Originals versus covers

[Tiger]

Normally the originals are superior, but I have found some examples of exceptions. Notable covers that actually seem better than the orginals are:

 

Seether's rendition of Careless Whisper

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTjDbTOmic8http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTjDbTOmic8

 

The original of course was by Wham! I like this version too, but as someone who generally prefers rock, I actually prefer the cover.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQtlrBziyzIhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQtlrBziyzI

 

On the flip side, George Michael's "Faith" is better than the cover by Limp Bizkit.

 

This is the original. I love this song!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSvHpvHFXU0

 

This is Limp Bizkit's cover.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ei_FJWHXys

Edited August 11, 2009 by Tiger

[Graeme]

I agree that originals are usually better than the covers, but there are numerous exceptions. I think it is also a matter of which one you are exposed to first. I can remember being surprised to find a song I liked was actually a cover. I heard the original and didn't like it because it was sufficiently different from the version I was used to that it grated.

 

There was one cover I can think of that I think is sufficiently different to the original that you can't really compare them. It's the Beatle's Help!. The Beatles version was a fast tempo song, but there was a cover I heard that was a much slower tempo. The result was essentially a completely different feel to the song, not just a minor variation. I've just done some checking and Deep Purple appears to have done the first such a cover, but the one I remember is by the Australian John Farnham.

[Drewbie]

Joan Jett did a version of Have You Ever Seen the Rain? that is good as well, but I agree most remakes suck.

[shadowgod]

I'd argue against most covers sucking. I think it all depends on the artist covering the song and if they attempt to make it their own in any fashion... or just choose to regurgitate the song the way the previous artist did. Seal and Michael Bolton are famous for the latter...

 

Try Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies... they rock and exclusivly do covers. I think my favorite of theirs is Wild World which was originally performed by Cat Stevens. They also do a cover of Somewhere Over the Rainbow which is just 100% pure awesome. Of course they have their misses, but over all I wouldn't venture to ever say the original is superior to the cover. Unless of course you are talking about Seal or Michael Bolton

 

Other then those two.. wayward souls and the music execs who enjoy them. I like almost all the covers I have ever heard, and rarely take the chance to compare them to the original.

[Zapp]

The obvious ones I can think of where IMO the cover is superior to the original are All Along the Watchtower of course, No Quarter, Tools cover of the Led Zep classic and War Pigs Faith No More version, only Mike Patton could pull that off.

 

Oh yeah and Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley is another obvious one, I know very few people who prefer the original, shame he was cut down in his prime.

Edited August 18, 2009 by Zapp

[Tiger]

Joan Jett did a version of Have You Ever Seen the Rain? that is good as well, but I agree most remakes suck.

Joan Jett also did a cover of "Crimson and Clover" that was just awesome. I'll tell you what. When it comes to lesbian rockers, Melissa's got nothing on Joan.

[methodwriter85]

Across the Universe by Fiona Apple

 

I far prefer this cover to the original. This one has a serene beauty to it that I think the original doesn't have.

 

And then here are three 80's pop hits that I think are better than their 60's orginals.

 

 

 

 

I Think We're Alone Now by Tiffany

 

Hazy Shade of Winter by the Bangles

[rec]

Does Joni Mitchell's version of Both Sides Now for the movie Love Actually count as a cover for her original? It should, and it is very different.

 

I'm glad somebody mentioned Jeff Buckley's Hallelujah.

 

How about Sinead O'Connor's version on Two Rooms of Elton John/Bernie Taupin's Sacrifice? And Darren Hayes cover here of Peter Gabriel's In Your Eyes?

 

Speaking of Two Rooms, there are several other outstanding covers: Oleta Adams's Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me and Jon Bon Jovi's Levon really stand out.

[James_Freestone]

Think about this. Let's say you have never heard the original and heard a cover band play a song and they sound amazing. So you find it on the web and listen to the original song and you think the cover band did better.. could it be because the first band you heard made an impression on you as being awesome and you didn't want the other one to be better?

 

That's how I look at it when I go and see cover bands. I try and see them from the view of someone who has never heard the original song.