Cover songs that are better than the original

[LeakyValve]

His delivery and words have gravitas, but he still can't sing for nuts!

Agree.
The man is a wordsmith, one of the very best, but nobody can say Jennifer Warnes et al, do not do more justice to his music.
Shakespeare would happily admit Laurence Olivier or his like portray a more convincing Hamlet, Prospero or dare I say, even on a bad day, a better Juliet than him.
We all have our little fiefdoms.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

David Bowie covering Jacques Brel

 

[LeakyValve]

David Bowie covering Jacques Brel

Many years back on SBS (I think) there was a roman a clef about Brel's music and life. It was a montage of bars and dives in Paris and was a snapshot of his music, observations and musings about this and that. A search of YouTube has so far been fruitless.
It was really well done. Moody, atmospheric, all that sort of thing.

 

[Exe Gesis]

the glenn danzig version shits all over elivis presleys original

 

[CliffMcTainshaw]

To be honest I love all these versions. But each seems to have that little something extra.
The Drifters 1956.


Dion and the Belmonts 1963.


Donald Fagen 1982.

 

[eDPS]

Love the original and love this version aswell

 

[CliffMcTainshaw]

I like this version, not better but really good. Great musicians having a great time playing together.
Elise Trouw is a seriously talented musician who seems to be able to play any instrument. Check out some of her solo works if you get a chance.

 

[CliffMcTainshaw]

Same song, different girl singing to a backing track, but she is a wonderful singer. What a voice.

 

[Aristotle Pickett]

What!?

That's not the original?

I think he meant Mr Tamberine man

 

[Aristotle Pickett]

Respect -Aretha Franklin
It was originally recorded in 1965 by Otis Reading after a guitarist called Sims showed him, but Sims got it somewhere else.

 

[deanc]

With a Little Help From My Friends.
When Lennon and McCartney wrote this for Ringo's debut vocal performance and included it in their Sgt. Peppers album, I doubt they ever envisaged it would become one the biggest covered tracks of all time.
And as folklore suggests, when they heard Joe Cockers interpretation about a year later it was Lennon that apparently quipped 'Wow, makes our original sound like a cover!'...
It also helped that Cocker had Jimmy Page and Steve Winwood performing with his original studio recording of the song and despite Cockers' future careers highs and lows, which included his years of crippling Heroin addiction that commenced shortly after his performance at Woodstock, he always seemed to have exceptionally talented musicians and support vocalists performing with him - as is clearly evident in this breathtaking live performance of the song...!!!

RIP Joe and thanks for taking an 'up-tempo Beatles ballad' and reinventing it as one of the all time rock anthems...!

 

[CliffMcTainshaw]

The evolution of a song. These are all great versions of a great song.
The original.


The cover.


The cover of the cover.

 

[deanc]

Respect -Aretha Franklin
It was originally recorded in 1965 by Otis Reading after a guitarist called Sims showed him, but Sims got it somewhere else.

While technically Franklin's version is a cover of Reading's, there is very little semblance with the two 'versions'.

The little known but main difference in the versions (and the underlying reason for Franklin's huge success with the song which became an anthem for women rights) is that Aretha and her sisters cleverly flipped the gender narrative of Reading's version, which was actually about a man seeking some respect.

This was achieved with a few subtle lyric changes and inclusions such as the sisters harmony of 'Sock it to me' - this is evident even from the initial verse:

Reading's version:
What you want, honey, you got it
And what you need, baby, you got it
All I'm askin'
Is for a little respect when I come home (Hey now, hey, hey)

But Franklin sang:
Hey, what you want
Baby, I got
What you need
Do you know I got it?
All I'm askin'
Is for a little respect when you come home (just a little bit)

For the record Franklin's version is sublime and congrats to them for being so creative and successful with their reinterpretation...

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

The Drones doing Kev Carmody's River of Tears

 

[DaRenegade]

this may cop me a bit of flack because of how loved and popular the original is, but I actually prefer this version compared to the Split Endz one...

 

[Eagle Wrath]

PhatBoy

Thumbs up. I would've posted this.

 

[CliffMcTainshaw]

Fleetwood Mac's Songbird by Eva Cassidy. The original is great and this is even better.

 

[Pweter]

August Burns Red have covered Chop Suey! by System of a Down.

For me the drumming takes the cover to a different level.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

 

[PoopingHindi]

2 covers of a Richie Havens song. both different, both very cool.

 

[utility]

 

[utility]

I like Bill's mix better.

 

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