"Bad artists copy. Great artists steal."
- Pablo Picasso

That adage goes double for music.

In my eyes (ears?), any artist or band who seeks to remake a previous work of another artist/band should do two things:
1.) Take a preexisting tune and adhere strictly, nearly religiously strict to the feel and emotion of the original work, down to the most minute detail, and
2.) Do not merely copy, make it your own.
This is a very difficult line to straddle, as it means outright theft of a song and putting so much aftermarket stuff on it that it stands on its own as an original piece, or at least as strongly as an original piece would if it were an original recording. Many people cover great songs, and a majority of them fail in my eyes.

This entry is about those who didn't fail in the least.


- EVERYDAY LEGEND IS LOST UNDER THE COVERS -


Lazlo Bane - Overkill

This song was originally done by Men At Work, an Austrailian outfit most popular for their songs "Who Can It Be Now?" and "Down Under." Lazlo Bane is best known for their song "Superman," the theme from Scrubs.

Talking Heads - Take Me To The River

This is one of the best covers I have ever heard. Hands down. David Byrne is called a genius for a fucking reason.

Van Halen - Pretty Woman

This is a live version, because finding the video on YouTube outright sucks. However, these guys were in their damn prime in this recording, and it shows.


Deadsy - Tom Sawyer

Not a big Deadsy fan. But this cover did it RIGHT.


Disturbed - Land Of Confusion

Not a big fan of Disturbed, either. Too many instances of "rah" and "ah." In fact, I know of two covers they've done, and this is the only one that I'd say they really succeeded with.


Alien Ant Farm - Smooth Criminal

Say what you will about this choice, but the fact remains: they did a damn good job of translating a Michael Jackson pop song to modern rock sensibilities. Any arguments are therefore rendered null and void. So there.


Ben Folds - Bitches Ain't Shit

It's a shame that the last time I saw him live, he wouldn't play this song. A lot of people asked for it. The live video here proves why.

The (English) Beat - Tears Of A Clown

Wow. Amazing cover of a soul classic by Smokey Robinson, done by a group highly regarded os one of the originators of ska as we know it today.

So, that's all for now. If I get a second shot at it, then I'll drop some other covers here for you all.
Smother all 'yall in them shits. Yeuh.
- EL

Coming up:
Th: Everyday Legend Tours the Japanese Bomb Factory
Fr: Everyday Legend Thinks Videogame Music Counts As Actual Music