Playlist: Covers #7

Well, it's been a few months, but it was high time to roll out another bunch of top cover versions for you. They might not be originals, but that shouldn't detract from the quality.

So, for our seventh selection of covers, we have ten great alternate takes on older tunes - and this time, we cover a wealth of genres, from classic pop, indie and alt-rock, through country and garage punk.

As ever, there should be something in here for everyone....

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1. Echo & The Bunnymen: People Are Strange

Photo: Getty Images

I used to kid myself into believing that I thought The Doors were good. Then we bought a greatest hits record of theirs, and realised that while a few of the songs might sound good by themselves, everything actually sounded pretty much exactly the same when played together. It is perhaps hard to believe this, but Ian McCulloch actually added some quirky sparkle to Jim Morrison's rather dour original singing on People Are Strange (aided by Will Sergeant's vibrant guitar and a much lusher keyboard sound), when Echo & The Bunnymen tackled it for the soundtrack to classic vampire flick, The Lost Boys, some twenty years later. There was some continuity too, with the song produced by Doors keyboardist, Ray Manzarek.

Echo & The Bunnymen: People Are Strange (official music video)

2. Rhoda Dakar: Stop Your Sobbing

Rhoda Dakar cemented her legendary place on the ska scene long ago, with her roles in The Bodysnatchers and then Special AKA. And while she has since worked with others including Madness, she has put out plenty of solo records too. Her recent album Version Girl saw her take some of her favourite songs from other genres and give them the reggae / ska treatment. There are tunes by Morrissey, Bowie and Elvis Costello, among others, but I have picked her version of The Pretenders early classic Stop Your Sobbing this time.

Rhoda Dakar: Stop Your Sobbing (audio only)

3. Todd Snider: Fortunate Son

Photo: Roscoe Earl Leon

Todd Snider, who sadly died last week of pneumonia, was a leading figure in the Americana scene, having been putting out records since 1994s Songs For The Daily Planet. He eventually made his way from Oregon, via Texas, to East Nashville, where he cemented his reputation, eventually releasing around twenty albums. His beautiful rendition of Creedence Clearwater Revival's Fortunate Son appeared on his 2008 Peace Queer EP, a record he considered one of his more political ones. For this one, he was joined by country singer Patty Griffin on backing vocals.

Todd Snider: Fortunate Son (audio only)

4. Jerry Jeff Walker: Alright Guy

Photo: Paul Natkin / Getty Images

I thought it would be nice to carry on with a mini-tribute to Todd Snider, with a cover of one of his songs. Alright Guy had been an early single of his, and appeared on his roots-rock debut record, Songs for the Daily Planet. Jerry Jeff Walker (real name Ronald Crosby) was one of the pioneers of what is known as Outlaw Country, and was actually one of Snider's heroes. In the 1970s he was in the same circle as the likes of Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Guy Clark, although he was perhaps best known for his 1968 song Mr Bojangles. Walker's take on Alright Guy appears on 2001s Gonzo Stew.

Jerry Jeff Walker: Alright Guy (audio only)

5. The B-52s: Downtown

This version doesn't get in using the premise of being technically as good as, or better than, the original - it is, to the casual listener... a little bit tacky. But then again, this is the B-52s, and as long as you bear that in mind, it becomes quirky and amusing! The Tony Hatch penned original, which he wrote while on a trip to New York, was a big international hit for Petula Clark (1 in the US, 2 in the UK) in 1964. It has also been covered by Dolly Parton, ol' Blue Eyes (Frank, that is) and even Emma Bunton. But there was no way we weren't going with Athens favourite party animals.

The B-52s: Downtown (live in Passaic, 1980 - as chaotic live as on record)

6. The Beatles: Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby

This was a well known Carl Perkins track, but was originally written back in 1936 by Alabaman singer-songwriter, Rex Griffin. When Perkins recorded his version in 1956, he claimed that he had written it, and while it is true that he made significant changes to both the tune and the lyrics of the original, the fact is he gave no other writing credits, which meant that Griffin received no royalties from either his or the Beatles versions. It was mega Perkins fan, George Harrison, who got to sing lead vocals on their version, which appeared on 1964's Beatles For Sale LP.

Carl Perkins & George Harrison: Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby (live together in 1986 + bonus of Perkins' Your True Love)

7. Franz Ferdinand: Was There Anything I Could Do?

Photo: Andy Knowles

Scottish art rockers Franz Ferdinand were down in Australia in 2013, in support of the album Right Thoughts, Right Words. When they went in to iconic Aussie radio station Triple J to record an interview and session, they were asked to do something for the stations Like A Version segment. They chose local favourites, the Go-Betweens, and this track from their 1988 classic LP, 16 Lovers Lane.

Franz Ferdinand: Was There Anything I Could Do? (live on Triple J, 2013)

8. Jimmy Eat World: Game Of Pricks

This is a pretty straight up (but very good) cover of one of Guided By Voices best tracks of the 1990s. In 2001, Jimmy Eat World were just coming to international prominence after some time in the musical wilderness. The Middle was one of their breakout songs, from the hit fourth album Bleed American, and this cover, actually recorded for a BBC Radio 1 session, was then included as a B-Side for the single.

Jimmy Eat World: Game Of Pricks (live on BBC Radio 1 session, 2001)

9. Uncle Tupelo: I Wanna Be Your Dog

This was, of course, the signature track of those godfathers of punk, The Stooges. The track is a sonic sludge, with Ron Asheton's iconic swampy, grungey guitar riff as the background for Iggy Pop's growling and yowling. Uncle Tupelo, often regarded as one of the key founders of the Alt Country movement, took a stab at this in 1991. It almost never made it to record, only eventually finding the light of day on the 2002 An Anthology, and the 2003 re-issue of third album, March 16-20, 1992. The band take the song in quite a different direction - a brisk, picked guitar, country-rock jaunt - it lacks Iggy's menace, but still seems to pack a punch.

Uncle Tupelo: I Wanna Be Your Dog (audio only)

10. R.E.M.: Strange

It feels like no covers playlist is quite complete without some R.E.M. in it. Their use of cover versions, both on studio albums and B-Sides was fairly prolific in the early years, and their choices were always interesting and varied. For 1987's swansong for IRS - Document - they delved into the world of English art-punk in the shape of Strange by Wire. The original, from Wire's critically acclaimed 1977 debut Pink Flag, was a slow, paranoid, fuzzy dirge - while R.E.M.s take was more akin to a garage pop thrash, racing through it at a rate of knots, and shaving well over a minute off the running time.

R.E.M.: Strange (live in Stockholm, 1998)