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What cover songs do you feel are better than the original?
- Thread starter FoxMcChief
- Start date
Ulysses 31
Member
Chuck Berry
Gold Member
Beats the piss out of Zeppelins version imo
Pegasus Actual
Member
God dammit. I'm never going to get gold again am I? Well, I can't believe I'm saying it... but some things are just more important than GAF Gold.
This is prime lazy cover territory. Same song, just with the guitar amps set to punk with a worse vocal, neither of which do any favors to the wistful vibe of the original. And Marston. Surely you are old enough to know this. And to appreciate Don Henley's recording, with its perfect 80s production. Now, I would have said, "this is actually really clever, because Don Henley is a twat and he doesn't let people listen to his music" but it looks like he actually uploaded it a year ago to YouTube finally.
I'd say you can't cover your own song... This is a weird case. The original is like 90% plus of the way there... it's really just that one dead section in the middle that kind of kills it.
Duran Duran getting the Nile Rodgers single mix treatment on this one is along the same lines, just gave it that extra bit of extra oomph to turn it into a megahit:
Here's one that I thought was kind of pathetic, way too late, and not at all an improvement to the song... When Dave Mustaine decided that Megadeth's A Tout Le Monde didn't get a fair shake in the 90s and re-did it as a higher tempo duet. No Dave. Bad Dave. Why you gotta do that Dave?
Yerd
Member
Here is actual footage of Joe Cocker singing that song. Bad audio, I guess youtube doesn't like the real Joe. I grew up with a VHS with this exact video.
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NeverYouMind
Member
Even if I mildly enjoy those karaoke vocals the off-beat bass strumming makes it hard to hold it above the professional performance of Nat King Cole's original musical accompaniment. It did remind me of Jim Carrey, Will Ferrell, Adam Sandler, and David Costabile doing some karaoke though, so thanks!
And here is a bagpipe cover of Da Ya Think I am Sexy? by Mike Myers because I can't get it out of my head:
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Dr. Suchong
Member
StreetsofBeige
Gold Member
_Idea_of_Evil_
Member
Original:
Cover:
Original:
Cover:
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Original:
Cover:
Mr Reasonable
Completely Unreasonable
This is one of those ones that most people don't know is a cover and when they hear the original they often declare it to be better than the more familiar cover.
My opinion is that I have no real relationship with the Tiffany song, it's slightly familiar, but finding this "new" (but old) version of it is nice. I think I prefer the aesthetic to the 80s version so it just seems to work better.
Part of me wonders if cover versions just need to be familiar and different enough to resonate but not tread on the toes of one another. It's why this:
Fails, imo. Almost identical to the original so it just comes across as a worse version. There doesn't seem to be anything of the performer there.
It's also why Disturbed's The Sound Of Silence works (I can't stand the band normally and also know this is one of those covers that people despise). It takes the original and amps up the drama and gives it it's own aesthetic. Familiar but Different enough and with enough of the band in there.
But then contradiction coming: Johnny Cash's version of Hurt is basically the same, but just injected with a poignancy that hearing him sing those words is actually more accessible and understandable than in the original version. He unlocks more than angst and brings people closer to the sadness and makes it feel more universal, imo.
There's a great bit of Rick Rubin who produced Johnny Cash and suggested he cover Hurt here (1.45:47 if it doesn't jump to it):
I agree that Tool's version is tighter, more precise and more urgent than the original, which really makes it work. But it's basically the same aside from the outro , which sounds like Tool covering Tool. I remember going to listen to the original after hearing this version and being quite underwhelmed.
Not sure if I'm able to make a point other than doing covers must be difficult to get right whichever approach you take or there'd be more to list.
If you read all that, thanks.
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SF Kosmo
Al Jazeera Special Reporter
While we're on the subject of Prince, Cyndi Lauper's cover of When You Were Mine is one of the best examples of how a gender flip can change a song.
But while many artist change the lyrics when they flip a romantic song, Cyndi keeps them exactly the same. And by not changing a word, she changes the whole meaning of the song. Where Prince's version was a cuckold song from a guy to a cheating girlfriend, Cyndi's is a heartfelt, supportive love song to from a woman to her boyfriend after he realizes he's gay.
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Yerd
Member
He has his own verse in there.
Plague Doctor
Member
High fucking five!
digital_ghost
Member
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Bumblebeetuna
Member
Pantera - Planet Caravan
Men_in_Boxes
Snake Oil Salesman
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Mr Reasonable
Completely Unreasonable
Yeah, instead of the guitar solo, I did catch it and I probably should have acknowledged that.
I think with that cover, it made me appreciate Zach De La Rocha's voice in a way I never had done before. Hearing a band do a straight cover which, for whatever reason, didn't feel as good. Maybe just the production? That, plus the vocals that felt fairly similar to the original but not as good, and either late or out of time quite often didn't really do it for me. I was interested to see what they did for the guitar solo, it's such a distinctive part that I think the task is a bit of a poisoned chalice. Do it the same and it's a bit boring - do something very different and you might come off as having taken away more than you added. I think that the extra verse there was that. To me, it felt like it wasn't interesting enough, but by that point I was already not that captivated, so it could be a me thing.
I would however stick with my overall feeling from before, that it's not a cover that'll be on the "great covers" list very often. There could be loads of people who love it for all I know though.
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Men_in_Boxes
Snake Oil Salesman
Pegasus Actual
Member
This is easily the worst thing Germany has done in at least 100 years.
digital_ghost
Member
MaestroMike posted the same song. You call me out instead of him?
kevboard
Member
I like this cover. but I like the original more tbh.
I love how they paid homage to the original music video, although it's not quite as cheezy as the original
but speaking of Dio,
this cover of Temple of the King by Axel Rudi Pell is awesome IMO
if anyone unfamiliar with Axel Rudi Pell feels like they know that band's vocalist from somewhere... well...
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killatopak
Gold Member
Maybe my bias is speaking but I do love rock in general.
StabbyStabStabStabStab
Member
The original is pretty awesome as well mind you, but this just about pips it
They also covered the Bran Flakes song, although I think the original is a little more robust
They also covered the Bran Flakes song, although I think the original is a little more robust
Mr Reasonable
Completely Unreasonable
Amazing, I wasn't aware of this!
TintoConCasera
I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
Think I heard this one in an episode of Fargo, I prefer it over the original.
And since you've mentioned Take On Me:
And since you've mentioned Take On Me:
Michael Jackson songs were much better in Rock
I always liked Avril's cover of Knockin On Heaven's Door
Chop Suey on the other hand..
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NeverYouMind
Member
I like Ozzy's vocals too much in the Black Sabbath original to give Faith No More version a fair shake, but that ska version of Take On Me is so good!
Sings "Do the Loco-Motion" and does other dance moves for 80% of the song...
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Dr. Suchong
Member
Power Pro
Gold Member
I didn't say anything about the choreography being goodSings "Do the Loco-Motion" and does other dance moves for 80% of the song...
RedC
Member
That cover is a very interesting take on it but I don't think the upbeatness matches the theme of the song.
I much prefer this cover due to it's hauntingness. I remember being pleasantly surprised when they used it in Lovecraft Country.
I'm not going to say the cover is better, but it has such a different feel having a man singing it that it often means different things to people than the original Kate Bush version that I believe it stands on it's own. It's definitely a classic in the African American community.
Cover:
Original:
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SirTerry-T
Member
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StabbyStabStabStabStab
Member
Is that the 1973 ad sung by a chap who can't decide if he's Elvis or Roy Orbison? If so I agree - never heard that before today but its certainly got a groove to it for sure!They should try their hand at the R whites ad
NeverYouMind
Member
The cover and live performance of Eloise by The Damned is really great. Also enjoy the addition of synth percussion and emphasis on words in vocals on Soft Cell's cover of Tainted Love. Those two really elevate themselves above the originals. Thanks.
Most of it is not very good because it tries to emulate synth sounds too much instead of playing to the strength of the instruments but the parts with the musical saw, wine glasses, and choir backing (plus drums) at 1:40 blew my mind. I don't even know what the name of the wooden plank instrument with a string at 2:12 is (seems very DIY) but it sounds awesome!
That is an incredibly clean rendition in comparison to the Kate Bush original.
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Pegasus Actual
Member
Probably the one cover in this thread that I'd say is unequivocally better than the originals (I'd probably be a lot less antagonistic if the thread was just "great covers" or something). The production is great, the vocal is great, and the tweaks to the melody are all amazing.
On the other hand, I hate this one. Okay cool genre swap... but I don't know... The Promise didn't feel like that huge of a hit, and those dudes were clearly a one-hit wonder. Feels distasteful to cover it. And the original is fantastic.
I do love Muse, wasn't feeling that cover at the start but it had won me over by the end.
I like it better too... Sabbath sounds so dreary... maybe a hot take but I much prefer Ozzy's solo run.
Great cover... looks and sounds like they had a ton of fun... not too seriously, the genre swap is interesting... the trombones don't quite sound like they quite keep up with the original melody, and same with the 'guitar solo' in the cover but it's all just perfect for the 'vibe'.
The Alien Ant Farm one was pretty good, changed things up a bit and was in general fun in a similar way to Reel Big Fish's Take On Me above...
Fall Out Boy I don't like on any level. The cover is competent so I guess if you do like them I'm sure it's enjoyable. But I don't get this "better in rock" bit. Like the original Beat It had freakin' Eddie Van Halen on guitar and was basically already a rock song. Throw Michael's vocals on top... c'mon man. It ain't even close.
And the other FOB cover I'm aware of is one of my least favorite covers of all time:
Max cringe. Do not want.