Best prog cover by a non prog band?

21st Century Schizoid Man (for instance Gary Moore Band backing Greg Lake aint bad at all, as is a multi-tracked, voices-only version by Dokaka, and particularly excellent jazz take by Theo Travis last year) /Red (e.g. Glueleg)  seem to  be popular KC tunes to cover.

Elsewhere

Gary Lucas had down two stripped down and reinvented versions of King Kong: as Guerillas In The Midst (ex. Skeleton At The Feast), King Strong (ex. Gods & Monsters), and Floyd's Astromony Domine also on Gods & Monster, said to be multi-tracked in one take.

Jeff Buckley's Back in New York City (ex. Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk) is a favourite.

Perhaps the best thing Yngwie Malmsteen has done IMHO is a cover of Uk's In The Dead Of Night. Jens Johansson who plays key on that, also stars on Mastermind's storming intrepretation of Endless Enigma . Ever heard Tommy Bolin's demo of  what subsequently became Mahavishnu Orchestra's Sister Andrea?

The already mentioned Californian Guitar Trio's Heart Of The Sunrise is magnificient .

Les Claypool's Frog Brigand doing Floyd and King Crimson has its moments on the Live albums. Primus do several covers including tunes originally by XTC, Peter Gabriel and Stanley Clarke on Rhinoplasticity

A colleague tells me he has just obtained off E-bay an album of Govt Mule playing Floyd - can't wait to hear it.

Pete Townshend doing proto-proggers Canned Heat's Back on The Road Again on a live album, is well worth a listen. Didn't WASP cover something from Quadraphenia?


Edited by Dick Heath

Less favourite covers:

Many of the tribute albums issued by Magna Carta (although the Rush and the Yes tributes have some stand out tunes).

Landberk's heavy handed treatment of T2's (No More) White Horses.

If I can do one the other way around, Fates Warning's cover of 'The Sign Of The Southern Cross' is absolutely superb....

I think Iron Maiden also did a version of 'All In Your Mind' by Stray- never heard it, but that song is utterly brilliant; Stray's debut is BRILLIANT! However, what I've heard of the rest of their catalogue is frankly not....

Saxon and April Wine did a cover of 'In The Court Of The Crimson King'- I bet they are worth a laugh...

Forbidden recorded a version of 21st Century Schizoid Man. This song is quite popular among metal bands; Voivod has its own version, but since Voivod is listed here, that cover does not count here in this topic.

if we're adding proggers cover of pop songs

how about Glass Hammer's cover version of Dan Fogelberg's 'Longer' from their Shadowlands album, weeeeeirrd choice of song but they do some interesting things with it

The Cali Guitar Trios version of 'Heart of the Sunrise' is cool

if we're classing Radiohead as prog check out jazz pianist Brad Mehldau's awesome readings of 'Exit Music (For a Film)', 'Paranoid Android' and 'Everything in its Right Place'. He also does cool versions of Nick Drake's 'River Man' and the Beatles' 'Dear Prudence'

 

 

Edited by arcer