OT – Songs and their Covers (Re-Makes)
Obviously there have been many songs and there have been a boat load of Covers.
I was listening on Sirius (free until 6/08; not an ad, just a PSA) and heard a few songs that have been covered by various artists. Sometimes the cover was better than the original.
What songs/covers have you heard at like?
Original Artist / Cover Artist
John Cougar (1978) / Pat Benetar (1979) I Need a Lover.
B J Thomas (1968) / Blue Suede (1974) Hooked On a Feeling
Dusty Springfield (1962) / Linda Rondstadt (1969) Silver Threads & Golden Needles (Many others by Linda)
Charlie Ryan (1955) / Commander Cody Hot Rod Lincoln
So many more that there are tooooo many to mention. Start your list(s).
I take heart in the fact that no one to this point has mentioned Five Finger Death punch. Not a single one of their covers are better than the original. I feel like all they do is take a song and run it through a computer with their sound as a preset. What they did to the Offspring's Gone Away is nothing short of criminal.
Fortunately for me, the OP never said that the covers listed HAVE to be better than the original. Just said they thought some covers were better. I think it's quite clear that most of my list doesn't fall into the category of covers being better. As far as what you think of 5FDP covers, a lot of people think that. And that's ok, I'm not here to cater to everyone else's opinion. I like them, so I included them, end of story.
Love Reign O’er Me The Who/Pearl Jam. Prefer The Who version but a very solid cover.
Nah. Eddie vedders voice lacks the power of daltrey’s. Interesting though that Pearl Jam’s biggest hit was a cover of “last kiss”
If you want to hear Ed's voice honor a cover well, look no further...
Crazy Mary is a cover and is excellent
Yes' cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "America" is epic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CACWj18ruk
Led Zeppelin's cover of Bob Dylan's "In My Time of Dying" takes it to another level too
Then again - LZ was pretty good at doing uncredited covers of other people's songs :-)
Can't Hurry Love - The Supremes / Phil Collins
Reel Big Fish have some cool cover songs
AHA - Take on Me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHpU0ZfXZ_g
Lita Ford - Kiss Me Deadly
Across the Universe by The Beatles and the cover by The Scorpions. Yes, The Scorpions- and it is phenomenal.
The Planets' "A One Minute Silence" was a pretty sick version of John Cage's 4'33". Which one do y'all think is better?
The Planets:
John Cage:
Fun Fact: Cage's estate actually sued The Planets for plagiarism. Apparently, he owns the rights to silence.
Anthrax - Got The Time
Slayer - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
This is probably cheating a bit but...
The Weight by The Band from Music From Big Pink was outdone by the melody with The Staples in The Last Waltz.
I've enjoyed every cover of "Baby, it's Cold Outside."
David Gray's cover of Soft Cell's "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye"
London Grammar's cover of Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game"
Miley Cyrus (who is a tremendous cover artist -- her "Jolene" is to be taken seriously) made an amazing cover the Cardigans' "Communication", a song I hadn't heard before and now that I have I sure as heck can't decide which is better.
Soft Cells Cover of Glora Jones - Tainted Love
UB40 cover of Neil Diamond’s Red Red Wine
Imo two covers Janes Addiction did - sympathy for the devil and ripple - were better than the originals.
A bunch of the covers Nirvana did for their unplugged set were better than the originals (again imo).
Cheers.
I love all music and there are too many too list, but of my favorite covers come from the metal genre.
Ozzy/Mississippi Queen
Alien Ant Farm/ Smooth Criminal
Motley Crue/Smokin in the Boys Room
Krokus/Ballroom Blitz
Motley Crue or Rob Zombie & Marylin Manson/Helter Skelter
Megadeath/No More Mr. Nice Guy
Judas Priest/Green Manalishi
I could go on and I'll be now thinking of this topic all night.
Muddy Waters / Rolling Stones - I can’t be satisfied
Howlin Wolf / Cream - Spoonful
Howlin Wolf / Doors - Back Door Man
Willie Dixon / Led Zeppelin - I can’t quit you babe
Willie Dixon / Rolling Stones - Little Red Rooster
Good Point, Forest. Those are all covers of Chicago Blues records among the first electrified blues. There is a rich trove of songs by blues artists from the deep south that have fed popular music, too. The raw expression of the Black man with an acoustic guitar is a powerful inspiration to artist across generations. Consider Robert Johnson's catalog:
Love in Vain (Rolling Stones)
Dust my Broom (Elmore James and a zillion others)
32-20 Blues (I like Sonny Landreth w/Gov't Mule's version)
Sweet Home Chicago (a ton of live concerts)
Rambling on my Mind (John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers w/Eric Clapton)
Crossroad Blues (Cream does the definitive version)
Traveling Riverside Blues (Led Zeppelin)
Plus lots of others. If you consider other Delta Blues artists like Charlie Patton, Skip James, Son House, Blind Lemon Jefferson, and Blind Willie Johnson, the number of Chicago Blues and Blues Rock bands who drew on their material is legion. One of my personal favorites is a cover of Blind Joe Reyonlds "Outside Woman Blues" by Cream on Disraeli Gears,
Homer Henderson - Pickin' Up Beer Cans On The Highway - covered by Old 97s
A great under appreciated cover band is Fountains of Wayne. Great covers of “Baby, one more time” (Britney), “can’t get it out of my head” (ELO), and “the story inyour eyes” (Moody Blues).
REM - Superman
Patti Smith - Because the Night
Scissor Sisters - Comfortably Numb
Tom Jones - One More Cup of Coffee
Goldfingers version of 99 red balloons is just as great as the original by Nena
Goldfingers version of 99 red balloons is just as great as the original by Nena
The Byrds went after Bob Dylan pretty hard:
It’s all over now Bany Blue
All I really want to do
Chimes of Freedom
Lay down your weary tune
Mr Tambourine Man
My Back Pages
The Bobby Fuller Four/The Clash - I Fought the Law
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgtQj8O92eI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AL8chWFuM-s
Neil Diamond/Deep Purple - Kentucky Woman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtqXc1vY93U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcLER89gLhc
The Doors/Billy Idol - L. A. Woman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHXjcdNIN-Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYA3cJlhmOQ
Elton John/The Who - Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26wEWSUUsUc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0exRGBr1IVI
The Rolling Stones/Jane’s Addiction - Sympathy for the Devil
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgnClrx8N2k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuIzurUfZoE
The Zombies/Santana - She’s Not There
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2hXBf1DakE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoz8iXjfH4Y
The Cookies*/George Benson - On Broadway
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFEhQKoFZww
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ok__l1Acuwg
* Written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil with Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller, On Broadway was recorded originally by The Cookies, but released originally by the Crystals and made more popular by the Drifters. The Crystals’ version The Drifters’ version
Just like heaven - the cure / Dinosaur Jr
How I Could Just Kill a Man/Renegades of Funk, RATM covers of Cypress Hill and Afrika Bambaataa
Tainted Love, Gloria Jones - I believe someone mentioned already, but Gloria Jones' version from the 60s is awesome and Motown-y (she was a UK r&b singer in T. Rex and Bolan's baby mama)
Little Wing, Stevie Ray Vaughn. Great tribute to one of his idols (Hendrix)
Planet Caravan, Pantera. Not better than Sabbath's, but Darrell has a short exquisite solo at the end worth the price of admission
Red Red Wine, Tony Tribe 1969 reggae version of Neil Diamond's track - later made more famous by UB40. Matter of fact, many UK bands of the late 70s/80s covered a lot of reggae songs (the Clash, the Specials)
Girl U Want, Soundgarden. Just a cool coupling of early Soundgarden doing Devo
GNR's cover of Dylan's Knockin on Heaven's Door,
Metallica's cover of Ennio Morricone's The Ecstasy of Gold.
Johnny Cash's cover of Witchita Lineman.
Do It Again by Steely Dan and the Beach Boys.
Oh, wait, two different songs but same name doesn't count.
Sorry, going for something different. Some damn good suggestions above.
I am a bit of a cover aficionado. A few of my favorites.
What's Goin' On--Los Lobos (Marvin Gaye)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqLe4P3NVkk
Don't Fear The Reaper--S.E.K.S. (Blue Öyster Cult)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E40Ooo2d_8o
Landslide-Tori Amos (Fleetwood Mac)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqIoNgvlSwU
Señor (Tales of Yankee Power)--Jerry Garcia Band (Dylan)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-GnsnAt6SI
Me and My Uncle--Grateful Dead (many many shows)--written by John Phillips (Mommas and The Poppas)--first recorded by Judy Collins.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CywZg8Vjjn8
Had no idea that me and my uncle was not a dead original.
I am a bit of a cover aficionado. A few of my favorites.
What's Goin' On--Los Lobos (Marvin Gaye)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqLe4P3NVkk
Don't Fear The Reaper--S.E.K.S. (Blue Öyster Cult)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E40Ooo2d_8o
Landslide-Tori Amos (Fleetwood Mac)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqIoNgvlSwU
Señor (Tales of Yankee Power)--Jerry Garcia Band (Dylan)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-GnsnAt6SI
Me and My Uncle--Grateful Dead (many many shows)--written by John Phillips (Mommas and The Poppas)--first recorded by Judy Collins.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CywZg8Vjjn8
Wow. Like it.
I never realized The Ghost of Tom Joad was Springsteen.
Junip does a cover of it it is Jose Gonzalez’s band and was the only version I new.
on that note:
Heartbeats - The Knife/Jose Gonzalez
I love every and any version I've ever heard of "Sitting on the Dock on the Bay" I've ever heard, but since I am particularly fond of pearl jam, I love their cover. Also love their covers of harvest moon and baba O'Reilly
Baker Street. I love Gerry Rafferty's version. I still haven't come to terms with the Foo Fighters cover. Yes, Dave Grohl shreds the guitar lead, but you can't beat the wailing saxophone of the original.
I'm with you on this. I hadn't heard the Foo Fighters version so I found it and listened, and it's pretty good. But it isn't the original. Plus that song takes me right back to the end of high school in 1978, and anticipating starting college in the fall, and the world was bright and shiny and full of hope.
So it's also memory trigger. OK, I turned out to be wrong about the world, but other than that ...
Post Malone did a pretty fun mashup of Petty Free Fallin.
I can think of two than I didn't see on here (apologies if I overlooked them):
"Rainbow Connection," Kermit the Frog / Willie Nelson. Nothing will surpass the original, but Willie comes pretty damn close.
"Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?", The Shirelles / Carole King. The Shirelles hit #1 with this (the first Black all-girl group to do so), but I've always felt that King's slower, more plaintive tempo fit the lyrics better.
You do know Carole King wrote “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?", right?
How about "London Calling" by The Clash? This might be the best cover song I've ever heard.
Feist did a cover of The Tragically Hip’s Flamenco.
Feist will play with the Hip at the Junos, June 6th on CBC at 8:00. The Hips first performance since Gord Downie’s death.
House of the Rising Sun; The Animals and Frijid Pink. I like both equally
“You’ve got a Friend” Carol King and James Taylor. Both versions won Grammy awards.
Wonder whether when Baba O’Riley was released as the first track on The Who’s album Who’s Next fifty years ago in August 1971, Pete Townshend could have envisioned this cover version of his song.
Here's a good one:
Beatles-Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds (1967)--Elton John (1974-5). Many said the Elton John version was even better than The Beatles. Lennon did sing backup in the Elton version.
Covers previously mentioned: Jimi Hendrix's "All Along the Watchtower," Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)"
Stevie Ray Vaughan covered Elmore James' "The Sky is Crying" and Larry Davis' "Texas Flood"
Santana covered Willie Bobo's "Evil Ways" and Fleetwood Mac's "Black Magic Woman"
Cream: Robert Johnson's "Cross Road Blues" as "Crossroads," Albert King's "Born Under a Bad Sign," and Willie Dixon's "Spoonful" (first recorded by Howlin' Wolf)
Eric Clapton's 461 Ocean Boulevard: "I Shot the Sheriff"
The Who: Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues" (HM: Blue Cheer version).
Aerosmith: Tiny Bradshaw's "Train Kept a-Rollin'" and Bull Moose Jackson's "Big Ten Inch Record."
Foghat: Muddy Water's "I Just Want to Make Love to You"
Paul Wood: Etta James' "Blues is My Business" (used on an episode of "The Sopranos")
Heart: Led Zeppelin's "The Battle of Evermore," "Stairway to Heaven," "Kasmir" and others on YouTube
Yoyoka, a Japanese girl who does drum covers on YouTube: channels Bonham on "Good Times Bad Times", covers Ian Paice on Deep Purple's "Burn" (got an Ian Paice reaction vid) and while she can really bash those skins, she also did the Porcaro shuffle on Toto's "Rosanna." Here's a collab with another Japanese girl Li-sa-X on Joe Satriani's "Satch Boogie"
If you want to see faithful covers of classic rock (and others), check out the Lexington Lab Band. Here's their cover of Boston's "Foreplay/Longtime"
Also Leo of Frog Leap Studios does metal covers.
Gorillaz' "Feel Good Inc." - guitar playing rabbit in mall!
Toto's "Africa"