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This Dub Reggae group have released several cover albums of various bands, but this was the most surprising for me personally. I generally approach any cover of a classic Pink Floyd song with a great deal of caution, preparing for the worst, but they actually managed to capture, to an extent, the atmosphere of the original, but being different enough to be worth a listen. This is from their album of Pink Floyd covers, called Dub Side Of The Moon, which is actually surprisingly good and very listen-able.
2) Bell X1 - Heartland (orig. U2)
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Irish Rock band Bell X1 appeared on a U2 tribute album with this version of Heartland. I think the simplified arrangement creates a different; more soulful and calm atmosphere that draws a lot of focus to the (excellent, as usual for Bono) lyrics. Which can't be a bad thing, can it?
3) Deftones - No Ordinary Love (orig. Sade)
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An unusual cover for American rock group Deftones. It seems that Sade really does have universal appeal. A more passionate performance than the smooth original, with traces of the heavier rock sound that they're more commonly known for drifting in and out. They definitely put their own stamp on this tune.
4) Dolly Parton - Stairway To Heaven (orig. Led Zeppelin)
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One of the most covered songs of all time, I'm sure, and one of the most familiar chord progressions also, but this version stands out to me as one of the more intriguing. I've never been much of a Dolly Parton fan, despite her being a very gifted singer, but she really makes this song that we've all heard a million times before seem fresh and different. The slow and steady build towards an instrumentally rich ending really echoes the original, but in a completely surprising manner.
5) Tricky - Something In The Way (orig. Nirvana)
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English Trip Hop producer and (occasionally) actor, Tricky, brings us his take on the excellent Nirvana track, Something In The Way. His unique production style, combined with Hawkman's vocals, make this version seem even more sinister and chilling than the original.
6) Nirvana - The Man Who Sold The World (orig. David Bowie)
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Speaking of Nirvana, here's their cover version of David Bowie's The Man Who Sold The World. A cover version about which, David Bowie himself apparently even admitted was better than his own.
7) Easy Star All Stars - Karma Police (orig. Radiohead)
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The All Stars are at it again with their 'dubbed up' spin on Radiohead's classic Karma Police. As with their Pink Floyd covers album Dub Side Of The Moon, Radiodread, the album this track was taken from is definitely worth a listen. When I first heard about Easy Star All Stars, I was hesitant, expecting them to be gimmicky, but they actually pull it off with both of the cover albums I've heard thus far.
8) Ray Lamontagne - Crazy (orig. Gnarles Barkley)
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American singer-songwriter famously quit his job at a shoe factory, after hearing a song on the radio, deciding that he could make it as a singer, having apparently never sung before. And boy was he right. Apparently he had another epiphany when he decided to cover Gnarles Barkley's overplayed but nevertheless great debut single "Crazy". Armed with just his voice and an acoustic guitar, Ray Lamontagne places his stamp firmly on this song, making it his very own, unique version.
Interestingly, Cee-Lo Green, the singer of the two members that make up Gnarles Barkley, also was struck with a similar level of inspiration and revelation when he was in the studio, listening to the backing track for Crazy. During the short time that the producer (DangerMouse) was out of the studio running an errand, Cee-Lo took up a pen and paper, wrote the whole song there and then and recorded his vocals in the booth, ready for when DangerMouse returned. The vocals that you hear in the single version of the original is the first and only take he recorded. Very unusual for such a successful and radio-friendly track.
9) Fink - All Cried Out (orig. Alison Moyet)
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Respected singer, songwriter and producer, Fink, brings us an acoustic cover version of Alison Moyet's "All Cried Out". His version is so different, I never recognized it as a cover version until recently.
10) Johhny Cash - Hurt (orig. Nine Inch Nails)
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No list of cover versions would be complete without this song, unless the list was, "Cover versions that you shouldn't ever listen to", or, "Cover versions sung in a language other than English"... well, you get the point anyway. It's a damn good cover. Johnny Cash managed to turn a song (a very good song, incidentally) that was clearly about a drug habit and turn it into an emotional and painful song about living near the end of his own life. This version of the song, with it's video, has been known to make grown men cry. Watch it.
