Best Cover of a Song Associated with Elvis Presley

[Dominic]

Here's another version of Crawfish - Johnny Thunders & Patti Palladin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1jv527eExI

[Rob Hall]

Billy Swan did a great cover of "Don't Be Cruel" too.

[Dayna]

I know you don't consider Cheap Trick great, but they did Don't Be Cruel too.

[will vine]

Billy Swan did a great cover of "Don't Be Cruel" too.

Well.......I doubt you'd find a slower version anyway.

[Hugh Weldon]

Jamie Renton wrote:

I remember the version of 'Crawfish' you're talking about. I'm pretty sure it was Stan Campbell (I wonder whatever happened to him?)

We had a temp working with this summer who told us that her mum told her that Uncle Stan used to be in a band called the Specials and they were once really famous, but she hadn't heard any of their music herself. Which immediately made me feel ancient. Apparently Stan had fallen on hard times and had done a spell in jail, but was now out and getting himself together.

[Adam Blake]

Stan Freberg did an epic cover of "Heartbreak Hotel" for echo chamber and ripped jeans lovers everywhere...

[Dayna]

A long time ago, I can remember hearing an Italian song. I think it was O Solo Mio.
It's Now Or Never kind of has a similar tune to it. Does it?

[Gordon Neill]

Yes, 'Now Or Never' was a conscious lift from the Italian song 'O Sole Mio', which was written at the end of the 19th century. An English lyric version was sung by Tony Martin in the late 40s (called 'There's No Tomorrow'). The story is that it was this song that Elvis heard while defending Germany from the Red Menace and then got new lyrics added.

[Charlie]

Best Cover of a Song Associated with Elvis Presley

To avoid confusion, Jamie, can we tighten this up to be 'Best cover of a song first recorded by Elvis'?

It's a very interesting question, because I can't think of any that actually improve on Elvis.

Your Chaka Demus suggestion is a good idea - the most likely source of the answer will be either reggae or hip hop - there was a good version of All Shook Up, the name of whose singer will come back to me....

There are plenty of cases where I prefer the originals of the songs he covered - Hound Dog, Reconsider Babay, One Night, etc - even though his version were often great too.

I don't think the Beatles, the Stones or Dylan covered an Elvis original, did they?

[will vine]

there was a good version of All Shook Up, the name of whose singer will come back to me....

Wasn't Spoony G was it? I remember hearing this great bit of Elvis reggae only once, many years ago.....made a note of the name, which has stuck with me ever since...never tracked it down or heard it since. If I do ever hear it again I'll probably be hugely disappointed, as is the way of these things.

[Adam Blake]

I don't think the Beatles, the Stones or Dylan covered an Elvis original, did they?

The Beatles did a cover of Ray Charles's "I Got A Woman" following Elvis's 1956 arrangement, also "That's Alright Mama", both for the BBC. But they're neither of them in the same ballpark as the King's.

[NormanD]

I don't think the Beatles, the Stones or Dylan covered an Elvis original, did they?

Dylan butchered a few in his time. Blue Moon, on "Self Portrait" (arguably not an Elvis original, but I don't think The Zimm had The Marcels' version in mind when he recorded it). He also covered Can't Help Falling In Love and A Fool Such As I on the "Dylan" album. These should be quickly passed over (topical reference there) as this topic concerns Best Covers rather than Low Points In A Major Artist's Recording Career.

[Charlie]

Wasn't Spoony G was it?

Yes, indeed it was, thanks, Will - you've saved me a long trawl through my alphabetically filed 45s.

Trouble is, even if it sounds as good as we hope it sitll does, I don't have a radio slot where that is easily going to fit. On the one hand, this is not obviously a world music type of record and on the other, it's vinyl, which isn't easy to play at Radio 3 anymore.

If I do manage to fit it in somehow, some day, I hope you will give a quiet round of applause.

[Charlie]

The Beatles did a cover of Ray Charles's "I Got A Woman" following Elvis's 1956 arrangement, also "That's Alright Mama", both for the BBC. But they're neither of them in the same ballpark as the King's.

They don't count, Adam, nor do Blue Moon or the others that Dylan butchered, all first done by somebody else before Elvis. I'm talking about Elvis originals.

[Adam Blake]

They don't count, Adam, nor do Blue Moon or the others that Dylan butchered, all first done by somebody else before Elvis. I'm talking about Elvis originals.

Fair do's. How about "Polk Salad Annie" by Tony Joe White? I don't know if Elvis's came out first but there wasn't much in it and Tony Joe claims author's perks with his version by almost out-Elvising Elvis. (I wonder if they ever met. They had such a lot in common they might have hated each other at first sight!)