I would not want them to go the route Weezer did. Weezer just remade them exactly as they were. What's the point of that other than to make the statement, "I can do that too"? I would want 311 to completely change the tone and vibe of the song. But I don't want them to be straight up reggaefied. What are some songs you think 311 could do something really interesting with that would fit in their range?
311 - Inspirationer 1. D'yer Mak'er (Led Zepplin) 2. Love Song (The Cure) 3. Let's Go Crazy (Prince) 4. Waiting in Vain (Bob Marley) 5. Sweet Child O' Mine (Guns N' Roses) 6. Self Esteem (The Offspring) 7. White Man in Hammersmith Palais (The Clash) 8. Lively Up Yourself (Bob Marley) 9. The Joker (Steve Miller Band) 10. Superman (REM) 11. Remember Me (Coco soundtrack) 12. Africa (Toto) 13. The Sign (Ace of Base) 14. So Lonley (The Police) 15. Crazy Train (Ozzy Osbourne) 16. All Night Long (Lionel Richie) 17. Hotel California (The Eagles) 18. Magic Carpet Ride (Steppenwolf) 19. Jessica (The Allman Brothers Band) 20. Baba O'Riley (The Who) 21. Nothing Compares 2 U (Sinead O'Connor) 22. Who Can It Be Now? (Men At Work) 23. Late in the Evening (Paul Simon) *1-11 are actual covers performed by the band. 12-23 are recommendations.
@lyrics: #11, #16 and #20 are aces. I'd love to see them put a harder edge on cheesy songs from the past that have a grooving, dance-able vibe, similar to what 311 often deploys. Some other suggestions: Can't Stand Losing You (Police), Rosanna (Toto), Freedom (George Michael), Man in the Mirror (MJ), We Built this City (Starship), Power of Love (Huey Lewis), Band on the Run (Wings), anything by Neil Diamond (dead serious)...or even some hip hop classics from the 80s or 90s might be cool. I don't think 311 has the quirky, whimsical nature (like Weezer) that would be needed to tackle some of those goofy requests I listed. They'd probably go for Day in the Life by the Beatles or something (which, actually, would be dope, haha).
Covers work best when they're not a lateral move, except for Slayer. Slayer songs performed by other metal bands > Slayer songs by Slayer Slayer songs performed by artists in an opposite style > Slayer songs by Slayer 311 could cover the Dead really well, but I'd be keen to hear them deconstruct some extreme metal to fit in their wheelhouse.
Easy Lover. Wait, come back! It’s actually easy to image 311 covering this when you listen to it. Guy-who-is-not-Phil-Collins who sings the verses becomes SA’s part. The pre-chorus and chorus, sung by Collins, becomes Nick’s part.
I actually always thought they could pull off "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" by the Smiths, but SA already did it with LS.
311's covers are some of the best I've heard. They make those songs completely their own I want a Rush cover like Spirit of Radio
Once you hear Reggie and the Full Effect's Raining Blood, you realize that Slayer actually sucks because they never thought to have Moog breakdowns in their songs.
Easy Lover is a JAM, and anyone who wouldn't be open to a cover, let along bopping like Frank Reynolds to the original, is dumb.
The melody being played on a synth actually sounds pretty bad ass, good call. I've always liked the Tori Amos cover too, and Aerogramme did a cool ballad/indie rock take on Disciple.
For me, Reggie can do no wrong. Even though there's a lot of their stuff I don't really like - but I just assume I'm to blame.
Here's how I'm imagining this song done by 311... It starts off similar to the original. Obviously Nick is lead vocalist. SA joins in during harmonizing parts. But where it separates itself is during the second chorus around 1:05 by having a heavy rock part. Nick goes "flowing" with his vocals. Tim does some guitar work immediately after that sounds more like the solo from Never Ending Summer, but quickly eases back in to a more chill vibe, similar to the way Beyond The Grey Sky introduces the heavier parts midway through. At 1:20 SA takes the lead, while Nick does the "ooo, oooo" vocals behind him. Then at 1:40 the song commits fully to rock, and both guys belt out the chorus. This time Nick is playing guitar too, complimenting Tim's work. Nick and SA harmonize the "paranoia strikes deep" (or whatever they say) part. At 2:14 all hell breaks loose, and the guys hit a level of hard that sounds like something between One and the Same and Flowing, with Chad and PNut playing off eachother in an undeniably savage way. Tim and Nick are pushing themselves to the extreme on guitar, trading back and forth between rhythm and lead. The vocals come to an end, and the final breakdown lasts longer than the original, the rhythm and tone of which mimics the chorus. It's heavy as fuck, but it breaks itself down to the original, chill vibe from the beginning in just under 3 minutes.
So that was friggin awesome! Possibly the most fun song I’ve ever heard. I’m gonna check out more of their stuff. I hope it lives up to this.
