Favorite Cover Tunes

Is it a cover if it's an old folk tune? If yes, then God's Gonna Cut you Down performed by Johnny Cash and Whiskey in the Jar performed by Metallica are pretty good.

 
I guess what are we calling a "cover tune"?

To me, a cover tune is one that is played a large part of the time by smaller bands to sound exactly like the original recording artist. You walk into a bar on Bourbon street and a live band is singing a song and you could swear it's the original artist. That's a cover song.

A popular song that is simply recorded again by an artist I guess I don't consider a "cover song".

Is my definition different than others?

 
BigRedBuster said:
I guess what are we calling a "cover tune"?

To me, a cover tune is one that is played a large part of the time by smaller bands to sound exactly like the original recording artist. You walk into a bar on Bourbon street and a live band is singing a song and you could swear it's the original artist. That's a cover song.

A popular song that is simply recorded again by an artist I guess I don't consider a "cover song".

Is my definition different than others?
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My definition of a cover tune is any song sung by an artist or band which was written and released or originally made popular by a different artist/band.

To me a cover doesn't have to sound anything like the original. It can be re-arranged or sung differently.

IMO a small band trying to sound exactly like a more famous band is a "tribute" band. That band is trying to sound as close to the original as possible, as a tribute to the original band.

 
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A tribute band is one that makes themselves look and sound like one specific band. Such as a babe dressed up and sounding like KISS.

A cover band to me is a band that can get up and sound like 15-20 famous bands singing their popular songs.

 
Saw a PBS show a few weeks back of Donald Fagan, Michael McDonald, and Boz Skaggs "covering" tunes from each artists' reportoire. Was a stellar show with a stellar band behind them, real musicians playing real, incredibly original music, like bands used to do back in the day and unlike bands do today(since the 90s). 70s, best decade for American rock/pop music.

Sadly, name musicians from the 70s are bit by bit dying off, Glenn Fry, David Bowie, some others that I can't recall at the moment.

 
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BigRedBuster said:
A tribute band is one that makes themselves look and sound like one specific band. Such as a babe dressed up and sounding like KISS.

A cover band to me is a band that can get up and sound like 15-20 famous bands singing their popular songs.
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Sooo, if I get up and Kareoke Steve Miller Band's "Fly like an Eagle" am I covering them or tributing them?

Which reminds me, a few years back I was at a Kareoke(I hate kareoke) nite and this youngish chick told me she had been practicing a Steve Miller tune in her bedroom for weeks just for that special nite and I was excited for her.....er, until she got up there and just ripped the tune to shreds, I mean tone deaf type stuff. Felt bad for her.

 
cornographic said:
BigRedBuster said:
A tribute band is one that makes themselves look and sound like one specific band. Such as a babe dressed up and sounding like KISS.

A cover band to me is a band that can get up and sound like 15-20 famous bands singing their popular songs.
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Sooo, if I get up and Kareoke Steve Miller Band's "Fly like an Eagle" am I covering them or tributing them?
Which reminds me, a few years back I was at a Kareoke(I hate kareoke) nite and this youngish chick told me she had been practicing a Steve Miller tune in her bedroom for weeks just for that special nite and I was excited for her.....er, until she got up there and just ripped the tune to shreds, I mean tone deaf type stuff. Felt bad for her.
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Actually neither you're singing karaoke.

You're probably closer to covering them though because you aren't concentrating on one band and creating an act to be like them.

 
BigRedBuster said:
Hey....I could be wrong. That's why I asked.

But that's my definition of a cover band.
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The thread is about cover songs, not cover bands. You are correct in your cover band example, but this isn't about your favorite cover bands.
Yes, there are bands that can play a full set of cover songs for a 1-2 hour period, and they are fun to listen to.

But, there are also great cover songs that are done by some more famous musicians. That's what this thread is about.

 
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I know. I'm simply using the example of what a cover band is to show what I think a cover song is.

Sorry to derail the thread.

Carry on.

 
A couple of my favorites are Turn the Page by Metallica and Personal Jesus by Marilyn Manson. I also really like Sound of Silence by Disturbed. Man of Constant Sorrow by Charm City Devils.

 
BigRedBuster said:
I know. I'm simply using the example of what a cover band is to show what I think a cover song is.

Sorry to derail the thread.

Carry on.
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I get what you were saying. I think the more popular description is simply when a band "covers" a song that some other band previously made widely known. Basically whenever a band or singer remakes a song that everyone accepts as another artist's original. Doesn't matter if it sounds like the original or not.

 
JJHusker1 said:
BigRedBuster said:
I know. I'm simply using the example of what a cover band is to show what I think a cover song is.

Sorry to derail the thread.

Carry on.
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I get what you were saying. I think the more popular description is simply when a band "covers" a song that some other band previously made widely known. Basically whenever a band or singer remakes a song that everyone accepts as another artist's original. Doesn't matter if it sounds like the original or not.
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Well said. Some songs are really cool when redone by a different artist, which is what this discussion was all about.
 
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