The 10 best Indie Cover Versions

9 November 2024, 18:00

By Radio X

@RadioX

The cover. It's a risk. It's difficult. But if you pull it off, you can create something incredible that completely overshadows the original. These songs did just that.

1. The Futureheads – Hounds Of Love

   

   The Futureheads - Hounds Of Love

   Who recorded it originally? Kate Bush, in 1985 (of course)

   Is the cover better than the original? We wouldn't have a word said against Our Kate, but the Sunderland lads give her mystical, mysterious 1985 track a thorough going-over that gives it a huge new lease of life... without losing the wonder of the melody.

2. Arctic Monkeys - I Wanna Be Yours

   

   Arctic Monkeys - I Wanna Be Yours

   Who recorded it originally? John Coope Clarke, in 1982

   Is the cover better than the original? Well, they're as different as chalk and cheese in many ways. Both take Dr John Cooper Clarke's original poem as a starting point, but while Clarke's studio version of the song has a woozy charm, Alex Turner's take is a desolate cry from the heart.

3. Nirvana - The Man Who Sold The World

   

   The Man Who Sold the World (2015 Remaster)

   Who recorded it originally? David Bowie, in 1970

   Is the cover better than the original? It's impossible to choose between Bowie's epic original and the cover made famous by Nirvana during their MTV Unplugged gig. Both versions are powerful in their own right, but the late Kurt Cobain's death and their game-changing MTV session arguably made their version more iconic.

   

   Nirvana - The Man Who Sold The World (Live On MTV Unplugged, 1993 / Rehearsal)

4. Jeff Buckley – I Know It's Over

   

   Jeff Buckley "I Know It's Over"

   Who recorded it originally? The Smiths, in 1986

   Is the cover better than the original? Is the cover better than the original? It depends on how you like your tortured genius served up. Morrissey's ballad of pure angst is the emotional centrepiece of the Queen Is Dead album, but the soaring voice of the late, great Jeff Buckley manages to take the song into another universe.

5. Muse – Feeling Good Vs Nina Simone - Feeling Good

   

   Muse - Feeling Good (Video)

   Who recorded it originally? Technically Cy Grant, but the best known version was by Nina Simone in 1965

   Is the cover better than the original? Originally written for the musicial The Roar Of The Greasepaint - The Smell Of The Crowd, Nina Simone's take on Feelin' Good is one of the greatest vocal performances in recorded music. But when the Devon trio added their furious rock n' roll distortion to the tune, the track took on a new life. Feelin' Good was no longer a jazz ballad, and instead was a rock anthem.

6. José González – Heartbeats Vs The Knife - Heartbeats

   

   The Knife - Heartbeats (Official Video)

   Who recorded it originally? The Knife, in 2002

   Is the cover better than the original? The Swedish musician's 2006 cover of The Knife's Heartbeats is the quintessential example of a cover eclipsing the original. The Knife's original is an electronic feast that's not without its own quirky charm, but Gonzalez's delicate, intricate cover became one of the most listened to tracks of the Noughties.

   

   José González - Heartbeats (Bouncing Balls Video)

7. The Farm - Stepping Stone

   

   THE FARM 'STEPPIN STONE'

   Who recorded it originally? Technically, The Liverpool Five, but the best known version was by The Monkees in 1966.

   Is the cover better than the original? They both succeed on their own terms, we suggest. The Monkees weren't the first act to record the tune, but their garage stomp is undeniably "60s" in the same way that the baggy breakbeat of The Farm's version is definitively "90s".

8. Editors - Lullaby

   

   Editors-Lullaby (The Cure Cover)

   Who recorded it originally? The Cure, in 1989

   Is the cover better than the original? The Birmingham band's take on The Cure's 1989 single may not have the same creepy instrumentation, but Tom Smith manages to sound even more unhinged than his namesake Robert.

9. Happy Mondays - Step On

   

   Happy Mondays - Step On (Official Music Video)

   Who did it originally? John Kongos, as He's Gonna Step On You Again, in 1971

   Is the cover better than the original? The tribal beats of the original are a different matter entirely to the Mondays' shuffle, but both versions are equally joyous.

10. Placebo - 20th Century Boy

    

    Placebo - 20th Century Boy (Official Video)

    Who recorded it originally? T. Rex, in 1973

    Is the cover better than the original? Brian Molko does a convincing impression of Marc Bolan, but while the Placebo version sounds more "modern", it doesn't add a huge amount to T.Rex's wall of guitars.