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Best cover songs?

I found this one this week with the passing of Dolores O’Riordan. Which a cover of The Smith’s There is a Light that Never Goes Out

 
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2 choices: "Johnny B. Goode", a simple, familiar song with lyrics burned into your brain. No way to go wrong with it.

"Hey, Little Girl": Classic garage rock from The Syndicate of Sound back in the 60s. Seems like every other cover band I see as an opening act, small club, whatever, has this in their repertoire.

Honorable Mentions: "Tobacco Road", "Who Do You Love", and Joan Jett's version of "The Little Drummer Boy".
 
Marvin Gaye's I Heard It Though the Grapevine was a cover of Gladys Knight's hit.

Another - I thought the Shadows of Knights version of Gloria was much better than Van Morrison (Them).

 
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Honorable Mentions: "Tobacco Road", "Who Do You Love", and Joan Jett's version of "The Little Drummer Boy".

Tobacco Road by the Nashville Teens (a British group) was (is) one of my favorites. The session guitarist on this hit was non other than Jimmy Page - awesome 60s garage band hit. I heard a recent Rodney Crowell cover of this - couldn't touch the original
 
Tobacco Road by the Nashville Teens (a British group) was (is) one of my favorites. The session guitarist on this hit was non other than Jimmy Page - awesome 60s garage band hit. I heard a recent Rodney Crowell cover of this - couldn't touch the original

Nashville Teens are the group that backed Jerry Lee Lewis on his Live at the Star Club LP. My favorite live LP.

The music I listen to is almost all covers or artists performing material someone else wrote. (1917-1964 or so) Artists performing their own music as a salespoint didn't really exist until Dylan and the Beatles.

For a traditional cover though I like Hanoi Rocks version of the Bobby Vee song 'Walking With My Angel'. The original is an absolute snorefest so what HR did to it was amazing.
 
Nashville Teens are the group that backed Jerry Lee Lewis on his Live at the Star Club LP. My favorite live LP.

The music I listen to is almost all covers or artists performing material someone else wrote. (1917-1964 or so) Artists performing their own music as a salespoint didn't really exist until Dylan and the Beatles.

For a traditional cover though I like Hanoi Rocks version of the Bobby Vee song 'Walking With My Angel'. The original is an absolute snorefest so what HR did to it was amazing.

Yes, there were professional song writers back in the day. However, there were a few singer/songwriters prior to the 60s such as Jimmie Rodgers and Hank Williams.
 
Yes, there were professional song writers back in the day. However, there were a few singer/songwriters prior to the 60s such as Jimmie Rodgers and Hank Williams.

And Chuck Berry, Big Bill Broonzy, Robert Johnson and many more. But artists performing their own material wasn't really a selling point until later on. To me who wrote a song is like the cover of a book. It's interesting but doesn't really have an affect on enjoyment of the song.
 
And Chuck Berry, Big Bill Broonzy, Robert Johnson and many more. But artists performing their own material wasn't really a selling point until later on. To me who wrote a song is like the cover of a book. It's interesting but doesn't really have an affect on enjoyment of the song.

okay
 
Anything by Whitney Houston. Seems like all of her songs were cover songs that she did better.

Also, I like alien ant farm's smooth criminal better than Mike's
 
Also should have included Moby's cover of Gang of Four's "That's When I Reach for My Revolver."
 
And Chuck Berry, Big Bill Broonzy, Robert Johnson and many more. But artists performing their own material wasn't really a selling point until later on. To me who wrote a song is like the cover of a book. It's interesting but doesn't really have an affect on enjoyment of the song.

What difference does it make if it's a "selling point." You strongly implied that everyone prior to Dylan and the Beatles was basically covering others songs. This point is incorrect. Drawing the "selling point" distinction is meaningless to the point you were making. You write like a pop music journalist or anthropologist.
 
What difference does it make if it's a "selling point." You strongly implied that everyone prior to Dylan and the Beatles was basically covering others songs. This point is incorrect. Drawing the "selling point" distinction is meaningless to the point you were making. You write like a pop music journalist or anthropologist.

Okay
 
Here's one DAMN good cover of the Beatles Blackbird - listen to it!

 
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