Beatles Covers

[jim1961]

Like many of you I assume, I am a Beatles fan. I am also a fan of high quality covers.

A Day in the Life - Jeff Beck
Because - King's Singers with Erich Kunzel & CPO
Because - Vanessa Mae
Blackbird - Sarah McLachlan
Eleanor Rigby - Tessa Souter
Helter Skelter - Pat Benatar
Here, There and Everywhere - Celine Dion
Here, There and Everywhere - Emmylou Harris
I am the Walrus - Styx
I am the Walrus - Al Di Meola
I'm Only Sleeping - Holly Cole
Imagine (Lennon) - Eva Cassidy
In My Life - CSN
For No One - Emmylou Harris
Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds - Aimee Mann
Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds - Elton John
Mother Natures Son - Sheryl Crow
Norwegian Wood - Patricia Barber
She's Leaving Home - Annie Haslam
Strawberry Fields Forever - Sandy Farina
The Fool on the Hill - Helen Reddy
The Long and Winding Road - Olivia Newton-John
While My Guitar Gently Weeps - Santana
While My Guitar Gently Weeps - Jake Shimabukuro
Within You, Without You - Patti Smith
Working Class Hero (Lennon) - Marianne Faithful
Yesterday - Eva Cassidy

My biases (female vocalist) are pretty obvious, but not exclusive (Styx, Elton John, Instrumentals). Was wondering if anyone wanted to suggest additions.

Thanks.

[calyx]

More jazz and prog I guess, but Mike Westbrook recorded his own arrangements of the whole "Abbey Road" album ("Off Abbey Road" - 1989 I think, one of the first jazz gigs I ever saw).

Of course, worthy of mention is Harry Nilsson's wonderful cover of "You Can't Do That", which actually in just 3 minutes manages to quote about 50 different Beatles songs (not sure I could list every single one).

I am also reminded of the great, gloomy cover of "Ticket To Ride" by The Carpenters.

[calyx]

Dont Let it Bring You Down - Annie Lennox

I know a Neil Young song by that name, but not a Beatles song.

[Rufus]

She Said She Said-Lone Star

[jim1961]

I know a Neil Young song by that name, but not a Beatles song.

Your right. I will take that one off the list.

[Vic2012]

She Said She Said _ Govt Mule

[JKL2000]

[Paulrus]

Like many of you I assume, I am a Beatles fan. But while I admire greatly there songwritting skills, I am not thrilled with the quality of there recordings. Not to pick on The Beatles per say, but few if any recording of that era I consider great, much less good recordings.

I've always considered The Beatles' work with George Martin to be the gold standard for pop-rock recordings of the 60s. Unless you like that "drenched in echo" shit most other bands were doing back then. The earlier stereo mixes were dodgy, I suppose, but in terms of the actual quality of the recordings this is the first time I've seen anyone really complain about them.

Regarding covers, I may be a fan but Yes' version of "Every Little Thing" slays me every time.

[jim1961]

I've always considered The Beatles' work with George Martin to be the gold standard for pop-rock recordings of the 60s. Unless you like that "drenched in echo" shit most other bands were doing back then. The earlier stereo mixes were dodgy, I suppose, but in terms of the actual quality of the recordings this is the first time I've seen anyone really complain about them.

Regarding covers, I may be a fan but Yes' version of "Every Little Thing" slays me every time.

My point was ALL 60's recordings (except classical & some jazz) suffered from inferior recording quality. I am not saying that they didn't sound good for there day, I am saying they don't stand up to properly done modern recordings, and that is how I want them to sound.

I am not sure you are claiming that they do, or not. To my ears, they do not.

I had totally forgotten Yes did a Beatles cover.

[GuitarGeek]

A few of my favorites:

Richie Havens: Here Comes The Sun
Steve Hillage: It's All Too Much
Aerosmith: Come Together

[Dave]

Come Together - Guitar Tribute To The Beatles is a pretty good collection with an excellent version of Michelle by Allan Holdsworth and Gordon Beck. The previously mentioned Jeff Beck version of A Day In The Life is brilliant.

[spotprog]

I love covers!

She's Leaving Home - Bryan Ferry
Good Morning Good Morning - Marillion
A Day In The Life - Sting
I Need You - Transatlantic

Nits did a 3 song ep of Beatles covers in 1995 (Tomorrow Never Knows / Norwegian Wood / All You Need Is Love).

and...

Tomorrow Never Knows - Phil Collins (ruined The Beatles)!!!

More...

Across The Universe - Chameleons Vox
Help - The Damned
And Your Bird Can Sing - The Jam
Rain - The Jam
Day Tripper - Ocean Colour Scene
Wild Honey Pie - Pixies
Helter Skelter - Siouxsie And The Banshees
Dear Prudence - Siouxsie And The Banshees

And finally...

Strawberry Fields Forever - Andy Partridge / Dave Gregory (XTC)
The Long And Winding Road - Barry Manilow
Eleanor Rigby - Big Country
All You Need Is Love - Echo And The Bunnymen
Come Together - Eurythmics
Girl - Joe Jackson Trio
A Day In The Life - Robyn Hitchcock
Fool On The Hill - Sergio Mendes and Brasil
I Should Have Known Better - She & Him
Dear Prudence / Happiness Is A Warm Gun / Fixing A Hole - World Party

And I know I have more out there!

[Obscured]

Al DiMeola has just released* an all acoustic, Beatles tribute album, "All Your Life", that sounds amazing. Clip on this page (click listen in box) - http://www.aldimeola.com/#!media/c10tw
*Available at live gigs only; current tour info- http://www.aldimeola.com/#!tour/c9a0

Rick Wakeman's tribute album to them is also quite nice -

[happytheman]

George Benson did Abby Road justice with his release "Other side of Abby Road"..
I have several other Beatle covers albums.. a couple of them jazz.. one country, and a wonderful release from Trio Rococo

[Lou]

Have you heard either of the Yellow Matter Custard cds? Neal Morse,Paul Gilbert, Mike Portnoy play on both, with the bass work split between Matt Bissonette
and Kasim Sulton. These were Beatles tribute cds recorded by them, and even toured briefly. The Paul Gilbert guitar solo on 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' is
simply amazing!

[flowerking]

The Beatles are probably the most covered rock band in history. Any list is going to be incomplete. But here are some that come to mind.

Prog or prog related:
Kansas - Eleanor Rigby
Ambrosia - Magical Mystery Tour, also live they play Oh Darling
Stewart/Gaskin - Good Morning Good Morning
Todd Rundgren - Rain, Strawberry Fields Forever
Journey - Its All Too Much
Steve Hillage - Its All Too Much

Non prog:
Tori Amos - Happiness is a warm gun
Joe Cocker - With a Little Help from my Friends
Carpenters - Ticket to Ride, Help, probably a bunch of others
Deep Purple - We Can Work It Out
Pat Benatar - Helter Skelter
Pat Metheny - And I Love Her (solo acoustic guitar)
George Benson - a whole bunch on The Other Side of Abbey Road
Richie Havens - did something similar to Benson, a whole album of Beatles and Bob Dylan covers
Elton John - Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds (something of a hit for him if I recall)
and lets not forget William Shatner!

Live performances:
Phish - The White Album, they did a few songs many times especially Cry Baby Cry
Zappa - I am the Walrus, The Texas Motel Medley (Lucy in the Sky, Norwegian Wood, Strawberry Fields)
Grateful Dead - played a lot of Beatles songs live, a few are available on Dicks Picks, Hey Jude comes to mind

[chalkpie]

I think a lot of the Beatles stuff has a charm and artistic quality to the sound that puts 95% of the sterile digital shit these days to shame.

[markwoll]

801 Live TNK
Thank You Scientist - I am the Walrus , I guess you had to be there. Rosfest 2014 too Koo Koo KAChoo

[yamishogun]

Tomorrow Never Knows - Phil Collins (ruined The Beatles)!!!

As a Phil Collins fan before a Beatles fan, I prefer this dark version over the original. Sort of like a bad trip while the original is a good trip...

I once bought a CD by Norwegian Wood that did 16 Beatles covers as woodwind/string instrumentals. I liked it but the guy who saw me buy it shuddered. As a huge Beatles fan, he couldn't understand why I'd buy that.

[mogrooves]

Tomorrow Never Knows - Phil Collins (ruined The Beatles)!!!

801 Live TNK

Pink Fairies

[beano]

Across The Universe- Fiona Apple / David Bowie
Blue Jay Way- Lord Sitar
Norwegian Wood Excerpt -Nektar
In 2008 I saw Todd Rundgren and Friends ( Lou Gramm, Christopher Cross, Denny Laine, Bo Bice..) do the entire Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album in it's entirety..GREAT stuff!!

[spotprog]

Then we also need to include the Cheap Trick Sgt. Pepper album.

[Yaman Aksu]

Stanley Jordan - Eleanor Rigby
(an old studio version from years ago -- chances are he has a more interesting Live version of it at youtube)


u2 - helter skelter (this one's from the 80s)

[spellbound]

Kapt. Kopter and the (Fabulous) Twirly Birds did two Beatles covers on their one album: Day Tripper and Rain.

[GuitarGeek]

Grateful Dead - played a lot of Beatles songs live, a few are available on Dicks Picks, Hey Jude comes to mind

Hey Jude probably being the only one that wasn't badly rendered. Most of the rest of the time I've heard them doing Beatles songs (along with most of their other covers), they barely rise up to bar band level. I've never been able to comprehend how a band that could pack a 60,000 seat stadium could get away doing as many cover tunes in any one show as they did during the late 70's and 80's.