“Lola” – The Raincoats (1979)
Original – The Kinks (1970)
Many consider the Kinks the original punks. But that was the mid-‘60s. By 1970, Ray Davies was blending a punk sensibility with his literate, arch humor and traditional melody-making to create one of their best-loved songs. A decade later, one of the original all-female punk bands served up a lo-fi, understated version that struggled to remain in tune. And they proved that staying in tune was not terribly important in the world of punk.
“Louie Louie” – Black Flag (1980)
Original – Richard Berry and the Pharaohs (1956)
We all know that the Kingsmen did the most famous cover of Richard Berry’s original R&B ditty in 1963 and virtually invented garage rock. The song has three easy chords, which is one reason why it has been recorded by everyone. Someone in your family has recorded their own version of “Louie Louie.” I’m not joking. It is officially recognized as the most covered song in the history of pop music. Punk bands, who often only knew three chords, loved playing this song live.
For Black Flag, who had a guitarist who could play way more than those three chords, it became an early staple. Their single was recorded when second guitarist Dez Cadena was handling the vocals, before the arrival of Henry Rollins, and Cadena screeches it out in stellar fashion, adding a few new lyrics along the way. Then Greg Ginn just goes wild on guitar, proving that this particular song is about as malleable as they come.