A “best covers” mixtape sounded like a lot of fun until it dawned on me that there are literally hundreds of covers out there that would qualify for a slot on this list. The sheer mass of contenders was overwhelming, from Cream’s one-upping take on Crossroads to Led Zeppelin’s equally classic Babe I’m Gonna Leave You, to Mötley Crüe’s Smokin’ In The Boys Room or The White Stripes’ Death Letter. Then you’ve got Tricky’s spin on Public Enemy’s Black Steel, or Johnny Cash’s overhyped Hurt (which topped a lot of “All-Time Best Covers” lists, strangely) …the options are almost endless.
The process was agonizing and the tracklist could easily run into the hundreds, so I narrowed things down chronologically. As a result, with one or two exceptions, all the songs posted here have been recorded in the last 10-12 years. And no, I won’t apologize for including two Pearl Jam tracks- they’ve been my favorite band for nearly as long as I’ve been in love with music, and nobody but the songs’ creators could hold a candle to these renditions. Just be thankful this isn’t a Pearl Jam covers mixtape, cause it easily could’ve been.
I dug up some real gems while working on this, as well as some fuckin’ weird shit. Didn’t expect to ever hear Mariah Carey tearing up a Journey song (Open Arms) or The Streets’ sharting butchery of Elton John’s Your Song. There’s more than enough material to warrant a “Worst Covers” mix… but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
There’s a certain sweet sacrilege to an artist’s reinterpretation of someone else’s music, especially when they “make it their own”. With any luck, a few of you might like one or two of these tracks enough to dig up the originals. But I can’t do it all for you- you’ll have to find the originals for yourselves.
Enjoy.
July 12th, 2008 at 11:25 PM
crüe’s cover of helter skelter was wayyyyy better than smokin’ in the boys room.
July 13th, 2008 at 10:59 PM
I’m glad SOMEONE agrees with me on The Sunday’s version of “Wild Horses” I get alot of shit for liking that…
September 29th, 2008 at 9:14 AM
[...] On [Antiquiet], Friend Of The Devil was on not only one, but two of our ‘best covers’ mixtapes. How’d you guys get involved with that? Al [...]
November 17th, 2008 at 9:44 AM
[...] Johnny delivered something we had been planning to do for awhile: A covers mixtape. It’s a daunting task, picking 10 tracks or so out of the hundreds of great covers there are [...]