I love cover songs, usually. If done right they can rival the original or,   in some cases exceed them. 

 Here are a few of my favorites from throughout the years.

 Of course, in the usual list fashion, there are some rules I set for  myself: 

 

1 - I have to also really like the original version. This means Soft Cell's "Tainted Love" and Naked Eyes "Always Something There To Remind", two songs I can listen to and never tire of, can not be on the list because I barely know the original Goria Jones or Niel Sedeka versions, Agnostic Front's "Crucified" because I am not really fond of Iron Cross's original. 

2- No songs from the album that were all covers or from tribute albums. There are some I really like Sonic Youth's version of The Carpenter's "Superstar" ( itself a cover of a Delaney and Bonnie song) would be on this list but was usually recorded for the purpose of being on that collection. These were all done because the bands just liked them.

1- 7 Seconds - 99 Red Balloons (NINA)  - Walk Together, Rock Together LP (1985,

BYO Records) - There was a time when I had a 45 of Nena's hit which had the German version on one side and the English on the other side. I used to play one side, flip it over, and repeat.  I'm sure there are many fans of the Reno, Nevada melodic hardcore band 7 Seconds who are not aware this is a cover since they have been playing it for so long. For me it was seeing this on a cassette copy of their Walk Together, Rock Together Ep  (before it was extended to a full album) that brought me to be a fan of the band. 

2 - Botch-  O Fortuna (Orff) - John Birch Conspiracy EP (1997, Excursion Record) - An opera opus turned into a math/metal anthem. Pretty cool that Botch took on such a task so early in their career. 

3 - Breeders  - Happiness is a Warm Gun (The Beatles) -

Pod Album (1990, 4AD Records) - Being a humongous Pixies fan, I, of course, picked up bassist Kim Deal's (now on guitar) side project The Breeders, with Tanya Donnelly (Throwing Muses), bassist Josephine Wiggs (Perfect Disaster), and drummer Shannon Doughton (who was really Britt Walford from Slint, who I would not hear until the next year when Spiderland was released).. A couple songs in, as the producer Steve Albini called them, "The Bangles From Hell" debut album Pod was a cover of The Beatles' darkest song "Happiness is a Warm Gun" (off "The White Album"). Somehow the Breeders version was even darker fitting the mood of the album. Side Note: Kim's sister Kelly would not be a part of the band until 1992's Safari EP

4 -Down By Law - Best Friend (The Outlets) - S/T LP  (1991, Epitaph Records) - On Down, By Law's debut album they were Dave Smally, of course just off a stint fronting my favorite band ALL (as well as Dag Nasty and DYS, but I have to admit I had not heard either of those bands yet), backed by Dave Naz, Ed Urlik, and Chris Bagnozzi of The Chemical People. Two bands are part of what I call "The Big Three of Cruz Records" ( The third being Big Drill Car). Of course, I bought their self-titled debut album on the day it was released. The album has twelve powerful surf-influenced melodic punk songs. Right dab in the middle is "Best Friend", a song the liner notes say was originally by The Outlets. It would be almost 25 years until I would finally hear the Outlets's version when a comp of theirs popped up on Spotify. 

5 - The Futureheads - Hounds of Love (Kate Bush) - The Futureheads LP (2004, Rough Trade

Records) - Kate Bush is such a great and classic singer, with very complex song parts (check out the strings in her original version of this song) I am sure covering her song is not an easy task. The only other ones I've heard are Red Kross doing "Wuthering Heights" (on the Freedom of Choice comp) and Placebo doing "Running Up That Hill" years before Stranger Things gave the song new life. Somehow this XTC meets Stiff Records UK band pulled it off turning it into a fast-paced sing-along tune on their 2004 debut self-titled album. 

6 - Juliana Hatfield - Raisans (Dinosaur Jr) - Forever Baby EP ( 1992, Mammoth Records) - While in her previous band The Blake Babies, Julianna Hatfield had covered "Severed Lips", off Dinosaur Jr's self-titled debut album. That song would have probably made this list if as a seriously deep cut, Juliana hadn't covered a song off of my all-time favorite album Dinosaur Jr's You're Living All Over Me. Probably very hard to find a physical copy so search this song out on Spotify, YouTube, or wherever else you listen to music. While there check out the all-electric version of the song "Nirvana", which was previously recorded acoustic on The Blake Babies Rosy Jack World EP (where the "Severed Lips" cover was also located). 

7 - Helmet - Oven (Melvins) - Smells Like Smoked Sausage 2x7" (1992, Sub Pop Records) - I am

not a big Melvins fan at all. The only two albums I have by them are Gluey Port Treatments and Ozma, because they happen to be on the same CD. I still really listen to them but "Oven" off of Ozma would make it on a lot of my mixtapes. So I was pretty excited when Helmet covered it on one of the releases I received during my one year as a member of the Sub Pop Single club. This song is also Born Annoying, their collection of singles and B-sides 

8 - Killdozer - "I Am I Said" (Neil Diamond) - Little Baby Buntin' ( 1985, Touch and Go Records) - A band that does great cover versions. Each one is sung in bassist Michael Gerld's gravily voice. Even though I love this cover of Neil Diamond's classic tale of "Lost Between Two Shores" I actually like their cover of Coven's "One Tin Soldier" about equally. But that one was on an album of all cover songs entitled This One's For Ladies Only (also previously available on picture disc and 5x7" box set) which excludes it from being considered for this list. 

9 - The Melvins - Goin' Blind (KISS) - Houdini LP (1993, Atlantic Records) - Besides the first

two  Melvins albums are mentioned in the Helmet entry, sometimes I will pull out the 1993 Houdini album. Sometimes to listen to the whole thing but most times is just to blast this awesome version of the Kiss classic. Another cover by the Melvins I can listen to over and over is The Beatles "I Want to Hold Your Hand" but that, like Dinosaur Jr's almost equal version of "Goin' Blind", is on a record of all covers.  

10 - The Damned - Alone Again Or (Love) - Anything LP (1988, MCA Records) - Last but not least is the song that finally brought me to check out the band Love. (You can read about that here: here). Make sure to check out the video where at the end a plane flies by at the exact right moment. 

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4MfR7z5EfdcX6H28lWAbDI?si=bdce13f710a24498