Covering the Beatles

We all know what The Beatles did for music. We all know how they're one of those bands that not everyone can do their songs justice. Sure, anyone can cover a Beatles song...but that doesn't mean that it should be done.

To cover a Beatles song and do it justice, I think you have to do 2 things. 1) You have to be a Beatles fan (2) You have to know what the hell you are doing. Rookies like myself have played Beatles' songs in front of family and friends in coffee houses - and that's okay. Groups coming up and trying to get the crowd into their show - What better way to grab the crowd's attention than to use a Beatles song? But when you're a group that has "made it," and you're doing a show, you best know that you covering a Beatles song means something different. Bands that play a Beatles' song will either fail miserably; pissing people off indefinitely...Do a fairly good job and people will say "That was okay." ...or you will kick the song's ass and people will leave saying "That was awesome...but it won't touch the original."

It needs to be accepted that Beatles songs cannot be topped, however that doesn't mean that the songs shouldn't be covered. I mean, the Beatles covered songs and made them their own. The trick is, is to understand why the Beatles' songs are what they are. If you can do that, then I think you'll be okay.

Here are some videos of bands covering songs by The Beatles. Yes, one is a Lennon cover from the upcoming Instant Karma Album (benefiting Darfar, Sudan), two are from a BBC The Beatles special, one from the concert for 9/11, and the other are live show moments that I think truly capture what made The Beatles who they were and why their songs will continue to be played by all forms of artists until there is no more music. Enjoy.

U2 - performing "Helter Skelter" - 1988 Rattle & Hum documentary


Green Day - performing "Working Class Hero" (Lennon) - Darfur Sudan


Neil Young - performing "Imagine" - A Tribute to Heroes 9/11


Pearl Jam - performing "I've Got a Feelilng" - Rotterdam 1992 **warning** Naked guitarist!


Stereophonics - performing "Sgt.Pepper's [Reprise]" - BBC Special


John Butler Tri0 - performing "Come Together"


Dave Matthews - performing "In My Life" - Tribute to John Lennon


Ray Charles - performing "Yesterday" - 1973 Documentary


Fiona Apple - performing "Across the Universe" - soundtrack for Pleasantville


As always, feel free to leave a comment.

AOL Music Sessions

I think it can be said that Mtv doesn't really have a pull on music like they used to have. When you think of new music now, you think of Ipods, Itunes, torrents, and online sessions. No longer does Mtv celebrate the music that is not only new, but unique. More specifically, Mtv Unplugged has truly lost what it once had. I can remember when a new episode of Unplugged was going to be shown, I would be glued to the television. Sessions like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Clapton, Dylan, REM, 10,000 Maniacs, Neil Young and many others of the earlier shows redefined not only how music is viewed, but how the artists were truly gifted, talented, and could do more than just an album version of a record. The stripped-to-the-core Unplugged versions were works of art on their own.

Mtv has lost this magic I think, but I think that there is another company that has picked it up. AOL seems to realize what type of music is out there and also realizes how important it is to get it out to the masses. The AOL sessions have been quite unique in that they are broadcast online, rather than on television. I believe the only session to be shown on TV was the Coldplay session. Now, if Mtv is in with AOL, then the first part of this post can be deleted and commented on as me being misinformed, but I don't feel like doing a bunch of research.

I want to show you some videos. The AOL sessions have grasped on to what Mtv Unplugged no longer has; bands that are artistic, different, unique, and can play some great music. (Though you may not like every artist they have on there...) The following videos are of Bright Eyes, Coldplay, Pearl Jam, The Fray, & Keane...











If you want to check out more, click here for a YouTube search, or go to AOL Sessions to check out some new stuff.