Having just popped up on my random music shuffle on my phone, I’ll nominate;

Hazy Shade of Winter – The Bangles

Cracking banging snare on it.

Others?

**If you’re going to link to YouTube, say what the track is too, restrictive workplace streaming service blocking firewalls and all that**

This version of Shakin Stevens` Merry Christmas Everyone is pretty spot on.

I know I will be flamed (I was when I first mentioned it on here) but I love Sound of Silence by Disturbed.

I know I will be flamed

You’re damn right you will. And you’d deserve it 🙂

I only came in here to say “not that godawful mangling of Simon & Garfunkel”

Beaten to it, so Chris Cornell’s version of Nothing Compares 2 U. Apparently Prince commented positively on it [citation needed]

This doesn’t get played very much at all.. And I think it needs more exposure..

David Grey – Say Hello, Wave Goodbye

Hurt Jonny Cash #inbeforeflashy

London Grammar do heaps of really good covers, their version of Purple Rain is really good. I’m also liking Chromatics cover of I’m on Fire, a Bruce Springsteen song.
All on You Tube but I can’t link

I won’t link to it, if you’re that desperate, you can always seek it out. But I’ve long thought that Ta’tu version of How Soon Is Now is seriously overdue for some proper re-evaluation as a classic of it’s genre. 1. It’s alarmingly funny, it’s difficult to make a song about about teenage hopelessness sound amusing, but they manage to pull it off, and not least because they sound like Alvin and the Chipmunks 2. it drew out of Morrisey one of his best quotes,

Interviewer: Did you hear t.A.T.u’s version of ‘How Soon Is Now’?
Morrissey: Yes, it was magnificent. Absolutely. Again, I don’t know much about them.
Interviewer: They’re the teenage Russian lesbians.
Morrissey: Well, aren’t we all?

Take a bow Steven.

3. It’s one of “those” songs, and for people of certain age, it’s untouchable, and thus deserves solely for that reason alone to be pulled down a notch or two.

Chris Cornell – just listened to it, it’s alright

David Gray – good shout, forgot about that

Johnny Cash – we’re looking for underrated ones, not exactlyrightlyhighlyrated ones

Off to look for Chromatics…

London Grammar do heaps of really good covers

I was just about to say the same thing, this is my favourite.

So…

Chromatics – again, it’s alright
TaTu – I have to say, that’s brilliant. Mopey angst turned into teenage anger.

Now for London Grammar…

Beverley Knight – Angels. There’s a better (Radio 1?) audio only version, but just wait for the power….

A cover version of a cover version of a track built around samples of another song (Marlena Shaw > Mark Farina > Blueboy > Tame Impala), anyway, Remember Me, the Tame Impala version, which also has more than a sprinkling of Deep Purple’s version of Hush going on in there imho:

Walk on By – Stranglers

Hot 8 brass band. Sexual healing.

More seriously, I’ve always thought this version of Love will tear us apart by Suzanna and the Magical Orchestra is very very good.

I’m going to claim that this one qualifies, not necessarily because it’s underrated per se, but I think it’s underrated as a cover version since most people don’t seem to know that it is one.

As with all great cover versions, imho, it makes a different garment from the same cloth.

Soft Cell’s version of Gloria Jones’ Tainted Love:

London Grammar – another ‘alright’

I think my ‘alright’ ones are essentially cos it’s someone singing the song (well), but not really putting their stamp on it.

Temperance Movement, Houses of the Holy

This is pretty cool, never really liked it when it came out. Probably because I started the think Van Halen were going a bit soft..

Where have all the good times gone (off Diver Down)

If you can, you need to play loud…

Polyphonic Spree, Lithium.

Most of the tracks on Rage Against the Machine’s “Renegades” album are excellent, they very much do their own take, rather than trying to emulate the originals.

Stand-outs for me are their version of Devo’s “Beautiful World” and Dylan’s “Maggie’s Farm”…

I’ve posted this before, when we’ve discussed this previously

Paul Anka did an entire album of famous songs. Here’s his version of Smells Like Teen Spirit

The entire album is on Spotify

Beverley Knight is hugely underrated generally. She’s a truly world class soul singer, and hardly gets the recognition she deserves.

The entire album is on Spotify

And in my CD collection 🙂

How about a bit of Bobby Womack? Hugely underrated Soul impresario and amazeballs guitar player.. (who I’m going through his back catalogue learning all his guitar licks)

Covering Fire and Rain by James Taylor..

Johnny Cash – we’re looking for underrated ones, not exactlyrightlyhighlyrated ones

😎

Continuing the Van Halen theme…

This whole EP

And, the VH cover of Pretty Woman. Full on 80s loonbaggery video here…

As song that probably suffers from there being too many versions out there, but I do like Lou Rawl’s version of For What it’s Worth. Excellently produced by David Axelrod.

I love the Little Roy reggae covers of the Nirvana album:

Or the Easy All-Stars, Radiodread – Radiohead album covers

This is just about the best cover I can think of:
George Michael – They Won’t Go When I Go

This ain’t bad either:
The Cinematic Orchestra – Lilac Wine

Also:
Taj Mahal – Johnny Too Bad

EDIT: I suppose GM isn’t really under-rated, so ignore that one

The Wolf Alice version of Song to the Siren is beautiful. Given the popularity of both the band and previous covers of the song, the playcount is quite low of YT and Spotify

I like the simplicity of this

Eye of the tiger by the rural Alberta advantage

Or a band a bit similar to the Hot 8 Brass Band above and who are brilliant live, Hackney Colliery Band covering Prodigy:

A few of my favourites:

Where is My Mind – Storm Large. Better than the Pixies.
Sweet Jane – Cowboy Junkies. Better than Lou Reed.
Are You Experienced – Belly. Better than Hendrix.
A Little Respect – Wheatus. Better than Erasure.
Just Like Heaven – The Watson Twins. Better than The Cure.

Great thread. I’m hearing stuff I’ve never come across before. Cheers all.

I know I’m in a minority when it comes to this one, but I kind of like Aimee Mann’s cover of “One” used on the “Magnolia” soundtrack.

West Jamaica!

I’m now sat here listening to a lot of Beverley Knight. Brilliant.

Take this for example, and not only for Mr ByGod Hecan’thalfplaythetrumpet:

Hackney colliery band covering Africa, Under the Bridge and No Diggity, are ace too.

+1 for Paul Anka