Top 12 Cover Versions
Cover versions of an original song can breathe new life into the original and re-interpret it for a brand new audience. Alternatively, they can go horribly wrong and completely miss the point of the original by being unimaginative and bland. As great a band as Guns & Roses are, it's easy to want to forget their last studio album, the lackluster set of covers, "The Spaghetti Incident?". If you're only as good as your last hit, then W. Axl Rose has a lot to prove on his next effort (should it ever see the light of day).
Playing other people's hits can help bands get a name for themselves; an inventive and quirky cover can get a band noticed and their own songs heard. You can make good money touring these days as a tribute band. The public want to see bands of 30 years ago as they remember them, and kids want to hear faithful renditions of songs they've only ever heard on record.
And why not? For many who couldn't see them in their heyday (but have still been brought up being told they were the greatest band ever) watching The Bootleg Beatles will be like watching the myth of the Beatles. Going to see The Counterfeit Stones playing Mick and Keef's classics won't be that different from seeing the real thing churn out the same 40-year-old hits (except you'll pay a fraction of the price for the ticket and won't have to put up with the occasional inclusion of sub-standard songs from their later Stones albums). Pink Fraud, Beatallica (who combine the songs of The Beatles and Metallica), The Complete Stone Roses, Dead Hot Chili Peppers...the list is endless.
Then there are bands who cover original songs while adding their own twist to the proceedings, such as Rodrigo y Gabriela and their take on Led Zeppelin and Nouvelle Vague and their versions of Post Punk/Indie classics. We must not forget the Jamaican stars of the 1960s and 1970s who created versions of British and American hits done in a reggae style (check out The Trojan Beatles Boxset).
Finally, there are the tracks that have just been done to death. "Yesterday", originally by The Beatles, has been covered around 4,000 times (making it the most covered song in pop history). How many more interpretations can there be of one song? But then again, it may be due to the genius songwriting abilities of Lennon & McCartney that the song has endured and inspired so much. The same goes for Bob Dylan. The Byrds, the jangly LA psychedelics from the 60s, made a name for themselves off the back of covering Dylan classics, such as "Mr Tambourine Man" and "Lay Lady Lay" (Don't believe us? Then check out their album The Byrds Play Dylan). Dylan's songwriting has proved to be timeless and to this day remains an inspiration to many.
So we've picked out 12 of our favourite cover versions from the site. Each one, we think, builds upon and adds a little bit extra to the original version.
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