In the middle of reviewing the top ten songs from Feb 7, 1987, which includes the Georgia Satellites at #7, Jason Hare offers us a list:
Artists I’d Like To Hear Cover “Keep Your Hands to Yourself”:
Andrea Bocelli
Barbra Streisand
Anita Baker
Smokey Robinson
Tom Waits
Beverly Sills
Glass Tiger
Maybe it’s the cold pills talking, but I find this inordinately amusing. And, of course, the obvious question is who else should be on the list? The Old 97’s are probably too obvious. The Afghan Whigs/ Twilight Singers/ Greg Dulli are my default “Who should cover this song?” artist, because I’m always curious to see how he’ll make the song sound menacing.
This could be the basis for an ear-bleedingly awful episode of “American Idol”…
Gary Glitter
Michael Jackson
‘Cause I like to hear people squirm while singing.
Mind you, if it was all about “who could do a really awesome cover” rather than “Wow, was that inappropriate!”, I’d have to nominate the Hindu Love Gods. (Basically REM with Warren Zevon singing.)
Second Hindu Love Gods, or Zevon with David Lindley.
Also Drive By Truckers, Todd Snider, Steve Earle
Pat Boone, it would complement his metal covers album (it does exist….)
as far as possibly hilarity inducing……
Anne Murray
The Three Tenors
Donny and Marie
any boy band (but thats true with any song…)
Tom Jones
William Shatner
Chuck Norris
a Christian Rock Band
Metallica
Seeing Smokey Robinson on the original list immediately prompted the free association response of The English Beat.
I think Jason was going for snark there. Nothing wrong with imagining a Zevon cover, but he actually would have done a good job.
More in the spirit of Jason’s list:
Placido Domingo
Paolo Conte
Harry Belafonte
any male hip-hop artist
Ozzy Osbourne
Alan Parsons Project
Aretha Franklin
Peter Schickele (as either himself or his “P.D.Q. Bach” alter ego)
Mike Huckabee.
Likely to be good and/or interesting:
Robbie Fulks
Cory Branan
Not so much:
Husker Du
k.d. lang
Ralph’s World
Absolutely must happen:
Cornershop