Cover versions which are better than the original
Discussion
Possibly been done before, but prompted by a couple of songs today on the music channels:-
Johnny Cash - Hurt
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmVAWKfJ4Go
(I love NIN - one of my favourite bands - but JC's timbre and depth (and his history) really suit this track...goosebumps territory)
Disturbed - Land of Confusion
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6KXgjLqSTg
(OK, not difficult to beat Phil Collins! Video strangely appropriate given recent events in MidEast...)
Oh - one other which always comes to mind whenever this topic comes up...
Jimi Hendrix - All Along the Watchtower
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bng3agUOYiI
What else do people rate as an improvement over the original song?
Johnny Cash - Hurt
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmVAWKfJ4Go
(I love NIN - one of my favourite bands - but JC's timbre and depth (and his history) really suit this track...goosebumps territory)
Disturbed - Land of Confusion
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6KXgjLqSTg
(OK, not difficult to beat Phil Collins! Video strangely appropriate given recent events in MidEast...)
Oh - one other which always comes to mind whenever this topic comes up...
Jimi Hendrix - All Along the Watchtower
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bng3agUOYiI
What else do people rate as an improvement over the original song?
Some very cool answers, and some stuff I'd never have normally come across!
Agreed. CJ - had no idea you were a card-carrying metalhead!
Re: Metallica - gotta be a couple off Garage Inc. too - Whiskey is the obvious call.
FnM - "Easy" live was f'n awesome - SO glad I got to see those guys reformed* at Download the other year...bought the ticket just for them, everyone else was a bonus.
Tainted Love - either metal cover works well. As for that Britney...
PS - I really DON'T like the MJB remix of 'One'...in fact, I can't think of a single U2 cover which has improved on the original.
* In Mike Patton's case, completely unreformed!
james_gt3rs said:
CommanderJameson said:
I reckon all of these add something to the original.
Anthrax - Got The Time
Metallica - Am I Evil
These are amongst their best songs.Anthrax - Got The Time
Metallica - Am I Evil
Re: Metallica - gotta be a couple off Garage Inc. too - Whiskey is the obvious call.
FnM - "Easy" live was f'n awesome - SO glad I got to see those guys reformed* at Download the other year...bought the ticket just for them, everyone else was a bonus.
Tainted Love - either metal cover works well. As for that Britney...
PS - I really DON'T like the MJB remix of 'One'...in fact, I can't think of a single U2 cover which has improved on the original.
* In Mike Patton's case, completely unreformed!
otherman said:
All the power that was missing in the original.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood (well, Trevor Horn really) - Born To Run
Trevor Horn was a genius. If you haven't got the Princes Trust concert DVD ("Slaves to the Rhythm"), then it's well worth digging out - esp. for the Frankie stuff - the replacement for Holly is (dare I say it) actually better!Frankie Goes To Hollywood (well, Trevor Horn really) - Born To Run
Cheers for resurrecting the thread this week - prompted a re-review and some new listens:-
Placebo's "Running up that hill" was bloody awesome...love his voice!
Pendulum's "I'm not alone" was pretty full-on, so that's definitely a "yes".
NIN's version of "Dead Souls" is another winner...great stuff there!
Not sure on the Jamelia cover of Numb - it's OK, but the original is better, esp. live (well, back a few years when they were good live, anyway).
Becs just reminded me we haven't had this yet - Limp Bizkit's version of "Behind Blue Eyes" (The Who) - IMHO a difficult one to improve on, but I think they just edge the original.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MSqF_rQ6Mw
Placebo's "Running up that hill" was bloody awesome...love his voice!
Pendulum's "I'm not alone" was pretty full-on, so that's definitely a "yes".
NIN's version of "Dead Souls" is another winner...great stuff there!
Not sure on the Jamelia cover of Numb - it's OK, but the original is better, esp. live (well, back a few years when they were good live, anyway).
Becs just reminded me we haven't had this yet - Limp Bizkit's version of "Behind Blue Eyes" (The Who) - IMHO a difficult one to improve on, but I think they just edge the original.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MSqF_rQ6Mw
Clockwork Cupcake said:
I wouldn't say this was better than the original by any stretch of the imagination, but it's certainly different. And amazing skill.
(It was sent to me by a friend)
Also
(CAUTION: Very NSFW lyrics if you are not familiar with the song)
First one is very impressive, agreed. Totally different, and lacks the drama of the original, but as you say, hell of a skill.(It was sent to me by a friend)
Also
(CAUTION: Very NSFW lyrics if you are not familiar with the song)
Second...doesn't do it for me...there's very little emotion in her voice, very little animal passion (compare with the original, where the need and the hurt are pouring out of Trent's voice). That song is designed to be sung from the groin, and she seems like she could be singing about lollipops and rainbows. I've heard good remixes of Closer before (got the two-disc single somewhere), and that's not one.
Want a decent example of a woman covering a NIN track - try St Vincent:-
Funk said:
Lee Ritenour's cover of Stereophonics' 'Maybe Tomorrow'
Decent voice, and a pretty cool alternative guitar arrangement. But yet again, we've got a young woman with no 'soul' in her voice, no lived-through pain to express, trying to cover a song that really needs the voice to express the hurt and the sorrow of the lyrics. Kelly's voice does a far better job.
Conversely - agree with everything said about the Amazing Grace cover above...the screamy-bit at the end wasn't needed, but otherwise quite spine-tingling. A good voice is about more than just having good tone.
Edited by havoc on Saturday 29th April 07:54
Funk said:
havoc said:
Funk said:
Lee Ritenour's cover of Stereophonics' 'Maybe Tomorrow'
Decent voice, and a pretty cool alternative guitar arrangement. But yet again, we've got a young woman with no 'soul' in her voice, no lived-through pain to express, trying to cover a song that really needs the voice to express the hurt and the sorrow of the lyrics. Kelly's voice does a far better job.
My 2p anyway.
Brent Hoffmeister said:
Summer breeze by Type O’Negative. Forgot how good this cover was, seguing beautifully in to ‘set me on fire’. Loved this as a spotty teen.
Not to everyone’s tastes maybe, but the band had a refreshing self-awareness about them. Peter Steele made for a great frontman and his death was a great loss to the darker side of music.
VERY good shout.Not to everyone’s tastes maybe, but the band had a refreshing self-awareness about them. Peter Steele made for a great frontman and his death was a great loss to the darker side of music.
Spotify keeps playing me Green Man at the moment, not that I mind in the slightest.
Gassing Station | Music | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff