Photo Credit: Endz0
Musical acts have been recording cover songs for about 100 years now. A century ago, it wasn’t uncommon at all for record labels to record versions of songs covered by a slew of different artists.
Over time, record labels stopped this practice for the most part. But there have still been a whole lot of rock covers that have been released over the years. Today, we’re going to talk about some of the best rock covers ever. Many of these songs would also be included on lists of the best cover songs period.
Continue reading to check out four of the best cover songs in the rock genre.
1. Jimi Hendrix’s Cover of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower”
It’s difficult to say which of the best rock covers is truly the best of the bunch. But this one would have to be up there!
Jimi Hendrix did such a great job putting his stamp on this song that it actually forced Bob Dylan to change the way he played it live. Still, Dylan was nothing but complimentary of Hendrix when asked about this cover after it was recorded.
2. Joe Cocker’s Cover of The Beatles’ “With a Little Help From My Friends”
You might know this song as the theme for the hit TV show, The Wonder Years. But it’s worth noting that it’s also one of the very best rock covers.
If you ever need to hire a tribute band, you might want to see what they’re all about by asking them to play a song like this. They might not be able to capture the same magic that Cocker did. But if they come anywhere close to doing it, you’ll know that you can hire them to do a great job for you.
3. Nirvana’s Cover of David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold the World”
Before Kurt Cobain and Nirvana recorded this cover, most people weren’t all that familiar with the early David Bowie hit. Nirvana really helped put it on the map and turned it into something that their fans would love.
It also took on a whole new meaning following Cobain’s suicide. Many people saw it as Cobain’s attempt to sum up his legacy to some degree.
4. Johnny Cash’s Cover of Trent Reznor’s “Hurt”
It’s pretty rare to see legendary musical acts record tribute songs written by artists who showed up on the scene long after they did. But that’s exactly what Johnny Cash did here with Trent Reznor’s “Hurt.”
Reznor said the song gave him goosebumps the first time he heard it. He also said he was very honored to have Cash cover one of his songs prior to his death in the early 2000s.
These Are Just Some of the Best Rock Covers Ever Recorded
We could put together a list of 100 of the best rock covers and barely scratch the surface. There are so many great cover songs that have been recorded.
You should give each of these a spin and then go look for more covers performed by the best tribute bands. It’ll be fun to hear all the musical acts that have attempted to put their own twists on classic tunes.
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