Cover songs that are better than the original?

[phillybri]

I'll go with Jimi Hendrix' "All Along the Watchtower"...

I mean, that's not even a fair comparison!!!

Others?

[Richardo]

1. "It's My Life" by No Doubt

'Cause I'm a Gwen Stefani freak :evilgrin:

[XNASA]

23. Stop it. Please.

No matter how good the No Doubt cover is/was.........I will not allow you to sully Talk Talk. :evilgrin:

[Richardo]

27. But...but...it's Gwen Stefani!

[Screaming Lord Byron]

29. Then turn the sound down and play the original.

She is more appealing than Mark Hollis, that's for sure.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

2. MASSIVELY CONTROVERSIAL CONTENT.

'Dear Prudence' by Siouxsie and the Banshees.

[NewJeffCT]

28. Van Halen's version of "You Really Got Me"

Though, I like the Kinks' original version as well. VH's debut album is one of my all-time favorite albums (forgot it on my list last week on here)

[Screaming Lord Byron]

31. On a Kinks tip - The Fall's version of Victoria.

[Chovexani]

40. I love Siouxie!

She's on tour again and coming to my area soon!

http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/siouxsie_the_banshees/tours.jhtml

[Screaming Lord Byron]

45. Really? I thought they'd split up. Again.

Kewl. They're playing Vancouver.

[Dastard Stepchild]

96. totally agree, actually!

Meet my Prudence. She was named after this song - Siouxsie version.
She's the 'lil grey one.



Now - this said about Siouxsie, I cannot give her "The Passenger." I do prefer Iggy Pop's version.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

99. Cool. Agree on The Passenger.

I am partial to their 'This Wheel's on Fire', though.

[Dastard Stepchild]

100. I concur

I was thinking that right after I posted my first message.

[NashVegas]

124. Very Partial to 'Wheel's On Fire"

but then there's "Little Johnny Jewel."

[Beaverhausen]

110. funny you mention Siouxie after Gwen

I always think of Siouxie when I hear Gwen. Siouxie is a true original and Gwen a mere copy...

[Screaming Lord Byron]

120. pearls, meet swine

[sniffa]

3. nirvana's "son of a gun"

the originaL is good, but kurt tops it.

[jpgray]

4. Vegetable Man by the Soft Boys

Actually that may be because it sounds exactly the same.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

5. The Jesus and Mary Chain did it also.

B-side to their first single, IIRC.

[noonwitch]

6. The Bangles "Hazy Shade of Winter"

It's better than Simon and Garfunkels' version because it rocks.

[phillybri]

25. I can't believe I'm agreeing with you...

Weird...:crazy:

[Noodleboy13]

46. Totally

Plus, it was in the movie 'less than zero'

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

114. you took my answer

a lot simon and garfunkel and paul simon solo covers are better than the original for some reason

i like simon, buut his stuff lends itself well to covers

willie nelson doing 'graceland' is infinitely better than the origianl


the lemonheads did a great job with'mrs robinson' that almost surpasses the original, but not quite

[dedhed]

7. "Boys Of Summer" by The Ataris

A slight remake of Don Henley's original... all the Ataris did was up the tempo a notch, and the song elicits a completely different mood.

:bounce:

edit: spelling

[mrboba1]

8. I do like that remake.

I like the tempo a lot.

Who did the cover (recently) of that Skynard song - I can't remember the name of it now either...
Anyone like that? I kinda like it too... (maybe not more than the orig. though)

[WilliamPitt]

12. Black Flag sticker on a Caddilac

[phillybri]

26. I hate that line...trying to hard to be "hip"...

:puke:

[Richardo]

32. I agree - update the whole thing and say "...on an Escalade"

and see how stupid THAT sounds. :eyes:

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

115. lord, no

i hate whiney kiddie poppunk

the original is damn near perfect. as much as i hate the eagles, henley's solo stuff in the 80s was fuckin' great

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

116. steve earle doing 'time has come today'

on the steal this movie soundtrack
with sheryl crow on backup

[Cats Against Frist]

9. I'm going to say it, though I know it will piss people off

I like Candyflip's cover of "Strawberry Fields Forever," better than the Beatles' version.

That Alien Ant Farm cover of Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal," wasn't bad, either.

[TO Kid]

10. Gimme Shelter

Sisters of Mercy made it rock- the Stones' version was depressing.

[WilliamPitt]

11. All Along the Watchtower

Dylan wrote it, Jimi covered it, and then Dylan covered Jimi's cover.

[asthmaticeog]

13. Devo's "I Can't Get No Satisfaction"

plus, I second SLB's "Dear Prudence" call.

Add to that just about every remake Johnny Cash did in the last 10 years.

[otohara]

132. Flying Lizards - Money

not that it was the best - John Lennon's was - but the Flying Lizard's version same vain as Devo's, Satisfaction

[Philostopher]

14. I agree with you on that one.

However, I actually like all but Sting's cover of 'Little Wing' about as well as I like the original. Both the one on Derek and the Dominos 'Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs' and the one Stevie Ray Vaughan did do more for me than Jimi's original, though I also like it.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

15. Bowie's 'Let's Spend the Night Together'

Gives a real gonzo sexual energy to it that was surprisingly lacking in the original. Further proof that Mick Ronson should've been a Rolling Stone.

[MissMillie]

16. Respect by Aretha

much better than Otis Redings version.

I also like UB40's version of I Can't Help Falling in Love With You.

[FunBobbyMucha]

17. Junior Brown's version of "Rockahula Baby"

beats the admittedly forgettable Elvis version into the volcano.

Willie Nelson also trumped the King with her version of
"Always on my Mind."

I like the Pixies' version of "Head On" better than the original by Jesus and Mary Chain.

[flamingyouth]

18. Greetings from my obscurity cave

John Mayall's "I'm Your Witchdoctor" by this great New Zealand band called the Chants R & B. It's completely blistering.

Back to my cave now!:hi:

[GOPisEvil]

19. Marvin Gaye's version of "Heard It Through The Grapevine".

MUCH better than the original version done by Gladys Knight and The Pips.

[Noodleboy13]

48. *cough* CCR's version *cough*

I know that puts me in a minority.

[matcom]

20. Metallica's Whisky In The Jar absolutely kicks ass over the original

[GOPisEvil]

21. That and "Waxey's Dargle" are the best Irish drinking tunes ever!

:bounce:

[Screaming Lord Byron]

22. But it's a 17th century Irish Folk song. Who did the original?

Captain O'Halloran and ye Rovin' Wastrel Vagabonds? }(

[phillybri]

30. Thin Lizzy did it, but I don't know the "original" artist...

:shrug:

[Screaming Lord Byron]

33. I know. I was goofin' around.

It is an old folk song, though.

[Bridget Burke]

35. The Clancy Brothers (with or without Tommy Makem) or The Dubliners

Probably did the "original" version of "Whiskey in the Jar"--that is, the first popular recording of the old tune. Both these groups represent the Pub Singers school of Irish folk music that (partially) antedated the more exquisite Chieftains. Look, I love the Chieftains. Their "pure" Irish stuff remains wonderful--alas, that so many imitators just repeat the "noodly noodly" part down, endlessly. And their collaborations can be excellent & mind-opening.

But let's not forget the pub singers. The Pogues sure didn't.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

36. Agreed. Good post, Bridget.

[southpaw]

57. Gotta agree...

Though Thin Lizzy was an infinitely better band than Metallica.

[XNASA]

24. Cake - "I Will Survive"

I don't know much about Cake, but I do enjoy their cover of this Gloria Gaynor classic.

I'd like to give a nod to the Beatles, "Twist and Shout", as well.

[daisygirl]

39. I never liked that song until I heard Cake do it

34. Coltrane "My Favorite Things"

:)

Janis Joplin "Summertime"

[zbdent]

37. "I Need A Lover" - Pat Benetar

originally done by John Cougar (as I recall)

[zbdent]

38. Didn't Springsteen originally do "Blinded by the Light"?

I like the Manfred Mann version better.

If I'm wrong about the timeline, sorry . . .

[Kat45]

107. Springsteen wrote it and it was on his first album.

[Chovexani]

41. Don't laugh at me

Like any good American, I hate Britney Spears and everything she stands for, but Ahmet and Dweezil Zappa did a really kick ass cover of "Hit Me Baby One More Time".

It's like, headbangingly good. I first heard it used in an anime music video and immediately went to download it. (Downloading's evil, I'm going to hell, yadda yadda yadda)

[gmoney]

136. Travis's version of "Hit Me Baby" is genius

...reminds me of a mega-obscure cover: Scott McCaughey of Young Fresh Fellows covering Debbie Gibson's "Shake My Love" as a slow, sad piano tune...

[AntiCoup2K4]

42. "Stayin' Alive" - Ozzy Osbourne & Dweezil Zappa

Can't stand the disco-era BeeGees, but that's a great remake :evilgrin:

[AmandaRuth]

43. although the original is pretty good

i am very partial to social distortions ring of fire, a perfect cover of a perfect song

[AmandaRuth]

44. and i enjoy Patty Smith's

Because the Night (written by Springsteen?)

[Blue-Jay]

47. "Hungry Like The Wolf" covered by Reel Big Fish

It sounds like a blending of Frank Sinatra and Fishbone on meth.

/loves Reel Big Fish

[samplegirl]

49. on my way, dont know where im goin

Paul Simon

[RivetJoint]

50. "American Woman" - Lenny Kravitz

He made that song ROCK.

[HEyHEY]

75. WHAO WHAO WHAO - back that train up

THe Guess Who RULE and no one can take that away from them! Kravitz just added a cruddy 90s alt feel to it, so predictable.

[RivetJoint]

82. The Guess Who's

version was great. Kravitz's was better.

[PittPoliSci]

112. i seriously gagged when i saw that...

The Guess Who rule? :puke:

I had the misfortune of seeing them live, just a bunch of old never-has-beens. They played a version of American Woman, a song I never liked that was actually longer than the original at SARS-stock. The 5 minutes of "ugh!" after that crummy guitar lick was bad enough, but the crowd LOVED IT! That's just beyond me...

Maybe it only seemed like 5 minutes though since I was miserable the whole time.

But, to their defense, the Kravitz version was worse. He didn't even play the good parts of the song!

[GumboYaYa]

51. Peggy Lee - "Fever"

She owns that song now. No one else can sing it like Peggy Lee.

[RivetJoint]

52. There She Goes - Sixpence None the Richer

Also one of the greatest ever band names.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

53. SACRILEGE!

Name ripped off of CS Lewis, anyhow. FEH! :hi:

[RivetJoint]

54. Still a GREAT name

No matter the original source. I Love The La's version of that song as well.

[politicat]

93. CS Lewis ripped it off from several Victorians.

It was a common cliche in the 19th century - a comment on the fruitlessness of an activity.

Pcat

[NashVegas]

125. SPNTR Created an Even Worse Atrocity

when they covered "Don't Dream It's Over."

Someone should just put Leigh Nash out of my misery.

[amerikat]

139. couldn't hold a candle to the La's

well maybe an unlit candle.

[scarpa43]

55. Faith - Limp Bizkit

Took a cheesy George Michael song and put some anger into it

[southpaw]

58. Anger?

Everything Durst does is poser shit... especially the "Angst(c)"

Durst is a wanker.

Welcome to DU, BTW.

[PittPoliSci]

111. i second that!

But I prefer "everything Durst does shits on music as a whole."

56. "Happy Together" by the Mothers of Invention

well, it's sort of a cover sort of not since Flo & Eddie were in the Mothers of Invention and in the Turtles.

[Taverner]

59. Madonna's "American Pie"

HAHAHA...just kidding.

I would have to say Phish's "Emotional Rescue" is much better than the stones...

[BringEmOn]

60. Allman Brothers cover of T-Bone Walker's "Stormy Monday."

[southpaw]

61. The Wallflowers version of "Heroes"

Flame away, but this was never one of my favorite Bowie performances.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

62. Man, I thought I knew you.

:scared:

[southpaw]

63. My preference is based mainly on the more modern production...

Jacob Dylan's vocal performance is no better than Bowie's, but certainly no worse.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

64. s'ok. I'm just ribbing you. Like what you like.

But I can't see any hack improving on Visconti and Eno's production.

[southpaw]

69. No offense taken...

Just felt that a bit of explanation was in order.

I should have elaborated a bit more in the original post.

[RandomKoolzip]

65. Ben Folds Five: "Twin Falls." Rips Built to Spill's original to shreds.

Also:

"Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace," Cheap Trick (original by Terry Reid)
"Eight Miles High," Husker Du (the Byrds)
"Hit The Road Jack," Big Youth (Ray Charles)
"Big Shot," Big Drill Car (Billy Joel)
"Ain't Talkin' Bout Love," The Minutemen
"I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down," Elvis Costello (Sam and Dave)
"At Last I am Free" and "Shipbuilding," Robert Wyatt (Chic and Elvis Costello, respectively)

[Screaming Lord Byron]

67. Agreed on 'Eight Miles High'. I'll add 'Sunshine Superman'

[Screaming Lord Byron]

68. And 'Brand New Cadillac' by Vince Taylor covered by The Clash.

[RandomKoolzip]

74. Oh yeah. And their version of "Police and Thieves" is better than

Junior Murvin's. (My dad had that record when I was little, so I knew the original before I heard the Clash's version as a teen.)

Ever heard of Eilert Pilarm? go to www.incorrectmusic.com and download some stuff.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

77. I'll check it out.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

78. And the Clash version of 'Police on my Back' by The Equals.

Originally sung by Eddie 'Electric Avenue' Grant, bizarro-fact fans.

[RandomKoolzip]

83. I think the only Clash reggae cover that WASN'T better than the original

was their take on Toots and the Maytals's "Pressure Drop." (An uncoverable song, IMO....)

[Screaming Lord Byron]

84. Yeah. It doesn't quite stick, really.

[RandomKoolzip]

89. I've heard a bunch of ska bands cover "Pressure Drop..."

and, ahem, Izzy Stradlin and the JuJu Hounds (ummm...sorry.) too, and they always fall short. Without Toots Hibbert blowing soul smoke in your face, the song falls apart.

142. Lee Perry is sending the mojo after you

for that sacrireligious statement.

[RandomKoolzip]

70. Actually, I prefer Donovan's original of that one....

However, to hear Husker Du's version of the Gilligan's Island theme is to know greatness.


Also, it's only available on bootlegs, but the Butthole Surfers' version of REM's "The One I Love" is stunning (seriously.)

[Screaming Lord Byron]

71. Feh, Donovan. I like 'Season of the Witch', but his delivery is too twee

for my tastes.

[RandomKoolzip]

76. Huh! I thought his fey Brit tweeness would be roit up yer alley.

Especially his fake Scouse in "Atlantis."

(I LOVE Donovan.)

[Screaming Lord Byron]

81. Yeah. I have my fey Brit quota filled by Nick Drake and Belle & Sebastian.

Who massively ripped Donovan off, of course. Which is only fitting as both are Glasweigan acts.

[RandomKoolzip]

86. Don't forget Marc Bolan!

Or should I say "MarcBolonovan."

That guy got his whole schtick from Donovan, then added Les Pauls and top hats and called it his own.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

87. Come to think of it, 'The Prettiest Star' which Bowie wrote for Bolan

is very Donovan. Bolan made a better rocker than a folkie, certainly.

[RandomKoolzip]

92. Agreed. Tyrannosaurus Rex=shit.

T. Rex=nice.

[Spider Jerusalem]

66. Lou Reed's cover of "This Magic Moment".

I do not like the original at all, but Reed's version is great.

[Placebo]

72. "NOTHING COMPARES TO YOU" by: Sinead O'Connor

Definitely better than the original!

[RandomKoolzip]

79. And Me First and the Gimme Gimmes do an even BETTEr version of it....

n/t

[Tredge]

73. "Summer Lovin'" by The Vandals

Now that's more like the Summers I can (partially) remember!

[southpaw]

80. Blue Cheer's "Summertime Blues"

[bikebloke]

85. "Sweet Home Alabama" by the Leningrad Cowboys....

...with the Russian Red Army Choir.

[DelawareValleyDem]

88. a few

Little Wing, The LocoMotion, just about any song written by Dylan that the Band did, 59th Street Bridge song, Sea of Love

[stranger_with_candy]

90. Wicked Game

by HIM. not well known but good version. also Orgy's version of Blue Monday is good.

[Viking12]

91. "Easy like Sunday Morning" Faith No More n/t

[politicat]

94. Tango de Roxanne (while donning my flame proof suit)

Okay, I didn't like the original police version much. I admit, I go back and forth on Sting's voice.

The Tango version from Moulin Rouge took it from okay pop song to depressingly sexy, anger fuck song. It's far more complex and better orchestrated in the tango version. (Okay, I love tangos, too....)

I don't care if you despise the movie. I'm not talking about the flick; just the song.

Pcat

[politicat]

95. Crystal Method's Magic Carpet Ride.

If you haven't heard it.....

Pcat

[Dastard Stepchild]

97. Semisonic's version of "Air that I Breathe"

My total respect to The Hollies, but I just like Semisonic's verion better. Oh, and the Pixies rawk hard, but there was a compilation album of bands doing their songs, and those bands were really good. That comment doesn't count, though, cuz the Pixies were still better.
And I think Phantom Planet did a very nice job of covering Jackson Browne's "Somebody's Baby."

[elperromagico]

98. George Harrison's version of Dylan's "If Not For You,"

on All Things Must Pass.

[Norbert]

137. Believe it or not Olivia Newton-John did a good cover...

of this song. This was before she got that crisp sanitary pop sound.

[Richardo]

101. The speed-bluegrass version of Pink Floyd's "Brain Damage"

...as rendered by the Austin Lounge Lizards. :D:thumbsup:

[Screaming Lord Byron]

102. 'Sussudio' by Ol' Dirty Bastard.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

103. Baker Street by the Foo Fighters.

[Mike Daniels]

104. Stagger Lee by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

They use a relatively obscure source of the song so don't know that it's a cover per se but I'd rather here it than any other version out there.

[miss_kitty]

105. nelly's 'hot in herre' vs....

tiga's version....yummy!

[Caution]

106. Heavy Duty - Spinal Tap (Original Lenny and the Squigtones)

Heavy Duty: Based on a song written for Lenny and the Squigtones, this Tap hit appeared on their 1976 album, "Bent for the Rent." The song was rereleased on the 1984 soundtrack album about the same time that Judas Priest released a tune by the same name on "Defenders of the Faith." The closing classical riff, borrowed from Luigi Boccherini, was Nigel’s "tribute to the classical masters of bygone eras, of old dead people wearing wigs."

Lenny and the Squigtones: Musical group composed of two actors who played the characters Lenny and Squiggy on television’s "Laverne and Shirley." Otherwise forgettable 1979 debut album for the Casablanca label now a collector’s item because of credited guitar work by Nigel. A photo on the inside cover also includes two band members who look a lot like Derek and David. Included an early version of "Heavy Duty," which was later recorded by Tap.



No light fantastic ever crosses my mind
That meditation stuff can make you go blind
Just crank that music to the point of pain
Why waste good music on a brain
Chorus:
Heavy, Duty
Heavy duty rock and roll
Heavy duty
Brings out the duty in my soul
I see you dancing there in front of the band
You're playin' the solos with no guitar in your hand
I don't pull no punches I wouldn't waste your time
And just cause it pays, that ain't no crime
Heavy, duty
Heavy duty rock and roll
Heavy duty
Brings out the duty in my soul
Don't need a woman, I won't take me no wife
I get the rock and roll and that'll be my life
No page in history baby- that, I don't need
I just want to make some eardrums bleed
Heavy, duty
Heavy duty rock and roll
Heavy duty
Brings out the duty in my soul

[CarolynEC]

108. Rage Against the Machine covering Springsteen's...

"Ghost of Tom Joad."

I put it right up there with Hendrix/Watchtower. Both take a good song and turn it into... something indescribable, something so amazing that even Dylan and Springsteen have said they stand in awe.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

109. "Hey Joe" by Hendrix

His version of the tune is, in my opinion, one of the greatest rock tunes ever done.

[MrScorpio]

"Hey Joe" by Black Uhuru is da bomb

I wish that I coulkd load it into my iTunes

[MrScorpio]

117. "Hey Joe" by Black Uhuru is da bomb

I wish that I coulkd load it into my iTunes

[MrScorpio]

113. "Summer Breeze" by the Isley Brothers

Sorry, Seals and Croft, but you've been punk'd

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

133. If you don't own Ernie Isley's "High Wire" CD...

Get it. SOON. It has a track called "Rising From The Ashes" which borrows a bit of the melody from "Summer Breeze" and definitely gets its inspiration from the Isley Brothers track. It's a six-minute guitar workout featuring Ernie's whole Hendrix trick bag in one nice little package.

:toast:

[ChoralScholar]

118. Black Crowes - Hard to Handle -EOM

[KamaAina]

119. Bruddah IZ: "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"

it's what you heard at the end of "Meet Joe Black" and in that commercial for eToys.

Not sure that "What a Wonderful World" (part of the same medley) is better than Satchmo's original.

Keali'i Reichel, arguably the greatest living Hawaiian musician, does a killer version of "Wanting Memories".

It's a Hawai'i thing: we have a large surplus of would-be performers relative to songwriters, hence, lots and lots of covers. Plus, karaoke is still considered trendy here (!)

[Ron Green]

121. Eric Clapton's "I Shot the Sheriff"

has, in my opinion, a better groove than the original (is it Bob Marley?) Also, what about Joe Cocker's "Came in Through the Bathroom Window" ??

[WindRavenX]

122. "Hurt" Johnny Cash

N/T

[BluePatriot]

135. I second Johnny Cash's "Hurt" (n/t)

[Kire]

141. I third Johnny Cash's "Hurt"

the best cover song of all time

[Paladin]

123. RY COODER'S VERSION OF THE STONES' "IT'S ALL OVER NOW"

Done with an unbelievably funky reggae beat. I promise you that it is utterly impossible to remain still when this tune is played.

It's on Ry's classic "Paradise and Lunch" album from the 70's. I started worshiping Ry Cooder as a musical god way before he decided to visit Cuba.....

[NashVegas]

Gerald Collier - "Fearless"

Syd Barrett tune.

[democracyindanger]

126. SRV's version of "Little Wing"

[luzdeluna]

127. my way....... sid vicious

sorry Frank

[Norbert]

128. Got my Mind Set on You - George Harrison

Original version of the Rudy Clark song by James Ray

[eleny]

129. If I Had A Hammer

Peter, Paul & Mary made it happen!

[MrSlayer]

130. "Helpless" by Metallica

Back when they were good.

Most of their cover songs were better than the originals. (pre-Black Metallica of course)

Stone Cold Crazy
Last Caress/Green Hell
Crash Course in Brain Surgery

[Norbert]

131. Do Wah Diddy Diddy - Manfred Mann

The Exciters (Tell Him) did a good version of this song but MMs version is better.

[Spirochete]

134. Every Picture Tells a Story

by the Georgia Satellites. Beats the Rod Stewart version

Get Out of Denver, by Blues Traveler.

[blondeatlast]

138. "Respect," Arethat Franklin.

I know some will argue, but I won<'t be swayed. [br />
I've heard 'em both, and Aretha kicks ass.

[sleipnir]

140. Rage's "Ghost of Tom Joad"

The Boss lost this one big time...