"Shut the Door and Cover Me..."

The other day, while searching through eMusic for a couple of songs, I stumbled across a bunch of compilation disks. These disks all have names like those old KTEL releases – things like Trailer Park Hits and Monster Mullet Rock. If I saw these in the cut-out bin (do they still have those?) I probably wouldn’t even give them a second glance.

As I skimmed the song titles, though, I saw these disks were filled with cover versions I’d never heard: Roger Daltrey and Slash doing “No More Mr. Nice Guy.” Ted Nugent playing “Rag Doll.”

I’ve ‘fessed up before that I love to hear a good cover of a good song. Rarely can a cover surpass the original, but it’s almost always interesting to hear a musician stamp a song with their own style. Case in point: Faster Pussycat. I’m not going to even get into their whole evolution from Motley Crue wanna-be’s to Marilyn Manson wanna-be’s, but did you ever think you’d hear an industrial version of “Misty Mountain Hop”? Also, check out Yngwie Malmsteen’s take on “Dream On.” Whoever’s singing is no Steven Tyler, but Yngwie just shreds the song. Joe who?

No More Mr. Nice Guy (Alice Cooper cover).mp3 ~ Roger Daltrey and Slash
It’s a Long Way to the Top (AC/DC cover).mp3 ~ Lemmy
Squealer (AC/DC cover).mp3 ~ Genitorturers
Viva Las Vegas.mp3 ~ Johnny Ramone
Tie Your Mother Down (Queen cover).mp3 ~ Lemmy and Ted Nugent
Misty Mountain Hop (Led Zeppelin cover).mp3 ~ Faster Pussycat
Dream On (Aerosmith cover).mp3 ~ Yngwie Malmsteen
Rag Doll (Aerosmith cover).mp3 ~ Ted Nugent
Money (Pink Floyd cover).mp3 ~ Edgar Winter

If you haven’t done so already, you need to check out eMusic. For a fair price, they have become my number one source for independent, DRM-free music.
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(Picture Note: The pic is of Gen, singer and founding member of the Genitorturers, from the band's MySpace)

Labels: AC/DC, Aerosmith, classic rock, covers, guitar heroes, industrial, Led Zeppelin

posted by aikin @ 11:32 AM