Prince covers

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Inspired by Chaki's thread. What are the best Prince covers not counting outside productions/writings he didn't record himself--we want stuff to contrast w/originals.

― M Matos (M Matos), Tuesday, 20 August 2002 15:10 (twenty-three years ago)

Stuff already said on Chaki's thread:
Big Daddy's "Purple Rain"
Peaches' "Sexy Dancer"
The Gear Daddies' "Little Red Corvette"
Cyndi Lauper's "When You Were Mine"
Eels' "If I Was Your Girlfriend"
Arto Lindsay's "Erotic City"

What are the best trax off the Dump tribute?

Oh, and no remixes either. Sorry.

― M Matos (M Matos), Tuesday, 20 August 2002 15:15 (twenty-three years ago)

Space Cowboy-I Would Die 4 U.

― Ronan (Ronan), Tuesday, 20 August 2002 15:52 (twenty-three years ago)

My favorite track on the Dump tribute is The Beautiful Ones.

― dan (dan), Tuesday, 20 August 2002 17:25 (twenty-three years ago)

Is the dump tribute that album that got trashed by Pitchfork? Coz there's THAT Prince cover comp...

― JM, Tuesday, 20 August 2002 19:04 (twenty-three years ago)

heres my cover oh when u were mine !!!!!!!

― chaki (chaki), Tuesday, 20 August 2002 19:18 (twenty-three years ago)

Ronan's pick obv means: stay off drugs. heh.

― nathalie (nathalie), Tuesday, 20 August 2002 19:49 (twenty-three years ago)

Age of Chance - Kiss
Scotty - Thieves In The Temple
TLC - If I Was Your Girlfriend
Waterboys - Purple Rain

Actually, the TLC and Scotty ones are far better than the other two.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Tuesday, 20 August 2002 19:50 (twenty-three years ago)

Best thing on the Dump disc is "When U Were Mine," I think. Very discount-Spectorian.

I cherish the memory of having seen Ida cover all of _Dirty Mind_ live (at a Halloween or New Year's show, I forget which).

― Douglas, Tuesday, 20 August 2002 20:14 (twenty-three years ago)

the Mary Chain did 'Alphabet Street' (my fave Prince party track) - i still cant work out if its great or shite

Blue States did it too - a nice easy version

― blueski, Tuesday, 20 August 2002 20:54 (twenty-three years ago)

MC Hammer "She's Soft and Wet"

― Mary (Mary), Tuesday, 20 August 2002 21:05 (twenty-three years ago)

I heard a recent cover of "How Come You Don't Call Me Anymore" on the radio at Chapters. Who is it?

― James Annett, Tuesday, 20 August 2002 22:33 (twenty-three years ago)

three come to mind, two by australian bands. 'gett off' by kiss my poodles donkey, delivered in faux-sexy sepulchral voice by chris townend - funny stuff. 'the cross' by died pretty, a great australian band with a touch of the velvets in them who've been at it for close to 20 years but are playing their final show in sydney next month (sob). my favourite would have to be hindu love gods' take on raspberry beret, which bristles with an energy i think the original lacks.

― angelo (angelo), Tuesday, 20 August 2002 23:30 (twenty-three years ago)

"how come you dont call em" on the radio right now is alicia keys. and try "shes always in my hair" by d'angelo on the nusoul tip.

― chaki (chaki), Tuesday, 20 August 2002 23:36 (twenty-three years ago)

what does anyone think of Patti Smiths- When Doves Cry, if anyones heard it of course. I think its good (though in the words of the man from catchphrase, who's name escapes me) its good but its not the one. But still very good

― chrisb (chrisb), Wednesday, 21 August 2002 01:13 (twenty-three years ago)

one year passes...

I kind of love Paula Abdul's version of "U"
I kind of don't like that much Foo Fighters' version of "Darlin' Nikki"

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Thursday, 11 December 2003 04:14 (twenty-two years ago)

I can't believe I get to be the first one to mention Ween! Talk about contrast.

― dlp9001, Thursday, 11 December 2003 04:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Quindon Tarver's cover of "When Doves Cry" is great, gospel with a boys choir and house beats.

― BrianB (BrianB), Thursday, 11 December 2003 06:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Easily the industrial set from 1987 or 1988..

Pankow "Girls and Boys"
Pig "Never For Fun" (which was basically "If I Was Your Girlfriend")

― donut bitch (donut), Thursday, 11 December 2003 09:03 (twenty-two years ago)

Never mind NO MENTION of Chaka Kahn's cover of "I Feel For You"

― donut bitch (donut), Thursday, 11 December 2003 09:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Stina Nordenstam did 'Purple Rain' on her album of cover versions, People Are Strange. That whole CD is well worth hearing. Lo-fi Nordic mumbling w/ fumbly beats backed by a distinctly hi-fi string quartet. It's not demonstrative like Prince's original; instead it's been weirdly internalized - it sounds like the thoughts of someone being suffocated in their sleep.

― NickB (NickB), Thursday, 11 December 2003 09:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Soulwax covered 'Pop Life'. On a MIDI guitar. Although I don't think this is quite what you're looking for.

― person#0 (person#0), Thursday, 11 December 2003 09:45 (twenty-two years ago)

(and then those Gary Numan covers of "1999" and "U Got The Look")

― donut bitch (donut), Thursday, 11 December 2003 18:42 (twenty-two years ago)

(oh, shit, BEST covers, never mind my last message. scratch it, pliz)

― donut bitch (donut), Thursday, 11 December 2003 18:42 (twenty-two years ago)

White Hassle's "Darling Nikki" is pretty good.

― Huckleberry Mann (Horace Mann), Thursday, 11 December 2003 18:43 (twenty-two years ago)

OK then... "I Feel For You". taking sides: Prince vs. Chaka Khan cover.

I'm edging slightly towards the original here, just because it is inherently such a great song, the verses, the choruses, just hit so many moving chords, and is just a class act warm r&b pop hit.

However, the Chaka Khan cover introduces all those early hip-hop/breakdancing bells & whistles that make it more memorable.. the harsh intro beat, the little rap about Chaka Khan at the intro, which is classic. The breaks, beat stops, and all other rhythmic weirdnesses. Stevie Wonder on harmonica. And the bizarre bridge where the Chaka Khan rap comes back. And aren't those Jackson 5 samples in the bridge too? This is probably the best attempt to make a cover seem like an original in the 80s. So much more gets introduced to the song, yet the basic tune is practically unaltered, at least to the point where you could hear the Prince original and go "oh, so THAT was a cover?".

― donut bitch (donut), Thursday, 11 December 2003 18:48 (twenty-two years ago)

yeah, i gotta go with chaka khan's version over prince, pretty easily actually

― cinniblount (James Blount), Thursday, 11 December 2003 19:10 (twenty-two years ago)

oh yeah, the Chaka cover was positively epoch defining. The rapping was a stroke of genius, people couldn't get over it ... One of those moments up there with Grandmaster D.St at the Grammys and Stevie Wonder's sampler on the Cosby Show!

― Broheems (diamond), Thursday, 11 December 2003 19:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Grandmixer D.St

― Broheems (diamond), Thursday, 11 December 2003 19:15 (twenty-two years ago)

I still have my original pic sleeve 45 around here somewhere. One of my favoritist singles ever ever ever..

― Broheems (diamond), Thursday, 11 December 2003 19:15 (twenty-two years ago)

not to mention the opening rap was by none other than Melle Mel

― M Matos (M Matos), Thursday, 11 December 2003 20:33 (twenty-two years ago)

I'd love to hear a soft just-piano cover of "I Feel For You".

― donut bitch (donut), Thursday, 11 December 2003 22:42 (twenty-two years ago)

i'm not the only one who prefers sinead's 'nothing compares 2 u' above all others am i?

― cinniblount (James Blount), Thursday, 11 December 2003 22:43 (twenty-two years ago)

I dunno about above all others but I love love love that one

― M Matos (M Matos), Thursday, 11 December 2003 22:45 (twenty-two years ago)

good lord i'm about to cry remembering my spring break girlfriend that year and this song! whatta sap i am!

― cinniblount (James Blount), Thursday, 11 December 2003 22:46 (twenty-two years ago)

There are THREE in that case.. Sinead vs. The Family vs. Prince FITE!

I think most agree Prince is not a contender here (haha, sadly enough)

Sinead wins this one for me too, cinny. Though I think The Family's version is underappreciated. There was a lot of "oomph!" and emotion and "bigness" added to Sinead's version that just crossed the right threshold, and it did have the slightly unfair advantage of having a killer video to accompany it. (How many people think of Sinead's cover WITHOUT the image of her crying in front of a black backdrop?) The Family's version is more introverted and sparse. The melody is a little weirder, but I'm still very moved by this version, and think it should get more exposure. So it's a very close call here.

(Fucking hell, The Family's self titled album deserves SOME sort of CD reissue, as it's superior to many of Prince's later albums by light years.)

― donut bitch (donut), Thursday, 11 December 2003 23:04 (twenty-two years ago)

what i really like prince's own version of "nothing compares 2 u"!!

i think sinead's is more immediately striking but maybe a bit too stark.

this thread makes me cry because prince is such a seeming irrelevance now, he really was the best wasn't he? sniffle.

― amateur!st (amateurist), Thursday, 11 December 2003 23:45 (twenty-two years ago)

donut bitch just saved me a whole load of pro-Chaka Khan vitriol! StiII, 'I Wanna Be Your Lover' was always the best song I remember off that album, as well as being pretty much untouchable.

― Barima (Barima), Friday, 12 December 2003 00:16 (twenty-two years ago)

My favourite part is the 4-note keyboard line that plays during the later bits. It sounds ruffer when Chaka suddenly cries "Say yeah!" just before it at one point. I love love love the stop-starting and everything Stevie does and the bridge where she goes for the high notes while going "I feeeeel for you while another Chaka goes "Ohhhhhh, I feeeeel for you" and the classic cut-up of "Chakachakachakachakachaka Khan. Chaka Khanchaka Khan" at the start.

I have a cousin named Chaka too, so I could be biased - but not really!

― Barima (Barima), Friday, 12 December 2003 00:24 (twenty-two years ago)

This is also the only cover I'm qualified to talk about entirely in context.

― Barima (Barima), Friday, 12 December 2003 00:24 (twenty-two years ago)

"darling nikki" by apocalypse hoboken

― sean marvin (williamtell), Friday, 12 December 2003 00:26 (twenty-two years ago)

(Thing is, as much as I like the Chaka version of "I Feel For You", I prefer "This is the Night" far more. A lot rougher sounding, more experimentation in the rhythm production, and when she just says "this is my night", you can just imagine her smiling in the midst of this weird sound effect/synth tom/edit madness. The song just kicks more. But this is getting off topic)

― donut bitch (donut), Friday, 12 December 2003 00:27 (twenty-two years ago)

God, that whole album is killer. "This is My Night," "I Feel For You," "My Love is Alive," "Caught in the Act," "Chinatown"... even the MOR should-be-crap ("Through the Fire," "Stronger Than Before") is surprisingly good.

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Friday, 12 December 2003 03:57 (twenty-two years ago)

misty dixon - the beautiful ones (and indeed all of the "if i was prince" album)

life without buildings - pop life

― the surface noise (electricsound), Friday, 12 December 2003 04:02 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, "Love is Alive" is great, too .... and it's a GARY WRIGHT tune!! I think Wright's original wins in that case, though.

― Broheems (diamond), Friday, 12 December 2003 04:08 (twenty-two years ago)

And aren't those Jackson 5 samples in the bridge too?

I think they all come from Stevie's "Fingertips, Part 2" -- or are made to sound as if they do.

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Friday, 12 December 2003 04:32 (twenty-two years ago)

that Misty Dixon cover is awful!

― M Matos (M Matos), Friday, 12 December 2003 08:27 (twenty-two years ago)

You are so wrong Matos it hurts me. The Misty Dixon cover is beautiful.

― nothing aloud kind, Friday, 12 December 2003 09:12 (twenty-two years ago)

better than Mariah's?

― cinniblount (James Blount), Friday, 12 December 2003 09:18 (twenty-two years ago)

nothing tops prince's insane slightly psychotic howl but i think jane weaver and company present it differently. sure, it's indie. but it's also very good.

― nothing aloud kind, Friday, 12 December 2003 09:30 (twenty-two years ago)

i love it a lot

― the surface noise (electricsound), Friday, 12 December 2003 09:45 (twenty-two years ago)

"prince is such a seeming
irrelevance now"
tell that to the Neptunes who have somehow managed to recycle all the purple ones best bits and get all the kudos.
listen to Girls and Boys. completely outshines all neptunes broken funk loops.
have been revisiting the prince back cat recently .. the man was on it and time for him to wake up from his slumber and get it sorted.
it will happen. just a matter of When.
and the only cover i Really like .. well no surprises .. AOC's Kiss. changed my life for many reason. but i think you would guess that by now .
onwardsss.

― mark e (mark e), Friday, 12 December 2003 10:19 (twenty-two years ago)

i mean prince the person is currently a seeming irrelevance, i.e. the music he's making now

― amateur!st (amateurist), Friday, 12 December 2003 10:46 (twenty-two years ago)

once i posted i realised this point. soz. i really want him to get it sorted. he was to fucking good when on form .. is this his Bowie 1980's period ?

― mark e (mark e), Friday, 12 December 2003 10:49 (twenty-two years ago)

no i think its more like his mccartney 80s-90s-00s period

― amateur!st (amateurist), Friday, 12 December 2003 10:52 (twenty-two years ago)

< Rex Records fanboy who still hasn't got the album> Isn't the Peaches cover actually 7 Hurtz feat. Peaches and Bitch Lap?

― Barima (Barima), Friday, 12 December 2003 15:28 (twenty-two years ago)

three years pass...

Meli'sa Morgan - Do Me Baby

― The Brainwasher, Sunday, 11 November 2007 15:45 (eighteen years ago)

Phish's ironic live covers of Purple Rain and 1999 were by no means good, but they sparked my curiosity about Prince for the first time.

― kingkongvsgodzilla, Sunday, 11 November 2007 16:19 (eighteen years ago)

why do ppl think prince is still going to get back on form? i think he does still have it in him but i dont see it happening anymore (especially after waiting so many years). its kinda weird too, cos i dont think anyone expects bowie to start making music as good as low or diamond dogs again...

― titchyschneiderMk2, Sunday, 11 November 2007 18:04 (eighteen years ago)

3121 wasn't bad.

― The Brainwasher, Sunday, 11 November 2007 18:06 (eighteen years ago)

The Missouri Sex Offenders - I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man
Esmee Denters - How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?
Sinead obv.

― Tape Store, Sunday, 11 November 2007 18:09 (eighteen years ago)

Esmee Denters? Seriously? That youtube chick?

― The Brainwasher, Sunday, 11 November 2007 18:10 (eighteen years ago)

Esmee song

Missouri Sex Offenders

^Tim Kaiser, lead singer of the Missouri Sex Offenders, released a solo tape two (I think?) years ago. It's way better than any of Prince's recent efforts.

― Tape Store, Sunday, 11 November 2007 18:13 (eighteen years ago)

YES. The Youtube chick!

― Tape Store, Sunday, 11 November 2007 18:14 (eighteen years ago)

the tevin campbell version of shhh and sineads version of NC2U are both better than princes, especially NC2Um, which gets turned into a by the numbers melodramatic soul ballad in princes hands.

― titchyschneiderMk2, Sunday, 11 November 2007 18:18 (eighteen years ago)

I just want to second the kudos upthread for the stompy Hindu Love Gods version of "Raspberry Beret." The only worthwhile thing on the HLG record, but very, very worthwhile.

― Guayaquil (eephus!), Sunday, 11 November 2007 19:13 (eighteen years ago)

Hefner's version of Controversy, Soulwax's version of "Starfish and Coffee"

― gigabytepicnic, Sunday, 11 November 2007 20:35 (eighteen years ago)

maybe because Prince is about 800x better than Bowie

that version of "NC2U" on The Hits came after Sinead's. (I still haven't heard the Family's! god help me)

― Matos W.K., Sunday, 11 November 2007 20:44 (eighteen years ago)

i still love whale's cover of darling nikki. i didn't know so many people had covered nikki till i saw this thread.

― scott seward, Sunday, 11 November 2007 20:55 (eighteen years ago)

The Dump version of "When You Were Mine" is fantastic.

― clotpoll, Sunday, 11 November 2007 22:10 (eighteen years ago)

Art Of Noise & Tom Jones: Kiss

Also The Bangles' "Manic Monday" although he never recorded that one himself.

― Geir Hongro, Sunday, 11 November 2007 22:43 (eighteen years ago)

"not counting outside productions/writings he didn't record himself" -- plus, "Manic Monday" is almost the weakest track on the great Bangles album it's on!

― Guayaquil (eephus!), Sunday, 11 November 2007 23:35 (eighteen years ago)

(xpost) Yes, he did. there's a demo with Vanity doing vocals. Prince plays all the music (of course) and is in the b-ground, vocally.

― Capitaine Jay Vee, Monday, 12 November 2007 09:35 (eighteen years ago)

Goo Goo Dolls "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" was faithful and entertaining, although Lance Diamond sung on it rather than Rzeznick or Takac.

― Bo Jackson Overdrive, Tuesday, 13 November 2007 00:12 (eighteen years ago)

oh geeze

― chaki, Tuesday, 13 November 2007 00:17 (eighteen years ago)

four months pass...

when you were mine by cyndi lauper

― Eisbaer, Friday, 28 March 2008 18:48 (eighteen years ago)

Beyonce sings a line or two of the TLC cover of If I Was Your Girlfriend in '03 Bonnie & Clyde.. A cover cover!

― Finefinemusic, Friday, 28 March 2008 19:02 (eighteen years ago)

one year passes...

I can't believe nobody mentioned this, but of Montreal do really terrific, live Prince covers, especially "I Would Die 4 U". I think I found them on Hype Machine.

― Lee Remick, Tuesday, 28 July 2009 15:03 (sixteen years ago)

bilal - how come u dont call me anymore

― titchy (titchyschneiderMk2), Tuesday, 28 July 2009 15:06 (sixteen years ago)

still would love to hear that Dump record, which appears to be out of print (hint hint?)

― Ømår Littel (Jordan), Tuesday, 28 July 2009 15:20 (sixteen years ago)

btw his lawyers must have the day off, there's a lot of pr1nce stuff on y0utub3 right now

― Ømår Littel (Jordan), Tuesday, 28 July 2009 15:22 (sixteen years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cx3UvdYqwUk

― Ømår Littel (Jordan), Tuesday, 28 July 2009 15:24 (sixteen years ago)

one year passes...

d'angelo - she's always in my hair
crooked fingers - when u were mine

― once more Jagger faps the hivemind (symsymsym), Sunday, 26 December 2010 18:43 (fifteen years ago)

one year passes...

I stumbled across this going down a youtube rabbithole...The Eels doing "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man" in their pyjamas, with strings! Kinda rockin!

http://youtu.be/FOXT-Naxyq4

― Janet Snakehole (VegemiteGrrl), Sunday, 15 January 2012 09:39 (fourteen years ago)

four years pass...

I don't know about the best, but Gary Numan probably delivered two of the worst... Prince was apparently a massive fan of Numan, too.

― WHERE'S JIM!? (Turrican), Saturday, 23 April 2016 19:29 (ten years ago)

Nina Simone's version of "Sign 'O' The Times": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0Va0_QsLAc

― goodoldneon, Saturday, 30 April 2016 20:18 (ten years ago)

two weeks pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRJ76hqsNrg

alicia keys' version of adore is actually pretty great. she doesnt quite nail the ending. but she gives it some. its actually quite hard to cover i imagine, not just cos its quite tied with princes persona, but the vocal never really seems to sit in one place lol

― StillAdvance, Thursday, 19 May 2016 08:19 (ten years ago)

two weeks pass...

https://play.spotify.com/track/5czJS24aNUAMHg2G0BoX9k?play=true&utm_source=open.spotify.com&utm_medium=open

this is superb

― StillAdvance, Wednesday, 8 June 2016 15:07 (nine years ago)

Yeah, nice.

― Half Man Half Disco Mystic (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 8 June 2016 16:30 (nine years ago)

Wait I thought was on other thread, talking about Glasper.

― Half Man Half Disco Mystic (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 8 June 2016 16:39 (nine years ago)

actually that link doesnt work for me. and i cant find it anywhere else. but hey, if you do stumble on bilal's cover of how come u dont call me anymore, its a good one. i cant think of many other singers who could match - and maybe outdo - prince like that.

― StillAdvance, Wednesday, 8 June 2016 17:22 (nine years ago)

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