What song CANNOT be appropriately covered by another artist?

[banned from Kos]

I will supply some examples:

'Gimme Shelter' -- No one can cover this classic. Its perfect in every way.

'Minstrel in the Gallery' -- Way too much production and such.

'Paradise By the Dashboard Light' --- too dramatic and realistic in its original form.

[graywarrior]

1. Anything by Dylan

[banned from Kos]

2. agree 99.99%

but what about 'All Along the Watchtower'?

[graywarrior]

3. That gets a pass

but anything else is off limits

[OriginalGeek]

9. Wasn't there a time

when Dylan had more songs in the top 20 than all the other artists combined...and none of them were sung by him?

[graywarrior]

15. Probably.

I haven't talked to him in a while.

[harmonicon]

41. Not even Nico's "I'll keep it with mine" or most things by The Byrds?

I think there are many Dylan exceptions.

[Tom Ripley]

53. Sandy Denny also did a sublime "I'll Keep it With Mine"

I agree with you about Nico and The Byrds as well

[hifiguy]

64. Agreed. Fairport Convention also covered

"If You Gotta Go, Go Now" in French. The Byrds always sounded wonderful doing Dylan, and the man himself said that Jimi's "All Along The Watchtower" was definitive. Dylan actually takes rather well to covers.

[RZM]

106. Jimmy also used to do 'Like Rolling Stone'

That was pretty good too.

[bluesbassman]

4. You know I love you to pieces gray, but I gotta disagree here...

Johnny Winter owns this tune.

[graywarrior]

8. Listening right now

So far, it rocks! Never heard it before.

[Betsy Ross]

29. It ain't me babe muzac in an elevator.

Actually heard that. Nothing's impossible.

[graywarrior]

32. Yeah, I've heard Dylan muzac. Horrifying!

[taterguy]

38. Ahem . . .

[Tom Ripley]

40. I like Dylan's voice because of the anger, sneering, spite, bile, and overall nastiness of his...

tone( How did he ever get crowned "king of the peace and love crowd"?), but my wife cannot stand his voice.
She thinks he has written some beautiful songs, but will only listen to others sing his songs.

[pipi_k]

62. I can't stand

his voice either, except for two of his songs...

The obvious, "Lay Lady Lay"

and "Subterranean Homesick Blues"

[Arugula Latte]

141. I agree with you about Lay Lady Lay

The other one I like his voice on a lot is "Knocking on Heaven's Door"

[graywarrior]

101. He's like a cat....he hates us

[Tom Ripley]

135. That is brilliant (I really mean that) There have been millions of words written in attempts to...

explain the man's strange appeal, but you nailed it with seven.
Nicely done.

[graywarrior]

136. Meeeeeeeeeee-oowwwwwwww!

As Dylan's cat would say.

[NightWatcher]

43. Jerry Garcia (and the Dead) had a few albums of Dylan covers

When I Paint My Masterpiece is a good one.

Bob Weir does a decent Masters Of War.

Dylan and The Dead was also a pretty album. I've never thought of them in competition but more like collaborative.

[HarveyDarkey]

120. That tour with Dylan & the Dead was stellar

The Dead always did Dylan well. Saw them in the 70's, Jerry did "It's All Over Now Baby Blue". Still get chills down my spine thinking of it.

[Rambis]

59. Desolation row one night by Grateful Dead was Epic

Bobby was en fuego! I can still hear every word and feel it in my bones.

[SCantiGOP]

73. get the new "Chimes of Freedom" CD from Amnesty International

It is a four disc set of various artists covering Dylan. Most Dylan originals are still the best, but I could not believe the take Ziggy Marley took on "Blowin' in the Wind." Absolutely captivating. At least check it out on YouTube.

[Art_from_Ark]

98. Peter, Paul and Mary had some decent versions of Dylan songs

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter,_Paul_and_Mary

[RFKHumphreyObama]

110. Respectfully disagree

I liked Simon and Garfunkel's version of "The Times They Are a Changing" and the Neville Brothers did a great cover of "With God On Our Side" which was just perfect. It can be done

[Arugula Latte]

140. Another disagree ...

I like a lot of Dylan covers better than I do most Dylan originals. He was a great songwriter, and his voice is cool on some songs, but on others I want to rip the ears from my head.

[Initech]

5. Dark Side Of The Moon

[banned from Kos]

6. Agree. the whole Pink Floyd catalog due to heavy

production value.

I am more into Dylan type songwriters but Pink Floyd is in a class alone re: production.

[OriginalGeek]

10. Queensryche routinely covers PF in concert

I've heard them do I pretty amazing cover of Welcome To The Machine....and I'm not even a huge QR fan...

[VWolf]

69. The first time I heard Silent Lucidity

I thought it was a David Gilmour tune ... for the first 10 seconds or so.

[Initech]

30. I've heard good Pink Floyd covers but none can match the originals.

[kentauros]

45. Maybe you need to hear this version of Brain Damage then:

[Orrex]

114. Have you heard The Wall coverd by Luther Wright and the Wrongs?

A sincere tribute, well worth finding IMO.

[harmonicon]

42. It would be even better if Pink Floyd never played it either. (nt)

[Tom Ripley]

7. I always assumed Lennon's "Mother", but Mr Bowie proves my assumption wrong...

[ohiosmith]

11. "Smoke Stack Lighting" Howlin' Wolf

&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[Tom Ripley]

14. Good choice!

[cyberswede]

63. The Grateful Dead version(s) are good, too. nt

[retread]

12. Many have covered it. Maybe because of time and place none have the impact of the original.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7tupr_sam-cooke-a-change-is-gonna-come_webcam

[bluesbassman]

13. From the Stones catalog, I'd also go with "Can't You Hear Me Knockin".

Rosalita by Bruce Springsteen would be another that comes to mind as being damn near impossible to duplicate or improve upon.

[banned from Kos]

16. Agree with both. Manfred Mann's Springsteen covers are atrocious imo.

I want to puke when they play.

I have heard ONE good Boss Cover - Brilliant Disguise by Elvis Costello.

[Scuba]

94. Sweet Virginia...

... no doubt someone else tries, but...

[HeiressofBickworth]

17. Tiptoe Through the Tulips

Absolutely no one else on earth could (or should) sing it like Tiny Tim, even if they wanted to. LOL

[Ptah]

18. Take Five

[Bertha Venation]

138. + 1

[Ptah]

139. I think you meant *5

[Bertha Venation]

142. . . .

[zappaman]

19. Gimme shelter

I disagree...

by the way, I used the song in a trailer I cut many years ago...along with another Stones classic...

[banned from Kos]

25. Sorry, I think those are three fails. And I like Sisters for their anthem sound

"This Corrosion" is great.

No Swagger!

Like your trailer though!

[Mopar151]

20. I prefer the Grand Funk cover of Shelter

[CleanLucre]

22. more COWBELL!!!!!!!

[Mopar151]

28. You want COWBELL?????

Here'some f'n Cowbell - no cover, but it'd take a Grade 8 tight funk band to pull itoff: Mandrill..... at 1:45 in

[CleanLucre]

34. i feel so much better now!!

[CleanLucre]

21. Dylan: Mississippi

[Amerigo Vespucci]

23. Anything by Neil Young

It just never, never works. They either try to do Neil's voice, which Neil can barely do by himself, or they try to "emulate" his guitar playing, which is just IMPOSSIBLE. Some of Neil's solos are tight and compact, some are all over the place...but I can SING the majority of them note-for-note, and if some Neil wannabe straps on a Les Paul and tries to wail like Neil, it just comes off as SAD.

Love him or hate him...just like BOB...there is only one NEIL.

[CleanLucre]

36. LMFAO

[taterguy]

54. Exception that proves the rule: Trio, After the Gold Rush

[Tom Ripley]

65. Ah man, I was hoping it was gonna be those German dudes who did "Da Da Da"

[progressoid]

121. Dolly has a cool little story about that song.

Dolly Parton once commented about the making of her version of the song: "When we were doing the Trio album, I asked Linda and Emmy what it meant, and they didn't know. So we called Neil Young, and he didn't know. We asked him, flat out, what it meant, and he said, 'Hell, I don't know. I just wrote it. It just depends on what I was taking at the time. I guess every verse has something different I'd taken.' " Parton, Ronstadt and Harris' Trio version of the song was also released as a single, and while it received modest radio airplay, a video accompanying the song was very popular on a number of cable video outlets, including CMT.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_the_Gold_Rush_%28song%29

I kinda like KD Lang's version too:

[RZM]

72. That Neil Young tribute concert back in 2010 was god-awful

Almost every single cover sucked.

Josh Groban singing 'Harvest Moon?'

Not gonna cut it.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

75. The ONLY band/performer to hook up with Neil and make it work was Pearl Jam.

"Mirror Ball" (and Pearl Jam's 2-song CD "Merkin Ball&quot worked because the band learned the lesson of Crazy Horse...you just have to lay down a suitable groove for Neil and let him GO. They understood the "Godfather of Grunge" thing and the multiple clips of them on YouTube in a live setting attest to their success.

But Neil Young "tributes"...no matter how well-intentioned...ALWAYS disappoint.

[RZM]

102. Don't know if you saw it, but Neil didn't actually perform at this one

He was in the audience. It was all other artists playing his songs and it was a disaster. Nobody played anything in the original key and it was one fail after another. Very disappointing because I had high hopes for it. James Taylor had the balls to completely change the chords of the song he played (I think it was 'Heart of Gold'), so it didn't even sound like the original at all. It was a shitty James Taylor song with Neil Young lyrics over it.

I do agree about Pearl Jam though. They did some great stuff together in the 1990s.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

107. I did see it, and I wasn't impressed.

And yeah, I could have done without the James Taylor. I don't care if he sang background vocals on the "Harvest" album. That's my least favorite Young album from the early years of his career. Too flaccid, too commercial. He knew it too, and made comments to that effect later about traveling in the middle of the road versus the ditch. Middle of the road is safer. Ditch is more interesting.

[zappaman]

88. Love, love, love Neil, but...

I think this version of HELPLESS is pretty remarkable.

[Mopar151]

24. You might think that ZZ Top would be a tough cover

Not for Spike and the Impalers......

[KamaAina]

26. 'Body and Soul' - Coleman Hawkins

as a senior jazz jock informed me when I dared to play such a cover.

[hlthe2b]

27. Most Marvin Gaye....

[blue neen]

95. Justin Timberlake did a kickin' version of "Got to Give it Up."

I'll admit to being surprised!

[hlthe2b]

103. yeah.. not bad...

He's grown on me over the years...

[HarveyDarkey]

31. Tubular Bells

but then, who would want to?

[Stuart G]

33. short and to the point..Judy Garland.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

&feature=related

[Vanje]

47. Iz!

[nadine_mn]

85. I love love love this version nt

[kentauros]

50. "Revisiting Ruby Shoes (Wizard of Oz Remix)"

I actually love this mashup! And I sent a copy to someone whose mother was best friends with Judy. The daughter thought it was a great remix, too

[RZM]

105. Tori Amos used to play this. It wasn't very good

And I actually like her. But she wasn't able to pull it off.

[CleanLucre]

35. Polk Salad Annie

[pink-o]

37. Imagine

That is all.

[solara]

39. Piece o' My Heart

Janis Joplin

Etta's version came close.. but really no one can touch it

[WinstonSmith4740]

115. ANYTHING by Janis...

Think about it...Piece o' My Heart, Try, Half Moon, Me & Bobby McGee...even Kristofferson admitted she made that song her own.
I still can't bring myself to sing along when her songs come on the radio. Nobody can touch her. Damn, she was good.

[solara]

129. I totally agree

[harmonicon]

44. Just off the top of my head: Billy Bragg - New England

I'm sure that people have covered it, but I think that many very personal songs like that likely can't be pulled off. I say this as I regularly try to think of ways that I could play New England.

[zappaman]

89. Seriously, you never heard Kristy Macoll's version?

It actually was a hit and Bragg loves it...

And here they are together...

[harmonicon]

122. This is the first I've heard it.

It wasn't unlistenably bad, but includes one of my most hated aspects of the cover: gender-swapping. I've always been perplexed by this. Is it that we as listeners aren't supposed to be smart enough to understand the abstract truth that the singer isn't the author, or is it that it's assumed the entire world is homophobic and can't handle boys singing about being in love with boys and girls singing about being in love with girls?

[zappaman]

130. I agree with the gender swap thing

seems more like a thing of the past, however.
Progress?

[we can do it]

46. Anything by Queen with Freddie

[kentauros]

48. "Electronic Behavior Control System" by Emergency Broadcast Network

Of course, that would also require the cover-band to be accomplished video mashup artists. I have yet to see any recent mashup artists do anything nearly as complex or compelling in sound, probably because EBN was an actual band of four members. Most mashup artists today are just one performer.

I really don't have a problem with anyone covering any song, though. A cool local punk bank (Peglegasus) from the early 90s had a great cover of Kraftwerk's "Autobahn", and Devo even covered their own music with their "E-Z Listening Disc"

[zappaman]

74. Wow, I had completely forgotten about that band!

Thanks for posting that!

[kentauros]

92. You're welcome!

Two of the members are still active in mashup art, namely Joshua L. Pearson and Greg Deocampo.

This one's pretty cool:

Levi's Factory Jam

[Shrek]

49. Alice's Restaurant n/t

[HopeHoops]

58. Quite true. Quite true.

[Tom Ripley]

60. Thank god for that!

[WinstonSmith4740]

116. OMG!!

That has become a Thanksgiving morning tradition in my house!

[hobbit709]

123. Geoff Outlaw is a friend of mine

And he gave me a lot of background, both on the actual event and the movie that left me rolling on the floor.

[stlsaxman]

51. "Jump" by Aztec Camera (they un-covered the gem of a song from the "pop hit")

... AND he gives Eddie Van a little guitar lesson at the end!

- "That's right!"

[Ptah]

52. Sing, Sing, Sing

[Canis Mala]

56. Nearly all of Peter Gabriel's work.

It would be funny to see an American Idol contestant perform The Family and the Fishing Nets.

[HopeHoops]

57. I saw a live local band do "Paradise By the Dashboard Lights" - awesome.

They had the entire thing down, including the baseball announcer. The lead female singer was a very attractive woman with an incredible voice. That's the only time I've ever seen or heard a cover of it and will probably be the last.

[pipi_k]

61. I've never really been a fan

of Country & Western...at least not anything out there within the last 40 years or so.

The other day Mr Pipi, who does like C & W, was listening to some station or another in his office and some yahoo group were absolutely murdering "Walking In Memphis".

It was horrendous. Now I hate C & W even more.

But anyway, a lot of Stevie Wonder's songs can't ever be done by anyone else without sounding rather crappy.

One song I can think of whose copy was actually better than the original was "I Will Always Love You"...originally done by Dolly Parton but more beautifully done by Whitney Houston.

[craigmatic]

66. Smells like teen spirit by Miley Cyrus.

[Big Orange Jeff]

67. Here are my choices:

I"m sure I'll think of others as soon as I hit "Post"

When a Man Loves a Woman - Percy Sledge

Piano Man - Billy Joel

Crazy - Patsy Cline (although I'll give Willie Nelson a pass, since he wrote it)

[NickB79]

68. About 90% of what Prince did.

I can't imagine another artist doing "Cream" justice.

[svpadgham]

93. It's not "Cream," but

It's a damn fine version of "Raspberry Beret"

[zipplewrath]

70. Tubular Bells

Dunno why anyone would try either.

[Zavulon]

71. Since Dylan has been covered dozens and dozens of times

and I was never a fan to begin with, I'm going to have to respectfully disagree. The following two sites contain plenty of Dylan covers I preferred to the originals.

http://www.dylancovers.com/

http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2009/04/50-best-bob-dylan-covers-of-all-time.html

[yellerpup]

76. Bohemian Rhapsody

by Queen. Nobody beats Freddie on this one.

[bluesbassman]

78. I don't know, these guys did a pretty interesting version...

[yellerpup]

86. Interesting--yes,

but the Muppets just don't take me all the way.

[teach1st]

77. Autobiographical songs

Actually, it would be very difficult to effectively cover most Roches songs.

And of course "Motherly Love" and "Mother People" by the Mothers.

[SemperEadem]

79. Crazy on You and Barracuda by Heart

No one can touch Ann Wilson and it's just sad watching them try.

[TomClash]

80. NO CLASH SONG EVER nt

[Deep13]

81. Imagine

Fuck you, Ce Lo.

[TrogL]

82. Leonard Cohen

Nobody else can get that low.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

83. Full version of "Love To Love You Baby" by Donna Summer

Only SHE could have gotten away with sounding like she was having an orgasm in the middle of a song back in 1975.

It was a breakthrough moment in music history.

[ArtiChoke]

84. Bridge Over Troubled Water

Who'd want to hear anyone but Art Garfunkle sing that?

[Avalux]

87. Blue Thunder - Galaxy 500

They had such a unique, atmospheric sound, covering this would be extremely difficult.

I realize they weren't popular and no one knows this song, but that's my pick.

&feature=related

(I edited and changed the song. This one's a better example)

[Codeine]

100. I would contend they are essentially an "uncoverable" band.

Their songs are too organically an outgrowth of a very unique sound that I'm not sure anyone else can create.

[Avalux]

113. No one has yet.

Good description of their sound.

[mike dub]

90. Sunshine on my Shoulders - by John Denver

Yeah, another decent Tenor could sing it, but not with the feeling of John Denver...

Soar like an eagle, John
--- Rest In Peace

Sunshine on my Shoulders

[missingthebigdog]

91. Black Dog

Or really, anything by Led Zeppilin. . . .

[Spitfire of ATJ]

111. You can keep "The Crunge"

That song sucks so bad people would put down the bong,....get up,...(I know,....difficult)...and get it the hell off of their speakers...

[svpadgham]

96. "Werewolves of London"

For no reason other than my opinion.

[blue neen]

97. Happy to give this thread the fifth rec...'cause it is so damn entertaining!

[blue neen]

99. "Layla"

IMHO, it belongs to Eric.

[Shadowflash]

104. Anything Alan Parsons did.

No one can come close to replicating that 'sound' he has.

&feature=related

[Tabasco_Dave]

108. Don't Stop Me Now - Katy Perry

This is painful to watch and listen to. Who told this woman she could sing without auto tune?

[bluesbassman]

109. There's a reason a lot of these "artists" lip synch.

You're right Dave, that was painful.

[RFKHumphreyObama]

112. Yikes!

That sounds like a cat being electrocuted. Seriously, who convinced her she could cover this?

[WinstonSmith4740]

117. Ouch!

So very sorry, Freddie. Forgive her.

[NBachers]

118. I'll put Hawkwind's "Gimme Shelter" up against the Stones any day

This may be heresy, but for driving demonic energy, Hawkwind's version beats the Stones:

However, Nobody but Nobody would ever even try to cover The Plasmatics' Plasma Jam:

[WinstonSmith4740]

119. OK, here's my two cents...

"At Last" Etta James
"My Man" Billy Holiday
"Georgia" Ray Charles

[AngryOldDem]

124. Almost anything by Stevie Wonder. n/t

[Tikki]

125. "Standing in front of Poseur" ...Redd Kross (née Red Cross) ...

One minute wonder.....
Rikki

[Liberal Veteran]

126. "Black" - Pearl Jam

I just can't see anyone doing a better version.

[Taverner]

127. I disagree - Here's 'Gimme Shelter' by Hawkwind

[zappaman]

144. Beat ya to it.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1018142157#post19

[pitchforx]

128. there is only one--"Little Wing"-- with one exception

the Gods of Rawk absolutely forbade the covering of Little Wing when Jimi died- because it was not a song- it was a holy sacrament of music consecrated by Jimi's eternal soul.
Then along came SRV who defied the Gods.
He brought Jimi back from heaven for a brief moment---in a mythic quest that cost his life.
and The God's saw that it was good, and allowed this one cover. But no more.

Now mortals dare not tread there- those who have ventured have never returned

[banned from Kos]

132. nice writing

[pitchforx]

133. gee thanks!

i'm a newbie here but i have had this late night debate many times-
SRV's cover is a seance- done with the requisite mystical respect for Jimi's insane muse'
SRV becomes posessed with Jimi's demons and angels. he doesn't channel Jimi- he manifests Jimi.
i believe anyone else trying to "cover' this song is doomed, they are either showing off technical prowess or just overreaching.
peace and love
forx
.<iframe width="420" height="315" src="

" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[bluesbassman]

143. Great point forx. And Welcome to DU!

I believe that both SRV and Jimi were among the handful of musicians that actually transcend the notes. You're truly getting a glimpse of their soul when you hear them play.

[HughBeaumont]

131. "Dopesmoker" by Sleep.

What I would really like to see is a live drummer try to pull off "Girl/Boy Song" by Aphex Twin. That'd be a sight to behold.

[Trailrider1951]

134. Anything from Jethro Tull

Ian Anderson is quite the musical genius..........here is my personal favorite, done live:

Enjoy!

[Bertha Venation]

137. Big Yellow Taxi

I know of at least two covers, and they both suck. Amy Grant's is particularly insulting.