Best Metal Cover Songs of All Time
Honourable Mentions, Part 1
Eight Miles High—Golden Earring (original = The Byrds)
The original recording by The Byrds was only 3.35 minutes long. However, the live version became longer (here’s a link to a 9.52 version of 1970 at Fillmore East), often improvised pieces that only bore a minimal semblance—if even that—to the studio version1.
Also the Golden Earring’s cover on their first Live album is quite long: one second over ten minutes (10.01)2. But their version is clearly recognisable as a cover from the studio original and shows how you can add improvisations—Eelco Gelling was the extra guitar player at the time—without competely ignoring the original version. I prefer it to those of the Byrds. As it is, I warmly recommend the Golden Earring’s first live album (simply called “Live”) where they demonstrate their mastery in building crescendos—not just with this cover, but also with “Mad Love Coming”, “Radar Love” and especially “Vanilla Queen”.
Fun fact: while the Byrds were founded in 1964, (the) Golden Earring(s) were formed in 19613.
Fun anecdote: back in the eighties I went to a Golden Earring gig near Vlissingen, where they had a support act. For some reason that I forgot, the support act couldn’t make it and instead the Golden Earring themselves entered the stage, dryly announcing they were supporting themselves, playing two sets. The first set encompassed the first live album, the second one new material including the (then) hit “Twilight Zone”. Both sets lasted almost two hours. Back in the days, the Golden Earring were a class act.
Black Velvet—Kobra and the Lotus (original = Alannah Myles)
What do you do if you want to cover a song that was a huge hit sung by a charismatic woman with an iconic voice? Well, Kobra and the Lotus must have thought, power up the guitar chords and present it with an even more attractive female singer with an even better voice.
Is it sexist to say that Kobra Paige is so hot in this video that she’s embodying the very heatwave she sings about?
“Up in Memphis, the music’s like a heatwave.”
If so, then we all might as well stop commenting on any movie featuring Marilyn Monroe4. While she sings about Elvis Presley, the real star in the video is Kobra Paige, emulating Marilyn Monroe with sass and a wink while radiating enough heat to melt half of a Canadian winter storm. The fingerlickin’ fast solo is also a plus.
A great take on a classic song.
Disturbing the Priest—Psychotic Waltz (original = Black Sabbath)
To be honest, I wasn’t aware that Psychotic Waltz had done any covers. But this one is a doozy.
For one, Black Sabbath’s “Born Again” album has a certain history of its own5. This was when Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan joined Black Sabbath6, and the resulting album is controversial, to say the least. Suffice to say it was the major inspiration for the infamous “This Is Spinal Tap” mockumentary. All this overlooked that there were a number of fine songs on the album, of which “Disturbing the Priest” is probably the best.
It’s always very difficult covering a song where Ian Gillan is the singer, and especially this one—where Gillan shows his immense versatility—is both a brave and somewhat foolhardy choice. Nevertheless, Buddy Lacky—a fine singer in his own right—tries very hard and comes close.
A 10 for effort7, but when you compare the singing with Gillan’s delivery on the “Born Again” album, there’s just no competition, as this is Gillan at his very best8. Not just an immense range, but also a sardonic intonation, intense high-note bellows and sheer power that only a very rare few can match. Not to mention all the evil laughs throughout the song: incomparable.
That Buddy Lacky—nowdays he goes by Devon Graves—comes close is quite an achievement, and a great homage in itself. Enjoy this cover, I’d say, but do check out the original.
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Author’s note: When this goes live, I will be in Eindhoven at an Al di Meola gig (don’t be jealous…;-). On top of that, I already saw him in Utrecht. However, while the gigi at Vredenburg was an acoustic one, the one at Muziekgebouw Frits Philips is an electric one. So keeping my fingers crossed for “Race with Devil on a Spanish Highway”.
I should probably write a review about both gigs. Anyway, many thanks for reading and hope your Saturday night is just as exciting!
But who cares when you’re eight miles high?
While the version on their same-titled “Eight Miles High” album is a whopping 19.00 minutes!
And disbanded in 2021—due to guitar player George Kooymans serious illness—they’ve had, at 60 years, the longest career of any Dutch band;
Let alone early Madonna;
For more details, check out my post “Best Metal Videos of All Time—Honourable Mention 10: Zero the Hero by Black Sabbath”;
For some reason, Ozzy Osbourne never joined Deep Purple. Probably for the better;
Or A+ for Americans, who should really get into the Metric System;
Arguably not on the whole “Born Again” album, but most definitely on this song;