The Contestants:

Artist: Tori Amos
Album: Crucify
The Skinny: Tori Amos was one of the first major artists to record this cover back in 1992 for an EP where she also covered Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones. Cobain once said that this cover was, “a great breakfast cereal version”.

And a live take:

Artist: The Bad Plus
Album: These Are the Vistas
The Skinny: In addition to being a talented trio that writes great original material, The Bad Plus also regularly turn a pop song into a fantastic jazz interpretation as they do here on their album These Are the Vistas.

Live on NPR:

Artist: ELEW
Live Video: 11-3-2011
The Skinny: Piano phenom ELEW played a party for our friends over at HyperVocal last week and we are lucky enough to have this great video footage.

Artist: The Melvins
Album: Crybaby
The Skinny: The Melvins were a great influence on Kurt Cobain and Nirvana – and the bands were also good friends. For this 2000 LP, The Melvins opened the record with their straight-ahead cover of Smells Like Teen Spirit.

Artist: Miley Cyrus
Live Video: May 2011 – Chile
The Skinny: And now for something completely different, I present to you – Miley Cyrus. Hey Miley, where is the second verse?

Artist: The Moog Cookbook
Album: Moog Cookbook
The Skinny: You could find The Moog Cookbook’s formula to make these covers to be a bit gimmicky, but I think it’s pretty cool. The rest of the album has some great alt/grunge covers too.

Artist: The Muppets Barbershop Quartet
Album: The Muppets
The Skinny: And now for the cover that inspired this edition of Cover Wars, on the upcoming The Muppets Barbershop Quartet! I’m not sure what they sing for the first line, but I’m pretty sure it is not, “Load up on guns and bring your friends.”

Artist: Patti Smith
Album: Twelve
The Skinny: The Godmother of Punk seems to always make her way into Cover Wars, a lot of the time from this same album of covers entitled Twelve. Listen as Smith sneaks one of her poems into this cover.

The music video:

Artist: Phish
Live Show: 11-2-1998
The Skinny: Alright. I know to a large degree Cover Wars is basically just a popularity contest and I realize that a lot of readers simply cast their votes for their favorite band without listening to all of the covers – and that’s OK. But voting for Phish here is not OK. But you know, we wanted to include it because we are Hidden Track, we know where we come from. And we know that a lot of our readers already know that Phish encored their sparsely attended November 2nd, 1998 show in Utah (a show where they covered Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon in the second set) with Smells Like Teen Spirit. Just, don’t vote for them – please.

Artist: Robert Glasper Trio
Live Video: 10-15-2011
The Skinny: What’s great about all the jazz interpretations is that they are all different enough that I could include all of them. Robert Glasper hasn’t recorded this on an album yet – maybe on his next one.

You can also check out a completely different take from Glasper here:

The Original:

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• Vulture breaks down the brief history of Chillwave
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• RHCP have hired Mr. Brainwash to promote their new album

Finally, while shows from jam favorite’s The Slip have become a rarity over the last few years, two of the band’s principal members, the brother tandem of Andrew and Brad Barr, have continue to make music on their own under the suiting moniker of  The Barr Brothers. The four-piece act, whose sound is rooted in folk and Americana, will release their ten-song,  self-titled debut on September 27, via Secret City Records and currently have three songs from the new album streaming on their website.

Last weekend, the band revived the project for a special gig at SXSW to rave reviews, as McCauley’s raw croaky growl sounded eerily reminiscent of Kurt Cobain’s. Today, Deer Tick announced that they will bring Deervana to New York, for a June 19 performance at Brooklyn Bowl – a venue they had previously played a Halloween show of Sex Pistols covers at - as part of the Northside Festival. As the band has pointed out, this will not be a traditional Deer Tick gig, with a handful of covers thrown in, it will exclusively feature the band playing the music of Nirvana. Tickets are currently on sale now for just $15.

What really made whole alternative phenomenon tick was how integrated the movement became across various media. For example, when I think about the most ubiquitous albums of the period, there was Pearl Jam’s Ten, Nirvana’s Nevermind, and the Smashing Pumpkins’ Siamese Dream, but three others call attention to how widely the reach became: Singles, Reality Bites, and No Alternative.

These three albums were as universal to the ’90s generation as, so they say, Frampton Comes Alive was to the ’70s – and they were compilation albums. The first two, Singles and Reality Bites, came from the two hit films that helped solidify the alternative decade, and really drove alternative into the mainstream. The third, No Alternative, came out in 1993 as a massive scale Arista release compiled by Paul Heck and Chris Mundy, which pitted a “who’s who” of this alternative music scene against a common enemy, AIDS.

When people think about their musical tastes of previous periods from their lives, it’s almost like looking at an entirely different person, or at least an outdated version. They laugh at the stuff they used to listen to, as though it was a mullet or a handlebar mustache. It’s as though after having grown up musically, and learning to appreciate things like technical ability, complexity, time signatures, the older stuff becomes just a phase. For every song that still stacks up to the modern tastes, there’s one where folks wonder what on earth they were thinking. As much as Invisible Touch was strong back in the day, it’s not exactly in heavy rotation on the iPod today.

Yet, sometimes there exists some  pride there too, which brings us back to No Alternative. Back then, the album was all about the Smashing Pumpkins’ contribution Glynis and the Urge Overkill song Take a Walk. Personally, the former came from my absolute favorite band at a time when both Gish and Siamese Dream were played on repeat. Glynis was one of the best Pumpkins songs of any, and I loved that they stashed it away on this compilation. Urge Overkill, on the other hand was a band I didn’t know much about, other than a familiarity with their name and nifty logo. In their case, No Alternative really helped make a name for them. And other tunes struck a chord too, like Soul Asylum’s cover of Sexual Healing and the Beastie Boys’ collaboration with DJ Hurricane, It’s the New Style.

Click here to view the embedded video.

But what’s even more interesting than going back to those tunes on the album that got the heavy rotation, is to look at what else is there. A number of songs jump out  today, such as a tremendous cover of John Fogerty’s CCR song, Effigy, by none other than Uncle Tupelo as well as Pavement doing Unseen Power of the Picket Fence in an homage to Michael Stipe and R.E.M. Of course, there are the heavy hitters of the era like Soundgarden, Sonic Youth, and Nirvana (who provides their contribution via a hidden track), but how about the stuff that makes you say, “Wow, they were on here?” Sarah McLachlan, Bob Mould and Jonathan Richman are names that mean something now, but to a teenager in 1993, not so much.

Perhaps better than any other individual artifact of the alternative revolution, No Alternative captured it all in one place, over the course of one 21-song cassette (or 19 tracks on the compact disc). In a sense, it serves as a lasting icon for the genre, not only for what it was, but also for what it is now.

In the end, in all its comical irony, the alternative genre just goes to show that nothing has changes and that history repeats. The mass marketability of “alternative” not only still exists today, but it gets bigger by the day. “Indie” bands like Vampire Weekend and Arcade Fire both hit number one on the Billboard 200 this past year, and a simple click of the TV remote reveals countless syncs from indie bands on the most mainstream of television shows and commercials. What it all boils down to is the fact that as with any art, musicians will always look in new directions, as they too will look back at their influences. It’s a simple cycle – like capri pants and bell bottoms – it comes and goes. Everything is alternative, until it isn’t.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Phil Collins is probably best known for his saccharin love songs, but he is also a kickass drummer. After running through three drummers over the course of two albums, the members of Genesis found Collins when he answered an ad they had placed in a UK newspaper. Then when Peter Gabriel quit the band in 1975, Phil stepped in as the lead vocalist. Collins has been running the show ever since, with Chester Thompson playing drums throughout most Genesis concerts. But don’t think Phil has lost his invisible touch on the skins: During each of Genesis’s reunion concerts, Collins performs a complicated drum duet with Thompson that shows off his ridiculous skills.

3. Don Henley

Don Henley is another guy who is better known for his saccharin love songs than his prowess behind the kit. During Henley’s tenure in The Eagles, he played drums on the studio tracks and during most of the live shows. It’s always a high point of an Eagles show when Henley jumps on the kit to lay down the smooth beat of Hotel California. He also had a sweet head of hair, and that counts for something.

4. Ringo Starr

One of the reasons The Beatles achieved such a high level of success was that each of the members of the band oozed with personality. Drummer Ringo Starr was the main target of screaming girls during the Beatlemania days. People wanted to see Ringo play so badly that they put his kit on a riser during live shows, a move that is commonplace today. Ringo sang lead on a number of epic tunes including Yellow Submarine, Octopus’ Garden and Don’t Pass Me By. After the Beatles broke up, Starr’s singing experience helped him achieve great success as a solo act.

5. Roger Taylor

We’ve gotta give some love to the man behind the high notes in Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. Roger Taylor is a revolutionary drummer who created the arena rock sound, while also adding brilliant vocals to Queen’s greatest hits. Taylor wasn’t content to just drum and sing — he also played bass, guitar and keyboards throughout his career. Let’s not forget his role in writing major hits such as Radio Ga Ga and A Kind of Magic. Is there anything Roger Taylor can’t do?

6. Karen Carpenter

It’s too bad that Karen Carpenter’s name is always going to be associated with the battle with anorexia that killed her rather than for her skills as a singer and drummer. Hell, most people don’t even know that Carpenter got her start behind the kit.

Karen formed The Carpenters with her brother Richard in the mid ’60s. The pair went on to record some of the biggest sugary-sweet pop tunes of the century, including We’ve Only Just Begun, Close to You and Top of the World. Karen started out as the drummer and singer for the tandem, but as they became more successful, the record company wanted her out front instead of hidden by a drum set. Carpenter’s skills on the kit were lauded by everyone from Buddy Rich to the readers of Playboy Magazine, which named her the Best Rock Drummer of 1975. We were robbed of Karen’s drumming and voice when she died in 1983 after a long struggle with anorexia.

7. Dave Grohl

When I first heard Nirvana’s All Apologies, what stood out most was drummer Dave Grohl’s beautiful high harmonies during the end of the song. Grohl did the majority of the backup singing in Nirvana before becoming well known for his voice as the leader of the Foo Fighters. These days Grohl does more drumming for other bands than he does for the Foos. Grohl recently spent time behind the kit for Queens of the Stone Age and Tenacious D.

8. Mickey Dolenz

While I don’t think the Monkees belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, you gotta give it up to Mickey Dolenz for his talents singing while drumming. Dolenz’s lead vocals can be heard on such classics as Last Train To Clarksville, I’m A Believer, and my personal favorite Monkees tune, Pleasant Valley Sunday. Throughout the Monkees reunion tours, Dolenz would often play drums, and he showed that contrary to popular belief he was actually talented behind the kit. This summer Dolenz will appear in Rob Zombie’s Halloween prequel.

9. Kris Myers

When Mike Mirro told the members of Umphrey’s McGee that he would be leaving the band to pursue a medical career, not only were they losing a drummer they were losing a vocalist. Luckily for them Kris Myers’ application was at the top of the stack when they recruited a replacement. Not only is Myers an animal behind the kit, he also has a distinctive voice with which he sings both lead and harmony vocals. Check out Words and JaJunk for a taste of his skills holding down a beat while singing sweet harmonies. Covers including Runnin’ With The Devil, Instant Karma and And Justice For All show off Myers singing lead.

10. Peter Criss

Peter Criss was the drummer for Kiss during their heyday in the ’70s. The man behind the cat makeup also sang lead on a number of Kiss classics including Beth, Black Diamond and Hard Luck Woman. Beth is one of the most famous rock ballads ever written, and the song’s success continues to keep Criss’s pockets full. Criss left Kiss in 1980 and has since joined and left the band a number of times.

Honorable Mention: Meg White, Jon Fishman, and Tommy Lee

• Previously on HT: Unnecessary Listing: Singers Who Play Bass

Over the past decade, there’s been no shortage of Paul McCartney concert films. Between 2006′s The Space Within Us, 2003′s Paul is Live and 2002′s Back In The US, Macca puts out a DVD every time he completes a tour. While most of the films I’ve mentioned are pretty damn good, Good Evening New York City is the best of the bunch thanks to both the energetic performance and skillful edits.

7. Black Crowes – Cabin Fever

Cabin Fever documents the Black Crowes’ experience recording an album at Levon Helm’s barn in Woodstock, during which time the group took the unorthodox step of inviting a live audience in to become part of the process. The resulting documentary contains a nice mix of full songs and footage of the band partaking in the creative process.

6. Jeff Beck – Live at Ronnie Scott’s

Jeff Beck and his awe-inspiring band including Vinnie Colaiuta and Tal Wikenfeld played a residency at the legendary Ronnie Scott’s jazz club in London back in November of 2007. Beck brought his A-game for these shows, which were documented on this two-hour plus DVD that features sit-ins from Eric Clapton, Joss Stone and Imogen Heap.

5. Paul Simon And Friends – The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song

While personally, I was waiting for a DVD release of Paul Simon’s magical Love in Hard Times concerts at BAM in 2008, this DVD filmed in 2007 features an all-star cast of musicians either joining Simon for versions of his tunes or covering Paul’s songs without him. Highlights include Alison Krauss, Shawn Colvin and Jerry Douglas’ tender version of The Boxer, Simon singing Under African Songs with Miriam Makeba and Simon performing Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard with Stevie Wonder.

4. Tom Petty – The Live Anthology: Ultimate Collector’s Edition

While Tom Petty’s Live Anthology isn’t exactly a DVD release, the Ultimate Collector’s Edition comes with two amazing concert films that can’t be ignored. The first DVD contains 400 Days – a 1995 documentary put together by Martyn Atkins that chronicles Petty’s Wildflowers tour. The second DVD features a previously unreleased concert from New Year’s Eve 1978 in Santa Monica. Hopefully the Petty camp will release both DVDs outside of this extremely expensive box set.

3. Nirvana – Live at Reading

Nirvana’s legendary appearance at the Reading Festival in 1992 was finally released this year and there’s no doubt this concert lives up to the hype. Not only do we get plenty of material from Bleach and Nevermind, but we also get a taste of the tunes that would make up In Utero a year later. We’re glad Courtney Love and Dave Grohl were able to put aside their differences enough to green light this release.

2. Phish – The Clifford Ball

Phish Inc. only put out one archival release in 2009, but they certainly made it count with this marvelous 7 DVD set that documents the band’s first festival – 1996′s The Clifford Ball. This release contains contains every note played during each of the six sets as well as killer footage of the legendary Flatbed Jam, the soundcheck and a slew of other bonus material. Considering the critical nature of the Phish fanbase, it’s a testament to the quality of the box set that we didn’t hear any complaints about this release other than “where’s Big Cypress?”

1. Wilco – Ashes of American Flags

Just when you thought there was no room for originality in concert films out came this amazing documentary by producers/directors Christoph Green and Brendan Canty that brilliantly blends live footage and band member interviews. I’ve watched Ashes of American Flags about five times in its entirety this year and I still find something new each time. Not only do you get a feel for Wilco’s music, but the film also gives an insight into life on the road traveling to some of the country’s most beautiful venues.

Honorable Mention: Last Days of the Fillmore, Little Feat – Skin It Back Van Morrison – Astral Weeks Live At The Hollywood Bowl, Iron Maiden – Flight 666, Live at Last: A Wonder Summer’s Night

• Previously on HT: Best Concert DVDs of 2008, Best Concert DVDs of 2007

This mammoth nine-disc box set delivers highlights from String Cheese Incident Halloween concerts spanning the years 1998 to 2005 in chronological order. Covers include outstanding versions of Paul Simon’s Under African Skies, Walking on the Moon by The Police and Shakedown Street by the Grateful Dead, while the originals give a taste of the progression of the band’s sound over the seven-year period.

Where You Can Sample This Release: Trick or Treat Mini-Site

8. Jerry Garcia Band – The Jerry Garcia Collection: Let It Rock

The second volume of Rhino’s The Jerry Garcia Collection shows off the Jerry Garcia Band lineup that features Garcia backed by Ron Tutt on drums, John Kahn on bass and British keyboardist Nicky Hopkins. There a few rough moments, but it’s well worth it for the high points such as the gorgeous Sitting In Limbo or the groovy Let’s Spend The Night Together.

Where You Can Sample This Release: Amazon.com

7. Joni Mitchell, James Taylor & Phil Ochs – Amchitka

Joni Mitchell, James Taylor & Phil Ochs teamed up for a benefit concert on October 16, 1970 that helped fund Greenpeace during the earliest days of the organization’s existence. Amchitka, which is sold through the Greenpeace website to help raise funds for the organization, contains two discs worth of highlights from each artists’ set. All three musicians are in fine form throughout and there’s plenty of enjoyable banter between tunes.

Where You Can Sample This Release: Amchitka Mini-Site

6. The Doors – Live in New York

The Doors performed four separate times over the course of two days in 1970 at the Felt Forum in New York City with each passing show being better than the last. Live in New York finally allows us to hear every note from that historic run. It’s unbelievable just how good this release sounds and the music isn’t too shabby either.

Where You Can Sample This Release: Rhino.com Page

5. Rick Danko and Richard Manuel – Live At O’Tooles Tavern

UK’s Bear label recently released this pristine recording of The Band’s Rick Danko and Richard Manuel performing for what seems to be a small crowd at a bar in Scranton from 1985. Manuel and Danko’s sparse arrangements allow the listener to focus on the emotion in their voices and the pair’s tight musicianship. From the tear-jerking version of It Makes No Difference to the galloping King Harvest, Live at O’Tooles Tavern is a must-have for any The Band fan.

Where You Can Sample This Release: Amazon.com

4. Nirvana – Live at Reading

Nirvana’s legendary appearance at the Reading Festival in 1992 was finally released this year and there’s no doubt this concert lives up to the hype. Not only do we get plenty of material from Bleach and Nevermind, but we also get a taste of the tunes that would make up In Utero a year later. We’re glad Courtney Love and Dave Grohl were able to put aside their differences enough to green light this release.

Where You Can Sample This Release: Live at Reading Trailer

3. Grateful Dead – Winterland June 1977: The Complete Recordings

At nine discs, Winterland 1977 isn’t for the casual Deadhead, this one’s for the diehards. If you’re really into the Dead, you’ll love each of the 68 tracks. The Grateful Dead were firing on all cylinders during this run and thanks to some tender loving care by engineer Jeffrey Norman we get to hear an incredible recording of all three shows.

Where You Can Sample This Release: Winterland Listening Party

2. Tom Petty – The Live Anthology

Tom Petty sat down with Heartbreaker Mike Campbell and producer Ryan Ulyate to sort through over 30 years of live performances for the first Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ live release since the underwhelming Pack Up The Plantation in the mid ’80s . The resulting four-disc set contains 47 scintillating tracks ranging from seldom played covers to blistering versions of the Petty classics we know and love.

Where You Can Sample This Release: Amazon.com

1. Neil Young – Archives Volume 1 (1963 – 1972) 10 DVD

Years in the making and after delay after delay after delay, Neil Young’s Archives – Volume one was well worth the wait. The brilliantly organized collection contains tons of live tracks with a number of studio tracks and demos ranging from Young’s Winnipeg days in 1963 up until the Harvest days in 1972. Included are the complete concerts Live at the Riverboat 1969, Live at the Fillmore East 1970 and Live at Massey Hall 1971. We look forward to the next volume, but don’t expect it anytime soon.

Where You Can Sample This Release: Archives mini-site

Honorable Mention: Leonard Cohen – Live at the Isle of Wight, Grateful Dead – To Terrapin: Hartford ’77, Neil Young – Dreamin’ Man Live ’92, Rick Danko – Live at Dylan’s Cafe, Sun Ra Arkestra – Helsinki 1971 – The Complete Concert and Interview, Elvis Costello – Live at the El Mocambo, Widespread Panic – Montreal ’97, Stephen Stills – Live at Shepherd’s Bush, Frank Zappa – Philly ’76,

• Previously on HT: 10 Best Archival Releases of ’08

• List Time: 16 Albums To Look Forward To This Fall
• Bruce Springsteen to receive Kennedy Center Honor award
• Cover Alert: Jill Andrews tackles My Morning Jacket
• Woodstock to be turned into a Broadway musical
• Trail Of The Dead are inviting their fans to be a roadie for the day
• Iggy Pop will reunite with The Stooges for some 2010 dates

Finally, it seems like the surviving members of seminal grunge band Nirvana aren’t happy with the makers of Guitar Hero over the use of Kurt Cobain’s likeness in the latest version of the popular video game.

In a press released issued by Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic the duo stated they were dismayed in “the way a facsimile of Kurt is used in the Guitar Hero game.  The name and likeness of Kurt Cobain are the sole property of his estate – we have no control whatsoever in that area.” They also went on to denounce how gamers will be able to unlock Cobain, allowing the character to be used with any kind of song the player wants and have asked Activision to “re-lock” him. No more Kurt playing Bon Jovi.

We’ve got six more links to help you get over that dreaded hump…

• If you buy Joy from Newbury Comics you’ll get a pint glass
• iClips unveils Woodstock TV with Mountain Jam footage
• Jambands.com has the full scoop on JFJO’s extensive tour
• Sub Pop’s Bleach reissue includes a live Nirvana recording
• R.I.P. Jim Dickinson – Memphis producer, musician and dad
• R.E.M. unveils the details of their new 39 track live DVD/CD

Finally, there’s been more questions than answers about the contents of the new Beatles remasters up until recently. Beatles News summarizes the details about the remasters that were unveiled by a couple of Beatles historians at a fan festival in Chicago. The remasters hit stores on 9/9/09.