Ooh good call. I love that version, too.
Thanks for that. I had never heard that version, and it definitely brought a smile to my face. Great way to start the morning!
Yes.
I would have mentioned that if the thread title had been “Cover songs that are vastly inferior to the original but far better known”
The original is awesome, the cover is mediocre.
Slight hijack: I just purchased a book on Barbra Streisand which stated: When Streisand’s magnificent recording of Memory was not a hit, Elaine Paige’s cover hit #1 in the UK charts.
Methinks the author needs to verify who’s covering whom.
This thread isn’t zombified yet, is it? 
Slightly obscure, but I finally got to hear the (original) Bobby Charles’ version of “Tennessee Blues”. Doug Sahm’s version (Rhapsody link) is considerably better.
Five Finger Death Punch covered “Bad Company” and I love it! Granted, you have to like that hard thrashing metal stuff, but it’s good. Plus, they managed to mix in their own feeling along the way, by changing a few lyrics among other things. They sneak in “The Death-Punch sound is our claim to fame.” instead of “Six-gun sound is our claim to fame.”
Also, I’m a Nirvana fan, and I never really knew how many songs they did that were covers, like “Lake of Fire.” Who sings that one originally? I’d like to hear it.
Someone mentioned the Carpenters up the page, and I happened to see them the other day doing their version of “Help!” on a show from 1971. It’s pretty good. While still respectful of the original, it’s a bit slower and more melancholy, which actually seems more appropriate to the song. They do lots of multi-part harmonies and a few little rhythmic changes that are very effective, such as the “I’ve never done before” line. Nice keyboard solo at the end, almost prog-like!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rb-GpvEjxJ8 [edit - song starts at about 0:35]
Meat Puppets
The sadly underrated (outside of Cleveland) Michael Stanley did a very good slower version of Help on his second album ‘Friends and Legends’.
Talking about ‘Help’, I have a vague recollection that John Lennon’s original version was much slower, but George Martin convinced him to speed it up. (But I maybe wrong.)
With all due respect to “The Killer,” this is the best cover of “Rainbow” I have ever heard, by “IZ” Kamakawiwoʻole. This was the version played at the end of 50 First Dates as Drew Barrymore is waking up on board the boat and watching the video to let her memory play catch-up.
I agree with Earth, Wind, and Fire’s "Got To Get You Into My Life, mentioned upthread. Mediocre movie (Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band) but first-rate song.
I’d like to nominate “It’s A Heartache” by Rod Stewart, a cover of a song by an obscure Welsh female singer.*
*Just joking about the obscure female singer part. I remember when Bonnie Tyler’s version came out, people compared her to a female Rod Stewart, so it’s only fair that Rod would show what he can do with the song. I also realize Juice Newton recorded this song, too, but Tyler’s version had the higher chart position.
This is what I came to say. Van Halen took cover songs, made them sound like Van Halen songs and kicked their asses.
And the original version is a classic. Best psycadelic guitar solo ever!
But the GNR version blows them both away!
**
I think most people would agree, as well as saying that Johnny Cash’s cover of Kristofferson’s “Sunday Morning, Comin’ Down” is better than the original; but I grew up listening to Me And Bobbi McGee and Songs Of Kristofferson, and for me, Kris’ll always have the last word.
I actually started a whole thread for this, but I thought it was appropriate to mention here as well. Tonight, after picking supervenusfreak up from work, Gilbert O’Sullivan’s “Alone Again, Naturally” came on the radio. For some reason even I don’t remember at this point, I Googled the song after we got home and discovered that Nina Simone had done a…well, not really a cover, because she almost completely rewrote the lyrics. But her version is just incredible. It absolutely transcends the cheesy 70s melodrama of the original.
The lyrics she wrote are pretty much a raw, painful, true relating of the death of her father and how it affected her and her family. It’s almost uncomfortable to listen to, it’s so personal.
I used to feel the same way Whack does, but over the years I have discovered so many wonderful covers that I’ve gotten to the point where I love covers…if the cover artist is good, the cover is likely to be good.
Two that pop instantly to mind:
Woodstock, Richie Havens - gorgeous
Patti Smith’s album “Twelve” - all covers
Most recently I’ve been enjoying Sia’s cover of Madonna’s “Oh Father” I never liked that song but I love Sia’s version.
For sheer WTF? value, I recommend Bill Parsons’ version of “She Blinded me With Science” It will blow your mind, and show you the power of arrangement.
Oh, does anyone know who covered Kate Bush’s song - I think it’s called A Deal with god - I heard a cover on a soundtrack that I just LOVED…
“Running up that Hill” by Kate Bush… cover by the Chromatics…
BTW… Utah Saints did a great “cover” remix of “Something Good” which was a Kate song on the same album 'Running up that Hill"…
Don’t know if it’s been mentioned or not - I didn’t know that the Wallflowers’ *“Heroes” *was a David Bowie cover. I hate David Bowie, so suffice it to say that I much prefer the Wallflowers version.
I had no idea *Hard to Handle *by The Black Crowes was originally done by Otis Redding, of all people. I’ve never heard the original…
Devo - (I can’t get no) Satisfaction
