Under cover

Ok. I'm a lousy blogger. Well, I'll post this here little thing - a friend of mine made a list of covered songs he likes. Here's my attempt:

Got about 25k titles residing on a hard drive (yep, it was a BEAR getting all those tracks ripped from my cds/dvds/vinyls/cassettes/whatnots), so this might not be quite comprehensive, but more a spur of the moment thing - some covers are here because I love them, others are just fun, while some are just plain...odd.

Lady Madonna - Yeahlove Swans
Norwegian poprock band that never made it in the early 90s - grunge killed them - turning the old Beatles tune into a thunderous train ride).

I come and stand at every door - This Mortal Coil
Late 80s UK project turning The Byrds' song about a child that died from the bomb in Hiroshima into the most heartbreaking thing ever - I simply can't sing it without sobbing.

En stor sølvgrå lastebil - Vazelina Bilopphøggers
Norwegian band part rockabilly part parody singing about going on holiday in a sanitary vehicle (errr...what else to call the truck that gathers human wastes in a tank?) to the tune of It's only make believe by Conway Twitty.

Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) - Stevie Ray Vaughan
Hendrix's genius with the brilliance of SRV...

Smalltown Boy - Vampire State Building
Norwegian 80s/90s s&m-gothtechnorock indie band doing an excellent cover of Bronski Beat's 80s gay anthem.

Night and Day - U2
A song from the early 90s AIDS fundraiser project Red, hot + blue where U2 covers Cole Porter's old classic tune in a way that possibly makes it the most haunting song about steamy, frustrated longings that Bono & co have ever made.

Gimme some lovin' - Blues Brothers
Ok, Steve Winwood has/had an amazing voice, but for the sheer love of music, I think this one outweighs the Spencer Davis' Group original.

Rusty Cage - Johnny Cash
Ok. This is just different. It ain't Soundgarden for sure, just...different.

This Wheel's on fire - Siouxsie & The Banshees
Sorry, Bob Dylan. I heard this version before the original - it's the definite one to me.

O, bli hos meg - Knut Reiersrud & Iver Kleive
Guitar ace Reiersrud and organist Kleive making an exquisite goosebump-raiser out of the burial hymn/FA Cup anthem better know as Abide with me...

Breathe/Time - The Polka Floyd Show
Pink Floyd gone polka with accordion. And it is WELL played with just the right touch of tongue-in-cheek as well as loving attention to the original.

We three Kings - Mojo Nixon & The Toadliquors
The alternative version of the christmas carol. A touch of rhinestone and Tom Waits. Open up your presents, son!

Little Wing - Marius Müller's Funhouse
Another Hendrix masterpiece in the delicate, giant hands of Norway's greatest ever (arguably where physical size is concerned) rock guitarist.

Lay, Lady, Lay - Magnet feat. Gemma Hayes
A lush, LUSH, 2:30 am duet of another Bob Dylan classic. Sheer balm for the ears.

Battle of Evermore - The Lovemongers
I always had a soft spot for Heart since I was a teenager. This live recording under their Lovermongers alias does full justice to Led Zeppelin's original, imho.

When all is said and done - Nils Landgren Funk Unit
The up-tempo, hard beat ABBA song tuned all the way down to a tender, tender piano ballad...

Mission Impossible - Laika & The Cosmonauts
A great rendition of the MI theme, played by these Finns on their "Instruments of Terror".

Carmen - Spike Jones
Bizet's opera in less than 10 minutes. Just the narrator's voiceover stating "Carmen not only fills the role of the soprano, she overflows it" is worth the ticket alone.

Cloudbusting - Steve Hogarth
A live recording from Barcelona where the Marillion vocalist first launches into a mock-soprano version of "Wuthering Heights" before doing a nice version of Kate Bush's song.

The Fountain of Salmacis - Yngve Guddal & Roger T Matte
Early Genesis? Prog rock? For two grand pianos? Take it away, boys!

Birthday - Femi Gange
Norwegian rockers take this Beatles song and cranks up the volume. Loud!

Euroboys - Scarborough Fair
Ok. Here's you find Knut Schreiner, better known as Euroboy from Turbonegro. Don't start running just yet. This is laidback and pretty cool with a 70s movie feel, actually. What Simon & Garfunkel might think of it? Dunno.

Slibesteinsvalsen - Reidar Larsen
Just had to include the cover of a Norwegian song. The "Whetstone Waltz" by Alf Prøysen, is here sung in a fashion by blues singer Larsen that leaves no doubt as to whom is sharpening his blade...the Grim Reaper is coming for you...

Ev'ry time we say goodbye - Annie Lennox
Another Cole Porter classic from the Red, Hot + Blue project. The Eurythmics vocalist does the song full justice and more.

The Portree Kid - The Corries
Scottish bards par excellence doing a uniquely Highlander take on Ghost Riders in the Sky.

Forward to Death - NoMeansNo
Right. An a capella version of a...Dead Kennedys song? And it WORKS!

'97 Bonnie & Clyde - Tori Amos
And I thought Eminem was slightly off the page? Tori goes beyond beyond here...

Wrapped around your finger - Tori Amos
In this live recording with just Tori and her piano, you'd think she and not The Police wrote the thing.

Galju Prikhod - Vopli Vidopliassova
Ukrainian polka! AC/DC! Highway to Hell! Yay!