BSIDERIFF’S DOZEN +1 OF UNEXPECTED ALTERNATIVE COVERS

Massachusetts’s own Dinosaur Jr. recorded their version of Just Like Heaven for a compilation album, but liked it so much they kept it to themselves and released it as a single without the support of an album. Their grunge cover of Cure’s “Just Like Heaven” is one of greatest covers of alternative music.

Dinosaur Jr – Just Like Heaven (Cure)

Father John Misty paid tribute to fellow Seattleites Nirvana with his take on “Heart-Shaped Box.” With only an acoustic guitar as accompaniment, the folk rocker’s take on the grunge classic is reminiscent of the tracks he used to record under the moniker J. Tillman. But BSIDERIFF.COM couldn’t avoid to share with you his full band powerfull live performance at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee.

Father John Misty cover – “Heart-Shaped Box (Nirvana)

Kurt Cobain succeeded without even seeking it, having an anti-star behavior and always remaining authentic to write his name in capital letters next to it to the rest of the accursed Rock Legends, being the last of her greats alternative Rock that time has failed to wear down creatively.For the few skeptics, the shocking answer came with MTV Unplugged, where his performance in The Man Who Sold the World overshadowed even his own David Bowie.

Nirvana – The Man Who Sold The World (David Bowie)

The first big hit of Marilyn Manson and the song that the band managed to introduce to big audiance. With the noisy powerfull quitar enchords and the qrotesque performance of Manson won the impressions from the first view.
Marilyn Manson – Sweet Dreams ( Eurythmics)

In 1998 Depeche Mode chose the German industrial, punk metal band RAMMSTEIN, known for their provocative stage presence and video clips, to cover “Stripped” on the tribute album “For the Masses”, in his first attempt at English vocals, possibly delivering best cover of a Depeche Mode song ever.
The cover excited Depeche Mode, the single climbed to number 14 in Germany, and was also played by MTV for a week, as this wide-ranging show provoked a storm of reactions, making it one of the most controversial video clips ever made.(http://bsideriff.com/2020/07/provocative-songs-rammstein-stripped-2/)

Rammstein – Stripped (Depeche Mode)

A track that appeared on the 1994 album If I Were A Carpenter — an homage album of Carpenters covers recorded by various popular artists at the time. Sonic Youth, turn the song into the creepy tale of a stalker as we got Thurston Moore‘s barely there vocals which, accompanied by the band’s electronic distortions, are so heart-breakingly fragile and sad.

Sonic Youth – Superstar (Carpenters)

Don’t bother to find the best rock cover by a Greek band. The answer is definatly THE LAST DRIVE. Their blues-garage approach to Bob Dylan’s “It’s all over now babe blue” is staggering..
The Last Drive -It’s all over now babe blue (Bob Dylan)

The Raveonettes dared to cover the best song of the best album that ever released on the UK and they were right.They gave to the “I Wanna Be Adored” a shoegaze touch and made it darker. A brave and succesfull effort!
The Raveonettes – I Wanna Be Adored (The Stoneroses)

Moby or Girls Against Boys, Moby or Girls Against Boys, Moby or Girls Against Boys? Finally the best cover of JOY DIVISION’S tribute LP “A MEANS TO AN END”,belongs to the amazing, groovy, powerfull band from Washigton D.C. Girls Against Boys prefered to play the song “She Lost Control” without synths and with the three bass quitar led the song to the limits of grunge.
Girls Against Boys – She’s Lost Control (JOY DIVISION)

“I’d known where I was when I wrote it. I know what I was thinking about. I know how I felt. Hearing it was like someone kissing your girlfriend. It felt invasive”. Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor has spoken about hearing Johnny Cash’s spellbinding cover of Hurt for the first time.
Johnny Cash – Hurt (Nine Inch Nails)

Sexy, trippy, dreamy, intoxicating, seductive, full of rhythm, Primal Scream’s cover of Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra’s old hit “Some Velvet Morning”, with a little help of top model Kate Moss of course…
Primal Scream, Kate Moss – Some Velvet Morning (Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra)

A prophetic cover? Manic Street Preachers with Richey Edwards still at group released a cover version of “Suicide Is Painless” on September 7 1992, as “Theme from M.A.S.H. (Suicide Is Painless)”. In the UK it was a double A-side charity single to help The Spastics Society.
Manic Street Preachers – Suicide Is Painless (Theme from M*A*S*H)

Paradise Lost is a band that is allowed to change genres. The most brave heavy metal band dared to include Bronski Beat’s great hit “Small Town Boy” to their LP “Symbol Of Life”, winning the impressions.
Paradise Lost – Small Town Boy (Bronski Beat)