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Clare McDonnell

Chris Hawkins

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6 Music DJs favourite covers
We asked the 6 Music presenters to tell us their favourite cover versions. Have a nosey at their choices below and feel free to share your surprise / agreement with their choices in the comments form at the bottom of the page:
clare mcdonnell CLARE MCDONNELL
Carmel : It's all in the game 
Original: Tommy Edwards

I was always a massive fan of her big, smokey, soulful, jazzy vocals. Just a real one-off, so distinctive and almost sounded as if she had an amp attached to her voice because she could turn it up to 11 at will but could also reduce a grown man to tears with a heartbreaking sensitivity, both of which she does on this track.
Clare's pages
Steve Lamacq STEVE LAMACQ
The Stranglers:  Walk On By
Original: Dionne Warwick

The original was very touching, but had this emotional strength about it. But the cover turns into a really bitter, almost vicious retort. The Stranglers version is also one of the few songs which actually deserves to last longer than six minutes.
Steve's Pages
Jon Holmes JON HOLMES
System of A Down: Sultans of Swing
Original: Dire Straits

Awesome and totally unexpected. I only have it as a live bootleg and I'm not sure it's even available other than that. There's an excellent moment when a "Down" fan can be clearly heard going "Is this Dire Straits??"

Richard Cheese: Enter Sandman
Original: Metallica
Goatee metal classic gets big band swing Vegas lounge makeover. What's not to like?
Jon Holmes' Pages
Phill Jupitus PHILL JUPITUS
Divine Comedy: No One Knows 
Original: Queens of the Stone Age

It's tricky but this could be my favourite…..when it's live and a cover version genuinely surprises you. It was a very wet Sunday at Glastonbury - they played that and it's forever etched on my mind.
Phill's pages
Andrew Collins Andrew Collins
Various

I love covers. The Flying Lizards' Money because when I first heard it as a teenager I thought it was an original. Then, when I was in my twenties, I realised it was a Beatles cover. Then, when I was in my thirties, I discovered the Beatles version was a Barrett Strong cover. What a journey it was. I still prefer the Flying Lizards' version. Also, Across The Universe by John Lennon, as covered, enchantingly, by Fiona Apple on the soundtrack to the film Pleasantville. Tom Waits' cover of Sea Of Love, originally by Phil Philips and the Twilights, is amazing (both versions appear in the film Sea Of Love). And let's not forget Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine's spectacular cover of The Impossible Dream from The Man Of La Mancha. Or Japan's cover of Don't Rain On My Parade. Phew
Andrew's Pages
gideon coe Gideon Coe
Mark Koselek's: Ocean Breathes Salty
Original: Modest Mouse

Flying Burrito Brothers: Wild Horses
Original: Rolling Stones

A cover should compliment or better the original or be nothing like it. With that in mind I'd choose anything from Mark Koselek's Tiny Cities record which is all Modest Mouse songs but in particular Ocean Breathes Salty. I'd also like to nominate Flying Burrito Brothers Wild Horses which betters the original - even Keith said so.
Gideon's pages
Nemone Nemone
Johnny Cash: Hurt
Original: Nine Inch Nails
 
The Gourds: Gin and Juice
Original: Snoop Dogg
 
I'm going to go with Johnny Cash and Hurt which i think is just such an emotive song and I can't imagine how he did that from the Nine Inch Nails original and then The Gourds Gin and Juice which I think is such a change from the Snoop and Dre original and gives us something totally different again.
Nemone's pages

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Comments so far

liz , Detroit,Mi. usa
I hope you had the chance to listen to the Green Days cover song by John Lennon, Working class Hero... thats awesomely whacked.

Margaret Gethin, Potters Bar
On the Sunday night show I heard a brilliant cover of 'It was a Very Good Year' ( originally by Frank Sinatra I think). I can't remember who it was by (female) but it was a live version.

Paul, Aberdeen
No mentions for "Delilah" by The Sensational Alex Harvey Band. Zal Clerminson and that wonderfully silly guitar dance! And the delivery...marvellous.

alan hubbard from borehamwood herts
cant believe no sensational alex harvey band with delilah

Jason Parkes, Worcester
Mr Collins allusion to Japan reminds me of their quite decent covers of Ain't That Peculiar and I Second That Emotion. Wasn't the Burritos cover of Wild Horses released before the Stones version? I played it my mother the other week and she thought it was better than the Stones one she was a fan of. & she liked the Raincoats' version of Lola, which is one I forgot to nominate!

Phil - Lichfield Staffs
Wild Horse was written for the Flying Burritos' Steel Guitarist Sneaky Pete Kleinow and was recorded before the Stones did their own. Not really a cover version?

Steve Warner, Strathnaver
What!?! Nobody's mentioned Joe Cocker's cover of the Beatles "With a Little Help From My Friends" - he made it his own!!

Sarah Quance from Sheffield
Phill Jupitus has fine taste!!!

Milchman, London
What kind of 'near comprehensive' list of cover versions doesn't include The Kingsmen's version of Louie Louie?

Renata, Ealing
Steve Lamacq's comments on Walk on By are spot on. It's an incredible experience to see them play the full version live note perfect.

Jim London
I think Nemone missed a trick when she put 'Hurt' ahead of 'I See A Darkness' - Cash covering Will Oldham. But Gin & Juice is an amazing cover - track it down on 'Way Beyond Nashville' compilation.

Geoff , London
Wouldn't expect Radio 6 to include in their list Pussy Galore's version of London Boys (retitled Seattle) or The Hospitals version of Happy Jack let alone Mr Airplane Man's bash at I Wanna Be Your Dog; but where the hell are Elvis Presley (Mystery Train, That's Alright Mama, Blue Moon etc) and Jerry Lee Lewis' version of Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On not to mention The Johnny Burnette Trio doing Train Kept a' Rollin' and Link Wray's awesome version of Hidden Charms? I guess that these artists are just not considered as valuble as the likes of Keane and Coldplay by 6 music.

Rob Wirral
Also Johnny Cash turns U2's "ONE" into an emotional classic

Julian, Tewkesbury
I once saw Michael Stipe sing Syd Barrett's Dark Globe stood on a chair unaccompanied during an REM gig - Should have voted for that!

Adrian from Nottingham
Three great covers equal to or better than the original: Ella Fitzgerald - sunshine of your love Shirley Bassey - light my fire Jocelyn Brown - aint no mountain high enough

James - Worcester
Never thought I'd agree with Steve Lamacq about anything to do with music but that Stranglers version of Walk On By is a killer. When it goes off into that Doors style keyboard/guitar solo - perfection!

Steve, York
I only found out fairly recently that Soft Cell's Tainted Love was a cover when I heard the original on a radio show - but curses curses can't remember the artist - tho on the basis of one listening I prefer the original ...

Jason Jawando, Wolverhampton
Gideon Coe is wrong to say that the Flying Burrito Brothers' version of Wild Horses 'betters the original'. Although the song is credited to Jagger and Richards - it was probably written by Keith under the influence of Gram Parsons - the Burritos, in fact recorded and released the song before the Stones did, making theirs the 'original'.

Matty B from New Malden
No one opting for Barcelona by Shaun Ryder and Russell Watson? I'm surprised.

Ben Denness in Richmond, TW10
Seu Jorge's covers of David Bowie are pretty sweet. Very tender and sometimes more poetic than the originals. If you read The Life Aquatic sountrack sleeve, it says that when Wes Anderson first heard them, he said, "That's gorgeous, but could you throw a few 'Rebel Rebel's in there?"

Within 6 Music:

Native Tongue - Breakfast Show

Elsewhere on the web:

Wikipedia's list of cover versions

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6 Music highlights from the past seven days

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