. Wolf Alice: Wicked Game
The iconic and atmospheric song appeared on Chris Isaak's third album, Heart Shaped World (1989), but didn't register as a hit until 1990 when it was used in David Lynch's film Wild At Heart. Wolf Alice were formed when Ellie Rowsell and Joff Oddie met at an open mic night at the Hope & Anchor in Islington. This rare cover was done as part of a set the band did for the Spotify Sessions.
(Live at iTunes Festival, 2014 - lovely version)
9. Idles: Damaged Goods
This debut single by Gang Of Four met with such critical acclaim that they got signed to EMI, with it eventually showing up on their iconic 1978 debut album, Entertainment! AllMusic's Tom Maginnis said that it was the closest they ever came to a pop song, being "almost danceable, skewed only by singer Jon King's indignant rant." No strangers to ranting themselves, Bristolians Idles (or sometimes IDLES) covered this for the 2021 tribute album, The Problem Of Leisure: A Celebration Of Andy Gill And Gang Of Four.
(Official audio version)
10. Pennywise: Stand By Me
Ben E King wrote this in 1961 with the help of legendary songwriting team, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Apparently his band, The Drifters, weren't interested in it, so he had a hit with it instead. It was apparently inspired by the spiritual Stand By Me Father, written by Sam Cooke and JW Alexander. Incredibly, it has been covered over four hundred times! Otis Redding, John Lennon and Tracy Chapman have all had a go at it, as has (somewhat amusingly) Cassius Clay (as Muhammad Ali was known at the time) on his comedy-music album I Am The Greatest. For some reason, and perhaps just to be different, I haven't gone for any of those, instead we have this version by Californian skate punk band Pennywise, from their Wildcard EP.
(Audio only version - caution, does have some fruity extra lyrics not in the original)
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