Songs that should be untouchable

[Pale Blue Dot]

So I got the new Jonatha Brooke CD. I am a big fan, but I was a bit surprised that 3 of the 11 songs are remakes. One of them, The Alan Parsons Project's "Eye in the Sky", she actually improves upon. The other two, however, are songs that I believe should be "untouchable". By that I mean that they are SO unique, or so identifiable to one particular artist, that NO ONE should attempt to cover them.

The songs? "God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys and "Fire and Rain" by James Taylor.

What songs do you think should be untouchable?

[Screaming Lord Byron]

1. "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley.

No one should ever cover that.

(for the good of humanity)

[Kamika]

3. heh

I have that one in my iPod

[Pale Blue Dot]

4. Ok, maybe it's time to let that one rest.

Then again, maybe not. :P

[Screaming Lord Byron]

8. God no! You can still see a vague imprint where the horse used to be.

I say, keep flogging!

[Whitacre D_WI]

5. Never gonna give you up!

Never gonna let you down!
Never gonna run around and desert you!

Never gonna make you cry!
Never gonna SAY goodbye!
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you!

[Fenris]

6. Is that the Irish looking fellow with the black man's voice?

:shrug:

He was GREAT!

For nothing.:D

[dolo amber]

12. He WAS great...

FORMETOPOOPON!!!




C'mon, someone had to...:eyes:

:P

[Kamika]

2. nothin

I love to hear remakes/covers.. once in a while you find a good one

[Blue-Jay]

7. No one should ever cover "Respect" by Aretha.

NO ONE!

There are damned few "sacred" songs out there, but that's one of 'em.

[Pale Blue Dot]

9. Agreed. That's a great example.

She got it right the first time.

[NightTrain]

15. Ironically, Aretha's version was a remake of Otis Redding's original.

However, Lady Soul placed such a strong imprint on the song, the only similarity between the two versions is Redding's lyrics!

[Shrek]

10. "Kung Fu Fighting" by Carl Douglas

Timeless classic. No one else could do it right.

:D

[Screaming Lord Byron]

11. Here's some. (totally agree on God Only Knows, btw)

Love Will Tear Us Apart
Cortez the Killer
One Nation Under A Groove
Family Affair
True Faith
The Robots
Heroes (I'm talking to you, Dylan boy)
I am the Walrus
Wild Horses (The Sundays have already done the definitive cover)
Dear Prudence (ditto for Siousxie and the Banshees)
Paranoid Android
Block Rocking Beats (because any cover would clearly suck)
Any Nick Drake song
Any Cocteau Twins song

[asthmaticeog]

33. Huh

I once saw Mercury Rev open their set with "Cortez the Killer." It was fucking AWESOME.

Also, didn't the Balanescu Quartet include "The Robots" on their record of Kraftwerk covers? That was really good, too.

I'm with you 100% on all the rest, though - Swans cover(s) of "Love Will Tear us Apart" should have been good, but really, really specatularly sucked.

[CanuckAmok]

43. Which Swans version?

We posted similar notes, simultaneously!

I like the Michael Gira LWTUA version, not the Jarboe

[asthmaticeog]

45. Wow

That's TOO funny a coincidence!

I agree that the Gira version is the better one, but I'm not really fond of either.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

48. I saw Mercury Rev at Bellingham, WA in '99, and it was a storming Cortez.

Actually, that's what I was getting at, no one can take it any further. Love Will Tear Us Apart is sealed. No one should break the tape (yeah, I'm looking at you, 80's crooner Paul Young)

[CanuckAmok]

42. Au Contraire...

Three covers SUPERIOR to the originals, that you have listed:

1) Swans - LWTUA (Michael Gira vocal version, not Jarboe)

2) Balanescu Quartet - The Robots (for four strings)

3) Elvis Costello w Brodsky Quartet - God Only Knows (Live at NY Town Hall).

[Screaming Lord Byron]

49. I must admit my ignorance of the Balanescu version. I shall rectify this.

[NightTrain]

13. Anything from Stax and Motown.

I've yet to hear a remake of a classic '60s/early '70s soul tune that improves upon the original. In fact, 99% of the time, we end up with a putrid million-seller like Michael Bolton's "When A Man Loves A Woman," Simply Red's "If You Don't Know me By Now," Hall & Oates' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'," and Uncle Kracker's "Drift Away." :puke:

[Blue-Jay]

16. "When A Man Loves A Woman"

That was practically written onstage, as I hear.

[Pale Blue Dot]

17. Agreed. The Michael McDonald Motown CD drives me up a wall, too

And I used to LIKE Michael McDonald!

[Blue-Jay]

14. Another one: "What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye

Why tamper with perfection?

I actually LOVE hearing bands cover the classics, but there's a few out there that need to be left alone.

[Pale Blue Dot]

18. Actually, prepare to flame me,

but I didn't hate Cyndi Lauper's version. But normally I agree with you 100% about Marvin. One of a kind.

[Blue-Jay]

19. I like Cyndi Lauper!

That said, you should try to find the Tuck & Patti cover of "True Colors". Better than the original by far. Tuck Andress is a guitar god, and Patti Cathcart sings like an angel. They've never disappointed me.

[woofless]

20. Stairway To Heaven

[Redneck Socialist]

27. C'mon man, you didn't like Dolly Parton's version?

Whut?

[ms_splash]

41. I heard Tiny Tim's version the other day

It wasn't so bad, believe it or not.

[Burma Jones]

21. Mandy by Barry Manilow

Honey by Bobby Goldsboro
Seasons in the Sun as performed by Terry Jacks
Sugar Sugar by the Archies
Disco Duck by Rick Dees
Peaches en Regalia by Frank Zappa (have you read this far?)

[Blue-Jay]

22. Hey, new_beawr!

If you lean a little closer to your monitor, I'll be able to strangle you.

[Burma Jones]

25. Got One.......

Can you think of anyone that could ever cover Zappa?

[Whitacre D_WI]

26. Camper Van Chadbourne

(Camper Van Beethoven with Eugene Chadboune) did a great Zappa medley, including "Let's Make the Water Turn Black."

[Burma Jones]

36. I'm a Camper van Beethoven fan

[rock]

23. None. Contrariwise,

I feel that a good tune should be spread.

[whatelseisnew]

47. Agree- good songs should keep on keepin on (n/t)

[EstimatedProphet]

24. Kashmir

Satisfaction
Friend of the Devil
I'm sure there are others

[Redneck Socialist]

28. Lyle Lovett's version of Friend of the Devil is great.. n/t

[Redneck Socialist]

29. Sympathy for the Devil

Every cover that I ever heard has sucked donkey balls. Natalie Merchant should be soundly beaten for what she did to that song.

[kodi]

30. christmas song - nat king cole & mac the knife - bobby darrin

1 + 1 = 3

each time

[PVnRT]

31. Anything by Styx and Journey

In fact, those songs should all be sealed away so that we never have to listen to them ever again.

[POed_Ex_Repub]

32. Anything done my Monty Python

It's just not the same...

[Red State Rebel]

34. Unchained Melody - The Righteous Brothers

[bigwillq]

37. Didn't Clay Aiken do a remix of this?

Maybe that's why you think it should be untouchable!

[mvd]

35. I heard Jonatha's album, and I liked it

I don't think she's quite a Dar Williams, but this album makes me want to buy it. I'd be more willing if there were more originals. Her previous album hasn't gotten me interested. I thought that "God Only Knows" was beautifully done, but "Fire And Rain" is way off. She doesn't give "Fire And Rain" the emotion it needs.

I don't like it when Beatles songs are re-done. And Kim Richey's songs aren't done right by Nashville stars. Trisha Yearwood's "Believe Me Baby (I Lied)" is very good, but as I remember, Kim didn't put that one on her albums. "American Pie" shouldn't be re-made. Too many things can go wrong.

[mvd]

39. I must say, though,

Fiona Apple did a very haunting version of "Across The Universe." I'm a huge James Taylor and Beach Boys fan, so it says something for Jonatha that I think one of those two remakes is perfectly acceptable.

Night, everyone. I have busy or occupied times ahead, so I've been getting a lot of DU in lately.

[AlFrankenFan]

38. "Vincent" by Don McLean

and if it has been remade already give me the person's address so I can punch them in the face.

[Khephra]

40. American Pie

But Madonna already screwed that up.

[LincolnMcGrath]

44. MMMM BOP

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[King_Crimson]

46. Comfortably Numb...

off "The Wall' by Pink Floyd

[LynneSin]

50. I heard a remake of Bohemian Rhapsody

Done by some girl band in the 90's. I almost puked when I heard it.