I thought I’d start things off here with some interesting covers I’d like to recommend. If you’d like to listen to it, you can actually click on the song and download the song if you like. Also, this is by no means an exhaustive list and it just has some of my favourites. I haven’t included lots of classics here but if need be, I will have a follow-up post with ten more covers. Let’s get into it then shall we
1. Counting Crows – Friend Of The Devil
This song is a cover of the Grateful Dead which originally appeared in that seminal work of the Dead called American Beauty. Adam Duritz does a pretty good job of it all and I’ve recently discovered the Counting Crows and thoroughly recommend them
2. Bethany Joy Lenz- Elsewhere
This is a pick slightly off the beaten track. Funnily enough, when I was watching the cheesy ‘One Tree Hill’, it’s sung by one of the main characters. Some further checking showed that it was a Sarah McLachlan original. It’s done rather nicely and Bethany Joy plays the piano as well I believe here.
3. John Mayer – Message In A Bottle
Dubs pointed this out to me when he visited London. I already love the Police version of it and this cover is an acoustic version of it and definitely ranks up there.
Bob Dylan does an extremely nasal rubbish original of this. R.A.T.M. as part of Renegades, which incidentally is an album of R.A.T.M. covers, simply add a lot of heavy bass lines and riffs and with Zach De La Rocha providing the vocal fireworks, it’s unrecognizable from the original in a completely good way.
5. Eddie Vedder – You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away
From ‘I Am Sam ‘ soundtrack, Eddie Vedder is one of my favourite musicians and I’d have to rank this above Pearl Jam’s covers of ‘Rocking In The Free World ‘ and ‘ Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay.’ Last Kiss incidentally is also a Pearl Jam cover and I deliberately chose not to conclude it as it is not representative of some of the great covers they do.
6. GrandFunk Railroad – Gimme Shelter
This probably wouldn’t rank up in any one’s list but it is one of my favourites. I prefer this version any day to the Rolling Stones version. It’s peppy and fast and it’s on my 25 top most played in my ITunes.
7. Big Head Todd & The Monsters – Tangerine
Of all the covers here, this has to be my favourite. It’s the toughest choice to make as Tangerine is one of my favourite Led Zeppelin songs. This song was covered for the Zeppelin tribute album and it is simply mind blowing. I’m willing to stick my neck out and say it’s better than original.
8. Alanis Morissette – King Of Pain
MTV Unplugged was the first time when Alanis played this song and I know that I have 2 Police covers on but both covers are really good ones. I always enjoy Alanis and she has interesting covers always.
The first time I heard this song I was completely silent and didn’t stop till I’d listened to it three times. It’s haunting and blows away the Cohen original, i’m actually not sure who the original is by 
. But it’s an indication of Jeff Buckley’s talent who was no more after this album. It’s an extremely eerie, captivating track.
10. Jimi Hendrix – All Along The Watchtower
This for me has to be the baap of all covers. Hendrix at his best. Bob Dylan’s version also is extremely enjoyable but the Hendrix version is just an out and out classic
For any readers I might have, let me know what covers you think are amazing and we’ll swap notes and exchange some music then.
Cheerio then.
