TwoBlueDay

I have a fondness for some “covers” of well-known songs, and sometimes I even like the cover better. So this list is for my favorite cover songs, and also a place I might “diss” a few covers. Feel free to tell me I’m full of it. There is no pecking order here, only what I say about an item on the list indicates its place in my ears and heart.

1. “All Along The Watchtower.” Bob Dylan wrote and recorded this piece, but the late Jimi Hendrix made it into something special (not to mention added, via writer’s royalties, a tidy sum to Mr. Dylan’s bank account). The Hendrix version still moves me after all these years. I would be remiss if I did not mention the late Michael Hedges’ version of this song, if you haven’t heard it, you should. I saw, I think, 228 “hits” when I searched this title on iTunes.

2. “Blinded By The Light.” Manfred Mann’s cover of this Bruce Springsteen song is still a wonder to me. It’s amazing what some musicians “hear” when they hear a piece of music. I still have this tune on my playlist of pop tunes on my iPod (well, iPhone mostly now), and it’s not a very long list.

3. “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.” I actually liked this song when the Rolling Stones did it. I sort of still do, but in my head, when the song comes up in just about any context, I hear Johnny Winter. He just kicks the shit of of this catchy little piece.

4. “Madman Across The Water.” This song didn’t make much of a splash with me in its Elton John incarnation. I liked it well enough when it was new, but soon forgot about it. Tommy Elskes put it back in my ear for good. This guy is a bit obscure, but he is on iTunes. His cover of “Walk Away Renee” also moves me.

5. “Boots of Spanish Leather.” Another Bob Dylan song (hmmm, is it a diss of Mr. Dylan to like so many cover versions of his songs, as opposed to his own?). Martin Simpson is a guitarist extraordinaire, and I’ve spent time ripping off some of his licks to play on my guitars. He makes this song into something wonderful for me. His singing is usually in the “adequate” category, but his voice just suits his take on this song very well.

6. “After The Gold Rush.” Neil Young cannot be faulted for his own performance(s) of his song, but I have a soft spot for Prelude singing it a capella.

7. “River.” I will never get over Joni Mitchell’s singing of her song, but oh, that Sara McLachlan sure can break a heart.

8. “Bleecker Street.” I’ve always been a pretty lukewarm fan of Paul Simon/Simon & Garfunkle. I did meet my one and only wife at a concert of theirs, however. Jonatha Brooke does a bang-up job with this song, and I think I have put it on the main playlist of every iPod I have owned.

9. “Fields of Gold.” Mr. Sting does a wonderful job himself with his song, but I tend to favor the version by the late Eva Cassidy.

10. “I Don’t Like Mondays.” After lo these many years, I am still a fan of Boomtown Rats doing their song. Althout the Tori Amos version has not replaced it in my heart and head, I really like her cover.

11. “I Shall Be Released.” Another fine song from the pen of Bob Dylan, but, for me, the quintessential version is by The Band.

12. “Kentucky Woman.” Okay, a confession, I would at any time, day or night, appreciate being warned if Neil Diamond is singing nearby so I could go somewhere else. On the other hand, in the hands of some rockers like Deep Purple, with Ritchie Blackmore on guitar, this song moves me.