According to the Guinness Book of Records, the song Yesterday by The Beatles holds the record for having the most cover versions of any song ever. More than 3,000 versions of the song are available, but none of them could be better than the original!

Given the rise in popularity of the cover song, many becoming huge hits for the covering artists, what does make a great cover song? Is it a seamless rendition? Is it in seeing how far you can twist it from the original while still maintaining the original intent? Is it about sincerity? Irony? Perhaps putting that unmistakable personal stamp on it? The truth is that there is no formula for a great cover but we’ve found our favourites and put them on Video Hits: The Greatest Covers.

It’s three CDs packed with everything from Faith No More, Jeff Buckley, Red Hot Chili Peppers and UB40 to Florence + The Machine, Lily Allen and Katy Perry. My personal favourite is a little gem from our very own Paul Dempsey covering the MGMT smash Time To Pretend.

It’s in stores today, so grab yourself a copy!

So, this week we had the MGMT album leak (ed: it sounds like The Kinks to me) but let’s continue to dwell on their magical hit song that is Time To Pretend. That song has legs. Jónsi, my current musical fixation, gave me another reason to hit play over and over again when he did a cover of the song at BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge.

With its twinkling piano, it’s a bit chillier and bit more forlorn than the anthemic orginal.

Jónsi – Time To Pretend (MGMT Cover) by theinsound

Last year another favourite frontman going solo did a rather memorable cover of Time To Pretend. Paul Dempsey did a collection of covers on the Counterfeits and Forgeries bonus disc to Everything Is True. Like Jónsi’s, the tinge of regret and loneliness comes through on this one but set to forthright acoustic guitar.

Paul Dempsey – Time To Pretend by theinsound

Jónsi’s album Go is out next Friday. Paul Dempsey’s Everything Is True is specially priced over at iTunes and JB Hi Fi. And, you probably already have MGMT’s Oracular Spectacular.

Between The Aussie BBQ, Miami Horror / Phoenix, and Prodigy / Does It Offend You, Yeah? our whole office is on gig overload this week… and it’s only Wedenesday!

All reports claim the Miami / Phoenix show last night set the the Hordern Pavillion on fire, but I’m actually super excited about the local lads supporting Phoenix tonight… Papa v Pretty are currently working on a six track EP with Mr Paul Dempsey at Sydney’s Alberts Studios, and are playing with both Dempsey and You Am I on their upcoming respective national tours!

The band of Tom R, Tom M, and Gus are entirely too talented for their just-post-HSC age, are part of an incredibly prolific artistic student enclave (check out the student film music video for Citizen #1), and truly know how to rip it up on the geeetar, bass and drums.

For proof, tune in to Ballad (it’s really not a ballad) and Sleep (Again) on myspace.com/papavspretty.