Songs that just don’t need to be covered...

Not songs you hate, and don’t ever want to hear in a bar(or wherever); that will just turn this thread into the usual topic drift hate cesspool. I’m talking about tunes that, for whatever the reason, in their original recorded state, in that moment, were just perfect, and any attempt by any run of the mill band to cover them, would be a fool’s errand. You know, just don’t go there, you’re never going to improve, let alone equal, that moment. So many bands choose tunes hoping the coolness of the song will rub off on them, but the very essence of the recording, whether it was the planetary alignment, the electrical current going to the studio, what was in the water, whatever, cannot be duplicated. Have some respect, and leave it alone. Also, there’s the aspect of some covers that are just out of context, or the song just might not be relevant(any more).
My initial nomination is Link Wray’s “Rumble”, a title I’ve heard countless bands try to tackle, but there’s a feral cruidity and meanace that makes it a perfect rock and roll record, and as simple as it is, a moment that just can’t be matched; any attempts just fall short. It was(to my knowledge)the only instrumental to be banned for causing fights(the title a self-fulfilling prophesy). Elements of it filtered into songs like “Shakin’ All Over” and “Back In Black”, inspired Pete Townshend and Jimmy Page, and was essentially the birth of the power chord. But sorry, Mac, you just ain’t gonna do it justice, it’s perfect the was it is, and will always be...

 

This wasn’t your band, then?

There’s a Cat Power album you might check out.

 

You’re missing the point...it has nothing to do with any relative ease of playing, it’s a matter of aesthetics; I’ve listened to countless bands bludgeon the tune, not retaining any of the nasty rawness(derived from a tiny, underpowered amp, not a cranked half-stack). They tend to overplay it, overcompensating their would-be badassery. “You Really Got Me” was mentioned above; yeah, that’s another one that should be left alone. Van Halen ruined it with the flash solo and over-production, it was almost a parody. The Kinks version was rough, urgent, lust-filled, Dave’s utterly inept teenage guitar solo conveyed far more hormonal frustration than Eddie’s ‘hey, look at me’ twiddling.

 

Well, that takes the premise in an entirely different direction; after all, it is his song, and for that context, acoustic/unplugged, he reimagined the tune to fit the occasion, more of a folk/blues style. I thought it was pleasant, but it still didn’t do much for me as I had lost all interest in him after the Derek album.