Cover rant (Not what you think)

[MusicalSchizo]

my opinion on original artists recording cover songs is kind of mixed. people who say 'songwriting today sucks' are idiots.

Only if they're saying it without the obvious and implied qualification that we're talking about POPULAR songs. I personally feel most radio songs today are so overcooked they lose a lot of their spirit, especially when buried under the cookie-cutter production and no-dynamics-at-all mastering almost all hard rock bands fall victim to these days. There are great songwriters all over the place, just not so much on the radio.

of course if you pick and choose 25 of the best songs from the last 50 years those are going to be better than a random selection of songs released in the last year!

Again you're assuming that people who make that statement are dumb enough not to think of the broader scope. That's kind of presumptuous. And as I said, there are tons of people writing excellent songs today, probably more than ever in the past. It doesn't mean that the small segment of stuff that gets played on the radio isn't lower in quality than the stuff that got airplay in the past. We're talking about two different things. Two different population samples.

if songwriting today sucks, maybe YOU should write some 'good' songs. easier said than done.

Cute. As if anyone discussing this here has anything to do with songs that are popular and getting airplay.

i think original bands recording and releasing covers is ok, but it should be done with the following in mind: 1. the song being covered should be either a relatively obscure influence for the band, or be something from another genre completely redone. covering a #1 hit from the same genre is lame, predictable, and useless.

Tell that to Van Halen. Or Joe Cocker. Or James Taylor. Or Aerosmith. Or Jimi Hendrix. Or The Beatles. They all covered songs from their own genre and made them their own, often improving on the original.

2. the cover song should never be a band's only hit. i would be PISSED if my record company went balls out to promote a song that i didn't write. i'm sure MJ was laughing all the way to the bank with that smooth criminal cover. i wonder if the band has EVER received a royalty cheque. or a thank you note.

My guess (and it's just a guess) would be that Alien Ant Farm made a fairly large amount of money on the tour that followed their big "Smooth Criminal" success, because people showed up to see them. No thank you note necessary...after all, MJ wrote the damn song, so they're riding on his back, anyway.

Just my take on your take.
Brian V.

[stevesherbert]

i think we pretty much agree with each other here. what gets me about the people who complain that 'music today sucks' is that they typically don't seek out music on their own. of course music on mainstream radio sucks. hendrix and zeppelin didn't get played on mainstream (AM) radio in the 60s, so why would anyone expect cutting-edge music to get played on mainstream (FM) radio these days?

 

i guess my point is that if you're content to be spoon-fed, then you shouldn't expect much more than pablum.

[Nijyo]

 

Oh, and Sheryl Crow is never ever ever EH-VAR allowed to cover a stones or GNR song again. Ever.

 

 

Ffft. Worst ill-fitting cover I ever heard was Tori Amos' cover of "Raining Blood". Simply awful, if you ask me. Crow's transgressions pale in comparison.

[Electric Catfish]

Gn'R and Metallica both made entire albums of covers. Metallica even kind of did it twice; the Garage Days Revisted EP, then the expanded version from the 90's. One of Tesla's biggest hits was a cover ("Signs"). Nirvana even got Chris and Kirk Kirkwood to sit in on a couple of covers of their tunes, on "Unplugged." Then there's Van Halen and others, who have been mentioned.

And spruilldog...your son probably doesn't really "think it's brand new." I know when I was a teenager, I pretty much always knew if a song I liked was a cover, or not. It's as easy as reading the liner notes, unless we're talking about Zeppelin;).

[Austincowbell]

I hate to unleash this on some of you... but until you recognize this as the worst cover in the history of mankind you are simply wrong. WRONG, I say.[YOUTUBE]PWeQXlzeuQI[/YOUTUBE]

[wades_keys]

OMFG.

I "love" how the B3 does the guitar solos, with the Leslie in full swirl.....

I just lost a ton of respect for Peter Stroud....he should have played those leads.

[cherri]

The geniuses at the Grammy's awarded Sheryl Crow Best Female Vocalist of the year for this cover.

It beat newbie Susan Tedeschi's "Hurt So Bad."

I haven't watched the Grammy's since.

[Faust1587]

I don't mind bands doing covers, except when the cover is the only contribution they have to society and they try to cash in on someone elses hit because people have short term memories. Alien Ant Farm, came and went because they didn't have good songs to me. The only song I mildly enjoyed was when they did a cover and ruined it. Alot of people are doing covers of 80's songs because guess why? People can't remember over ten years ago and those 80's songs were good. (keep your eyes out for more 90's covers coming soon)
Seether? Come on, they get their name from a Veruca Salt song because people can't remember Veruca Salt(a very good band actually), they do an 80's cover because its a trend now, and their singer sounds exactly like Kurt Cobain. They even perform Nirvana covers live, its just not something I'm into and I wish people had morals about these sorts of things.

[theAntihero]

Some covers are great and others should be unheard like Living Color's version of Sunshine of Your Love, but everyone of those theres an All Along The Watchtower.

[theAntihero]

Or speaking of bad covers anyone remember Johnny B Goode by Judas Priest????

[lougio]

Best cover ever is Satisfaction by Devo. It was like a completely different song but they were just so friggin clever with it. Great band!

[Johnny_1Nut]

The geniuses at the Grammy's awarded Sheryl Crow Best Female Vocalist of the year for this cover. It beat newbie Susan Tedeschi's "Hurt So Bad." I haven't watched the Grammy's since.

I hate to play sniper here, but I'll boycott Sheryl from here on out for this cover.

Add to that and the reason for this well placed shot - Susan is FAR from a newbie on the scene. The blues just doesn't get the recognition it deserves in a pop format, but lil' Susan Tedeschi's been at this for at least a decade.

[maclothier]

I teach college English, and one day I walked into class with that George Michael/Wham! song (maddeningly) in my head. I joked that I had a song in my head and that I would try not to sing it so as not to infect them. They all took the bait and begged to know what it was, so I sang a few bars...to crickets. They all had blank stares. I ended up basically singing the whole song and doing an air sax solo, still to nothing. None of them had ever heard the song. Needless to say, I was amazed.

 

Imagine my surprise a few weeks later when I hear this amazingly bad cover of the same song. Is it me, or is it just awesomely ironic that this testosterone-filled hard rock/nu-metal band is singing a song about whispering carelessly and not dancing any more, originally sung by George Michael? I'm assuming the band never saw the video...

 

(Jacked-up broken link)

 

I would loved to have been a fly on the wall when someone was trying to convince them to cover this song. For what it's worth, after the song, the radio DJ said something like, "Man, that cover just KILLS the original!" Like the DJ is going to say, on hard rock radio, "You know, I still love the soft-synth ballad stylings of George Michael over Seether."

 

I'm pretty convinced Sheryl Crow has multiple personalities, because for everything half decent she does, she follows it up with something twice as bad...Stones, GnR, that ridiculous Steve McQueen song, etc.

 

And finally, I love how Will to Power tried to drag Nietzsche into their snuggly-soft inexplicable Frampton/Skynyrd medley. I shudder to think what Nietzsche would have said or done to the members of Will to Power.

[cherri]

but lil' Susan Tedeschi's been at this for at least a decade.

It was the 1996 grammys.

[Johnny_1Nut]

It was the 1996 grammys.

I'm sorry, I didn't even stop to think about that possibility. LOL

To be honest it was kind of an idiotic post on my part anyways.

[Consume]

Elvis and Colonel Tom Parker never met a cover they didn't like. As long as Elvis got the writer's credit, that is.

Everybody knows that Elvis was nothing by Col. Parker's Dancing Chicken! The only thing missing was the Hot Plate.

[Consume]

Gn'R and Metallica both made entire albums of covers. Metallica even kind of did it twice; the Garage Days Revisted EP, then the expanded version from the 90's. One of Tesla's biggest hits was a cover ("Signs"). Nirvana even got Chris and Kirk Kirkwood to sit in on a couple of covers of their tunes, on "Unplugged." Then there's Van Halen and others, who have been mentioned. And spruilldog...your son probably doesn't really "think it's brand new." I know when I was a teenager, I pretty much always knew if a song I liked was a cover, or not. It's as easy as reading the liner notes, unless we're talking about Zeppelin;).

 

 

Nirvana's Come As You Are was essentially a cover as far as I'm concerned. They stole the riff from the song "Eighties" by Killing Joke.

 

 

[YOUTUBE][/YOUTUBE]

[Electric Catfish]

 

 

The riff is similar, but still substantially different. As for the rest of the song (i.e. the melody, much more important to what makes a song than a guitar lick), it's not that similar at all. It's a far cry from being "essentially a cover."

[rocket888]

One thing that has been happening for about a year or so is the hit songs you hear in stores and at the mall are being re-done so they sound almost exactly like the originals, but with a bit of a difference.

The reason is that people are tired of hearing the oldies, but are familiar with them, so a slight tweak here and there gives them what they are comfortable with, but is different enough so that they sound fresh. All so they will stay and shop$$$$).

[cooterbrown]

Foo Fighters have done some well-chosen covers, IMO - "Have a Cigar", "Darling Nikki", "Band on the Run", or "Baker Street".

Queens of the Stone Age cover of "Never Say Never" is great, as well.

[wades_keys]

Foo Fighters have done some well-chosen covers, IMO - "Have a Cigar", "Darling Nikki", "Band on the Run", or "Baker Street". Queens of the Stone Age cover of "Never Say Never" is great, as well.

Love the foo's version of "Baker Street" - they modernized it a bit:

"he's gonna, give up the crack, and the one night stands"

[Jealousblues]

my bass players other band, Cavo, is realeasing their major debut this month and originally they wanted a cover of "come undone", which was on their EP and was great, better than the original, but the record company suggested they didnt on their first album.


Which is weird because it does seem like there are a lot of covers in recent years

[Jealousblues]

Foo Fighters have done some well-chosen covers, IMO - "Have a Cigar", "Darling Nikki", "Band on the Run", or "Baker Street". Queens of the Stone Age cover of "Never Say Never" is great, as well.

 

 

 

I so effing want my band to learn their version of baker street

it will never happen though

[qcb79]

I blame led zeppelin, they were covering unknown blues artists stuff way back in the 70's..........

 

 

errr, wait no they didnt cover the songs they outright stole them and made a fortune

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpKg4WrSgGk

 

//just stirrin the pot lol