Peter Gabriel will play Red Rocks on Monday, June 13. Photo courtesy of americansongwriter.com.
Peter Gabriel will play Red Rocks tonight with a full orchestra rather than a traditional backing band. If that weren`t odd enough, it`s his first U.S. tour since the departure of his recent, rather disappointingalbum of cover songs "Scratch My Back.
What Gabriel may have misunderstood in his feat is that the thought of the real best cover song is not to simply pay tribute to the original artist, but to name the song your own.
Thus, we thought we`d provide you, dear readers, with a number of artists and their cover songs that, in our opinion, do exactly that:
11. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, "Do You Need To Meet Me?" (Original By Gary Glitter). Ironically, it took Joan Jett to actually put the balls in this 1973 glam rock anthem. Her sneering take stomps all over Gary Glitter`s original to do it the authoritative version. Plus, given Glitter`s (ahem) legal troubles, Jett`s version is problematic and sexy rather than simply plain creepy.
10. The Clash, "Pressure Drop" (Original by Toots and the Maytals). Already good at bringing reggae to the punks, the Clash take on a dancehall classic and own it. Though not one of the Clash`s more well-known songs (a b-side to a 1979 single), it`s an undeniable fan favorite and consistently makes for a fantastic sing-along. Pick it up!
9. John Cale, "Heartbreak Hotel" (Original by Elvis Presley). With his 1975 version, punk rock godfather Cale (formerly of the Velvet Underground) takes a seemingly trite golden oldie by Elvis and twists it into an angry howl about being savagely and bitterly alone. Terrifying and honest - bands limply tagged "emo" can but care they had a fraction of the raw emotion Cale displays here.
8. Devo, "(I Can`t Get No) Statisfaction" (Original by the Rolling Stones). Solidifying the approach of the new wave era, in 1977 a lot of spuds from Ohio take on the Stones` slinky classic and devolve it into a glorious, herky jerky glimpse of the future.
7. Gary Jules, "Mad World" (Original by Crying for Fears). Jules takes an obscure, mopey tune by `80s hitmakers Tears for Fears and turns it into a fragile, gorgeous piano ballad. It will be forever associated with the cult film "Donnie Darko" in which it first appeared; and it will forever resonate with confused teenagers everywhere.
6. Soft Cell, "Tainted Love" (Original by Gloria Jones). You didn`t yet acknowledge this was a cover did you? That`s how well this `80s mega-hit version is - multi-instrumentalist David Ball and vocalist Alan Vega literally electrify a `60s soul classic.
5. Jeff Buckley, "Hallelujah" (Original by Leonard Cohen). The master is easily one of the most beautiful and poetic songs ever written. But Buckley`s tender version is all the more poignant - not entirely due to his premature death and posthumous success. It succeeds via stark and gorgeous guitar work combined with stunningly intimate vocals that run from a whisper to a cry. Soul stirring.
4. Aretha Franklin, "Respect" (Original by Otis Redding). As if her unbelievable voice weren`t already enough to garner worship; Aretha, in 1967, instantly earns everyone`s respect by taking Otis Redding`s sugar daddy tune from two days earlier, turning it on its principal and into an iconic feminist anthem. It`s been her signature ever since and arguably the greatest R&B recording of all time.
3. The Beatles, "Twist and Shout" (Original by the Isley Brothers). A top of a cover (the master was called "Shake It Up Baby" by the Top Notes), the Fab Four carry on the Isley`s 1962 reworking and instantly create thier own rock and roll classic (they were fairly well at doing that). It`s fueled by John Lennon`s scratchy vocal take (he was fighting a stale at the time of recording) and a vibrant performance from a new group on their way to becoming the most important set of all time.
2.Johnny Cash, "Hurt" (Original by 9 Inch Nails). In 2002, shortly before his death, the Man in Black covered Trent Reznor`s ballad and ever since, it seems the call was written as his epitaph. Suffering from a disease to his nervous system, his once powerful voice now weak with age, Cash sings the lines "What cause I become, my sweetest friend? Everyone I know goes away in the end," before grimly promising to lead behind an "empire of dirt." Heartbreaking and powerful, a complete end to a legendary career.
1. Jimi Hendrix, "All On The Watchtower" (Original by Bob Dylan). By taking Dylan`s bare bones original folk tune to heights previously undreamed, Hendrix brilliantly creates the soundtrack to the troubled times of Vietnam War-era United States. More than merely a case for Hendrix`s guitar wizzardry, this is a stone-cold classic, and it`s so near that it got Dylan himself to change the way he plays his version.
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Michael Behrenhausen is a Denver-based writer, musician and regular Reverb contributor. The worst crime he always did was play some rock `n` roll.
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