My Top 6...cover versions

Here are my submissions to Cover Me, Volume 17 of Splotchy's Green Monkey Music Project (visit the link to download the two 36 track compilations the first one has the selected cover versions, while the second has the original versions of the same songs).

Your selections should all be songs which are not the original versions, but are rather another artist's interpretation of the original. I want the cover of the song to be meaningful, or important, or special to you in some way that distinguishes it from the original, and I'm going to want you to explain the significance when you discuss your selections after the mix has been published.

Obviously I could have had six Galaxie 500 songs...or Luna ones, but resisted the temptation to be quite that unimaginitive.

Ceremony - Galaxie 500 (originally by Joy Division) - Ceremony is, unquestionably, the greatest cover version anyone's done of anything ever. In 1990 I saw Galaxie 500 at the Subterania and they finished the set with Ceremony, joined on stage by Kramer. If I had to throw away all but eight minutes of my gig going memories - those would be the eight minutes I'd hang on to.

Blue Christmas - Low (originally by Elvis) - I first heard this on the car radio in a supermarket car park (I think it must have been Peel sitting in on an earlier show as he did occasionally - or I was out shopping late!). Mimi's voice just left me breathless - I had to sit in silence for a minute or two before heading off to do the shopping.

Flaming Telepaths - Espers (originally by Blue Oyster Cult) - I'd never heard the original before hearing this. Greg and Meg's voices work so well together and this one really opened up a prog seam that I wasn't sure I had or at least had long covered up. The original is only fair - the cover is immense.

Leaving Here - Motorhead (origially by The Birds) - In 1979 Motorhead was my escape into musical individuality - one of the key moments in that escape was on 1st May 1980 when Motorhead mimed to "Leaving Here" on Top of the Pops. Music changed pretty profoundly at that point. The live version of the Golden Years EP (which the TOTP performance was promoting) was head and shoulders above the weak studio version on On Parole.

Cast a Shadow - Yo La Tengo (originally by Beat Happening) - Two of my favourite bands. Stuart had this on a 7" - was it on the back of Speeding Motorcycle? - I was jealous and have been careful to buy pretty much anything Yo La Tengo have released since.

Indian Summer - Luna (originally by Beat Happening) - I was really sad when Galaxie 500 broke up but in Feb 1992 Dean came through London with the first Luna incarnation (Stan, Justin and Grasshopper) and played a show at the Underworld that reassured me that maybe a positive spin could be put on the split. They played Indian Summer that night. It was also the last song the played at their last London show in 2005.