View Full Version : When did the cover sound better to you than the original?
Whew, this is going to be a contentious thread, because whoever would think of such a thing, but I have a starter...
When Annie Lennox covered 'Whiter Shade of Pale' (the song needs no introduction I hope) and it came at me through my B&W 601s, make no mistake, I thought my ears had heard nothing better, ever.....Not casting aspersions on Procol Harum, but let's give credit where credit is due.
I expect that you assume that one hears the cover after the original? And that the cover is better ?
Never happened to me! Or has it? Of course it has happened. Kari Bremnes, a norwegian singer/songwriter, has a beautiful version of Leonard Cohen's "What everybody knows". It is in norwegian though.
I expect that you assume that one hears the cover after the original? And that the cover is better ?
Never happened to me! Or has it? Of course it has happened. Kari Bremnes, a norwegian singer/songwriter, has a beautiful version of Leonard Cohen's "What everybody knows". It is in norwegian though.
I'll clarify by assuming the cover is heard after the original, but I have made that assumption without consideration for our younger forum members, or people who just hear music after the fact from someone else......I'll look up Kari Bremnes, 'cause I do have a bit of Lenny Boy, as we call him down under...
I'll clarify by assuming the cover is heard after the original, but I have made that assumption without consideration for our younger forum members, or people who just hear music after the fact from someone else......I'll look up Kari Bremnes, 'cause I do have a bit of Lenny Boy, as we call him down under...
You'll be lucky if you find anything from Kari Bremnes down under as most of what she does is in norwegian. Outside of Scandinavia, I have only found her albums in Germany...
The song is actually from a tribute album where norwegian artists sings Leonard's songs (translated to norwegian).
I like Nena's "cover" of her own tune from the 80's, "99 Luftbollons" on "20 Jahre: Nena Feat. Nena." Does that count?
Whew, this is going to be a contentious thread, because whoever would think of such a thing, but I have a starter...
Generally speaking, if I've heard the original first, then covers just sound like an immitation.. which of course they are, and rarely sound anything special to me.
However, covers which are done in a different style can be much better than the original (Jimi Hendrix - All Along the Watchtower), or just wonderfully different (The Futureheads - Hounds of Love).
Not sure I would go far as to say "better", but I love Flat Pack's version of Sweet Child Of Mine. I certainly play it a lot more than I do the original (usually the Mylo radio edit)...
Joe Cocker's She Came In Through The Bathroom Window took a snippet from a medley and made a great full-fledged rock song out of it. Cry Me A River is a cover of a jazz standard that is hardly recognizable compared to the original.
However, covers which are done in a different style can be much better than the original (Jimi Hendrix - All Along the Watchtower), or just wonderfully different (The Futureheads - Hounds of Love).
I agree, check out Nouvelle Vague. They cover rock and punk songs bossa-nova-style.
Another very good cover: Nostalgia 77 & Alice Russell - Seven Nation Army
-s.
I like Nena's "cover" of her own tune from the 80's, "99 Luftbollons" on "20 Jahre: Nena Feat. Nena." Does that count?
Not sure; probably it better fit for a new thread: Artists recording their songs for a second time - is it better ?"
Tom
SadGamerGeek
2006-10-18, 06:58
I'm gonna get lynched for this, but.....
I prefer the cover of the Smiths song "How soon is now?" as done by t.A.T.u.
(and I am a Smiths fan)
I'm gonna get lynched for this, but.....
I prefer the cover of the Smiths song "How soon is now?" as done by t.A.T.u.
(and I am a Smiths fan)
I thought we were supposed to be serious? ;-D You forgot the ;-D
As much as I love Prince, I prefer the Sinead O'Connor version of "Nothing Compares 2 U"
SadGamerGeek
2006-10-18, 07:30
I thought we were supposed to be serious? ;-D You forgot the ;-D
...and I had a fair idea who'd be rounding up the lynch mob!
:-)
...and I had a fair idea who'd be rounding up the lynch mob!
:-)
:-D:-D:-D:-D:-D:-D
Check here for inspiration:
http://www.coversproject.com/
And SadGamerGeek: you might find some more destroyed Smiths-songs:
http://www.coversproject.com/artist/smiths ;-D
I'll stop for now.
I won't say I like these better than the originals, but they both brought out something completely different in the song that I appreciate:
Michael Andrews - Mad World [Tears For Fears]
Tori Amos - Time [Tom Waits]
Nine Inch Nails - Dead Souls [Joy Division]
Interestingly, that coversproject.com site lists the latter as being on The Downward Spiral, which it definitely is not. AFAIK it is only on The Crow soundtrack.
Philip Meyer
2006-10-18, 11:01
>Never happened to me! Or has it? Of course it has happened. Kari
>Bremnes, a norwegian singer/songwriter, has a beautiful version of
>Leonard Cohen's "What everybody knows". It is in norwegian though.
Jeff Buckley's version of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah is better too.
Phil
I am something like a cover version maniac. Especially I really like to hear cover versions of songs of my favourite bands/artists.
For example: I am (as they were my "first love" as far as music goes) still one of the biggest fans of Iron Maiden you can probably imagine and I really like (though there is a big variety in the actual quality) a lot of cover versions of Maiden songs done by death/thrash/black metal bands (which are my preferred musical styles of the present).
To go more into detail:
Sentenced - The trooper
Naglfar - The evil that men do
Others:
Napalm Death - Nazi punks fuck off (Dead Kennedys)
The Forsaken - Blackened (Metallica)
and so on and so on.
Basically it's often that cover versions done by extreme metal bands gain a lot of energy and bring the songs to a different level and they're just an interesting contrast to the often very individual/warm/atmospheric class of older rock/metal/punk song originals.
devo_live
2006-10-19, 15:02
Metallica did some cracking covers in their early days like Am I Evil? and Blitkrieg. Another cool cover is Devo's version of Satisfaction, as is Fu Manchu's cover of Devo's Freedom of Choice. OK, I do have Devo in my name, but they are two great covers. The first completely reconstructs the song, and totally makes it a Devo song. The latter is a rocking stoner track :-). Another more obscure cover is Snake River Conspiracy's version of The Cure's Lovesong. Imagine a dirtier more electronic Garbage, and you have a good idea what it's like. Worth tracking down if it sounds like your kind of thing.
Since we're talking metal, I don't know what it's about sweet swedish girls singing metal covers, but...
Hellsongs: Run To The Hills [Iron Maiden]
Bad quality video http://www.hellsongs.com/media/livehaga.mov
Hellsongs: Breaking The Law [Judas Priest]
http://www.hellsongs.com/media/01%20-%20Hellsongs%20-%20Breaking%20the%20Law.mp3
The Cardigans: Iron Man [Black Sabbath]
on the same album as Lovefool
http://www.last.fm/music/The+Cardigans/_/Iron+Man
I thought their cover of Talk Talk's 'It's my life' was pretty good. If nothing else it made me drag the original out and I re-aquainted myself with those guys again..
My votes:
Aerosmith's version of Come Together.
Johnny Cash version of Hurt.
Depeche Mode version Personal Jesus (but this begs the question which version of their umpteen original versions and remixes...)
random_tox
2006-10-23, 14:54
Another cool cover is Devo's version of Satisfaction
Second that! Devo has a TON ove great covers, but this is the best.
random_tox
2006-10-23, 14:58
I won't say I like these better than the
Nine Inch Nails - Dead Souls [Joy Division]
Mmmm, not bad, but the NIN cover of Queen's 'Get Down Make Love' is much better. (from the sin single)
random_tox
2006-10-23, 15:10
Wall of Voodoo/Stan Ridgway covering Cash's 'Ring Of Fire'!
English Beat 'Tears of a Clown', don't know the original artist.
Love and Rockets covering the Temptations 'Ball Of Confusion'.
Wall of Voodoo/Stan Ridgway covering Cash's 'Ring Of Fire'!
English Beat 'Tears of a Clown', don't know the original artist.
Love and Rockets covering the Temptations 'Ball Of Confusion'.
Oh yeah, I'm down for all three of those!
My contribution, from the "someone you've probably never heard of" department ... Noa (a.k.a. Achinoam Nini) doing a cover of "Eye In The Sky" (originally by the Alan Parsons Project).
You can see a video clip of it here:
http://www.noasmusic.com/index.asp
Helpful hint: before you click on the "Eye in the Sky" icon, you first need to stop the song that plays when you enter Noa's website (unless you enjoy listening to two different pieces, in two different languages, simultaneously) ... there is an icon at the bottom of the page that lets you do that.
robinbowes
2006-11-07, 03:47
English Beat 'Tears of a Clown', don't know the original artist.
Don't know the original artist ????????!!!!!!!?????
Shame on you.
Take a detention and write me 100 lines:
"I must learn more about Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, and Stevie Wonder, and Motown too."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tears_of_a_Clown
R.
Screamin' Jay Hawkins Heart Attack and Vine [Tom Waits]
Sinead O'conner's cover of Elton John's 'Sacrifice' from 'Two Rooms' gives the song a very haunting profile - one for the post asking for 'standards' for testing components as well. A good recording and heaps of dynamic range. Worth listening to.
I've never been a fan of covers, except during live shows, but one cover that I immediately thought nailed it was Korn's cover of Word Up by Cameo.
And to whoever mentioned Snake River Conspiracy...interesting band. I saw them open for A Perfect Circle...the opener might've been better than the headliner that night!
How about Ewan McGregor and Alessandro Safina's version of "Your Song" from the film Moulin Rouge? I love that version.
Elton John himself was obviously quite impressed as he re-recorded the song in a similar style with Safina a year later.
Oh yeah - and "Jealous Guy" by Bryan Ferry.
Chippy
How about Ewan McGregor and Alessandro Safina's version of "Your Song" from the film Moulin Rouge? I love that version.
Elton John himself was obviously quite impressed as he re-recorded the song in a similar style with Safina a year later.
Oh yeah - and "Jealous Guy" by Bryan Ferry.
Chippy
Yo, Jealous Guy was a tribute in all respects. Here's a song by a genius, sung by another great performer so well that it was a hit all over again.
I prefer The Rockets version of "Oh Well" to Fleetwood Mac's.
<paraphrased>
can't help bout the shape i'm in
I can't sing, I ain't pretty and my legs are thin
don't ask me what i think of you
i might not give the answer that you want me to
Tori Amos - Strange Little Girl. The Stranglers are acknowledged here for the composition, but not the delivery. Tori was all over this one, no question.
reverber
2006-11-17, 06:29
In the "Not Better, But Equal to the Original in an Entertaining Way" category, I would like to nominate Dinosaur Jr's cover of "Just Like Heaven" (the Cure song).
Cody
Fun thread.. :-)
Without any jutification whatever, here's a top of my head list of covers that succeed more than the originals:-
Creedence Clearwater Revival's version of "I put a spell on you"
The Who's "Young Man Blues" (Mose Allison)
Indigo Girls "Down By the River" (Neil Young)
Hendrix "All Along the Watchtower" (Bob Dylan)
Shawn Colvin "Private Universe" (Crowded House)
Diesel Park West "Info Freako" (Jesus Jones)
David Bowie "My Death" (Jacques Brel)
...and I'd nominate Candy Flip's cover of "Strawberry Fields Forever" as the most useless...
Fun thread.. :-)...and I'd nominate Candy Flip's cover of "Strawberry Fields Forever" as the most useless...
Hmmm.. even more so than the Scissor Sisters cover of Floyd's "Comfortably Numb"?
Hmmm.. even more so than the Scissor Sisters cover of Floyd's "Comfortably Numb"?
Yes, this also belongs in the 'Why did they ever record that?' thread. Sorry, but Gilmore et al should have them (Scissor Sisters) taken out and shot (If I had my way, I'd have all of you shot - The Wall)
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