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Count Five: Gentleman Reg's Favorite Cover Songs

When a songwriter records someone else's tune -- effectively making the song their own -- it's the most heartfelt compliment an artist can bestow. That is, providing the new version doesn't suck.

To promote his current North American tour, Gentlemen Reg is releasing 'Heavy Head,' a six-song EP featuring b-sides, remixes and spot-on remakes of Chris Issak's 'Wicked Game' and Stevie Nicks' 'Wild Heart.'

Before a gig in Brooklyn, we ambushed Gentleman Reg (AKA Reg Vermue) and asked him to list five remakes he thinks are as good as, or better than, the original.

1. 'Nothing Compares 2 U': Sinead O'Connor covering the Family: I was a huge Sinead fan. This song is a classic, but a lot of people don't know it is a cover. Prince wrote it for the Family, this band from Minneapolis, but the original just doesn't compare. When Prince later redid it, it was like, why bother?


2. 'When You Were Mine' -- Cyndi Lauper covering Prince: I've always loved this song. This is another Prince tune. His version is a rocker, but she slows it down. Cyndi Lauper has an undeniable voice. I feel like she could sing anything and make it work.

3. 'Hazy Shade of Winter' -- The Bangles covering Simon and Garfunkel: I was singing this song just the other day when I noticed that [Bangles lead singer] Susanna Hoffs had performed in a venue we were playing. I like when covers are a bit different; the melody is still there, but I love how they rocked it out. It sounds like they wrote it and you wouldn't necessarily know it's a cover. I've heard Paul Simon didn't approve.

4. 'Killing Me Softly' -- The Fugees covering Roberta Flack: It was one of those instances where I had never heard the original. When it came out it was such a surprise. It was on this hip-hop record, but then suddenly they release this beautiful song. I bought the Roberta Flack record a few years ago, and it is beautiful, but the Fugees' version is the one that had an impact on me.

5. 'Sweet Jane' -- Cowboy Junkies covering Velvet Underground: This is another one where I didn't know the original. I'm generally into singer's voices and Margo Timmins has just an amazing delivery on this track -- even though she is almost whispering, it's beautiful. The song is from 'The Trinity Sessions,' a record that was recorded live in a church in Toronto. It's the Cowboy Junkies' best record. I don't think they ever recreated the magic, but that tune stands the test of time.

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Ben Kaplan

I totally forgot about that Hazy Shade of Winter cover! Awesome call, Reg -- I would add that Gentlemen Reg's cover of Chris Issaac's Wicked Game is better than all five of these other tracks.

November 11 2009 at 5:53 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply