Cover Better than the original

NoLongerOverwhelmed

NoLongerOverwhelmed wrote:

How 'bout Ben Folds' cover of "Bitches Ain't Shit"?

Also... Possibly the most offensive quiet piano ballad ever?

capybaralet

Keller wrote:

Exactly what the title says...name some songs that bands have covered (in the studio) which you think are better than the original recording.

I know this is gonna be a topic with alot of arguements but i'll start

Original:Bob dylan - Knocking on heavens door

Cover:Guns N Roses - Knocking on heavens door

Great topic, but That is the shittiest example possible. GnR's cover made me hate them more than anything else associated with them.......

anyhow:

Don't be Shy (eddie's solo) is better than the Cat Stevens version....

and I hate to say it, but Annie Lennox's "Don't Let it Bring You Down" is better than Neil Young's version.....

Nirvana's "Jesus Don't Want Me for a Sunbeam" is slightly better than the vaselines, mostly becuase of the kickass accordion

and the meat puppets ones, too, maybe.....

NickyNooch

armyreserve wrote:

Original: Crown Of Thorns by Mother Love Bone
Cover: Crown Of Thorns by Pearl Jam

Original: Hard To Handle by Otis Redding
Cover: Hard To Handle by The Black Crowes

A complete copy of my post on page 2 haha.

LedZepFan

theres no way in hell that ryan adams' 'wonderwall' is superior to that oasis masterpiece

Zeppelin's 'When the Levee Breaks' is better than the original

Jimi hendrix's 'All Along the Watchtower' is better than Dylan's

Pearl Jam's RITFW and Sonic Reducer and Crazy Mary are better than Neil's and The Dead Boys' and Victoria Williams'

Black Crowes' 'Hard to Handle' is better than Otis Redding's

Pearl Jam and toast

RITFW is making it's way onto that "most covered song ever" list..

the best version i've ever heard is when Pearl Jam played it with Neil on the 1993 mtv music awards.

so i won't call better or worse than the original on that one

brhf9

another one that i love:

Jolene by Dolly Parton
cover by The White Stripes

Pearl Jam and toast

brhf9 wrote:

another one that i love:

Jolene by Dolly Parton
cover by The White Stripes

yes.

clutching_benjamin

"Soul Kitchen" by X is miles better than the Doors version.

"License To Kill" by Richie Havens beats Bob Dylan

"I Found A Reason" by Cat Power beats V.U.

"Oddity" by Pavement beats The Clean

"Neverending Math Equation" by Sun Kil Moon beats Modest Mouse

"Song To The Siren" by The Czars beats Tim Buckley

"Hey-Sa-Lo-Ney" by The Detroit Cobras beats Mickey Lee Lane

You should check out http://www.retrocrush.com/covers/index.html for this guy's list of his 100 top covers of all time.

brhf9

clutching_benjamin wrote:

You should check out http://www.retrocrush.com/covers/index.html for this guy's list of his 100 top covers of all time.

that looks good...

#92 "Redemption Song"
by Joe Strummer and Johnny Cash
ORIGINAL ARTIST: Bob Marley
How can you not love a duet cover of Marley's classic done by two of the coolest guys in music history? What a lucky bastard Rick Rubin was to be there and watch these legends go at it. According to the liner notes, Strummer showed up at Cash's place, as many musicians had, and was a bit nervous, hanging around outside. Once he came in, they played some Bob Marley songs, and Johnny picked "Redemption Song". With both of these icons dying within a year of each other, it's a beautiful tribute to listen to, that still gets me teary.

swede

Scratchin a Letter wrote:

Scissor Sisters' comfortably numb: danceable and raveable.

surely no one truely can think that...

rrivers

swede wrote:

surely no one truely can think that...

Agreed.

Eddieshometown

righteousbabe wrote:

original-soft cell( i think that is what they were called)-tainted love
best cover-marilyn manson

Tainted Love was actually written sang by Gloria Jones in 1964. So Soft Cell's version was actually a cover.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSehtaY6k1U

Massara133

Sweet Jane
Original - velvet underground
Cover - cowboy junkies

Zoso

tyrone done by my morning jacket is pretty good.

restlesssoul

Ugly Kid Joe does Cats in the Cradle better than Harry Chapin for sure.

red mos

thought of another one: Gary Jules- Mad World (original by Tears for Fears) Although I do like the Tears for Fears version, just like how somber and Haunting Gary Jules made it.

and not Better, but a Tie:

The Black Crowes- Oh sweet Nothin, Original by Velvet Underground is great too. Love how different they are.

drlovemonkey

Local H "Toxic" >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Britney Spears
Motley Crue "Smokin in the Boys Room" >>> Brownsville Station
Biffy Clyro "Umbrella" >>> Rihanna
Seether "Careless Whisper" >>> George Michael

1ThoughtKnown

Type O Negative - Summer Breeze 

Seals and Croft …. I mean cmon 

We All Believe

GNR > Sir Paul, Live And Let Die.

The good old days, before Axl sounded like Mickey Mouse with emphysema.

1STmammal2wearPants

Does equal to the original count? Two totally different songs, but Johnny Cash's Hurt makes me choked up every single damn time.

Loujoe

True. He sounds like he's about had it with that song. I try not to listen to that cash. Love his other stuff. End of a long rock and roll road.

tempo_n_groove

Basically any Metallica cover other than Die Die My Darling.

tempo_n_groove

Joe Cocker Little Help From My Friends

tempo_n_groove

Oh and any cover Disturbed has done is worse than the original...

curmudgeoness

clutching_benjamin said:

"Song To The Siren" by The Czars beats Tim Buckley

I'd have to go with This Mortal Coil's version, which is amazing.

Richard Thompson, "Oops I Did It Again"

curmudgeoness

catefrances said:

JPS79 wrote:

10,000 maniacs - Because the night. Original by The Boss.

just so we can get this right. springsteen had the music and the chorus down when he handed this to patti smith. he thought it would better suit her. she listened to it and despite misgivings of using such a well known artist's work, she wrote the verse words in one night.
so if you're gonna attribute this song to springsteen please do so to patti smith as well.
though i love both springsteen and patti smith, to me this will always be patti smith's song.

In the intervening 17-18(!) years since this post was made, Garbage and the Screaming Females have done a great cover of this.

Other covers I prefer to the original:

"Kid" (Pretenders) -- covered by Everything But The Girl.

"Jealous Guy" (John Lennon) -- covered by Roxy Music.

While I'm in my own personal wayback machine: in 1991, when we all were young, there was a Leonard Cohen tribute album released, called "I'm Your Fan." There are some great covers on there, including:

REM, "First We Take Manhattan"

Pixies, "I Can't Forget"

PJ_Soul

Ryan Adams' cover of the entire album "1989" is better than Taylor Swift's album. I like Taylor Swift, but Ryan Adams improved every single song IMO.

tempo_n_groove

PJ_Soul said:

Ryan Adam's cover of the entire album "1989" is better than Taylor Swift's album. I like Taylor Swift, but Ryan Adams improved every single song IMO.

All except Shake it off.  The production for Taylors version is fan-friggin-tastic.

Planet of Sound

Hot Chip - Dancing in the Dark (Springsteen) - cos you can actually dance to it.

McGruff

Big Country by moe.

They also do a live cover of Godzilla from time to time that is superior to the original.