Behind the covers

Is there anything better than an awesome cover song?

First, you don’t have to learn any new words, although when the style is completely changed from the original, sometimes you have to learn a new rhythm to go along with.

Second, there is really no debate as to whether you like the song, so when you go to CD World or whatever place you may go to buy music, you don’t have to sit there staring at a CD wondering, “Hmm … now, do I want to buy this CD just because Britney is hot, or do I actually like the music?”

(Perhaps that might be admitting too much about a personal experience. *Silence ensues as everyone passes judgment on the guy that has Casualties and Britney Spears CDs in the same vicinity.*)

I know that covers lack a certain originality – OK, they really aren’t very original at all – but can you blame a band for trying to pad its set possibilities by adding a cover or two?

So, to help everyone out in finding their perfect cover, and to give a music list that doesn’t have to do with some crappy song to listen to in order to set the mood, I’m going to offer everyone a list of some of the best covers around.

(There will be seven, because that is the number that rules all, and the answer to every question you don’t know.)

1. Jimi Hendrix – “All Along the Watchtower.” This was originally a Bob Dylan tune, but even Dylan was forced to admit Hendrix’s version was the definitive. Dylan is even quoted as saying that it wasn’t his song anymore – it was all Jimi’s. The sheer brilliance of Hendrix comes out in this remake, for it takes quite a man to successfully pull off a Dylan cover.

2. Nirvana – “Where Did You Sleep Last Night?” When I saw Kurt Cobain had done a Ledbetter song on the Unplugged in New York album, I have to admit I had no idea what that meant or who Ledbetter was. But this haunting end to a CD that showed at once the ferocity and poignancy of the leading band of this generation seems almost fitting.

Cobain’s suicide (or murder, depending on whom you ask these days) came shortly after the unplugged session, and this was our last, haunting image of an artist whose potential will never be fully realized – at least, of course, until this new Nirvana song has come out, but for argument’s sake, we’ll leave it at that.

3. The Smashing Pumpkins – “Landslide.” It’s a shame this was only released on the Pisces Iscariot disc featuring all b-sides and covers, because the way Billy Corgan redoes this song is greatness. I’ll admit, I hate Fleetwood Mac, and I usually hate Corgan’s voice, so you would think combining the two would not be such a smart move. To paraphrase Chris Berman, that’s why they play the songs.

I don’t have much analysis of this, except that it kind of made me actually like the original, which isn’t much different except Stevie Nicks drives me insane.

4. Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. There’s no title hear because Me First does only covers, and most all of them are greatness. Ranging from “My Boyfriend’s Back,” “Fire and Rain” by James Taylor to “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” the punk cover boys from San Francisco certainly know how to update a song. Once you hear a punk version of “Mandy” by Barry Manilow, you’ll never be the same.

5. Nicotine – “One More Time.” I have one sentence for this. Japanese punks cover Britney Spears breakthrough hit, accent and all. Fun for the whole family!

6. Yellowcard – “Everywhere.” Maybe I like this song so much because I secretly like Michelle Branch’s original, but Yellowcard puts so much energy into this cover it’s unreal.

I saw them at the Galaxy Club last Saturday with three other bands, and this song probably got the biggest reaction from the crowd that I saw. They even have an electric violin player in order to add that certain je ne sais qois to the mix.

7. Elvis Presley – “Hound Dog.” You gotta pay homage to the King. He turned old jazz and R&B songs into songs that popular culture embraced, and I just picked “Hound Dog” because it’s my favorite. We can see that, due to Elvis being number one on the billboard right now, a cover master can last through the ages of time, and be known as one of the all time greats of any form of music.

So we’re done. And as long as Britney Spears doesn’t cover “Satisfaction” or “I Love Rock n’ Roll” again, we’ll all be safe.