Tune du Jour: “Working Class Hero” – John Lennon
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes: Manic Street Preachers vs. Marilyn Manson vs. Screaming Trees
Everybody’s Dressin’ Funny … Cover Me Impressed!
Read it in Sunday Papers …
Tough manhunt … German police began searching for a drunken reveler who smashed another reveler over the head with a beer stein at an Oktoberfest celebration. They described the perpetrator as having “blond hair and pale skin, and wearing lederhosen.”
The Original
John Lennon:
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
Manic Street Preachers vs. Marilyn Manson vs. Screaming Trees
Manic Street Preachers:
Marilyn Manson:
Screaming Trees:
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. It is your solemn responsibility to decide which cover song prevails. In other words … Which Side Are You On?!!?
cover me impressed 
Great song. This was an easy one for me. I expected to like The Screaming Trees the best and it was no contest. They are my favorite group to emerge from the Pacific Northwest late 80s-early 90s barrage of bands. I love Mark Lanegan’s vocals as a Tree, solo, his collaborations with Isobel Campbell (former Belle & Sebastian) and his contributions to Queens Of The Stone Age.
I bought one manic Street Preachers disc years ago after reading much hype and was very disappointed. I haven’t listened to them since but I know they are very popular in the U.K. I thought their rendition was decent but no threat to win.
I wouldn’t have recognized this as Marilyn Manson but I have never listened to his music by choice. Only when it has been in a film or on television. He surprisingly did it straight. I might have expected sound effects, distortion or mechanical noise.
I’m in agreement with Pete here. The Manic Street Preachers did a hopped-up, surprisingly passionate version, I will say. Marilyn Manson surprised me with a pretty straightforward version, and I kinda liked his gravelly voice. But Screaming Trees did the nicest version overall. Great vocals, nice harmonizing, kinda hypnotic and drone-y. Excellent.
Marilyn was my favorite going in, but after listening to all three, Screaming Trees got my vote.
The Manic Street Preachers’ spirited version very nearly stole my vote. As everybody has noted Marilyn Manson produced a surprisingly good (i.e. normal) rendition. And since I like his Absinthe (Switzerland’s “Mansinthe”) he almost got my vote. But I am in agreement with all thus far; the Screaming Trees nailed it.