Sometimes, you'll hear a Rock or Pop song and think "Damn, that's good but it would sound so much better by a different band/in a different style". Well, here are ten cases where I thought exactly that! In the first of this week's blog posts, I'll be writing about ten songs that I believe would sound even better if tackled by another set of musicians, whether that means they'd faithfully record a rendition of the track with their signature sound OR they'd completely rebuild the foundations of the song from the ground up in a brand new style.
The songs I've picked to be covered by different bands come from a variety of genres so I'm not limiting the originals to JUST Rock or Pop. The cover versions will be Rock or Metal but I'm hoping at the very least, this post will introduce some viewers to a new way of thinking about music, potentially giving them more joy from hearing songs as they imagine riffs and melodies played on different instruments or with a new vocalist behind the mic.
It should go without saying that this is entirely based around my opinion and that at the time of writing this blog, none of these covers actually exist. This is a purely hypothetical post; a musical thought experiment that you may or may not agree with that is in no way meant to shit all over the original songs UNLESS I state otherwise. As a result, I might include covering bands that are no longer recording music or have had new members join that don't necessarily represent the sound that I had in mind when thinking about them covering certain songs. To make things easier, I've included a Spotify playlist of the original songs and examples of music by different bands that have been responsible for my opinions here at the bottom of this post which you can listen to once the sound of me forcefully scraping the bottom of the barrel has passed.
1. "Jesus He Knows Me" - Avenged Sevenfold
Original by Genesis (1991)
I don't mind the music of Avenged Sevenfold; to me, they're a serviceable modern Heavy Metal band with a few belters and a lot of angsty crap for teens BUT some of their bigger, louder hits with double bass drumming and furious guitar solos are great. To me, "Jesus He Knows Me" is a good Pop Rock song with a catchy melody but a little too light to enjoy to the max. Genesis did a fine job of gathering all the materials; they wrote some decent lyrics, played great melodies that suit the song well and did the best they could. HOWEVER, what the song needs is a more aggressive sound to really drive home the "fuck you" subtext the lyrics contain in their damning take on evangelical con artists.
I've always wanted to hear a Heavy Metal cover of this track with double bass and more complex guitar work to keep the momentum of the song going and I feel that Avenged Sevenfold could do a fine job of that (so could Disturbed, but they've already done a Metal cover of Genesis). Plus, I reckon the abrasive sound of M. Shadows' voice would fit into the vocal melody of this song quite well; it's not a challenging track to sing so it doesn't require a vocalist capable of falsetto or long sustained lines, just one who can carry a tune. All in all, I think an Avenged Sevenfold cover that maintains and then enhances the energy from the original could be awesome, so long as they're not TOO faithful to the point that they daren't add any guitar solos or frills.
2. "Love Lies Bleeding" - Rush
Original by Elton John (1973)
NOTE: If you're listening to this on the Spotify player, you'll need to skip to around about 5:36 to hear "Love Lies Bleeding"; you don't need to bother with "Funeral For A Friend".
This is one that I may need to rethink as to whether it'd be "better" than the original but I'd still be very interested in hearing Rush tackle this cracking Elton song, especially since the original Elton John track has many elements that are typical of your standard Rush track. The guitar tone sounds pretty damn similar to Lifeson's, the active bass screams Geddy Lee and I can imagine Geddy's voice, albeit adapted slightly to suit his vocal style.
The only thing that stops me from thinking this is cover would be a surefire success is the use of piano. Rush have definitely been known for using keys in their music (fuckin' "Tom Sawyer", anyone?) but to me, Rush are more synth and less piano. However, the piano solo could very easily be played on acoustic guitar, something Rush have done MANY times. Combine that acoustic solo with the full electric sound of Lifeson unchained (especially during the outro) and you may have a damn fine cover. For more evidence that this Glam Rock song would make a fine Prog Rock cover, seek out the Dream Theater cover of the same song.
3. "Oh Well (Part One)" - The Who
Original by Fleetwood Mac (1969)
This song has had a shitload of cover versions over the years but to me, there has yet to be a perfect version of this song. Even the Fleetwood Mac original has a tepid solo that sounds great the first couple of times but would be much better with more energy behind it. To me, the perfect version of this song must have the following features: clean acoustic guitar riffs in the intro, tight vocal melodies (none of that loose, freeform shit that some Blues artists do; keep the momentum going), heavy percussion during the breakdown, sweet licks during the electric guitar solo, MAYBE a second solo at the end instead of Part 2. To this date, I have yet to find a cover version that satisfies all of those criteria. So who do I think is capable of rising to the challenge? I don't know. Who do I think COULD have risen to the challenge before they lost their magic? The Who...or Led Zeppelin, but let's say The Who for now.
They've proven that they can play clean acoustic guitar riffs with songs like "Pinball Wizard" and "Behind Blue Eyes", Daltry and Townshend have demonstrated tight vocal performances across their back catalogue, Keith Moon knows how to make an entrance when appropriate and "Young Man Blues" from their Live At Leeds record shows they know how to play a kickass breakdown with plenty of great solos/riffs. Back in their prime, The Who could've blown this song out of the water but sadly, I doubt we'll ever get a perfect version of this song. At least we've had some great attempts by bands like
Aerosmith,
Tom Petty The Rockets and even
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra which, to me, arguably comes the closest.
4. "Brown Sugar" - Thin Lizzy
Original by The Rolling Stones (1971)
OK, I know for a fact that this would've been amazing. Much like everything The Rolling Stones released after 1970, "Brown Sugar" suffers from sounding bland and slow compared to Rock released around that time. However, the song has a great riff and catchy melodies, just played in the most bland possible way. This got me thinking about another song with fine riffs that was played in a boring, tiresome way; "Rosalie" - Bob Seger. If you've never heard his original version of that song, don't bother. It sucks. Even his live versions suck. Fortunately, a little Irish band named Thin Lizzy took the song and covered it for their Fighting album. Granted their studio version wasn't amazing either but when they played it live, as recorded for the Live And Dangerous record, my God. It was fan-bloody-tastic!
They sped up the tempo, added some fun little solos and brought the fucking fire. Lynott's voice sounds incredible too, easily worthy of carrying Bob Seger's lyrics. Now imagine them, on the same tour on the same stage, belting out a rendition of "Brown Sugar". Slightly sped up, heavier riffing, an actual vocalist who can sing performing instead of Mick Jagger, it would be better in every single way. But no, let's keep listening to the Rolling Stones version instead of a Rock song that actually, ya know, rocks. Woooooooooo bland sugar.
5. "Hello" - Shinedown
Original by Adele (2015)
I've said in the past that Chris Cornell could've sung an amazing cover of this track similar to the Disturbed cover of "The Sound Of Silence". However, that ain't happening until we can clone him from hair samples and lizards to fill in missing genetic details so it's time to find an alternative; a band that can bring the thunder with a vocalist who sounds sort of like Chris Cornell. Oh, hey, a band like that happens to exist! They're called Shinedown and yeah, they'd also do a great job with this song. Shinedown have shown that they can belt out Cornellian vocals ("Heroes", "Black Cadillac") but also take some time out to record sensitive, emotionally driven tracks that aren't really in the Rock genre ("Misfits", "Through The Ghost").
The main thing the cover would need is a strong vocal performance. The rest of the band can basically take the day off whilst Brent Smith does his work, although the piano could be covered with muted guitar chords...or just piano. I'm not certain if Shinedown's cover would be "better" than the original but I'd still give it a listen, provided Brent doesn't phone it in. This song would be a great opportunity for him to push himself, as I can't recall a softer Shinedown song where he really pushes himself to reach similar emotional heights that Adele does. However, based on their cover of "Simple Man" - Lynyrd Skynyrd, I don't think it'll be an impossible feat. Interestingly enough, Shinedown have actually covered "Someone Like You" - Adele in live concerts before!
6. "The Moon Upstairs" - Poison
Original by Mott The Hoople (1971)
Mott The Hoople are largely known for their Glam Rock singles such as "All The Young Dudes" and "Roll Away The Stone" released around the end of the band's career. However, before David Bowie got involved, Mott The Hoople were mostly a standard 70s Hard/Classic Rock outfit with some heavy tracks like "The Moon Upstairs". It's a good song but the mix is a little weak and the fuzzy guitar/organ combo means it's difficult to appreciate the riff when it sounds like it was recorded in a pub instead of a recording studio. A good cover of this song would keep the structure the same but basically have each instrument and vocal melody sound a lot clearer, so a band with decent production values would do a solid job.
So why Poison instead of any other Hard Rock/(Hair) Metal band? Even though Poison have been ridiculed lately for their lame music and weak guitarist, their covers album Poison'd has some solid covers of 70s/80s Rock tracks, each with clearer guitar without pissing all over the original material. I feel like Poison could do this song justice both musically and vocally, as I can imagine hearing the song's riffs played in their style and it doesn't sound bad. Of course, there are probably lesser known bands that would do an excellent job at covering this song but I wouldn't bet against Poison doing a solid job too.
7. "Don't Stop Believin'" - Billy Idol
Original by Journey (1981)
I've gone on record as saying that I think this song is overrated as fuck, even if that is a slightly overrated opinion. I do not get why everybody adores this song when it's easily one of Journey's weaker Rock songs BUT I will concede that when sped up slightly, "Don't Stop Believin'" becomes pretty awesome (just like "Night Moves" - Bob Seger and "Man In The Box" - Alice In Chains). I would love a cover version of this song slightly sped up but with similar guitar tones, which got me thinking about other 80s Rock artists who could take this song on...like Billy Idol.
Imagine a version of "Don't Stop Believin'" but with a little more of a "Rebel Yell" twist. Slightly faster and with softer vocals from Mr Idol during the verses. I'll admit that the chorus might sound weaker due to Idol's rougher singing compared to Steve Perry's but everything else from the guitar solos to the build up throughout the song would be great. I'm not sure if the piano intro would be better played on keyboard or a special guitar tone but I would still love to hear this version one day, especially since this is easily more likely than most of the others in this list.
8. "Billie Jean" - Ozzy Osbourne
Original by Michael Jackson (1982)
This blog post probably should've featured more Pop songs reimagined as Rock/Metal covers but since I'm not as familiar with Pop that's in desperate need of reworking compared to Rock, this is what you've got. However, I can say with certainty that "Billie Jean" would be a great Metal song if handled properly. Hell, many Rock/Metal bands have tried to record heavier versions of this song (and I'm not counting the terrible Chris Cornell version) and they're all relatively decent. However, I reckon that 90s era Ozzy could've rocked this song in a way none of those bands could've even touched.
Imagine the opening bass on rhythm guitar with subdued bass underneath, maybe some keys/synth accompaniments underneath. Then you've got the string melody played on lead guitar before Ozzy's vocals come in. It might not have been as tight as MJ's originals but you know the sound of Ozzy's voice with each lyric dripping out of his lips would've sounded pretty cool. Then we get to the chorus, which I believe would've translated really well into Ozzy's proper singing voice. Songs like "Miracle Man" and "Perry Mason" are proof that Ozzy could sing on occasion and when you factor in the inevitable guitar solo this cover would've got? I'll say no more.
9. "Antisocial" - Samson
Original by Trust (1980)
If you're not familiar with "Antisocial" - Trust, it's a French Hard Rock/Heavy Metal song from the 80s by the band that Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain used to be in. Most people will know the French original by Trust or the English cover by Anthrax (which is a little too Punk/Thrash to me) but Trust actually recorded one with English lyrics. Same music, just without all the French words...and it sucks. Well, the chorus does. Their vocals are terrible enough to ruin the otherwise decent verses and great music. With that in mind, we need a cover of this song with music as close as possible to the original and vocals by someone who can sing them properly IN ENGLISH (although the French version is fine after a few listens).
Enter Samson! Their music sounds kinda close to Trust (particularly the guitar tones in songs like "Hunted" and "Riding With The Angels") but with a different member of Iron Maiden involved. Bruce Dickinson was with Samson before he joined Iron Maiden, channelling his best Ian Gillan imitation for most of their hits. I can imagine Bruce kicking ass covering the vocals for this song before he got into his operatic phase. Then again, I think Bruce could do justice to most songs he covered, regardless of whether it's with Iron Maiden, Samson or his solo career.
10. "Bust A Move" - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Original by Young MC (1989)
The last song in the list and there's actually some justice behind this choice, which I'll explain in a bit. Most of you will probably know the Young MC track but did you know that the bassline throughout the track was written and played by RHCP bassist Flea? You did? Well did you also know that he got paid a pathetic amount of money for his work on the song too, even claiming that the record label lied about how much work he actually did when it came to writing and playing the riff? My point is that even though the original will be more well known, I think it'd be pretty good to hear the Red Hot Chili Peppers play a Funk Rock version with Flea on bass again.
However, ignoring all the financial bullshit about this track, I reckon mid-90s RHCP would do a damn fine job of covering it. Their cover of "Love Rollercoaster" in Alt-Funk style was decent and tracks like "Give It Away" prove that the band aren't against quickfire rap-like vocals. Naturally, it wouldn't be a serious cover like some of these but then, neither are many other RHCP covers.
So that's it. I'm sure there are songs I've missed that would make amazing covers but that's what you're here for! If there are Pop/Rock/Metal songs that you think would make sweet Rock/Metal covers, let me know via Twitter or the comment section.
COMING SOON: More video game posts and (hopefully soon) album reviews.
Oh, and here's the Spotify playlist!
Regardless of whether it was due to the biopic or not, Motley Crue showed no signs of entering the vinegar strokes any time soon after they announced that they were just mucking about when they all signed a legally binding cessation of touring contract. Whilst some fans were unhappy about how much of a big deal the band made over something that turned out to just be part of their masturbation ceremony, many have shown support for Motley Crue over their ability to hold back what has to be an incredibly painful nut at this stage.
.jpg)
