Top 50 Cover Versions

Thanks to Michelle's blog, I've noticed that the Telegraph has just published a list of its top 50 cover versions of all time. Assuming we're sticking to popular music - jazz has lots of great cover versions, but the aesthetic of originality is different there - Jimi Hendrix at #1 with his version of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" is a good if safe choice. Aretha's version of "Respect" would be my #1, and yes, that's another safe choice.

Missing from the list - Marvin Gaye's "I Heard it Thru the Grapevine", perhaps such a dominating performance that the first recorded version (Smokey Robinson and the Miracles) and the first released version (Gladys Knight and the Pips) got forgotten along the way. I've blogged about other great covers - Barry White's "Just the Way You Are" and Sonic Youth's "Superstar" are classics - but to my list of favourite cover versions in 2004 I should add Ben Folds' take on "Get Your Hands Off My Woman".

Also - presumably they didn't want too many Bangles songs, but just wanted to note how great the Bangles' covers were: "Manic Monday", "If She Knew What She Wants", "Hazy Shade of Winter", "Going Down to Liverpool".

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