Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION The Anywhere Machine Amazing Covers

Good one, Drake. It takes some courage to cover New Order. Frente! succeeded in giving the song a completely different feel.

Rosanne Cash and Bruce Springsteen cover Don Gibson. From my favorite CD of 2009.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3LSrcKksCo&feature=related

Two totally different takes on Leonard Cohen's "Bird on a Wire".

The Neville Brothers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9ez80bQW4w


Willie Nelson:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZutD7E-toOI

Both amazing.

Long ago, before Rod Stewart became a schlock-meister, he was, among other things, a remarkably good interpreter of other people's songs. He did many Bob Dylan covers, and this is my favorite, "Tomorrow Is Such A Long Time"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX0fpryZNFk

Totally agree regarding Rod Stewart's ability to interpret other's songs. He always manages to bring something unique to the mix.

Here, Melissa Etheridge returns the favor covering a Rod Stewart classic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqlLBM2pI6A

Some very impressive stuff in this thread.

This is one of my favorite Bob Dylan covers. It's been covered a lot, but still isn't particularly well-known.

Fairport Convention:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUtFXmS9FmA

Here's a fun one from days of old. Campy by today's standards, but pure teeny bopper L.O.V.E. in its day. Joe Hardy does Eric Carmen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpwZ0934wtU&feature=related

Shirley Horn's tribute to Ray Charles should be in everyone's collection. I can't imagine being without it, personally. From that disc:

" Hit The Road, Jack "-- another Percy Mayfield classic.

Cleome, the Shirley Horn performance is beautiful. It's hard to find words for it.

Outdoor Miner, I love Fairport Convention on Dylan. Here's another favorite Dylan cover of mine. The recorded version starts out much stronger, but Sophie lets it build up during this live performance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=se2v0ooDg_M

Nobody has ever managed to top Jimmy Cliff's original version of "Many Rivers to Cross". A lot of great artists have tried. Toni Childs gives an excellent attempt:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2NZd78oQ7E

Thomasina Winslow and Marco Haber strip away Steve Miller's fake Prog mannerisms and come up with something muscular and sort of paradoxically wistful, too.

"Fly Like An Eagle"

Haven't heard that version in years! Thanks for posting that, Jerry.

Jimmy Cliff's original is a favourite of mine and if anyone ever gets the opportunity to see the excellent Jamaican film that it was recorded for "The Harder They Come"...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070155/

... I recommend they do so. (Though you may need subtitles unless your ears are better at deciphering STRONG Jamaican accents than mine are.) That film is chock-a-block full of some of the most awesome early reggae/calypso/ska music you will ever hear. Including this gem by one of my favourite bands ever, Toots and the Maytals (which is actually a scene from the film) -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_St8Kbo4uwU

(Sorry - it's not a cover but I just had to post it anyway.)

I saw "The Harder They Come" in a local art theater my freshman year in college. It was my first exposure to Jimmy Cliff, and was an assignment from my Cultural Arts professor. Thank goodness for good old fashioned American liberal education values.

Here's the late great Joe Strummer covering Jimmy Cliff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cF2oG9_MHrg

And, how about Jimmy Cliff covering Cat Stevens?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLi3RX__PcA

While we're on a reggae vibe, we can't forget this terrific cover.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WS4Y...963E7E98EFE6&playnext=1&index=33

Rory Block (b. 1949*) covers Son House's Preachin\' Blues .

*<span style="font-size: 11px;">In... NEW JERSEY!?!?

W00T!

This more than makes up for the pain of Sinatra, Springsteen, and Jon Bon Jovi combined. </span>

Rory needs to win lots of awards and get tons more exposures. She is amazing.


Here's one that makes me sad. The incomparable Diana Ross covering the incomparable Billie Holiday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXfbMhzwbQs&feature=related

I've been meaning to link to this one for awhile. Bonnie Raitt covering John Prine. It grabs your soul.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhe3vb0z7mY

Quote

Here's one that makes me sad. The incomparable Diana Ross covering the incomparable Billie Holiday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXfbMhzwbQs&feature=related

James Baldwin trashed the hell out of that movie, but he conceded that Diana Ross could really sing.

Quis just reminded me of Terry Callier's* "Just My Imagination" cover.

From the Speak Your Peace disc (2002); one of my favorites

*b. 1945, Chicago.

Sorry, Cleome. Can't resist this one. Boy George covers Dave Berry. Perfectly sad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOgv-UuTgac&feature=related

Jerry, I love that cover. It helped get me through a particularly bad year for music.

Abbey Lincoln does her trademark reworking of a pop song: " Windmills of Your Mind " by Legrand/Bergman/Bergman.

She died yesterday, just a few days after her 80th birthday. Lincoln was an outstanding songwriter in her own right, and her last recording was a stripped down re-imagining of her own classic songs: full of country-blues flourishes more than traditional jazz.

Younger singers are great admirers of her work. Here's Kendra Shank, covering Lincoln's " Throw It Away ."

RIP, Golden Lady . You'll be greatly missed.

Thanks for the Abbey Lincoln tributes. What an amazing talent.

Here's one that's a surprising change of pace. Matchbox 20 covering Cindi Lauper? Yeah, it works...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuxCOjoFp7Y

I'm trying to decide if this brilliant, or just bizarre.

Darkside of the Moonshine