Today's post highlights the twelve most amazing cover songs I have ever heard. All of these have the rare 6/6 rating on the Artrockometer. This dozen includes ten songs that are clearly better (for me) than the original, and two that are not, but are so good that they had to be included. I will list them chronologically. There are no YouTube links as they tend to disappear sooner or later - if you don't know a song and would like to hear it, you can easily search for it. The image above is in the public domain.
This Masquerade (Carpenters, 1973 - original Leon Russell)
The Carpenters were
an American vocal and instrumental duo consisting of siblings Karen
(1950–1983) and Richard Carpenter (1946). They produced a distinct soft
musical style, combining Karen's contralto vocals with Richard's
harmonizing, arranging and composition skills. During their 14-year
career, the Carpenters recorded ten albums, along with numerous singles
and several television specials. This masquerade is a track from the brilliant 1973 album Now and Then, which most will remember for the singles Yesterday once more and Jambalaya.
However, the real gem on this album is their cover of Leon Russell's
precious ballad, which gets a delightful soft-jazz treatment, showing
off all the qualities of Karen's voice. It was a favourite of Richard
and Karen themselves, and they regretted never having released it as a
single.
Blinded by the Light (Manfred Mann's Earth Band, 1976 - original Bruce Springsteen)
Manfred Mann's Earth Band is a British progressive rock band formed in 1971 by South African musician Manfred Mann, who had previously scored many hits in the sixties as leader of the band with his name. MMEB is still active today, and have released 15 studio albums. Blinded by the light is a cover of the Bruce Springsteen song, and was included in their 1976 album The roaring silence. They take the original and give it a totally new treatment, which has been likened to a master filmmaker visualizing a novel - surely one of the most impressive covers ever. A condensed version was released as a single and became a rather unlikely USA Billboard Hot 100 #1 hit. I prefer the extended album version, which has the merit of an inspired instrumental intermezzo. The ending of this song with its abrupt tempo change is particularly memorable.
Song to the Siren (This Mortal Coil, 1984 - original Tim Buckley)
This Mortal Coil were a British music collective formed in 1984 that was made up of a large rotating cast of artists, including members of Cocteau Twins, Pixies, and Dead Can Dance. The project became known for its gothic, dream pop sound, and released three studio albums between 1984 and 1991. Song to the siren is a track from the 1984 debut album It'll end in tears. It is a cover of a Tim Buckley composition, which takes on a totally new dimension in the version of the members of the Cocteau Twins. Liz Frasers peculiar voice set over a fascinatingly strange instrumental arrangement makes for a unique experience. There is no song I know that even comes close to sounding like this one.
Nothing compares 2U (Sinead O'Connor, 1990 - original The Family)
Sinéad O'Connor
(1966) is an Irish singer-songwriter whose career has been marked by
controversy, partly due to her statements and gestures. She recorded ten
studio albums. Nothing compares 2 U from the 1990 album I do not want what I haven't got
catapulted her to the top of the charts all over the world,
including a four weeks spell at #1 in both the UK and the USA. The video
clip helped - who can forget her shaven head and the tears on her
cheeks? Whereas the clip admittedly bordered on kitsch, from a musical
point of view there is nothing wrong with this beautiful love song, and
certainly nothing wrong with the sincere personal heartfelt rendition of the song Prince originally wrote for The Fanily.
Hallelujah (Jeff Buckley, 1994 - original Leonard Cohen)
Jeff Buckley (1966 - 1997) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He was the son of Tim Buckley, and shared his father's fate of a far too early death - he drowned at the age of 30. Even though he released just one studio album, he is widely remembered and respected. His 1994 album Grace, which I only discovered over ten years later, is now widely recognised as a classic, not in the least because of his phenomenal cover of the Leonard Cohen song Hallelujah. Starting intriguingly with the sound of a candle being blown out, this ballad unfolds magnificently as Buckley makes the most of the brilliant lyrics.
Suzanne (Peter Gabriel, 1995 - original Leonard Cohen)
Peter Gabriel (1950)
is a British singer, songwriter, musician, record producer and
activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive
rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched a very
successful solo career, with so far 13 studio albums. His cover of Suzanne is one of those I discovered by accident. One day I came across a 1995 tribute CD to Leonard Cohen (Tower of Song)
in which his songs were covered by other artists. In general, the
quality was somewhat disappointing (an example is the lackluster version
by Sting and the Chieftains of the beautiful song Sisters of Mercy),
although I would not go as far as the AMG review which called the album
a train wreck. Moreover, it did contain one gem: Peter Gabriel's
rendition of Suzanne, even improving what has always been one of my favourite Cohen songs.
Firth of Fifth (Steve Hackett, 1996 - original Genesis)
Steve Hackett
(1950) is an English musician, songwriter, singer, and producer who
gained prominence as the lead guitarist of the progressive rock band
Genesis from 1971 to 1977. His solo career from that year onward yielded
dozens of studio albums, but very few highlights. Firth of Fifth is a track from the album Watcher of the Skies - Genesis Revisited, on which Hackett recorded new versions of several Genesis anthems
with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. It sounds like a recipe for disaster, but actually some of the remakes sound quite good, and his take on Firth of Fifth
(one of my favourite songs) is brilliant. The first notes are already breathtaking, with a quiet
glockenspiel (I think this is the instrument used - could also be a
xylophone) setting the scene. The singing by prog rock veteran John
Wetton (ex King Crimson, UK, Asia) is as good as it gets if Peter
Gabriel is not around. The instrumental break brings the biggest and
most intriguing changes. No flute solo, no piano solo, instead Steve
comes in with a fantastic acoustic guitar solo – followed by a
recreation of his original electric guitar solo. The original version is
still even better, but this cover is so good that I decided I had to
include it.
Torn (Natalie Imbruglia, 1998 - original Ednaswap)
Natalie Imbruglia
(1975) is an Australian singer-songwriter, model and actress. She
released six studio albums, which have combined sales of 10 million
copies worldwide. Torn is a track from the 1998 album Left of the middle.
I was interested in this song long before I heard even one single note:
The MTV clip caught my eye even though I had turned off the sound -
really, looking at the album cover, can you blame me? Later I found,
much to my surprise, that the song (a cover of an Ednaswap song) is as
beautiful as the singer. Of course, her voice is not impressive
(certainly in live and unplugged renditions), but on the studio CD track
this is corrected by clever production. And the guitar solo near the
end must rank as one of the most memorable moments in pop singles
history.
Time (Tori Amos, 2001 - original Tom Waits)
Tori Amos (1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist, and one of the most successful women in her genre. To date she has released 15 studio albums, many of which have received high praise. Time is a track from the 2001 concept album Strange little girls, in which Tori covered twelve songs written by men about women, and in most cases in quite a different style. She had done this before with some isolated songs, sometimes with intriguing results (Nirvana's Smells like teen spirit comes to mind), but a whole album without own songs was rather controversial. Indeed, it did not get a warm reception, neither from the fans nor from the critics. Personally, I think the album is uneven, but worthwhile, with a number of interesting tracks. Her version of Eminem's 97 Bonnie and Clyde is chilling , and it is interesting to hear her deconstructed version of the 10CC classic I'm not in love. On the other hand, she totally screwed up Neil Young's Heart of gold. Perhaps closest to the original version is her cover of Tom Waits' Time. The original was great, but Tori's version is magnificent.
Hurt (Johnny Cash, 2002 - original Nine Inch Nails)
Johnny Cash
(1932 - 2003) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, actor, and
author. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having
sold more than 90 million records worldwide. His genre-spanning songs
and sound embraced country, rock and roll, rockabilly, blues, folk, and
gospel. This crossover appeal won Cash the rare honor of being inducted
into the Country Music, Rock and Roll, and Gospel Music Halls of Fame.
He released over sixty studio albums in a recording career that lasted
57 years. Johnny Cash'
music is not exactly my taste, but when in 2019 I first heard his song Hurt, it blew me away, and the more I hear it (and see the amazing video), the more I love it. It is a track from his 2002 album American IV: The Man Comes Around, which mainly consists of covers. Hurt is
originally a Nine Inch Nails song, and that band's leader Trent Reznor
praised Cash's interpretation of his song for its "sincerity and
meaning", going so far as to say "that song isn't mine anymore - it's
his now".
After the Goldrush (k.d. lang, 2004 - original Neil Young)
Kathryn Dawn Lang (1961), known by her stylized stage name k.d. lang, is a Canadian pop and country singer/songwriter. To date she has recorded ten studio albums. After the goldrush is a cover of the famous Neil Young song. It comes from the 2004 album Hymns of the 49th Parallel, a collection of covers of songs by Canadian artists, also including Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell). I've always like this Neil Young song, but not particularly in his version. Her take it on it completely blows the original out of the water.
The Sound of Silence (Disturbed, 2015, original Simon and Garfunkel)
Disturbed are an American heavy metal band, formed in 1994. The band released seven studio albums, five of which have consecutively debuted at number one on the USA charts. They have sold over 17 million records worldwide, making them one of the most successful rock bands in the modern era. Although Simon and Garfunkel's original version of The Sound of Silence remains unsurpassed, the cover version by Disturbed, a track from their 2015 album Immortalized, blew me away when I first heard it in 2019. Paul Simon himself endorsed the power metal ballad version of his masterpiece.
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