BBC Music likes to make offerings regarding rankings of the best songs, albums, and bands. The undertaking is bound to be rife with errors in judgment, but that is part of the fun, of course. Music has a way of drawing out the most visceral responses in human beings.
BBC writer Paul McGuinness recently attempted to rank the 21 best covers in the history of rock. One clear winner should have been listed at the top, but wasn't. Instead of Jimi Hendrix's amazing cover of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower," McGuinness had the Beatles' cover of the Isley Brothers' "Twist and Shout."
Hendrix's tune was listed at No. 3 on the list, so at least McGuinness had it ranked, but the reason that the Hendrix cover should have been at the top stems from the excellence of the original. Dylan's original is a poetic and elite moment unto itself, but Hendrix was able to create a track that showed off his own immense skill and make the number his own.
BBC Music's ranking of best song covers goes awry
The Beatles' cover is fine, of course, but the song isn't a drastic change from the original. The Fab Four simply built on the earlier version and made it louder. In Hendrix's case, he tore Dylan's song down to the studs and rebuilt it in a far better way.
Jimi Hendrix's "All Along the Watchtower," due to the guitarist's virtuosity and delivery of his vocals, isn't just better than the Beatles' cover; it's the best cover ever created. That it doesn't rank at least No. 2 is a disservice to the overall attempt by McGuinness to create such a list.
Wise decisions do exist among the rest of the 21 songs ranked, however. While Sinead O'Connor's cover of Prince's "Nothing Compares 2 U" is off the mark at No. 4 (anyone who has ever heard the original understands the Irish singer took all the needed soul out of the Purple One's excellent tune), listing Joe Cocker's version of the Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends" at 13 is smart.
The Pet Shop Boys' version of Brenda Lee's "Always on My Mind" at No. 17 is a good move too. The duo didn't completely remake the song, but used their own style to add to the original. That is what most good covers do. Jimi Hendrix, though, took a great song and turned it into his own. That is what an elite cover does.
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