Really Great Cover Albums

[Keith Nivan]

I love cover albums where one band does their fave material; different from tribute albums where different bands do one band's songs.

Matthew Sweet and Sussana Hoffs has a new one, as has been mentioned on this board:

I See The Rain (The Marmalade)

2. And Your Bird Can Sing (The Beatles)

3. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue (Bob Dylan)

4. Who Knows Where The Time Goes? (Fairport Convention)

5. Cinnamon Girl (Neil Young And Crazy Horse)

6. Alone Again Or (Love)

7. Warmth Of The Sun (The Beach Boys)

8. Different Drum (The Stone Poneys, featuring Linda Ronstadt)

9. The Kids Are Alright (The Who)

10. Sunday Morning (The Velvet Underground)

11. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (Neil Young And Crazy Horse)

12. Care Of Cell #44 (The Zombies)

13. Monday Monday (The Mamas And The Papas)

14. She May Call You Up Tonight (The Left Banke)

15. Run To Me (The Bee Gees)

(Note: Bernie will recall UFO covering "Alone Again Or" on "Lights Out," I think.)

The Wondermints have "The Wonderful World of The Wondermints":

1. Porpoise Song

2. Guess I'm Dumb

3. Louise

4. Don't Go Breaking My Heart

5. My Friend Jack

6. Barbarella

7. O-o-h Child

8. Arnold Layne

9. Darling

10. So You Are a Star

11. Skyman

12. Knowing Me, Knowing You

13. Love in the City

(Good grief, what a collection of songs!)

And Bowie did "Pinups" (30+ years ago -- all mid-60s Swinging London stuff -- and Mick Ronson resurrects himself if you play it loud enough):

1. Rosalyn

2. Here Comes The Night

3. I Wish You Would

4. See Emily Play

5. Everything's Alright

6. I Can't Explain

7. Friday On My Mind

8. Sorrow

9. Don't Bring Me Down

10. Shapes Of Things

11. Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere

12. Where Have All the Good Times Gone

Do you know of others? I thought I heard that a big glam/hair/metal band did an album of covers from the 70s but I can't remember: G&R? Motley Crue? Metallica? Can't remember.

I think it's really cool when bands take a stand on the material that means a lot to them, gets behind the material and gives tribute.

In most cases this is as far as most of us frustrated musicians get.

Thoughts? Recommendations?

Thanks.

"Keith"

[Poor4Life]

McCartney's "Russian Album" and "Run Devil Run" are GREAT collections of 50's and 60's covers.

Even though Dennis DeYoung is no longer with them, Styx' "Big Bang Theory" wasn't half bad.

Jeff

[JohnO]

Covers albums? My God, there have been tons of them....recent ones, just off the top of my head:

Guns & Roses - The Spaghetti Incident;

The Vibrators - Punk - The Early Years (just released);

The Liquor Giants - Something Special For The Kids;

The Rubinoos - Crimes Against Music;

Webb Wilder - Town & Country;

Manic Hispanic - The Menudo Incident (with 70's punk songs given barrio lyrics!);

Naz Nomad (The Damned in disguise) - I can't remember the album's name, but it was all 60's covers;

Paul Anka - Rock Swings (big band covers of 80's rock);

George Jones - The Hits I MIssed (and One I Didn't) - covers of other peoples' C&W hits;

5-6 CDs by The British Invasion All-Stars and Pretty Things/Yardbirds Blues Band - all of them 100% covers

and who could forget - Pat Boone - In A Metal Mood: No More Mister Nice Guy (Pat goes metal!)

and that's just ones I thought up over the past 10 minutes or so.....

[Keith Nivan]

Jeff & John:

Thanks!

John, how 'bout another 10 minutes?

"K"

[JohnO]

...and I left out The Ramones - Acid Eaters;

and Bob Dylan's Good As I Been To You; and

Jeffrey Foskett's mini-LP, Sunny's Off; and

Bob Seeger - Smokin'OPs

[JohnO]

and Michael Schenker and Davy Pattison have also released 2 fairly recent CDs of metal/rock covers.

[JohnO]

An obvious one I missed -

The Band - Moondog Matinee;

and a recent one -

The Freddie Steady Five - Freddie Steady Go!

(Explosives drummer and Shakin' Apostles frontman Freddie Krc's new band, doing covers of 50's-60's songs by Texan artists/bands - B. Holly, R. Orbison, 13th Floor Elevators, Sir Douglas Quintet, Sam The Sham, Bobby Fuller Four, etc.)

[Poor4Life]

Here's a couple more Keith,

John Lennon-"Rock and Roll"

(50's covers. I don't know how I forgot this one, and mentioned Paul's!)

Rush-"Feedback"

(GREAT covers late 60's songs. "Crossroads", "The Seeker", "Heart Full of Soul" and others)

Pat Benatar-"True Love"

(A collection of blues songs. BB King, Albert King, etc.)

Aerosmith-"Honkin' on Bobo"

Blues covers. Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, etc)

Jeff

[popdude]

Manic Hispanic - The Menudo Incident (with 70's punk songs given barrio lyrics!)

And in a bizarre coincidence, I was volunteering in my daughter's 2nd grade classroom a few weeks ago along with the drummer from Manic Hispanic, whose daughter is in the same class. Small world...

[Poor4Life]

Also, Eddie Money has a new covers album available on his website. Called "I wanna go back" it features a fantastic version of Jackie Wilson's "Higher and Higher"...

Jeff

[Matthew C. Clark]

Poor4Life: Have you heard of the 1984 song "I Wanna Go Back" by Billy Satellite on Capitol?? Eddie Money did the remake of that song. I do have the import Germany CD of "Billy Satellite 1" which has the song "Satisfy Me" but the last 2 unreleased songs on the CD are poorly recorded. Matt

[John Shaft]

On of my faves is The Temptations' "For Lovers Only" where they do songs from "The Great American Songbook" ("Night & Day", "Some Enchanted Evening", etc).

[Rich From PA]

Todd Rundgren - Faithful; actually 1/2 a covers album:

Happenings Ten Years Ago

Good Vibrations

Rain

Most Likely You'll Go Your Way(And I'll Go Mine)

If 6 Was 9

Strawberry Fields

[pierson]

Before Rod Stewart & Barry Manilow gave covering standards a bad name, there was "As Time Goes By" by Bryan Ferry & "A Little Touch Of Schmillson In The Night" by Nilsson...

also, Susanna Hoffs was part of a great 1983 tribute album titled Rainy Day which featured LA artists like Dave Roback (Rain Parade, Mazzy Star), Kendra Smith (Dream Syndicate), Michael Quercio (Three O'Clcok) doing cool covers of Big Star, Neil Young, Beach Boys, Dylan and more...

also:

Nilsson Sings Newman

Elvis Costello- Kojak Variety & Almost Blue

Church- Box Of Birds

Coulson, Dean, McGuiness, Flint- Lo & Behold (old obscure Dylan songs)

[Keith Nivan]

Pals,

This is very helpful. Thanks.

Actually the album I was fishing for isn't out yet, but it will be late May. I think somebody on this site mentioned it in passing a few months back:

"Yeah!" by Def Leppard ... !

20TH CENTURY BOY / T.REX

> ROCK ON / DAVID ESSEX

> HANGING ON THE TELEPHONE / THE NERVES (1977)

> and BLONDIE (1978)

> WATERLOO SUNSET / THE KINKS

> HELL RAISER / SWEET

> 10538 OVERTURE / ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA

> STREET LIFE / ROXY MUSIC

> DRIVE-IN SATURDAY / DAVID BOWIE

> LITTLE BIT OF LOVE / FREE

> GOLDEN AGE OF ROCK & ROLL / MOTT THE HOOPLE

> NO MATTER WHAT / BADFINGER

> HE'S GONNA STEP ON YOU AGAIN / JOHN KONGOS

> DON'T BELIEVE A WORD / THIN LIZZY

> STAY WITH ME / FACES

My reaction to the song selection is, well, "Yeah!". A few I've not heard, a few classics, a couple of audacious trax ("Steet Life", "Golden Age of Rock and Roll" (TOTALLY cool)) ... sign me up.

And thanks for all the recos!

I think "No Matter What" would win a poll of everybody's favorite cover. What a great song.

"K"

[seattlesteve]

Didn't Def do NMW on The Today Show and there was some mis-banter thinking it was a Raspberries song, before some producer on the Internet with a speaker in a talking haircut's ear correctly identified Badfinger finally?

Agree though, great song. Too bad the 'berries didn't have the same guys in THEIR studio, let alone some writing. (Listen to McCartney's solo demo for Come and Get It, Badfinger did it note for note.)

Gotta believe if EC could have just spent one week jamming with Paul and John (let alone GM, and WB) in Abbey Road, that both camps could have been mutual muses, and even more good music would have come from all...

"If, if and buts were candy and nuts it would be Christmas everyday" Don Meridith, Monday Night Football, circa mid 70's