Your favouite Beatles cover tunes

No, not "You've Really Got A Hold On Me", "Anna (Go To Him)", or "Money" but Beatles songs covered by other artists.

I've been meaning to post this thread for about 2 months but was busy with other things. Hopefully this will still get the traffic and exposure it would have gotten in the Music Corner.

I have an interest in Beatles cover tunes. The film soundtrack to "I Am Sam", the Beatles covers CD that accompanied an issue of "Uncut" 2 years ago, and the dusting off of my vinyl copy of "Sgt. Pepper Knew My Father" and the somewhat rare soundtrack to "All This And World War II" started me thinking about this thread. The Beatles are one band that has been covered many times with some great results.

I'm beginnig to work on some Beatles covers CDs. I would much appreciate some ideas and suggestions. The discs will stick mainly to "alt.rock, modern rock" genre, but you can list any cover you'd like. Thanks.

There is a song I am trying to track down: The Pretenders - "You Can't Do That". Apparently some time in around 1990 The Pretenders recorded the Beatles classic and released it as a b side or an extra track on a CD single? I don't know. I've never been able to find it running exhaustive searches in the old days, in Napster and IRC Undernet. I have never heard this version and would sure like to get a copy of it. It just seems like a great match.

Here are a few Beatles tunes that I like, covered by other artists, alphabetically, off the top of my head.

A B C D

A Day In The Life - The Fall
A Hard Day's Night - Hoodoo Gurus
Across The Universe - Fiona Apple
And Your Bird Can Sing - Flamin' Groovies
And Your Bird Can Sing - Gudalcanal Diary
And Your Bird Can Sing - The Jam
Because - Elliot Smith
Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite - Frank Sidebottom
At the end of the song, he starts doing an immitation of the run-off groove from side two and is abruptly told, "That's at the end of the other side of the album, not here".
Come Together - Areosmith
Come Together - Soundgarden
Day Tripper - Yellow Magic Orchestra
Dear Prudence - Siouxsie & The Banshees
Don't Let Me Down - Paul Weller

E F G H I

Eight Days A Week - Procol Harum
Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey - Kristen Hersh
Every Little Thing - Yes
Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight - Bee Gees
Happiness Is A Warm Gun - World Party
Here Comes The Sun - Richie Havens
Help! - Claire Martin w/ Noel Gallagher
I Am The Walrus - Oasis
I Am The Walrus - Spooky Tooth
I Call Your Name - The Mamas And Papas
I Feel Fine - The Ventures
I'll Be Back - Shawn Colvin
Shawn's performance of this at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival in 2001
sent shivers down my spine.
I Saw Her Standing There - Little Richard
It's All Too Much - Yukihiro Takahashi (YMO)
I Wanna Be Your Man - Rolling Stones (I like it better than The Beatles version)
I know this was supposedly written for the Stones, but I'd include it on a Beatles covers CD.
It Won't Be Long - Red Kross

J K L M N O P Q

Lady Madonna - Fats Domino
Let It Be - Ferry Aid (I need to find this. hint hint)
Lovely Rita - Michelle Shocked
Magical Mystery Tour - Cheap Trick
Martha My Dear - World Party
Mother Nature's Son - Sheryl Crow
Mother Nature's Son - John Denver

R S T U V

Rain - Todd Rundgren
Revolution - Billy Bragg
She Came In Through The Bathroom Window - Bee Gees
She Came In Through The Bathroom Window - Joe Cocker
She's Leaving Home - Bryan Ferry
Something - Frank Sinatra
Strawberry Fields Forever - Peter Gabriel
Strawberry Fields Forever - Todd Rundgren
Tell Me Why - Beach Boys
There's A Place - Flamin' Groovies
There's A Place (performed live at EFMF 2000) - Greg Keelor (Blue Rodeo)
Tomorrow Never Knows - 801/Phil Manzanera/Brian Eno
Tomorrow Never Knows - Monsoon
Tomorrow Never Knows - Our Lady Peace
Two Of Us - Aimee Mann / Michael Penn
Ticket To Ride - Hüsker Dü
While My Guitar Gently Weeps - Kenny Rankin
While My Guitar Gently Weeps - Jeff Healy w/ George Harrison
With A Little Help From My Friends - Joe Cocker

Thanks. Have fun.

 

10 more not mentioned above:

"The Fool on the Hill" -- Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66
"Honey Pie" -- Earl of Cricklewood
"Got to Get You Into My Life" -- Earth, Wind & Fire
"I Don't Want to Spoil the Party" -- Roseanne Cash
"If I Needed Someone" -- The Hollies
"Lady Madonna" -- Fats Domino
"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" -- Elton John
"Ticket to Ride" -- Carpenters
"Why Don't We Do It in the Road?" -- Lowell Fulson
"You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" -- The Silkie

 

Are you sure you aren't thinking of "Not a Second Time"? The Pretenders did that song as the B-side of "Never Do That," issued in 1990. It was on various UK vinyl singles and CD singles with that song as the lead track.

 

Re: Re: Your favouite Beatles cover tunes

Tim, maybe that is why I cannot find this song. I stumbled across a Web page about 3 years ago, with a list of Beatles songs covered by other artists, and it listed The Pretenders - You Can't Do That. I believe it was listed as a 1990 release date. The World Wide Web is so full of misinformation.

Is it a decent cover? I'll have to find it now.

Thanks!

p.s. Fats Domino is on my list.

 

Re: Re: Re: Your favouite Beatles cover tunes

So it is! I actually heard his version on the radio about a month ago, during a Beatles tribute weekend on a nearby oldies station. I was amazed!

Fats also did a good version of "Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me and My Monkey."

I don't know if the Pretenders' version is any good -- I found the info on a comprehensive Pretenders discography site when I looked up singles from around 1990. Evidently, they also performed "Don't Let Me Down" in concert, but it's only appeared on bootleg.

 

Hey Jude - Wilson Pickett (great version!)
I Want To Hold Your Hand - Grant Green

 

I love Joe Louis Walker's version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps from the
"Blues White Album".

 

Do you have a 30 second mp3 sample that we can hear? Inquiring minds want to know.

 

From Me To You - - Del Shannon '63 #77 (A Beatle cover before most of us knew who the Beatles were ...)
Eleanor Rigby - - Ray Charles '68 #35

 

"In my life" - Johnny Cash

 

What? No mention of Phish doing the whole White Album in concert??!! Wait til Strange Design sees this. Phish did a couple of cool versions of White ALbum songs in concert, although which ones they were escapes my mind right now.
I also have a cd called Reloader that is all Beatles covers. It features a take off of the Revolver cover. I havent listened to it in years, so it must not be that great. It features bands such as Koz Mick, Dork, Trained Monkey, The Jesus Factory, Paper Parrot, Jolly Bounce, and Guru Brian. I am not making any of this up. I never heard of any of these bands. It was put out on the Dressed To Kill label and distributed by BMG. It says made in England.
Really, the only cover I ever really cared for is the Joe Cocker With A Little Help From My Friends. Most of the others range from not very good to awful. How do you top the Beatles at their own game? I even prefer the version of Roll Over Beethoven by The Beatles. Not that I dont like the original version, I am just used to The Beatles version. The I Am Sam soundtrack has some good covers on it, the only one I really dont like is the Nick Cave Let It Be.

 

I can think of a lot -- it might be tougher to think of a Beatles tune that hasn't been covered by a recognizable artist -- but only these meet your modern rock criteria.

Cheap Trick - "Day Tripper" from FOUND ALL THE PARTS

U2 - "Helter Skelter" from RATTLE & HUM

I seem to remember another Cheap Trick Beatles cover, "Magical Mystery Tour."

And there's McLEMORE AVENUE by Booker T & the MGs, an entire album of Beatles covers.

 

Thanks. I totally forgot about Booker T. It's been years since I heard it. That also reminds me of George Benson - The Other SIde Of Abbey Road.

p.s.s. Magical Mystery Tour by Cheap Trick is on my list.

 

Just a few:

Carla Thomas: Yesterday
Judy Collins: In My Life
Johny Cash: In My Life
Marianne Faithfull: Yesterday
Siouxsie & The Banshees: Dear Prudence
Richie Havens: Here Comes The Sun
Joe Cocker: With A Little Help From My Friends
Otis: Day Tripper
Del Shannon: From Me To You
David & Jonathan: Michelle
Bud Shank: Michelle
Mamas & Papas: I Call Your Name
Alison Kruass & Union Station: I Will
Vanilla Fudge: Ticket To Ride

ED

 

Some interesting adds Ed. I've never heard the Alison Krauss version of I Will. I will (no pun intended) have to seek it out. You're the second person to mention Del Shannon. I'll have to try and find that one as well. Thanks.

BTW, Siouxsie, Joe Cocker, Richie Havens and Mamas & Papas are on my original list.

 

Completely agree with this one - he brings a depth of emotion to this wonderful song that is chilling.

I saw Jeff Beck at Concord Pavilion a couple of years ago, and he did his interpretation of "A Day In The Life", which he recorded for a George Martin tribute record. This was a truly stunning musical moment for me.

Regards,
Geoff

 

May I indulge in a bit of parochialism here and name some versions done by Australian bands that I like.

Dear Prudence - Doug Parkinson In Focus (1969)
Virtually note for note copy of original except singer Parkinson has a very gruff muscular voice.

Eleanor Rigby - Zoot (1970)
In complete contrast to the above,it is a heavy rock reworking with pounding drum intro, crashing guitar chords and feedback.

Tomorrow Never Knows - Blackfeather (1971)
Another drastic reworking done live in a TV studio,starts off slow with bass and vocal and when guitarist stomps on fuzzbox all hell breaks loose.Nothing like the Beatles.

 

Anyone else familiar with a UK CD from 1991 called:

"Revolution No 9: A Tribute To The Beatles In Aid Of Cambodia"

Billy Bragg, Paul Weller and several lesser known British (presumably) artists.

It even has a cover of the Rutles' I Must Be In Love...... a tribute to a tribute!

 

William Shatner - "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds"

It is toxicating.

-Mr.T-

 

I was expecting this. Welcome Mr. T!

 

Whitesnake did well with "Day Tripper"
Zappa's Beatles medley is golden, never released officially.

 

One I thought was pretty clever was a 45 called "You Know My Name (Look Up My Number)," with each segment performed by a different band... It came out on Vital Music in the 1990s, and the other side was the even more hilarious "Tommy (In Seven Minutes)," the Who's entire rock opera compressed into tiny segments, with each part played by a different band!

The performers who appeared on one or the other side were Alice Donut, Artless, Dave The Spazz, Dogbowl, Fly Ashtray, Iron Prostate, John S. Hall, Lunachicks, Pig Pen, Rats Of Unusual Size, Sea Monkeys, Smack Dab, Uncle Wiggly, Workdogs and Youth Gone Mad. The finale of the Tommy side was done by an ad hoc group called "The See Me, Feel Me Orchestra."