Swansea_Saint Posted 26 July, 2011 Posted 26 July, 2011 Following on from Saint-Armstrong thread got me thinking about covers I really think made the song better than the original For example Hallelujah (sp?) - Jeff Buckley Hurt - Johnny Cash Only ones I can think of for now but I'm sure you guys can come up with some.
Saint in Paradise Posted 26 July, 2011 Posted 26 July, 2011 "A day in the life" the Jeff Beck cover of that song. .
Turkish Posted 26 July, 2011 Posted 26 July, 2011 Take Thats version of Could it be Magic sh*ts all over Barry Manalows. FACT.
dronskisaint Posted 26 July, 2011 Posted 26 July, 2011 Absolutely agree with Johnny Cash's version of 'Hurt' Big fan of The Beatles but Joe Cocker with 'A little help from my friends' Ditto on The Kinks but Kirsty McColl - 'Days' Generally hate many more than I like though
Turkish Posted 26 July, 2011 Posted 26 July, 2011 Talking of the Kinks, the Jam version of David Watts is much better than the Kinks.
Fowllyd Posted 26 July, 2011 Posted 26 July, 2011 Following on from Saint-Armstrong thread got me thinking about covers I really think made the song better than the original For example Hallelujah (sp?) - Jeff Buckley Hurt - Johnny Cash Only ones I can think of for now but I'm sure you guys can come up with some. Those are both great, though I prefer John Cale's version of Hallelujah, particularly from his live CD 'Fragments of a Rainy Season'. Just Cale, accompanying himself on the piano - beautiful. On the subject of John Cale, he did a magnificent version of 'Heartbreak Hotel' on an LP back in the early 70s. A million miles from the original, electric and raucous, laden with chill and menace. Here's a live version: Later on, he pared this down to himself and piano only, making it sound as bleak as a very bleak thing.
Verbal Posted 26 July, 2011 Posted 26 July, 2011 Gram Parsons'/Flying Burrito Brothers' 'Wild Horses' - actually recorded before the Stones' version, although it was a Keith Richards song, heavily influenced by Parsons (if you see what I mean).
Fowllyd Posted 26 July, 2011 Posted 26 July, 2011 Gram Parsons'/Flying Burrito Brothers' 'Wild Horses' - actually recorded before the Stones' version, although it was a Keith Richards song, heavily influenced by Parsons (if you see what I mean). Great song. Gram did a few good covers, now I think of it...
Kingsland Codger Posted 26 July, 2011 Posted 26 July, 2011 And then sometimes a cover version is neither an improvement nor an abomination, just utterly different Dave Brubeck Take Five 1961 ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwNrmYRiX_o and fifty years later, a version from Pakistan ...
Fowllyd Posted 26 July, 2011 Posted 26 July, 2011 Talking of the Kinks, the Jam version of David Watts is much better than the Kinks. Prefer the original myself, maybe because I knew it before the Jam recorded their version. But mostly because for me it has a subtlety that the Jam's version lacks.
Verbal Posted 26 July, 2011 Posted 26 July, 2011 And then sometimes a cover version is neither an improvement nor an abomination, just utterly different Dave Brubeck Take Five 1961 ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwNrmYRiX_o and fifty years later, a version from Pakistan ... Brilliant!
Petersfield Saint Posted 26 July, 2011 Posted 26 July, 2011 Big fan of The Beatles but Joe Cocker with 'A little help from my friends' This, absolutely
keithd Posted 26 July, 2011 Posted 26 July, 2011 this for thems that cant get youtube, its Nirvana (unplugged session) covering The Man Who Sold The World. And it's good.
Gemmel Posted 26 July, 2011 Posted 26 July, 2011 Jealous Guy from Roxy Music was better than Lennons Mike flowers pop was better than Oasis Wonderwall
beatlesaint Posted 26 July, 2011 Posted 26 July, 2011 The Beatles version of Twist and Shout wipes the floor with the original.
martyg1950 Posted 26 July, 2011 Posted 26 July, 2011 Jimi Hendrix - all along the watchtower. Took Dylans original, a very simple song, and blew everyone away. Great thread - absolutely agree about Joe Cocker.
saint lard Posted 26 July, 2011 Posted 26 July, 2011 The live version..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWty_lD1ZLA
lumuah Posted 26 July, 2011 Posted 26 July, 2011 Word Up by Gun And I douby many people will have ever seen or heard this, but Ghostbusters by rock band Xentrix
Sheaf Saint Posted 26 July, 2011 Posted 26 July, 2011 Madness' version of It Must Be Love piddles all over Labi Siffre's original.
jjsaint Posted 26 July, 2011 Posted 26 July, 2011 Sufjan Stevens takes a good stab at 'Ring them Bells' off Dylan's Oh Mercy album. I also love Nirvana's cover of 'Where Did You Sleep Last Night'.
The Cat Posted 26 July, 2011 Posted 26 July, 2011 Agree with Madness and Johnny Cash (his version of Personal Jesus is also excellent) Susanna and the Magical Orchestra have done loads of amazing covers. Love Will Tear Us Apart is one: Lambchop's version of This Corrosion is pretty special: Stevie Ray Vaughan (the only person ever to have lived who should be allowed to do Hendrix covers) does a beautiful version of Little Wing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdYRzH10L2M Low's version of I Started A Joke: Always been a fan of Anthrax's reworking of Bring The Noise: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBA-xi8WuCU Wilco doing California Stars:
Verbal Posted 26 July, 2011 Posted 26 July, 2011 SRV's version of Hendrix Voodoo Chile is better than Little Wing in my opinion. SRV takes the guitar solo from Little Wing and creates a long instrumental from it, and it is at times brilliant. But it loses Hendrix's superb rhythm guitar work in the verses. Hendrix himself was a wonderful covers artist, and made his first, huge impression on Eric Clapton when he played a furious cover of Howlin' Wolf's Killing Floor while jamming with Cream at Westminster Poly in 1966 (!).
Foxstone Posted 26 July, 2011 Posted 26 July, 2011 Springsteen is akin to a god in my eyes, but Patti Smith's version of "Because the Night" was even better than his...
hutch Posted 26 July, 2011 Posted 26 July, 2011 Springsteen is akin to a god in my eyes, but Patti Smith's version of "Because the Night" was even better than his... Agreed, but I'm a big Patti fan anyway. Her Gloria is by far the best IMO. Also, rummaging in Mrs. H's iTunes the other day I came across a version of Purple Rain by Leanne Rimes. Very good.
Barry the Badger Posted 26 July, 2011 Posted 26 July, 2011 Loved this when I was at school... http://hypem.com/#!/item/ke8x
The Cat Posted 26 July, 2011 Posted 26 July, 2011 Alan Partridge's Abba medley - The only time anyone needs to hear the awfulness that is Abba
sambosa75 Posted 26 July, 2011 Posted 26 July, 2011 Alan Partridge's Abba medley - The only time anyone needs to hear the awfulness that is Abba Thats all I ask, honey!!!
Lord Duckhunter Posted 26 July, 2011 Posted 26 July, 2011 (edited) Joe Cocker-The letter. Willie Nelson-Song for you. Gladys Knight-Heard it through the grapevine. However the best cover in my opinion is Leon Russell's "Jumping Jack flash". Mind you, he's got a pretty decent band to back him up. Edited 26 July, 2011 by Lord Duckhunter
Viking Warrior Posted 26 July, 2011 Posted 26 July, 2011 (edited) I preferred Melanies version of Ruby tuesday over the stones version http://youtu.be/dtjShZxsBIA Edited 26 July, 2011 by Viking Warrior
SimonC Posted 26 July, 2011 Posted 26 July, 2011 Word Up by Gun And I douby many people will have ever seen or heard this, but Ghostbusters by rock band Xentrix You are joking, right? That word up version is the worst cover ever...actually its better than the Mel B one!! Waterfalls - the Bluetones I can see clearly - Hothouse Flowers 'Ruby Trax' released by the Melody Maker in about 1992 is great - double album of great covers.
HK_Phoey Posted 26 July, 2011 Posted 26 July, 2011 All the young dudes. Odd one as was written by Bowie but originally recorded by Mott the Hoople. Bowie's version is far better as is Bruce Dickinson's
explorer saint Posted 26 July, 2011 Posted 26 July, 2011 Stranglers version of Walk on By by Dionne Warwick Beach Boys version of Califonian Dreaming Guns & Roses version of Knocking on Heavens Door
markyboy Posted 26 July, 2011 Posted 26 July, 2011 Yngwie Malsteem's version of Abba's Gimme!Gimme!Gimme! is a good un
saint_bert Posted 26 July, 2011 Posted 26 July, 2011 Metallicas versions of turn the page and so what pish all over the originals
revolution saint Posted 26 July, 2011 Posted 26 July, 2011 (edited) Gomez did a great cover of Wichita Lineman. I also liked Dubstar's version of St Swithin's Day. Oh, and whilst I'm on a roll, Natalie Merchant's Space Oddity Edited 26 July, 2011 by revolution saint
rallyboy Posted 26 July, 2011 Posted 26 July, 2011 I'll go with Guns'n'Roses knocking on heaven's door and definitely Cash doing Hurt but Cat, I don't think so mate! - Lambchop should be gassed in a pit for doing that to the Sisters! I do like Bowie's Waterloo Sunset, Carter's Rent, The Sister's Emma originally by Hot Chocolate. And Kirsty doing Billy's New England.
saintbletch Posted 26 July, 2011 Posted 26 July, 2011 Good thread! Japan's All Tomorrow's Parties versus The Velvet Underground with Nico's Johnny Cash's The Mercy Seat versus Nick Cave's (in fact Johnny's Cash's American.... series has produced some fantastic covers as others have said on here) The Fall's Victoria versus The Kinks' Roxy Music's Jealous Guy versus John Lennon's R.E.M.'s Love is all Around versus The Troggs' Muse's Feeling Good versus Nina Simone's (sacrilegious to say it) The Smith's Golden Lights versus Twinkle's (yes really! - had to look that one up.) Robert Wyatt's Shipbuilding versus Elvis Costello's (a VERY close thing).
Special K Posted 27 July, 2011 Posted 27 July, 2011 Japan's All Tomorrow's Parties versus The Velvet Underground with Nico's Defo. Also liked their version of I Second That Emotion, although i'm not sure it's better than Smokey's. Don't you worry about a thing - Incognito is a good cover although SW original is still top class. Liked Communards version of Dont Leave Me This Way, but probably because i was in my late teens when it came out and was on the dancefloor more. And i quite like the Chile Peppers version of Higher Ground too.
dronskisaint Posted 27 July, 2011 Posted 27 July, 2011 'Nothing compares to you' by Sinead O'Connor over Prince Have to take issue on the two who say Roxy Music's 'Jealous Guy' was better! I can only forgive it because it was done as a tribute...and I like Roxy Music in general.
alpine_saint Posted 27 July, 2011 Posted 27 July, 2011 Metallicas versions of turn the page and so what pish all over the originals You mean Anti-Nowhere League's "so what" ? Talking of Anti-Nowhere League, their version of "The Streets of London" is much better than Ralph McTell's I also think "I'm on Fire" by the Guana Batz is better than Bruce Springsteen's.
alpine_saint Posted 27 July, 2011 Posted 27 July, 2011 Good thread! Japan's All Tomorrow's Parties versus The Velvet Underground with Nico's Deffo. Sylvian can sing, Nico was a droning Kraut.
alpine_saint Posted 27 July, 2011 Posted 27 July, 2011 (edited) Sepultura's version of "The Hunt" pushes New Model Army's in terms of catchiness, but missed the vicious venegeance of the original. Someone managed a pretty good attempt at "Love Like Blood" by Killing Joke a while ago, but cant remember the name, and the original version is just about the best song EVER. He's a joke answer : Paul Young's version of Love Will Tear Us Apart. Oooo, nearly forgot. "Tears of a Clown" by The Beat. Edited 27 July, 2011 by alpine_saint
Nick65 Posted 27 July, 2011 Posted 27 July, 2011 Agree that Jimi's version of All Along the Watchtower is brilliant, although the original is great as well. Neil Young's version of Dylan's Blowin in the Wind. Santana - Black Magic Woman (Fleetwood Mac) Nico - The End (The Doors) REM - Strange (Wire) Kokomo - I Can Understand It (Bobby Womack) Rod Stewart - Reason to Believe (Tim Hardin) Carole King - Will You Love Me Tomorrow (Shirelles, yeah I know she wrote it in the first place) Terry Reid - Stay With Me Baby (? Lorraine Ellison)
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