Cover to Cover: The best and brilliant cover versions you must hear!

A great cover of a song often becomes better known and loved than the original itself. Covers can transcend earlier versions with new ideas and inspirations that the original lacked. Many instances come to mind, including Jimi Hendrix’s electrifying take on Bob Dylan’s ‘All Along the Watchtower’ and Adele’s re-imagining of his beautiful ballad ‘Make You Feel My Love’, Sinead O Connor’s dramatic interpretation of Prince’s ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’, and Amy Winehouse’s Motown inspired take on The Zutons ‘Valerie’.

Ear to the Ground have pored through the archives to find our favourite covers. Some are famous, some lesser heard, but all of these cover versions are excellent examples of how bands and artists can take the songs of others and create something beautifully and distinctly their own.

Fats Domino – ‘Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey’ – The first Beatles cover in this playlist finds the legendary Fats Domino tackle this lesser known Lennon track from the White Album. The Beatles had grown up on, and were heavily inspired by, the sounds of Soul and Motown, and it must have been a huge compliment to them when legendary artists from the States began covering their work. Here, Fats Domino takes Lennon’s track and polishes off the rough edges to make the experience feel a whole lot more fun. The guitar fills may sound just like George Harrison, but the piano rhythms and smoky vocal is all Fats!

Bobby Womack – ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ – The most famous cover of this classic track may be the well-worn standard by Frank Sinatra, but Bobby Womack’s rendition deserves to be far better recognised. Released on the 1968 album of the same name, Womack takes the track and gives it the full soul treatment with passionate vocals, stirring horns and a suitably smooth guitar solo.

John Holt – ‘I Will’ – The second Beatles cover here finds John Holt re-imagine this beautiful McCartney ballad as a summery reggae jaunt. Holt strips away some of the McCartney schmaltz, and creates a love song that sounds as sun soaked as it does loved up. The instrumental introduction is also well known for its clever sample by Jay Z on ‘Encore’.

Jack White – ‘I’m Shakin’ – Jack White has long worn his love for, and debt to, the blues on his sleeve, and the White Stripes covered a diverse array of blues artists. His solo career has been no different and, on this Little Willie John cover, he takes the track and rockets it into the twenty first century with jagged distorted guitars and shaky vocals.

Flo Morrissey and Matthew E White – ‘Look at What the Light Did Now’ – 2017’s inspired ‘Gentlewoman, Ruby Man’ saw legendary producer and artist Matthew E White team up with close friend, the singer-songwriter Flo Morrissey, to release a collection of covers of some of their favourite songs. The record saw the pair tackle songs by artists such as the Velvet Underground, Leonard Cohen, and even found them covering the theme to ‘Grease’. It is this song though, a cover of a little known track by Little Wings, that was the album’s best moment. Transforming the original wavery acoustic ballad into a funk driven harmony infused romp was truly inspired!

Ren Harvieu and Karen Elson – ‘The Train Song’ – Many may not have heard of either the song, its composer, or these two artists covering it. The rolling ballad was originally written and performed by the elusive singer-songwriter Vashti Bunyan. This excellent interpretation by Ren Harvieu (a fantastic vocal talent and well worth checking out) and US singer Karen Elson, is faithful to the original but is more ambitious in its musical scope and gives the song the drama it truly deserves.

Stornoway – ‘The Only Way is Up’ – Tackling one of the 1980’s cheesiest releases, and a song synonymous with ‘The Only Way is Essex’, is a brave choice for any band. Luckily, Stornoway take Yazz’s track, strip away the synths, and create an acoustic gem that heightens the bravely optimistic lyrics to create something truly uplifting. By the time the trumpet kicks in, the band have well and truly made the song their own!

Caitlin Rose – ‘Piledriver Waltz’ – When interviewed at the time of the release of their fourth album ‘Suck it and See’ in 2011, Arctic Monkeys lead singer and songwriter Alex Turner admitted that he had been influenced by the sounds and lyrical heartbreak of country music. It is fitting then, that then Domino labelmate Caitlin Rose gives ‘Piledriver Waltz’ the full honky-tonk treatment. The lyrical essence remains, but Rose’s addition of slide guitar and country infused vocals make the track sound as though its origins lay closer to Nashville than Sheffield. Superbly done!

Johnny Cash – ‘I Won’t Back Down’ – This towering legend of music was never afraid to cover other artists that he respected, and over his career he performed versions of songs by artists as diverse as Bob Dylan and Soft Cell. His later years cover version of the Nine Inch Nails track ‘Hurt’ went on to become one of his most well-loved tracks. This Tom Petty cover finds Cash sounding more authentic than ever as he transforms the power rock track into something more simple and timeless.

Leon Russell – ‘It’s a Hard Rain that’s a-Gonna Fall’ – Bob Dylan, alongside the Beatles, is one of the most covered artists of all time. Many talented musicians have re-interpreted his songs, and it is always exciting when an artist manages to translate his work into their own style. Russell manages this perfectly here. He takes Dylan’s foreboding reflection and manages to re-imagine the piece as a jaunty piano boogie.

Seth Avett and Jessica Lea Mayfield – ‘Somebody That I Used to Know’ – One Elliot Smith cover was not enough for Seth Avett and Jessica Lea Mayfield. Instead they recorded a whole album of them in 2015 and received critical acclaim for their take on the Smith songbook. On this cover of the ‘Figure 8’ track, the highly talented pair replace Smith’s meandering finger picked melody with a driving rhythm that provides a stronger and moodier accompaniment to the reproachful lyrics.

Peter Gabriel – ‘The Book of Love’ – Perhaps one of the most enjoyable transformations here, Peter Gabriel’s take on the Magnetic Fields awkward love song (originally from 1999’s ’69 Love Songs’) is truly sublime. Gabriel’s raw vocal is accompanied by a stirring string section and he delivers the heartfelt lyrics with real feeling and honesty as he sings “I love it when you read to me, and you can read me anything”.

Richard Hawley – ‘Ballad of a Thin Man’ – The second Dylan cover in this list, and this time one of his greatly acclaimed electric tracks (taken from ‘Highway 61 Revisited’), was recorded by the Sheffield Bard for the new Peaky Blinders series. Hawley treats the source material sensitively and his smoky baritone adds an air of authority to one Dylan’s more stinging lyrical assaults.

Poolside – ‘Harvest Moon’ – This cover tops the list for the most innovative take on a longstanding classic. Poolside take Neil Young’s wistful nostalgic ballad, and repurpose it into something more fitting for a baking hot afternoon by the side of the pool with a cocktail in hand! The gently rolling beats and hushed vocals make this the perfect chilled out summer soundtrack.

The Black Keys – ‘Act Nice and Gentle’ – The Black Keys are well known for their bluesy distorted guitar rock, and have covered many artists in this style including The Beatles and The Sonics. Here they take on a lesser known Kinks track (from the ‘Something Else ’ LP) pleading for the soft touch from a lover and give it the laid back Black Keys treatment with rolling guitar licks and strained vocals – absolutely brilliant! 

Zee Avi – ‘The First of the Gang to Die’ – Zee Avi proves that a great cover need not be an exercise in complicated reimagining. This delicate, simple, and stripped back acoustic take on Morrissey’s single from ‘Irish Blood, English Heart’, is a thing of beauty, and a poignant telling of the tale of Hector “the first of the gang with the gun in his hand, the first to do time, the first of the gang to die”.

Iron and Wine – ‘Time After Time’ – Continuing the theme of delicate acoustic covers, Iron and Wine’s take on Cyndi Lauper’s classic track is truly sublime. Sam Beam’s husky vocal and fingerpicked guitar prove to be just as effective at expressing the deep fearful emotion of the song as the synth heavy original.

Isacc Gracie – ‘You Only Live Once’ – The Strokes released a demo version of ‘You Only Live Once’ (the opening track to 2006’s ‘First Impressions of Earth’) as a B-Side to the ‘Heart in a Cage’ single entitled ‘I’ll Try Anything Once’. Featuring Julian Casablancas singing with just a keyboard for company, it showcased the delicate origins of the song which, whilst highly enjoyable in its final form as an intense guitar driven anthem, could have been equally brilliant as something quieter and more introspective. It is the latter approach that clearly influenced Gracie on his cover. Shuffling drums and subtle guitars provide the backdrop for his wistful vocal delivery on this deeply satisfying cover.

Villagers – ‘The Wonder of You/Wichita Linesman’ – It is testament to the talent of Villagers’ Conor O’Brien that he gets two cover in this playlist! The first, ‘Wonder of You’, finds him tackling the Elvis Presley classic and was recorded for the TV series ‘Big Little Lies’. Villagers strip away the Vegas excess and create a version that is prettier and enjoyably gentle with gorgeous fingerpicked guitar and choral harmonies.

They tackle another legendary track as they put their spin on the Glen Campbell classic ‘Wichita Linesman’ (taken from their 2016 album ‘Where Have You Been All My Life’ which was recorded live at RAK studios). This version remains faithful to the original but, again strips away some of the excess, and replaces the original’s powerful string section with a double bass and murmuring piano. This approach places emphasis on O’Brien’s wavering vocal and perfectly captures the songs weary narrative.

Bill Fay – ‘Jesus.Etc’ – ‘Jesus.Etc’ is one of Wilko’s most well known tracks and, although recorded prior to 9/11, the emotionally fraught lyrics from the ballad became, for many, indelibly associated with the despair and sadness felt in the aftermath of the terrorist attack. Bill Fay plays his version with just a piano for company and his weary world worn vocals suit the lyrical content and underlying emotion of the piece perfectly.

Imaginary Future – ‘In My Life’ – Imaginary Future has made a career of interpreting his favourite songs and creating versions infused with hushed vocals and gentle acoustic guitars. This take on the Beatles classic is no different, and he strips the song right back so that the lyrics, telling the story of a nostalgic lover, shine through and take centre stage.

Arctic Monkeys – ‘Baby I’m Yours’ – The lads from Sheffield have never been afraid of a cover and, across many sessions and B Sides, they have tackled songs by artists as wide ranging as Girls Aloud, Katie B, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Amy Winehouse, Tame Impala and of course…..the Beatles! This though is perhaps their finest cover. Taken from the ‘Leave Before the Lights Come On’ single (which also included another excellent cover of the Little Flames ‘Put Your Dukes Up John’) it saw them team up with the 747’s to tackle the Barbara Lewis classic. It was a brave departure at the time from their guitar driven kitchen sink dramas and, this opportunity to croon, was perhaps Alex Turner’s first step to be able to put the guitar down and show off his singing voice. The harmonised backing vocals, endearing lyrics, and stirring strings make this the perfect soundtrack for a summer evening.