Well, today NME has published a chart of the "best cover versions of all time".
It's here: http://www.nme.com/news/muse/53090
Virtually none of them meet my criteria for a good cover. In particular, I don't believe that most people will have had any idea that the songs were covers when they first heard them. If someone had to tell you the song you know is a cover, it doesn't count.
[Poll #1622076]
Other reasons why the NME is wrong: in their corresponding chart of the worst cover versions ever, Madonna's American Pie only makes #8.
Edit The Beatles' song should of course be Twist and Shout. Search and replace error :)
It's here: http://www.nme.com/news/muse/53090
Virtually none of them meet my criteria for a good cover. In particular, I don't believe that most people will have had any idea that the songs were covers when they first heard them. If someone had to tell you the song you know is a cover, it doesn't count.
[Poll #1622076]
Other reasons why the NME is wrong: in their corresponding chart of the worst cover versions ever, Madonna's American Pie only makes #8.
Edit The Beatles' song should of course be Twist and Shout. Search and replace error :)
no subject
Date: 2010-09-22 09:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-22 11:59 am (UTC)Although I suppose, for all we1 know, the Beatles may have been consciously covering the Isley Brothers version, rather than the original. In the same way as Alexandra Burke is covering Jeff Buckley's version of Hallelujah, not Cohen's.
1 Where "we" excludes that guy who wrote the big book of exhaustive detail on every song the Beatles ever did. He probably does know.