‘Within You, Without You’ – Sonic Youth

It sounds like a bizarre combination of band and song on the surface. You take one of The Beatles’ most spiritual and transcendent moments. You combine it with a band seemingly built to roll their eyes at that kind of classic rock pretentiousness. At the very least, it should come across as an in-joke. An extended version of Nirvana heralding ‘Territorial Pissings’ by Krist Novoselic’s off-key rendition of The Youngbloods’ ‘Get Together’. However, it turns out this is a case of two great tastes tasting great together.

The more you think about it, though, the more it makes sense. ‘Within You Without You’ is a song built around a drone. Sonic Youth take that drone and give it their typical propulsive, motorik beat. Then they let their signature blazing guitars and the still spellbinding melody do the rest. It’s magnificent and sounds for all the world like a lesser-spotted gem from Daydream Nation more than anything else. It’s a tribute to George Harrison’s work as a songwriter that a piece made in the 1960s inspired by Indian classical music can work so well as a deafening work of 1990s no-wave, and one of the best Beatles covers I’ve ever heard.

‘Here Comes the Sun’ – Ghost

Like pretty much everything to do with Tobias Forge’s ludicrously entertaining project that’s half heavy metal band and half goth drag act, this is as silly as it is inspired. Forge, or rather his Papa Emeritus alter-ego, turns what could easily be a children’s song into a deliciously camp Hammer horror movie of a song. It’s one that sounds like what should play over a vampire movie when the bloodsuckers realize dawn’s breaking.

Over rich organ chords and gain-y guitar arpeggios that would make anyone start smelling patchouli, this is more in line with Ghost’s delicious goth-tinged classic rock side than their blackened pop-metal and all the better for it. It may feel like a cop-out to have the same song twice in a row. However, I think it’s a tribute to Harrison’s songwriting depth that two artists with nothing in common could take the same song and make two astonishing works out of it, that both sound like themselves and nothing else.

‘Here Comes The Sun’ – Nina Simone

There’s a small, innocent part of my brain that gets such a pure shot of joy from ‘Here Comes The Sun’ that it just might be my favourite Beatles song, period. Perfectly written. Subtly complex but utterly joyful. It’s also one of the best-produced songs in the entire Fabs catalogue. However, no matter how ecstatic it sounds, this is no mere smiley song about happy-clappy times.

This is a song about seeing through dark times and trusting Doctor Nina Simone to find that emotional depth and gravitas in her utterly captivating version of George’s classic. The experience and weariness in her timeless voice makes the imagery of winter passing and ice melting not the expected passing of the season, but the product of time and incredible effort. This isn’t just good times returning, it’s good times earned. Phenomenal.

‘Something’ – James Brown

It’s probably apocryphal that Frank Sinatra used to introduce his cover of the highpoint of Abbey Road as “my favourite Lennon/McCartney song” but it does illustrate just how titanic this song is. Easily the equal of any John ‘n’ Paul number, ‘Something’ is still among the most affecting works of art of the entire 1960s. So it takes one hell of an artist to not just inject the number with a bracing dose of funk, but also a social conscience too.

If nothing else, though, James Brown is one hell of an artist. This is no reverent retread, it’s a full-on remake and not only do I think it’s sublime, so does a fellow by the name of George Harrison. In an interview with Much Music in 1988, he was asked about the many covers of something and said, “The best one I ever heard was (from) James Brown, and he did it in 1972, but he did it only as the b-side of a re-recorded version of ‘Think’, which is a very old song of his. So, it was only on the b-side. I sent him a postcard and said: ‘You should make it the A side, it’s a killer!’ It’s really good.”

‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ – Prince, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty

Yeah, yeah, it’s a cliché pick, and it’s only really here for its closing two minutes, but it legitimately has a claim for the greatest two minutes in the history of the electric guitar. Up until then though, it’s still a great time. Tom Pettys weathered croak of a voice contrasted majestically with Jeff Lynne, sounding exactly the same as he did in his 1970s heyday. Dhani Harrison looks genuinely moved to be up there with his dad’s mates, which is always nice to see. Then… he shows up.

Prince was in an apocalyptic mard about Rolling Stone leaving him off their recently published list of the greatest guitarists of all time. When he showed up to Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner’s side project, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, he did so with a point to prove. Prove it he fucking did. Stealing the entire show with an absolute face-melter of a guitar solo. That bit where he falls offstage into his bodyguard’s arms and keeps playing is still utterly ludicrous two decades later and more than earns its place on this list.