KOHD #4 in G1's top 10 covers

Guitar one JULY 2004 Issue
SET LIST
TOP 10 cover songs OF ALL TIME

Assembling a list of the 10 best covers of rock songs has to be at the very top of its own list: the list of all-time thankless tasks. Okay, yeah, it was our idea ? but still, you could pick a classic artist, say, Hendrix or Dylan, and assemble 10 covers of songs by those artists alone. Heck, everyone who takes it upon himself t compile something like this (try it!) will come up with an entirely different list. (Note: We decided not to include blues songs ? classics like Led Zep?s ?You Shook Me,? Cream?s ?Crossroads,? and the Allman Brothers Band?s ?Statesboro Blues? ? simply because they?re so frequently covered.)

10 ?You Really Got Me? Van Halen Van Halen (Warner Brothers, 1978) The two covers on the band?s astonishing debut (?Ice Cream Man? was the other) served different purposes. This Kinks cover turned gold into molten metal, while the amped-up blues number rumbled respectfully over sacred ground.

9 ?Love Buzz? Nirvana Bleach (Sub Pop, 1989) The band?s cover of Bowie?s ?The Man Who Sold the World? got more attention, but it was their remake of Shocking Blue?s ?Love Buzz,? released back in 1989, that proved the band rocked with unparalleled intensity.

8 ?Little Wing? Stevie Ray Vaughn The Sky is Crying (Epic, 1991) Only SRV could find a way to add dimension to ? or even come close to doing justice to ? Hendrix?s tactile masterpiece.

7 ?Eight Miles High? Husker Du Eight Miles High/Makes No Sense at All EP (SST, 1990) Not only did Husker Du shape the sound of indie/alt-rock before Nirvana ? they were also the prototype for indie bands making the move to major labels (before it became de rigeur). This cover adds decibels to and climbs miles higher than even the Byrds? own rendition.

6 ?My Back Pages? The Bryds The Byrds Play Dylan (Columbia/Legacy, 1970) As Dylan toiled in folk obscurity, writing brilliant songs to a small cadre of believers, the Byrds took his brittle tunes ? especially this one and ?Mr. Tambourine Man? ? to the masses on the wings of Roger McGuinn?s 12-string Rickenbacker and an infusion of gorgeous vocal harmonies.

5 ?Star Spangled Banner? Jimi Hendrix Live at Woodstock (MCA, 1999) ?Hey Joe? and Dylan?s ?All Along the Watchtower? may certainly stand out as the classic covers in the Hendrix canon, but it was this turbulent Woodstock performance that became his defining moment.

4 ?Knockin? on Heaven?s Door? Guns N? Roses Use Your Illusion II (Geffen, 1991) Though the recently released ?Sympathy for the Devil? remake doesn?t cut it, this Dylan tune, the band?s muscular ?Live and Let Die,? and their covers disc, The Spaghetti Incident?, all prove that GN?R had a flair for interpretation.

3 ?Born to Be Wild? Slayer Nascar on Fox: Crank It Up (MCA, 2002) A match made in hell: one of the nastiest bands of all time, paired up with one of the great rock songs of all time.

2 ?Snowblind? System of a Down Nativity in Black 2: Tribute to Black Sabbath (Priority, 2000) It?s tough covering Sabbath. Put a spin on a song, and you risk sounding ridiculous; stay too faithful, and you wind up sounding too much like the original. The System boys strike the perfect balance.

1 Cum on Feel the Noize? Quiet Riot Metal Health (Columbia, 1983) Okay, so maybe this tune, originally by Slade, isn?t one of the best ?covers? of all time per se ? and maybe it?s just a dumb frat-boy anthem (pardon the redundancy) ? but Quiet Riot?s performance captures the cheeseball energy and fist-pumping glory of great rock?n?roll. ?BOB GULLA