When last we encountered Neo-Magics, an Aussie garage rock revival act supposedly birthed in the mid ’80s but not recording until the present, they were covering Chic’s “Le Freak” in such a strange way we couldn’t ignore it. Well, they’re back with another bizarre ’60s style cover of a dance song. This time they’ve taken on Technotronic‘s “Pump Up the Jam,” the first ever Eurodance hit in the US. Continue reading »
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Last year’s unexpected theme was Tom Petty covers. For no obvious reason, he popped up again and again on our 2024 year-end list. And whaddya know, Tom’s back this year, with two more Petty covers on our list. This year, however, he is not the most-covered artist on our list.
That’s a tie between two artists, one extremely of-the-moment, one timeless. With three covers apiece, Chappell Roan and Neil Young share the most-best-covered crown. (Artists with two covers apiece this year, in addition to Petty, are Gillian Welch, John Prine, and—this one’s surprising—Nelly Furtado!)
Spoiler alert: None of those appears in the number-one position. Number one covers an artist who I don’t think has ever appeared on one of our year-end lists. But don’t skip ahead. There are 49 equally (well, almost) as good covers to get through first, spanning genres and sounds and eras and ages. Here we go.
Cover art by Hope Silverman
“Le Freak” is probably Chic’s definitive song, driven by its insistent chorus and Nile Rodgers’ classic rhythm guitar. The chorus, of course, leads the song, instantly letting everyone know what song it is. It’s one of those songs that everyone is aware of – one of the iconic songs of the disco era. So it takes some guts to drop the chorus from the opening in your cover. And to drop basically everything else that makes the song so identifiable. Continue reading »