Covers: The Good, The Bad, The Meh

[cpcathy]

I think this is fun. It helps that I was there in person for it.

 

[King of Birds]

LA band that I've seen has done interesting covers of 60s songs. These would be "not a direct cover" but a new take.

Baby You're a Rich Man 

Wear Your Love Like Heaven

[amaranta]

I've always really liked Pete Townsend's live acoustic cover of The Beat's (or The English Beat if you prefer) "Save it for later."  I was thrilled when I found it was recorded and available for purchase.

[UYI]

I don't think it would be right to call it "better",  but Dwight Yoakam did a bluegrass version of "Purple Rain" for his new album:

http://www.people.com/article/dwight-yoakam-covers-prince-purple-rain-swimmin-pools-movie-stars

[Blergh]

Would it be wrong for me to say that IMO, No Doubt's "It's My Life" not only did a much better vocalization and instrumental than the 80's band Talk, Talk but their cine noir whodunnit (frameup?) video was far more imaginative than the original safari scenes with the odd shadow flitting about?

[MargeGunderson]

2 hours ago, Blergh said:

Would it be wrong for me to say that IMO, No Doubt's "It's My Life" not only did a much better vocalization and instrumental than the 80's band Talk, Talk but their cine noir whodunnit (frameup?) video was far more imaginative than the original safari scenes with the odd shadow flitting about?

Yes, it would. Then again, I like the Fine Young Cannibals' version of Suspicious Minds better than Elvis', so you may be asking the wrong person.

Edited September 23, 2016 by MargeGunderson

[Dandesun]

I do enjoy the original but I fucking LOVE Duran Duran's cover of (Come Up and See Me) Make Me Smile

 

[FormerMod-a1]

I love that song, too!

Summer Breeze by Type O Negative like you've never heard it.  They don't change it much, but the deep voice Peter Steele and the use of electric guitars does make it quite different, and dark.

[Gobi]

Some of my favorites:

Hey Joe; Like a Rolling Stone; Blue Suede Shoes; Come On - Jimi Hendrix

Theme for an Imaginary Western - Mountain

Rock Me, Baby - Robin Trower

While My Guitar Gently Weeps  - Vinnie Moore

Spoonful; Crossroads - Cream

Goodbye, Pork Pie Hat - John McLaughlin

She's a Woman - Jeff Beck

Born to Be Wild - Blue Oyster Cult

Manic Depression - Yngwie Malmsteen

Summer Breeze - Chambers Brothers

Edited October 9, 2016 by Gobi

[Cobalt Stargazer]

On 8/12/2016 at 1:02 PM, Spaceman Spiff said:

American Girl   Goo Goo Dolls

Elle King also covered American Girl for the Hot Pursuit soundtrack.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVajvomdziQ

Not a great movie at all, but I think King does a really good job with the song.

[Gobi]

On 10/9/2016 at 4:13 PM, Gobi said:

Some of my favorites:

Hey Joe; Like a Rolling Stone; Blue Suede Shoes; Come On, Johnny B. Goode - Jimi Hendrix

Theme for an Imaginary Western - Mountain

Rock Me, Baby - Robin Trower

While My Guitar Gently Weeps  - Vinnie Moore

Spoonful; Crossroads - Cream

Goodbye, Pork Pie Hat - John McLaughlin

She's a Woman - Jeff Beck

Born to Be Wild - Blue Oyster Cult

Manic Depression - Yngwie Malmsteen

Summer Breeze - Chambers Brothers

[xaxat]

Leonard Cohen's death reminded me of a fascinating podcast by author Malcolm Gladwell. In it he traces the history people covering Cohen's classic Hallelujah from his original, sprawling (he allegedly wrote 200 verses) version to the version made famous by Jeff Buckley fifteen years after Cohen composed the song. 

ETA. Musically, this cover of Hallelujah isn't exceptional, but culturally, it ranks as one of the best. 

Edited November 13, 2016 by xaxat

[MaryPatShelby]

On 12/18/2014 at 10:48 AM, proserpina65 said:

I love Kate Bush, but Pat Benatar's version of Wuthering Heights is, imo, vastly superior if only because Kate's original was sung in such a strange, gimmicky voice.

 

Agreed, vastly superior. One of my all time favorites.

[Twilight Man]

Spaceytraci1208

Quote

A lot of folks don't know that Aretha Franklin's "Respect" is a cover (originally an Otis Redding tune)

Bastet

Quote

Jimi Hendrix's All Along the Watchtower, Janis Joplin's Me and Bobby McGee, 

Don't forget to add Santana's "Black Magic Woman".

As Tony Quintero says down in the comments "When I tell people that Fleetwood Mac were the original artists to record Black Magic Woman, they think I'm full of it."

 

Five pages and I still don't hear any love for Ronstadt.

She even made an entire album once.

[Silver Raven]

"Cover Me" is an all-Bruce Springsteen covers album with some great songs in it, by various artists - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cover_Me_(compilation_album)

[Accidental Martyr]

6 hours ago, Twilight Man said:

 

 

Five pages and I still don't hear any love for Ronstadt.

Missing from that list is "Poor, Poor Pitiful Me" and "Hasten Down the Wind" both by Warren Zevon (though I don't consider them superior to the original versions.)

[Twilight Man]

On 11/14/2016 at 10:28 PM, Accidental Martyr said:

Missing from that list is "Poor, Poor Pitiful Me" and "Hasten Down the Wind" both by Warren Zevon (though I don't consider them superior to the original versions.)

Half of the songs from her "Covered by Ronstadt" album aren't even on that list (to say nothing of "Blue Bayou").

I have yet another album of hers that includes her cover of "Poor, Poor Pitiful Me", and I too love it.

Edited November 17, 2016 by Twilight Man

[Spaceman Spiff]

http://www.allmusic.com/album/legacy-a-tribute-to-fleetwood-macs-rumours-mw0000034786

-- a track by track re-recording of the album by contemporary artists --

[Accidental Martyr]

Speaking of Fleetwood Mac, I like this cover of "Gypsy" by Gardens and Villa.

 

[JTMacc99]

I've got a couple that are in my playlists these days.  First is 99 Red Balloons covered by Goldfinger.

And second is The King of Wishful Thinking covered by New Found Glory (Which I like WAY better than the original.) No official video for this one, but there is a cell phone video of them them performing it should you want to see such a thing.

[navelgazer]

Beseech cover of ABBA Gimme Gimme Gimme.  (Fan vid.)

I think they goth it up good.  

[Cobalt Stargazer]

Stumbled over this by accident, because I miss everything.

[againstthewind]

Especially relevant, George Michael's cover of Somebody to Love. I think Freddie Mercury is the greatest male vocalist of all time, but GM comes damn close on this song.

My other standby is Joe Cocker's With A Little Help From My Friends.

[Shannon L.]

I loved GM's cover of Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me.

[Silver Raven]

One of the most heart breaking moments of the "Hamilton" soundtrack is the song "It's Quiet Uptown".  Alexander and Eliza are trying to deal with the unimaginable pain of the death of their son.  Now that the "Hamilton" mixtape is out, Kelly Clarkson has recorded it, and has released a video of her singing it.  It's reimagined and rewritten for the voice of an individual instead of a duet, but the song is still heart breaking.  Especially realizing that Kelly recorded it when she was eight months pregnant.

[cpcathy]

I don't care for it, but that's why the original is out there.

[Shannon L.]

2 hours ago, cpcathy said:

I don't care for it, but that's why the original is out there.

I think her live version is much better than the studio version.  I also think that all of the songs that I've heard from the Hamilton Mixtape are  over produced and sound mechanical--especially Quiet Uptown.  But, the one that Silver Raven linked is beautiful, imo.

[Ohwell]

I never liked Kelly Clarkson's voice so she ruined the cover for me.

[DarkRaichu]

To me, Bon Jovi's cover of Hallelujah is slightly better than the original (Cohen's).  People usually prefer Buckley's version, but to me it is Bon Jovi, Cohen, then Buckley ;) 

[DarkRaichu]

BEST cover ever (IMHO of course)

[Cobalt Stargazer]

On 1/13/2017 at 2:57 PM, DarkRaichu said:

To me, Bon Jovi's cover of Hallelujah is slightly better than the original (Cohen's).  People usually prefer Buckley's version, but to me it is Bon Jovi, Cohen, then Buckley ;) 

Ahem. :-)

[DarkRaichu]

17 hours ago, Cobalt Stargazer said:

Ahem. :-)

No offense, but my preference stands as is ;)

A bit OOT, but I could not listen to Hallelujah by Tori Kelly and Jenniffer Hudson (from Sing).  :(    IMHO, Hallelujah is 1 of those songs that requires grittiness in the voice of the singer.  It just does not give that punch in the gut feelings when the voice is too "clean".

[SirOsisOfLiver]

From the documentary "Standing In The Shadows Of Motown", Joan Osborne and the Funk Brothers cover Heat Wave. Killer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8lAeyFipHg

[Wiendish Fitch]

I've mentioned this before, but I can't praise Ingrid Michaelson's cover of "Can't Help Falling in Love" enough. It has a fraught, youthful urgency and vulnerability that really resonates.

[DarkRaichu]

I LOVE Postmodern Jukebox so much, I can probably add a few pages to this thread just with links to their youtube videos. :D

Instead I am just going to post a few favorites:

This is 1 with the MOST ENTHUSIASTIC tambourine player in the WORLD :P

 

Can't stand Ke$ha but like her song?  Try PMJ version:

 

Sam Smith is good, but this version of Stay with Me is haunting:

[Silver Raven]

Tambourine Guy is a YouTube favorite, as well.  :)

[WendyCR72]

So, the hard rock group Stone Sour (fronted by Corey Taylor) released an EP a year or so back for Record Store Day. And, I must say, Corey (with Lzzy Hale of Halestorm) did a rather good (IMO!) version of the Rolling Stones classic, "Gimme Shelter". (Although Lzzy Hale will never match Merry Clayton in the original):

 

On the first "Burbank" EP, they tackle...the admittedly cheesy (but catchy) Kiss song, "Love Gun". I read (if you believe the comments) that Kiss actually had the cover on their website:

[SirOsisOfLiver]

Post deleted because I haven't figured out how to embed...

Edited January 28, 2017 by SirOsisOfLiver

[Silver Raven]

The new video game "Resident Evil 7: Biohazard" has a cover of "Go Tell Aunt Rhody" that is creepy as hell.

 

[JustaPerson]

I noticed recently that Ed Sheeran has an inordinate amount of covers. Unofficial usually. Some pretty unexpected. A lot of them are duets with the original artist too.

Like this one with Beyonce:

Macklemore:

Chris Brown (!!) very casual

 

I think he just likes performing and singing so much he'll take any opportunity to do it.

ETA: One more:

Edited February 2, 2017 by JustaPerson

[UYI]

With all due respect to the late Chuck Berry, Buck Owens had a good version of Johnny B. Goode too. Maybe not BETTER, but still good.

[methodwriter85]

Not necessarily better, but definitely doing the original justice:

"Burning Down the House" by Walk The Moon

[DarkRaichu]

Not a fan of the original artist, but I like listening to good covers of Justin Bieber songs.  Most of the time I do not even know (or even interested in finding out) the original versions :D :D :D 

 

 

 

Edited May 6, 2017 by DarkRaichu

[UYI]

Lucinda Williams AND Mary Chapin Carpenter? How on EARTH am I supposed to choose which version is better?

(For the record, Lucinda's is the original; MCC did the cover.)

[Bastet]

That is indeed hard, and Mary Chapin Carpenter came very close on this song, but I pretty much always have to go with Lucinda Williams, one of my favorites singers.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

Speaking of Lucinda Williams:

[SirOsisOfLiver]

The National Ukulele Orchestra Of Great Britain covers Talking Head's "Psycho Killer", in full tux and formal wear, no less.

[methodwriter85]

"I Only Want To Be With You" cover by the Bay City Rollers:

[MyAimIsTrue]

3 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

"I Only Want To Be With You" cover by the Bay City Rollers:

I loved this song version in the sixth grade.  Yes, I just dated myself!

[Silver Raven]

This huge Serbian a capella group did this outstanding La La Land a capella medley: