Favorite Buffett covers

[sabresparrothead]

I'm sure there's a thread on this somewhere, but I can't seem to find one.

Was wondering what others' favorite covers were. I know some people hate the covers in general, some like them, whatever. Regardless of that fact, which covers do you like best, and, I suppose, least?

There's some covers that I actually enjoy more than the originals. I enjoy Jimmy's version of Mexico (James Taylor) and Scarlet Begonias (Grateful Dead) better than the originals. Actually, all the covers on License to Chill were very well done. Trip Around The Sun and Back To The Island were simply spectacular.

I've always enjoyed Southern Cross more when Jimmy sings it than CSN, I wish he would have done a studio version of it.

Never was a particular fan of the cover of Brown Eyed Girl. I know it's a popular one, but I'd much rather hear Van Morrison's original. I could really do without it. Didn't particularly care for the cover of Everybody's Talkin' on MMOM either. Defying Gravity wasn't good at all...then again it wasn't a good song to start with in my opinion.

[sonofabeach]

Great Heart

[HurricaneSeason]

I've always loved Defying Gravity, Banana Republics, Why You Wanna Hurt My Heart, Spider John, The Last Line, Coast Of Marseilles, Stories We Could Tell, Whoop De Doo, Pacing The Cage and quite a few others. Back in the 70s and 80s he'd do one or two every now and then. Now he does a lot more of them. Overall, some of them are fantastic like Back To The Island, Window On The World, L'air De La Louisiane, Sunny Afternoon, Hey Good Lookin', some that are just average like Bama Breeze or Blue Guitar or She's Got You and some that are just blandly bad like Silver Wings, for one.

That's why there's the skip button!

[Salukulady]

Mexico.....when he had the horns. Made me cry with joy in Vegas 2005. A very special song for me.

[Quint]

Purple Rain. I think that was at Orlando 2004. I could be wrong on the year. They all kind of mesh together. He did not do the song in it's entirety. It was mixed with WDWGDAS. Still was cool to hear Jimmy do something really unexpected. The last place I ever thought I would hear a cover of His Purpleness would be at a Jimmy show ... until that day.

[looking4OPH]

Banana Republics
Southern Cross
Brown Eyed Girl
Werewolves In London

[pair8head]

Everybody's talking at me.
I don't hear a word they're saying,
Only the echoes of my mind.
People stopping staring,
I can't see their faces,
Only the shadows of their eyes.

I'm going where the sun keeps shining
Thru' the pouring rain,
Going where the weather suits my clothes,
Banking off of the North East wind,
Sailing on summer breeze
And skipping over the ocean like a stone.

I'm going where the sun keeps shining
Thru' the pouring rain,
Going where the weather suits my clothes,
Banking off of the North East wind,
Sailing on summer breeze
And skipping over the ocean like a stone

Everybody's talking at me,
I don't hear a word their saying.
I won't let you leave my love behind.
ooohh aww, ooohh aww
No, I won't let you leave my love behind.

Hands down, my favorite cover.

[VanillaGrl]

Love his cover of Dukes on Sunday
And more recently - Rhumba Man... Love it!

[FarsideCobbPH]

I thought ."Why you wanna hurt my heart" was an original?

[spartan1979]

Boats to Build
Uncle John's Band

[LIPH]

I used to like Southern Cross but he can't hit the notes anymore. It's become painful to listen to. When I heard him do Trippin' Billies I had a "WTF" moment. That's just a horrid song. Horizon Has Been Defeated is another one that sux donkey units. Glory Days isn't my favorite Springsteen song but Buffett's version is even worse. Van Morrison has said he doesn't like to do Brown Eyed Girl because he has 300 songs that are better. Jimmy should take that hint. Scarlet Begonias is another one I don't like. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 just reeked.

I'm probably in the minority, but I liked Yellow Submarine. I don't know if it would work on a CD but it's a fun song to see the band do live. I also like Nobody From Nowhere but I saw Will Kimbrough do it and I like his version better. Duke's On Sunday is a great song. Can't go wrong with The Ballad Of Spider John. He did Blowin' In The Wind at the Newport Folk Festival last year and I liked that. I thought the harmonies were great when they did In My Room 2 years ago. Of the JT covers, I like Lighthouse better than Mexico. I was never a fan of Talking Heads but I liked Once In A Lifetime.

[changingchannels]

The Perfect Partner
Why You Wanna Hurt My Heart?
Wonderin' Where the Lions Are
Pacing the Cage
Dukes on Sunday
Nothin' But A Breeze
Mexico
Everybody's Talkin'
Lighthouse
Great Heart
Savannah Fare You Well
Mademoiselle Voulez Vous Dancer

[SeattleParrotHead]

I've always liked this cover . . .

[HD18JBGuy]

In no particular order:

City of New Orleans (probably my favorite)
Coast of Marseilles
Stories We Could Tell
Defying Gravity
Big Ol' Goofy World
Southern Cross (pre-2002)
Coast Confessions
Rocky Raccoon
Great Heart
Banana Republics
This Hotel Room
Paradise

[Bwana Paul]

I think the consumate Buffett cover is "Lovely Cruise." I have always wanted to hear the story behind the writer. Not much is known about him.

PS-- Why You Wanna Hurt My Heart is a Neville Brothers song.

[sonofabeach]

now if a song is written but not recorded until Jimmy did it it's not considered a cover right?

[FarsideCobbPH]

TECHNICALLY WDWGDAS is a cover because "Marvin Gardesn", is listed as the writewr!

[Karacal]

Rhumba Man!!!!!!!

[HurricaneSeason]

It's only an original for the person who wrote it. If someone else records it first, that is the original recording. Regardless, it's still a cover ie not written by the recording artist.

Why You Wanna Hurt My Heart was written by Art Neville.

And yeah, Lovely Cruise is an excellent cover.

[Bicycle Bill]

It's only an original for the person who wrote it. If someone else records it first, that is the original recording. Regardless, it's still a cover ie not written by the recording artist.

If you follow that line of thinking, then anything that, let's say, Sinatra did is a cover. Kate Smith 'covered' "God Bless America" (written by Irving Berlin). And Meat Loaf's biggest hits, all written by Jim Steinman, are therefore covers.....

Fact of the matter is, up until the 1960s hardly any performers wrote their own material. There were some, sure, but they were few and far between.

My opinion on the matter is that the first release of the song by a performer, even if he/she didn't write it, is the original. Any other releases by any other artist, even if the following artist has a bigger hit with it, is a 'cover'. Example: "Blue Suede Shoes" by Carl Perkins (released in 1955); covered by Elvis — on orders from his recording label, RCA — the following year.

-"BB"-