| Author | Message | ||
     kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 118 Registered: 05-2005 |
Mine would be American Music Club (pre split - in their 90s peak) recording Bachelor Kisses | ||
| kuba a Member Username: Kuba Post Number: 32 Registered: 05-2005 |
Futureheads doing Love Goes On. | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 145 Registered: 04-2005 |
I honestly don't think the originals can be improved upon, which isn't always true of great songwriters. However, there are some great or distinctive singers badly in need of better songs. I'd like to hear Bryan Ferry tackle a GoBs song or two, with "Bachelor Kisses" being the most obvious choice, I suppose...and maybe "Dive for Your Memory," which rivals Ferry's own "Just Another High" as one of the great "regret over lost love" songs. | ||
| M. Mark Burgess Member Username: Fortysomething Post Number: 71 Registered: 05-2005 |
I agree that the originals would be hard to beat but I think Neil Young and Crazy Horse could do killer rave-ups of The Clock or Marco Polo, Jr. | ||
| spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 170 Registered: 05-2005 |
U2 doing Too much of one thing... | ||
| Adrian P Member Username: Adp Post Number: 12 Registered: 05-2005 |
I don't think I'm the first to suggest it, but how about Johnny Cash doing Too Much of One Thing? Yes, I know there's a bit of problem here, but it is a dream after all... | ||
| XY765 Member Username: Judge Post Number: 20 Registered: 01-2006 |
Interesting one form Mark about NY & CrazyHorse doing the Clock....how about the Smiths/Morrissey doing 'Born to a Family'? | ||
| Matthias Treml Member Username: Matthias Post Number: 63 Registered: 05-2005 |
Good suggestion Morrissey doing 'Born To a Family'. Come to think of it there are many Robert-penned numbers I can see Morrissey singing. Mountains of Delray or Darlinghurst Lights, Dive for Your Memory are in his style of writing. How about the Flaming Lips doing Dusty in Here? | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 149 Registered: 04-2005 |
Adrian, I agree that JC doing "Too Much of One Thing" would have been great--too bad it didn't happen. But I had a funny thought about that song. I once saw the bluegrass band the Del McCoury Band do a great cover of Richard Thompson's "1952 Vincent White Lightning"--and, believe it or not, I think "Too Much of One Thing" would be perfect for them to do as well--it has a countryish chord progression, and I can easily hear fiddle and mandolin solos where the guitar breaks are. | ||
| spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 180 Registered: 05-2005 |
Scott Walker doing Aplogy Accepted! | ||
| David Matheson Member Username: David_matheson Post Number: 54 Registered: 12-2004 |
Lou Reed doing He Lives My Life David Bowie doing Right Here Talking Heads doing Darlinghurst Nights | ||
| abigail law Member Username: Abigail Post Number: 45 Registered: 06-2005 |
johnny cash doing cattle and cane johnny thunders doing that way nico doing here comes a city | ||
| fsh Member Username: Fsh Post Number: 72 Registered: 05-2005 |
U2 covering 'Heaven says' Simple Minds covering 'Stop before you say it' Big Country covering 'World weary' The Waterboys covering 'Don't call me gone'. You know the last one isn't as implausible as the others. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 194 Registered: 03-2005 |
So nice to have you back on here, fsh. | ||
| Stephen Harris Member Username: Smh Post Number: 29 Registered: 05-2005 |
Vic Godard redeeming Cut It Out | ||
| spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 192 Registered: 05-2005 |
Frank Sidebottom - People Say Ken Dodd - The Clarke Sisters John Cooper Clarke - Too much of one thing John Ottway - I need 2 heads Axl Rose - German Farmhouse | ||
| Simon Withers Member Username: Sfwithers Post Number: 17 Registered: 08-2005 |
"Frank Sidebottom – People Say" Genius idea, Spence. Sort of. It certainly made me laugh. And a few years ago I met Frank Sidebottom. We were both on Granada Men and Motors in a show about cult tv programmes. My section - as the 'expert' (yep, they were desperate) - was sandwiched between the transvestite agony aunt and the 'search for a stunna' topless model segment. Quality TV, er, no. But I had a chat with Frank and even tried his head on (this will make no sense at all to people who haven't seen him, but a quick Google will give you an idea...) - it's very hard to see anything at all through the eyeholes and it reeked of booze and cigarettes. On the plus side, I did get to meet Jenny Powell, who was introducing the show. She's absolutely gorgeous, much more so than pictures of her would suggest... | ||
| spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 195 Registered: 05-2005 |
hee hee, Simon great one, yeah Frank was a right boozer! He once had his head stolen form the boot of his car too! | ||
| M. Mark Burgess Member Username: Fortysomething Post Number: 75 Registered: 05-2005 |
A couple of others spring easily to mind Arthur Lee-The Clarke Sisters Maria McKee-Don't Call Me Gone | ||
| Hardin Smith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 8 Registered: 03-2006 |
Howzabout GBs pal Nick Cave doing "Quiet Heart" something about the sadness and fatalism of it - I think it'd work perfectly... And, it's not a GBs song, but Richard Thompson could really go to town on "Horsebreaker Star"...he would absolutely slay that majestic guitar riff the song closes with... And to throw in an RF song for balance, I can hear Ray Davies doing "Clouds" and Elvis Costello doing "Draining the Pool" - I don't think he'd have any trouble getting worked up into that PO'd state... | ||
| Matt Ellis Member Username: Matt_ellis Post Number: 66 Registered: 11-2004 |
R.E.M. - Streets Of Your Town The Frank & Walters - Rock n Roll Friend Kuba - I can really hear Futureheads doing 'Love Goes On!' would love to hear it sung a broad Wearside accent :-) | ||
| kuba a Member Username: Kuba Post Number: 38 Registered: 05-2005 |
Yes Matt, I was serious, I can hear that too, no one does that "pa-ra-pa-pa" thing better. | ||
| Bob Mail Member Username: Bob Post Number: 4 Registered: 03-2006 |
Arcade Fire - Part Company Scott Walker - Bachelor Kisses Jenny Lewis/Joe Pernice -Finding you (as a duet) U2 - Quiet Heart REM - Dusty in here The Pixies - The Clarke Sisters Van Morrison - Dive for your memory (ala astral weeks) James Brown - You Can't say no forever (ala Live at the Apollo) I will stop now :-) | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 160 Registered: 04-2005 |
> James Brown - You Can't say no forever (ala Live at the Apollo) I love the thought of that: "Please...please...please...take out the garbage-UH HUH!" | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 162 Registered: 04-2005 |
And, Bob, you're right--the Arcade Fire is an inspired choice to cover the Go-Betweens. But might I suggest "The House That Jack Kerouac Built"? They could make it even more angst-y and melodramatic. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 208 Registered: 05-2005 |
I'd like Mariah Carey to do a Go-Betweens song. Any one would do. Then they'd get a fortune for the publishing and not have to prostitute Streets Of Your Town to the Courier-Mail tabloid newspaper. | ||
| Bob Mail Member Username: Bob Post Number: 6 Registered: 03-2006 |
Kurt I agree the Arcade Fire doing THJKB would make for a great listening experience. I know some of the others are obvious but re James Brown I think he could make a funky version of you can't say no..Padraig while I agree with the fortune in publishing that may come from the Mariah cover..I think it may result in a fortune in therapy being spent by the members of this board having to cope with the result..but if I had to chose a song for her to cover on a theme I would go for River of Money just for the pre crack up laughter value!! | ||
| Matt Ellis Member Username: Matt_ellis Post Number: 67 Registered: 11-2004 |
Kurt...you have a fabulously strong imagination :-) Would love to hear JB do that track. Anyone for: The Wrong Road - Radiohead Rare Breed - The White Stripes | ||
| Mark Leydon Member Username: Mark_leydon Post Number: 43 Registered: 05-2005 |
Kiri Te Kanawa - Bachelor Kisses Just for the fun of it. Anyone heard her version of 'Wouldn't It Be Lovely' from My Fair Lady? Absolutely hilarious - including quite possibly the worst faux-Cockney accent in recorded history. | ||
| Jerry Clark Member Username: Jerry Post Number: 188 Registered: 08-2004 |
Padraig it says a lot that you mention Mariah Carey & prostitute in the same paragraph! It would be worthwhile Coldplay covering somethimg instead of thieving bits of others songs. The Cutter & Computer Love are 2 of my favourites. | ||
| Matthias Treml Member Username: Matthias Post Number: 67 Registered: 05-2005 |
How about: Neil Finn - Quiet Heart Matthew Sweet - Bye Bye Pride The Cure - Right Here Tom Waits - The Clarke Sisters The Flaming Lips - Clouds EBTG - Streets of Your Town Dinosaur Jr. - Was There Anything I Could Do? Morrissey - He Lives My Life | ||
| Hardin Smith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 25 Registered: 03-2006 |
Very tasty suggestions, Matthias. N. Finn doing Quiet Heart would be to die for...And I would probably shell out the requisite 18 bucks to hear (the godlike) Tom Waits utter the phrase "period blood:"... The group Ivy do a pretty nice cover of "Streets...", by the way... anything to get some shekels into the GBs coffers, right? | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 211 Registered: 05-2005 |
Matthew Sweet doing Bye Bye Pride and Dinosaur Jr. taking on Was There Anything I Could Do? are the best suggestions I've seen yet. Good call Matthias. | ||
| Geoff Holmes Member Username: Geoff Post Number: 70 Registered: 05-2005 |
Wow!! That's a really good suggestion for Neil Finn, Matthius!!! Let's hope he hears about his and does it!!! | ||
| Allen Belz Member Username: Abpositive Post Number: 13 Registered: 09-2006 |
Kelly Clarkson (or someone similar), doing a well-chosen cover, for two reasons only: 1.) To put some well-deserved money in the pockets of Mr. Robert Forster and the family of Mr. Grant McLennan (I remember an interview in the early 80s with Ian Hunter where he chucklingly but also honestly thanked Barry Manilow for covering "Ships.") 2.) Maybe, just maybe, it would induce some listener to pick up a GBs CD to find out what the original sounds like. | ||
| Allen Belz Member Username: Abpositive Post Number: 14 Registered: 09-2006 |
Sorry, made my post, then read the rest of the thread more closely and realized that Padraig had already made my same suggestion. I'm so embarrassed... | ||
| Jonathan Evans Member Username: Jon Post Number: 29 Registered: 04-2005 |
William Shatner doing anything he wanted! His cover of common people is the funniest thing I've ever heard, and hopefully people wouldn't get too worked up about it. Seriously though, I'd love Belle & Sebastian to cover Cattle & Cane. Cheers Jon | ||
| Donat Member Username: Donat Post Number: 149 Registered: 11-2004 |
Bob Dylan doing 'The Wrong Road' Scott Walker doing 'Dusty In Here' with a Drift/Tilt-type feel to it. Dusty Springfield doing 'Head Full Of Steam' The Fall having a go at 'Cut It Out' | ||
| Donat Member Username: Donat Post Number: 150 Registered: 11-2004 |
Bob Dylan doing 'The Wrong Road' Scott Walker doing 'Dusty In Here' with a Drift/Tilt-type feel to it. Dusty Springfield doing 'Head Full Of Steam' The Fall having a go at 'Cut It Out' | ||
| Michael Leach Member Username: Mike_l Post Number: 24 Registered: 05-2005 |
Serge Gainsbourg doing "Your turn, my turn" | ||
| Michael Bachman Member Username: Michael_bachman Post Number: 185 Registered: 01-2005 |
John Cale doing River of Money. Julia Fordham doing Devil's Eye right after performing Manhattan Skyline. | ||
| Duncan Hurwood Member Username: Duncan_h Post Number: 55 Registered: 05-2005 |
I think the best covers are always of tracks which aren't so regarded in their original form. For instance, I'm sure any version of "Cut it out" will be an improvement. Having said all that, I agree about Johnny Cash doing "Cattle and Cane". | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 575 Registered: 04-2005 |
Good point, Duncan. A classic example: the Pretenders doing "Stob Your Sobbing." Ray Davies admitted later that he viewed that as a crap song until the Pretenders turned it into something worth listening to. Of course, he was dating Chrissie Hynde at the time, so he would say that, wouldn't he? | ||
| spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 722 Registered: 05-2005 |
Franz Ferdinand doing Here comes a city!!! | ||
| Allen Belz Member Username: Abpositive Post Number: 19 Registered: 09-2006 |
I also think that's a pretty good rule of thumb, Duncan, though at the same time I think there are a number of exceptions. For some reason the one that's coming to mind at the moment is Bryan Ferry's "Hard Rain" which vividly illustrates another loose rule for doing covers: make it your own. | ||
| Elizabeth Robinson Member Username: Liz_the_new_listener Post Number: 7 Registered: 10-2006 |
Mick Jagger doing 'Twin Layers of Lightning', perhaps? More to come later, I'm sure.... | ||
| John B. Member Username: John_b Post Number: 2 Registered: 10-2006 |
Nice one Michael, I would also like to hear Tom Waits do River of Money. Songs: Ohia could cover Apology accepted, that should go on for around 10 minutes. The Ramones cover of Surfing Magazines should be over in 1:37. Hey ho lets go. | ||
| Elizabeth Robinson Member Username: Liz_the_new_listener Post Number: 16 Registered: 10-2006 |
Bob Dylan doing 'Clouds' from 16 Lovers' Lane Rod Stewart (during his rock phase) doing 'German Farmhouse' The Go-Go's or the Bangles doing 'Going Blind' (since the Beach Boys would be too obvious a choice) | ||
| Michael Bachman Member Username: Michael_bachman Post Number: 288 Registered: 01-2005 |
John B., Tom Waits would also do a great job on River of Money. Too bad Captain Beefheart retired from the music business, he would be another good choice. I just bought the reissues of Ice Cream For Crow and Doc At The Radar Station, so the good Captain has been on my cd player a lot lately. | ||
| Rob Brookman Member Username: Rob_b Post Number: 31 Registered: 08-2006 |
For some reason, I've always entertained the fantasy of Patti Smith doing "Spirit of a Vampyre." I always thought that song sounded like one of hers. | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 792 Registered: 04-2005 |
How about Yo La Tengo doing "Quiet Heart" with Georgia on vocals? | ||
| Michael Bachman Member Username: Michael_bachman Post Number: 296 Registered: 01-2005 |
How about the Cowboy Junkies doing a slow version of one of the G-B's tunes? Maybe "Bachelor Kisses"? | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 1023 Registered: 03-2006 |
Georgia singing "Quiet Heart" would be sublime. Good one, Kurt. The discussion of Elvis on the other thread makes me wonder: which GBs song could he pull off? It takes a light touch, which admittedly the Elvii can have a problem with. How about "Spring Rain" or "You've Never Lived", something on the rocking side, rather than the more delicate stuff. | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 801 Registered: 04-2005 |
Hmmm, that's a toughie. I think you're right that EC would have a problem with Go-Betweens material, as his voice is kind of loud and bombastic for their songs. For some reason, "Rock and Roll Friend" jumps out at me as one that might work for Costello. | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 1029 Registered: 03-2006 |
Hey, nice one. I'd love to hear that. Costello has gone on in public about his tastes and despite his liking just about every damn group under the sun, I've never heard him mention the GBs. So I guess it'll never happen... | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 803 Registered: 04-2005 |
I've noticed that EC has never mentioned the Go-Betweens either, which surprises me as he is generally one who acknowledges great songwriting. That piece of 500 (or 1000, or whatever) essential records he did for Vanity Fair had no mention of them. And, in fact, I remember him saying something like "almost nothing decent came out of the '80s," which is ridiculous. Well, no one said is taste was perfect. |