Jump to content
Hamer Fan Club Message Center

covers that are way better than the originals


DaveL

Recommended Posts

The Arrows I love Rock n Roll... Joan Jett was watching tv in Britian

and spotted this tune, great tune, but they just didn't have the magic IMHO...

Joan Jett Version... Interesting facts... The runaways blew it off when

Joan presented it to the rest of the band... Guitarist Ricky Byrd was in

the band less than a week when they knocked this out.

demo with jones and cook from the pistols...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 91
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

"Let's Spend the Night Together" by Bowie - or to the point, Bowie's band.

And this version of "Misty" may not improve on Erroll Garner, but I like it. Wish the long version was on YouTube...with better audio...

I'm partial to this cover, too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The original by The Strangeloves, 1965...'beating' the trend for a band member whomping an extra set of drums for emphasis/'kool' factor by 40+years...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6roiwPK3Ok...feature=related

My fave, the remake by BowWowWow, 1982...long before teenage girls became Disney fodder:

The 'I-wish-I-hadn't-found-it-kill-me-now' version from Disney: :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

crunchee... that's pretty rockin for 65...nice job

Thanx, it's an old fave of mine. Trivia: The Strangeloves supposedly originally didn't start out as a 'group' (it's a loooong story, later on there's a Rick Derringer connection, apparently):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Strangeloves

And as much as I loved the beat on Bow Wow Wow's cover, it was Annabella all wet that did it for me.

There's a reason why I said 'long before teenage girls became Disney fodder', besides the fact that they ARE now...Annabella was only 15 or 16 at the time of the video. :(:lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not taking anything away from the original, but I really like what Jeff Buckley did here

Again, the original is pretty freakin good, but Johnny Cash's cover of Hurt is scary good.

I'll piggy-back on the "Any cover Hendrix did" and throw out "most" anything covered by Marilyn Manson.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some of these are chosen simply because the production is better and/or the instrumentation is denser, and no disrespect meant to the original classics:

As much of a Peter Green fan as I am, I like Judas Priest's version of "Green Manalishi" better.

I actually prefer Devo's "Satisfaction" over the Stones' original, perhaps because the original is so "familiar" as an iconic song.

From a pure arrangment-and-chops p.o.v., I'll take the Vanilla Fudge's cover of "Shotgun", but have always liked Jr. Walker's sax.

"This Wheel's on Fire": Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & the Trinity

"Hush": Deep Purple

"Atlantic City": The Band

"It's A Small World": Andy Kaufman and the B Street Conga Band

DEBATABLE TUNES:

"We Gotta Get Out of This Place": Blue Oyster Cult

"Summertime Blues": Blue Cheer

"Stop in the Name of Love": Hollies

"Black Magic Woman": Santana

"The Man Who Sold The World": Nirvana

"Ain't That A Shame": Cheap Trick

"Fanfare for the Common Man": ELP

"All I Have To Do Is Dream": NItty Gritty Dirt Band

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i'm sure some will vehemently disagree but................... :lol:B):(

edited to add - apparently from the comments peeps are hotly debating this very topic on this one

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Talking Heads were one of my favorite bands in the 80's but this remake by Living Colour is great.

The original by the Talking Heads.

I'm a huge T Heads fan and prefer the original version but really like what Living Colour did with their cover.

Two of my favorite covers of all time do NOT surpass the originals (which I think would be impossible :( ) but the bands really do make it their own, which is the way it should be.

Satisfaction - DEVO

(stick around for the noise-fest at the end, awesomely WOV)

OK, back to the original point of the thread - covers I think ARE better than the original ...

and I know I'll probably get ripped for this one but - Working Class Hero

Link to comment
Share on other sites

April Wine - 21st Century Schizoid Man

Edging out the original..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Prongs version of "Talk, Talk" over Sean Bonniwells The Music Machine version.

I heard a version of "Space Oddity" performed live by David Bowie and Nine Inch Nails that I thought was better than the original, but can't seem to find it anywhere...

I really liked Coroners version of the Beatles "I want you, (She's so heavy)... Maybe not better than the original, but I like it and think it is.

Metallica's versions of Die, Die, Die my darling, The Small Hours, Crash Course in Brain Surgery, Last Caress/Green Hell, Helpless, The Wait, Am I evil?, So What, Breadfan

Are all in my opinion better than the originals.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I couldn't find Blue Oyster Cult doing the MC5's "Kick Out the Jams" on YouTube.

That'd be another one that depends-on-what-you like, but it's fast and precise and that has a way of blowing my hair back.

+1 on VanHalen and "You Really Got Me", BTW.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ainsley Lister plays a bluesy version of Prince's Purple Rain. Not way better but a great translation to the blues. Actually, there is no way to make it better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Y3CaMvtn8I

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Metallica's versions of Die, Die, Die my darling, The Small Hours, Crash Course in Brain Surgery, Last Caress/Green Hell, Helpless, The Wait, Am I evil?, So What, Breadfan

Are all in my opinion better than the originals.

i'll add astronomy, the mercyful fate medley, the prince, even whiskey in the jar (flame away, but i like it).

i actually like metallica's covers better than their originals! except for their sabra cadabra cover (which is great, but not better than the original sabs).

mercyful fate medley http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVr6EjIT4Hg

i'll add anything by jazz is dead (fusion covers of grateful dead), and any thelonious monk tunes done by charlie hunter

(or almost anyone else besides the original monk recordings, which sound like demos).

green chimneys

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The trick to doing a successful cover and putting your own stamp on it....is having the foresight to NOT pick a song that is such a classic anthem that you stand NO chance to top it.

Good example here:

STH

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The trick to doing a successful cover and putting your own stamp on it....is having the foresight to NOT pick a song that is such a classic anthem that you stand NO chance to top it.

Good example here:

STH

I always enjoyed Frank Zappa's live version of Stairway to Heaven, trust me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0p3Ue3ncH3g

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Blinded by the Light by Manford Mann (Sp?)

The Bruce Springsteen original sounds *nothing* like it. It is really the only cover I can think of that became the property of the covering band. Most people don't even know Bruce did that song.

Molly Hatchets cover of Dreams by the Allmans is spectacular.

Judas Priests cover of Diamonds and Rust by Joan Baez is friggin epic when Ripper Owens does it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Blinded by the Light by Manford Mann (Sp?)

...

- Manfred Mann

+1

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


×
×
  • Create New...