James Taylor is doing it. Glen Campbell is doing it. David Bowie's attempt is most forgettable, and Rod Stewart's is so successful that he has done it a number of times. The Detroit Cobras have built a career around it.

The cover album.

Although celebrated songwriters one and all, these artists have released at least one record of favorite songs by other artists -- or will soon. Mr. Bowie's Pin Ups , released at the height of his early 1970s career, featured renditions of songs by fellow English acts including Pink Floyd, The Who and The Pretty Things. Mr. Stewart looked across the pond to America, releasing not one, not two, not three but four albums worth of American songbook classics and then following up with a record of rock tunes.

Mr. Campbell and Mr. Taylor soon will follow suit.

Mr. Campbell's Aug. 19 release, Meet Glen Campbell, features some surprising picks, including the Velvet Underground's Jesus ; U2's All I Want Is You; and Foo Fighters' Times Like These .

Mr. Taylor's record, Covers, is due Sept. 20 and will feature more predictable fare. Fellow troubadour Leonard Cohen is represented by Suzanne , and there's a Campbell connection in the choice of the Jimmy Webb classic Wichita Lineman. There's also a little rockin' going on, however, with Eddie Cochran's Summertime Blues , a Buddy Holly tune and a little Elvis making the cut.

The jury is still out on Covers , but early reviews of Meet Glen Campbell have been strong.

That brings up the following question: If Glen Campbell and James Taylor, Rod Stewart and David Bowie (and Elvis Costello, Cat Power, Dwight Yoakam, and so forth and so on) can do it, who else has a great cover record in him or her? Here are my choices for bands I'd like to see record under their influences.

R.E.M.: This band has always peppered concerts and B-sides with a variety of gems. Some have showed up on compilations, such as the 1987 release Dead Letter Office, but there has never been a full release of covers. The boys in the band have long been willing to offer up influences, and I'd love to see them record some of those acts' hits. Suggestions might include a Byrds tune, some Patti Smith and perhaps, given the appearance of Johnny Marr during recent live shows, a Smiths song.

OUTKAST: One of the more experimental hip-hop acts, Outkast has always drawn its sound from a variety of sources. It would be interesting to see the duo acknowledge those influences with an album that might include a little Hendrix, some DMC and, of course, a nod to fellow Georgia funk master James Brown.

WILCO: This band's early material has a distinctly country feel to it, while the latter releases have been a bit more pop. That's a lot of ground to cover. How about an album of interpretations that spans the band's interest from Willie Nelson to The Beatles. Other tailor-made tunes might include something from the Kinks and perhaps a Replacements cover.

THE WHITE STRIPES: The Stripes, built on a foundation of music history, could do a great album of traditional blues covers, follow it with a record of British Invasion classics and follow that with 10 stadium rock standards recorded without any sense of irony. I'd buy all three.

SHARON JONES AND THE DAP-KINGS: Ms. Jones and company are the closet thing we've got to a contemporary artist with an authentic '60s soul sound. The idea of her hitting some of those musical milestones -- Otis Redding, Motown, Me and Mrs. Jones (although Ms. Jones' singing about Mrs. Jones might be a bit odd) -- is so obvious that I have to wonder why it hasn't happened yet.

LET'S HEAR FROM YOU: Which artists would you like to see produce a covers-only album, and what tracks would you like to see included? E-mail your input to steven.uhles@augusta chronicle.com. I'll share some of the answers in a future column.