Neil’s Top 60 Cover Versions
This one is big – so big that we have decided to let Neil select his 60 – that’s right, 60 – best cover versions. Songs that were previously released by another band or artist, given a second (or third!) life by someone else. In part it’s the quality of the song, but mostly it’s the performance that gives these songs their place in the list.
How many of these would you include in your list?
- You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling – Long John Baldry (with Kathi Macdonald)
- I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself – Marcia Hines
- Jealous Guy – Roxy Music
- Dear Prudence – Doug Parkinson
- Crying – Don McLean
- The Sound Of Silence – Disturbed
- A Song Of Joy – Miguel Rios
- The Wonder Of You – Elvis Presley
- Over The Rainbow – Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs
- Living Next Door To Alice – Smokie
- Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds – Elton John
- Superstar – Colleen Hewett
- Hooked On A Feeling – Blue Swede
- Fire And Rain – Marcia Hines
- The Great Pretender – Freddie Mercury
- All Along The Watchtower – Jimi Hendrix
- A Groovy Kind Of Love – Phil Collins
- Turn The Page – Jon English
- You’re My World – Daryl Braithwaite
- Blue Bayou – Linda Ronstadt
- I Got You Babe – UB40 & Chrissie Hynde
- One – Johnny Farnham
- Knock Knock Who’s There – Liv Maessen
- Venus – Bananarama
- Yellow River – Jigsaw
- California Girls – David Lee Roth
- Funky Town – Pseudo Echo
- Just A Gigilo / I Ain’t Got Nobody – David Lee Roth
- Don’t Be Cruel – Cheap Trick
- Somethin’ Stupid – Robbie Williams & Nicole Kidman
- When You Walk In The Room – Paul Carrack
- Angel Of The Morning – Juice Newton
- Eleanor Rigby – Zoot
- Macarthur Park – Donna Summer
- Breaking Up Is hard To Do – The Partridge Family
- Cherish – David Cassidy
- With A Little Help From My Friends – Joe Cocker
- You’re Sixteen, You’re Beautiful and You’re Mine – Ringo Starr
- Cry – Lisa Edwards
- We’ve Got Tonight – Kenny Rogers & Sheena Easton
- Don’t Leave Me This Way – The Communards
- In The Summertime – The Mixtures
- He’s Gonna Step On You Again – Party Boys
- Help – John Farnham
- I Only Want To Be With You – The Tourists
- Suspicious Minds – Fine Young Cannibals
- Ti Amo – Laura Branigan
- Hazy Shade Of Winter – The bangles
- Little Sister – Ry Cooder
- Hole In My Shoe – Nigel Planer (as Neil)
- On Broadway – George Benson
- True Love Ways – Peter and Gordon
- Woodstock – Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
- (Just Like) Romeo & Juliet – Mental As Anything
- Concrete And Clay – Martin Plaza
- You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me – Elvis Presley
- Love Is All Around – Wet Wet Wet
- Nowhere Man – Sherbet
- Nothing Compares 2 U – Sinead O’Connor
- Hey Paula – Ernie Sigley & Denise Drysdale
The next 10 cabs off the rank if we had taken it to number 70 – in chronological order:
- Que Sera Sera – Normie Rowe – 1965
- If Not For You – Olivia Newton-John – 1971
- Please Mr Postman – The Carpenters – 1975
- Black Is Black – La Belle Epoque – 1978
- Love You More Than I Can Say – Leo Sayer – 1980
- You Can’t Hurry love – Phil Collins – 1983
- Always Something There To Remind Me – Naked Eyes – 1983
- The Horses – Daryl Braithwaite – 1991
- American Pie – Madonna – 2000
- Big Yellow Taxi – Counting Crows – 2003