Cover Versions Of Songs, Better than Original

[Flashy]

normally i detest cover songs, since they are usually terrible, (think Lenny Kravitz/American Woman or Madonna/American Pie) but there are many covers that become even better than the originals...

name a few of your favorites...

several of mine

(List the cover and the original)


All Along The Watchtower - Hendrix cover of Dylan
Jesus Doesn't Want Me For A Sunbeam - Nirvana cover of The Vaselines
Angel Of The Morning - Juice Newton cover of Evie Sands (many others)
Respect - Aretha Franklin cover of Otis Redding
Hallelujah - John Cale cover of Leonard Cohen
Frozen Warnings - John Cale cover of Nico
Babe I'm Gonna Leave You - Led Zeppelin cover of Joan Baez
Cocaine - Clapton cover of J.J. Cale
Feelin' ALright - Joe Cocker cover of Traffic
Hey Joe - Hendrix cover of The Leaves
Sea Of Love - Honeydrippers cover of Phil Phillips


***NO BRITNEY SPEARS ALLOWED***

 

[MickeyLee]

Jeff Buckley owns Hallelujah. if you haven't heard his version you might just fall in love when you do.

 

[Flashy]

Jeff Buckley owns Hallelujah. if you haven't heard his version you might just fall in love when you do.

I have. i have Jeff Buckley's stuff, and i enjoy him, but my personal opinion is that Cale's is better...i love Cale, and IMO, his version does more for me, though i understand folks that like the Buckley version.

 

[Mem]

I Will Always Love You- The Whitney version is much better than Dolly's.

 

[nudeyorker]

I liked Linda Ronstadt's Heatwave better than Martha and the Vandellas

 

[MickeyLee]

blasphemer!! *sinks into the irrational pit of interweb butthurt and pantie twistage*


j/k
ML

 

[Flashy]

blasphemer!! *sinks into the irrational pit of interweb butthurt and pantie twistage*


j/k
ML

me, mem or nudeyorker? :smile:

 

[yngjock20]

I like Britney Spears' version of...LOL!!! I did that on purpose if you couldn't tell. She's only done one cover to my knowledge and it's pretty lackluster.


Hmmm...I honestly can only think of a few covers that I've ever heard and liked immensely more than the original.



Toxic-Yael Naim cover of Britney (I'm serious about this one)

She's Just a Friend-Tally Hall cover of Biz Markie

Hurt-Johnny Cash cover of NIN

Valerie-Amy Winehouse cover of the Zutons

Vapors-Snoop Dogg cover of Biz Markie

...I'm sure there's more. I just can't think of them all right now.

 

[MickeyLee]

*heads up from the pit* you, Mr Flashy.

Sublime Scarlett Begonias cover of The Greateful Dead
Afghan Whigs True Love Travels on a Gravel Road cover of Elvis Prestley

there are a few other i love but i can't really say i love the cover more than the originals, it's more a case of the cover version going someplace totally unexpected.

ML *now butthurt free*

 

[Qua]

Opeth's Soldier of Fortune over Deep Purple. Yeah, I know.

Actually, Dream Theater did an amazing cover of Perfect Strangers too.

Disturbed's cover of Genesis' Land of Confusion. Honestly I think that one's a wash, just a stylistic choice. Both are amazing. And no surprise it's the only Disturbed song I can even tolerate.

 

[killerb]

I Will Always Love You- The Whitney version is much better than Dolly's.

Whitney's I'm every woman is also better than Chaka Khan's...

 

[Phil Ayesho]

I liked Linda Ronstadt's Heatwave better than Martha and the Vandellas

Agreed, vastly better.
Also- Ronstadt's Love has No Pride... much better.
And her version of Silver Threads and Golden Needles
That woman can belt out a tune.

Also- Marvin Gaye's Heard it thru the Grapevine much better than Gladys Nights and the pips.


Van Morrision's version of Mystic beats Sunchild's
Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire beats his wife's original.

Nico's These Days beats Jackson Brown's

Gal Costa's versions of Brazil, Wave, and just about anything else beat's anyones'.

Claudia Acuna's My Man's Gone Now beats anybody else's, hand down.


On the opposite side... Lot's of tunes that are more popular in cover versions still can not hold a candle to the original artist.

Glen Campbell's Gentle on my Mind sucks ass compared to John Hartford's.
And NOBODY'S cover of ANY Bob Dylan tune can touch his originals...

Ain't too Proud to Beg- Temptations still trump Stones.

Take Me to The River- Talking Heads' can't hold a candle to Al Green's

 

[tripod]

All Along The Watchtower - Hendrix cover of Dylan
Respect - Aretha Franklin cover of Otis Redding
Babe I'm Gonna Leave You - Led Zeppelin cover of Joan Baez
Feelin' ALright - Joe Cocker cover of Traffic
Sea Of Love - Honeydrippers cover of Phil Phillips

Fuckin' great list man.

I'll start off the Beatles first:

"Helter Skelter" - Motley Crue (Is this even possible?) of the Beatles

"Got To Get You Into My Life" - Earth Wind and Fire's Cover of the Beatles.

"I Will" - Alison Krause and Union Station cover of yet again the Beatles

John Lennon's version of Woody Guthrie's "Working Class Hero"

Jerry Douglas does two mean fucking versions of "Birdland" and "A Remark You Made" from the Weather Report's seminal album Heavy Weather.

Metal Church's remake of Deep Purple's "Highway Star"

George Benson's cover of "On Broadway" from the soundtrack to All That Jazz.

Grover Washington jr's version of the Temptations' Norman Whitfield composition "Masterpiece" (which is my most favorite song in the world!!!!!!)

and

Grover's version of Marvin Gaye's "Trouble Man" which can both be found on his Soul Box Volume I album.

The Talking heads version of Al Green's 1974 song "Take me to The River"

I'm gettin' tired...

 

[Jovial]

Celine Dion & Anastacia - You Shook Me All Night Long (originally by ACDC)

 

[Mr. Snakey]

David Bowie's version of the Stones song Let's Spend The Night Together. He simply takes it to a whole new level and makes it his own.

 

[MickeyLee]

bauhaus ziggy stardust and the spiders from mars cover of david bowie.

 

[Qua]

NOBODY'S cover of ANY Bob Dylan tune can touch his originals...

Even Hendrix's?

 

[prince_will]

hmm...lemme see,

Make You Feel My Love - Adele (original: Bob Dylan)
Working Class Hero - Green Day (original: i thought i was John Lennon)
Your Song - Ewan McGregor *sung in "Moulin Rouge!"* (Elton John)
I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston (Dolly Parton)
Hurt - Johnny Cash (Nine Inch Nails)

I'm sure i have more, but it's hard to think of some right now.

and just for fun:
Britney Spears - My Prerogative (Bobby Brown)
It's not better but i do like the song.

 

[D_Selmus_Swallow]

Gary Jules' cover of "Mad World" by Tears For Fears.

 

[Jovial]

YouTube - Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Blinded by the light (Live 1976)

...originally by Bruce Springsteen.