I'll post a five... of something... really...
I haven't done one of these in awhile, so here goes. You like music? Good, so do I. You know any good covers? Well, I have five favorites worth looking up:
Now, I'm not ranking these or writing for any special reason, other than to put these out in the open. Three of these covers are extremely well-known and are just worth comparing to their originals, and the other two are niche enough that... well... you should check them out for the hell of it. I'm including YouTube links to both covers and originals, so you can get your listen on. I want to get to bed soon, so I'm going to make this short. Here goes nothing.
Higher Ground
Original artist: Little Stevie Wonder
Cover artist: Red Hot Chili Peppers
It's hard to get funkier than Stevie, but RHCP is about as funky as rock music gets nowadays. Their crunchy rock riffs give the song an additional edge and a headbanging quality that makes it a little less smooth, but keeps the groove.
Stevie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wZ3ZG_Wams
RHCP: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gs2o5T7oN8
Fantasy
Original artist: Earth, Wind, and Fire
Cover artist: Kotaro Oshio
This is the last funk song, I promise. Well, maybe I don't promise. But anyhow, Oshio and his partner transform a busy, multi-instrumental funk croon into an instrumental duet so beautiful that it makes me want to take up both guitar AND violin. AT THE SAME TIME.
EWF: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIasEzl-_MA
KO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fpb5B_txgU8
Renegades of Funk
Original artist: Afrika Bambaataa
Cover artist: Rage Against the Machine
This is what great covers are all about: Rage took a song that's a classic in its own right and made it their own in such a way that it becomes one of their signatures in addition to bringing additional attention to the original. Very cool.
Afrika: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dab1jiSiyU
RATM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjGkHDTPHJg (JGR is a very funky game)
All Along the Watchtower
Original artist: Bob Dylan
Cover artist: Jimi Hendrix
Well, it shames a trivia buff like myself, but I had no idea this song was ever a cover until I was in college. In fact, Hendrix's cover was so brilliant and ubiquitous that Dylan modeled most of its subsequent performances after Hendrix. Damn.
Dylan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_ncQgjIlFM
Hendrix: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RD7s4i_X-p0
Baba O'Riley
Original artist: The Who
Cover artist: The Blue Man Group
The best part of both of these songs is the ever-present background chords. The Who have that legendary cyclical keyboard riff (if that's actually what it is; I only know tha tit's totally awesome), and the Blue Man Group replace it with a pair of backpack PVC instruments with stuff-cannons on the back. Just watch it.
Who: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2KRpRMSu4g
Blue: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_Y26JNd3g4
And that's it. Or is it....?
Original: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXKxs8Ge_9g (don't watch this one for more than one second; recommended zero)
Cover: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W91sqAs-_-g
Original: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIHP9o6X6D8
Cover: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xgk9ouBuj-4 (warning: contains kittens)
Original: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtFXYvNIxws
Cover: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlFqhHJczDs
Original: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irp8CNj9qBI
Cover: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfLX7zE6jxw
Original: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41APzy5kqBU
Cover: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ltjbnyvq_SI
Original: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBGIQ7ZuuiU
Cover: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AUtzJMTUW8
Mash-up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZ20N6syuwc
Now, I'm not ranking these or writing for any special reason, other than to put these out in the open. Three of these covers are extremely well-known and are just worth comparing to their originals, and the other two are niche enough that... well... you should check them out for the hell of it. I'm including YouTube links to both covers and originals, so you can get your listen on. I want to get to bed soon, so I'm going to make this short. Here goes nothing.
Higher Ground
Original artist: Little Stevie Wonder
Cover artist: Red Hot Chili Peppers
It's hard to get funkier than Stevie, but RHCP is about as funky as rock music gets nowadays. Their crunchy rock riffs give the song an additional edge and a headbanging quality that makes it a little less smooth, but keeps the groove.
Stevie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wZ3ZG_Wams
RHCP: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gs2o5T7oN8
Fantasy
Original artist: Earth, Wind, and Fire
Cover artist: Kotaro Oshio
This is the last funk song, I promise. Well, maybe I don't promise. But anyhow, Oshio and his partner transform a busy, multi-instrumental funk croon into an instrumental duet so beautiful that it makes me want to take up both guitar AND violin. AT THE SAME TIME.
EWF: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIasEzl-_MA
KO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fpb5B_txgU8
Renegades of Funk
Original artist: Afrika Bambaataa
Cover artist: Rage Against the Machine
This is what great covers are all about: Rage took a song that's a classic in its own right and made it their own in such a way that it becomes one of their signatures in addition to bringing additional attention to the original. Very cool.
Afrika: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dab1jiSiyU
RATM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjGkHDTPHJg (JGR is a very funky game)
All Along the Watchtower
Original artist: Bob Dylan
Cover artist: Jimi Hendrix
Well, it shames a trivia buff like myself, but I had no idea this song was ever a cover until I was in college. In fact, Hendrix's cover was so brilliant and ubiquitous that Dylan modeled most of its subsequent performances after Hendrix. Damn.
Dylan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_ncQgjIlFM
Hendrix: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RD7s4i_X-p0
Baba O'Riley
Original artist: The Who
Cover artist: The Blue Man Group
The best part of both of these songs is the ever-present background chords. The Who have that legendary cyclical keyboard riff (if that's actually what it is; I only know tha tit's totally awesome), and the Blue Man Group replace it with a pair of backpack PVC instruments with stuff-cannons on the back. Just watch it.
Who: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2KRpRMSu4g
Blue: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_Y26JNd3g4
And that's it. Or is it....?
Original: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXKxs8Ge_9g (don't watch this one for more than one second; recommended zero)
Cover: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W91sqAs-_-g
Original: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIHP9o6X6D8
Cover: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xgk9ouBuj-4 (warning: contains kittens)
Original: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtFXYvNIxws
Cover: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlFqhHJczDs
Original: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irp8CNj9qBI
Cover: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfLX7zE6jxw
Original: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41APzy5kqBU
Cover: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ltjbnyvq_SI
Original: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBGIQ7ZuuiU
Cover: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AUtzJMTUW8
Mash-up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZ20N6syuwc