Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now [Starting Line /Starship]

Starship is one of those bands that has gone through so many line up changes you need an diagram just to follow it. Everyone know the whole name/line up changes from Jefferson Airplane, to Jefferson Starship to Starship. There was also a brief pause as Starship Jefferson in there. But before all that, the group was called  Planet Earth Rock and Roll Orchestra and consisted of three members of the Grateful Dead (including Jerry), David Crosby, Graham Nash and Grace Slick and others who would continue onto the form Jefferson Airplane. There also was briefly a group called "Jefferson Starship - The Next Generation" formed of a hodgepodge of the different artists to be in the every changing lineup. So there's your history lesson for the day. 

Here's The Starting Line covering the Starship incantation.

Pop Goes The World [LMP / Men Without Hats]

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

All I Wanna Do (Is Make Love To You) [Halestrom / Heart]

Covering Heart is difficult. Those Wilson sisters are hard to match for sheer intensity, especially Ann Wilson's boombastic vocals. However Halestrom has a go at it and flippin' nails it vocally and adds some  staying extra crunchy in milk guitars. Take that you silly rabbit.

Mr. Brightside [Boyce Avenue / Killers]

I saw a shirt the other day that said "Started out with a kiss, How did it end up like this?" Now you might think this was an officially licensed piece of Killers' merchandise, but no, it was a maternity shirt. Well I guess if you're going to cover up that baby bump, might as well make it tacky.

Speaking of covers, here's Boyce Avenue covering Mr. Brightside.

Take On Me [Reel Big Fish / A-ha]

For a while A-ha was the biggest thing out of Scandinavia since ABBA. With that kick ass, early MTV hand drawn video, that even after 25 some years is still an awesome effect. The song was covered for the soundtrack to the entirely forgettable Matt Stone/Trey Parker movie BASEketball by Reel Big Fish. 

Landslide [Glee; Dixie Chicks; Bush; Smashing Pumpkins / Fleetwood Mac] Cover to Cover

It's amazing how many different ways the same song came be cover. That however is not the case with Fleetwood Mac's Landslide. No matter who covers it, it sound almost exactly the freaking same ...

 Here's a version from Glee ...

---

Here's the Dixie Chicks, which sounds exactly the same ...

---

Maybe we'll get a slightly different version with a male lead singer, like perhaps from the band Bush ...

---

Surely Smashing Pumpkins can do a harder, more rockin' version ...?

 Nope, All exactly the same!!!

Every Rose Has It's Thorn [Miley Cyrus / Poison]

I feel sorry for the youth of today. I really do. Growing up we had a few songs that we'd call guilty pleasures.  Almost every song on the radio now qualifies as a guilty pleasure. We had great bands like Poison. They have crappy Disney teen junk like Miley Cyrus covering Poison.

And I say this in spite of Miley being of legal consenting age now, so you know I mean it.

Thunder Road [Dan Bern / Bruce Springsteen]

Dan Bern is, hands down. my favorite musician ever. If you've head of him, it's likely because you watched the bonus features to  "Walk Hard : The Dewey Cox Story" as he helped write most of the songs for that flick. While he's hilarious at times, singing songs about the size of Tiger Wood's testes among other things, he's a serious musician first. He's been called the "only thing to happen to folk music since Dylan." Might be a bit of an oversell, but not by much.

 The first time I saw him play live was in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I'd just discovered him, so when he played a tune called "The Barber From Ann Arbor" I assumed  it was a deep cut I'd not yet heard he felt obiged to play because we were in Ann Arbor. A good song, not great. Three songs later, in the middle of one of his signature songs he stopped, apologized for forgetting the words because he was "still writing that barber song" in his head. I was blown away. 

Here he is covering the Boss's Thunder Road.

Moves Like Jagger [Little Big Town / Maroon 5]

I'm becoming a full fledged addict. Every song sounds better with banjos. I started out with just a little banjo here and there but now I seem to want it in every cover. Seeing as this Maroon 5 cover is being done by a country band, Little Big Town. This song has a banjos. I'm an addict. I need a twelve string program or something. I mean  twelve step! Not 12  twelve. I had no idea there were twelve string banjos!

Convoy [Colt Ford / CW McCall]

Once on a whim, I bought a CD called "CW McCall's Greatest Hits." Turns out it was a CD Single. Convoy is the very definition of a guilty pleasure song. It's terrible, it's catchy, it almost swears and it's fun to sing to.

Here's Colt Ford covering Convoy. I wonder if that's his real name.]

Tyrone [My Morning Jacket /Erykah Badu]

Erykah Badu is the Queen of Neo Soul. My Morning Jacket is Psychedelic rock. So when My Morning Jacket covers Erkah Badu somehow that equates to a deep Louisiana blues ballad. Yeah, I guess I can live with that math, as long as you show your work.

Creep [Afghan Whigs / TLC]

Are the Afghan Whigs disguises used Taliban?  If so you like this TLC cover by the Afghan Whigs, then you're a terrorist! If not, then please proceed as normal.

Call Me Maybe & Boyfriend [Ahmir / Carly Rae Jepsen & Justin Bieber]

I'm a lyrics guy. I love lyrics. It's amazing to me when someone can take a trashy pop song, cover it in an entirely different music style, and turn it into something wonderful. That's what Ahmir does here with not one, but two Top 40 songs. They turn "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen and "Boyfriend" by Justina Bieber into a slow Boyz II Men style, sweet love making, slow jam. 

Super Bass [Chad Sugg / Nicki Minaj]

Self recording YouTube artist is the new indie artist. I swear as soon as just one of these guys gets a real record deal, you'll see the entire music industry turned on it's ear. Just my humble prediction.

Anyway here's on of those YouTube artists turning Nicki Minaj's Super Bass in to a song that sounds more like it should be played at a Luau instead of a gay bar.

You Got Lucky [Gaslight Anthem / Tom Petty]

Gaslight Anthem made British music history becoming the first band to ever appear on the cover of Kerrang! magazine without the magazine having previously written about them. Which confuses me slightly as someone had to be on the cover of the first issue, no? Also Kerrang! is fun to say.

Here they are covering Tom Petty.

California Gurls [James Blunt / Katy Perry]

Remember James Blunt? Despite having the perfect last name to front a jam band, his one and only hit was "Beautiful." The song is notable because it's second only to Chris Issac's "Wicked Game" for usage by single dudes in attempts to get laid. After that song, we pretty much never heard from him ever again. If I were to guess it was because he was getting laid all the time. 

He did take a break from getting laid to record this Katy Perry cover. 

I Started A Joke [Faith No More / Bee Gees]

I started a joke, it went like this "Knock, Knock." Of course it kinda required some audience participation, so it died there. In 1998 Faith No More started a joke. The joke was one of the most influential metal/rock bands of the late 80's and early 90's, and credited for inventing alternative metal and as an influence on the band Wyld Stallyons, decided to cover the Bee Gees. Did a pretty decent job too. So I guess it's not "Ha Ha" joke, but like  ... that other kind of joke. 

Who Let The Dogs Out? [Baha Men / Anslem Douglas] - Deep Cover

You may remember the Baha Men and thier hit song "Who Let The Dogs Out?" It's a musical question that's plagued philosophers since 2000.

Or has it? Before the Baha Men recorded the song for the "Rugrats in Paris : The Movie" soundtrack the song was called "Doggie" and was written and recorded in 1998 by Trinidadian recording artist Anslem Douglas. Yeah, I got no clue who that is either, but odds are he doesn't want you to know who he is either since he's somewhat resposible for a song ranked 3rd most annoying song of all time by Rolling Stong mag, Worst Song Ever by Spinner mag, and #2 on AOL Radio's worst song ever.

So now when someone asks you "Who Let The Dogs Out? You can answer, with smug confidence "Anslem Douglas."

Why Try To Change Me Now [Fiona Apple / Frank Sinatra]

I was once told my high school girlfriend looked like Fiona Apple. I suppose it was supposed to be a complement, but I didn't find Ms. Apple all that attractive. I'm temped to compare her to a Dreamworks cartoon, but that'd be just mean.

Here's Princess Fiona covering the Cy Colemen penned, Frank Sinatra classic, "Why Try To Change Me Now?"

Baby Hold On [Foo Fighters / Eddie Money]

In February 2000, the Foo Fighters recorded a cover of Eddie Money's "Baby Hold On," which for some reason I always though was actually called "Baby Hold On To Me" to be used as a B-side in one of the singles for There Is Nothing Left to Lose, However, it was not used as a B-side as planned. They later recorded a part of the song as an acoustic version as part of a radio session for the Rockline radio program. I think this version however is from an old episode of Craig Kilborn.

We Are Young [Alex Goot, Tiffany Alvord, Luke Conard / .fun]

Tonight ... we are young, so lets set the world on fire. At which point we'll be incinerated and our age will no longer matter. Sounds like .fun! Here's Alex Goot with help from Tiffany Alvord and Luke Conrad covering the typographical nightmarishly named .fun.

Turning Japanese [No Use For a Name / Vapors]

R.I.P. Tony Sly, the lead singer of No Use for a Name passed away today at 41. I honor the loss the best way I can, playing a cover by No Use For a Name. Here they take on the Vapors