OK, we’ve done covers that we like, that suck, that were maybe as good as the original, but, hey let’s face it…
Sometimes a cover comes along that is better than the original.
It’s rare, but it happens.
Cases in point:
“Diamonds and Rust”- Judas Priest. Sorry, but Joan Baez’s voice is just sickeningly pretty. Rob Halford and Company set that song ablaze for me.
“Love Hurts”- Nazereth. In a lot of old '50’s and '60’s songs, the melodies don’t quite lay right on the rhythm of the song, and the Everly Brother’s version of this song is a major victim of this phenomenon. Also, the lyrics just fairly cry out for the heavy-metal ballad treatment.
“My Way”- Sid Vicious. Ol’ Blue Eyes just didn’t have the vocal power or attitude to carry this one off. Plus, Sid’s own lyrical interpolations (I’ve heard that he didn’t actually know all the words, so he made up a few of his own) are downright hilarious. Sounds especially great coming from the tape deck in Spke’s De Soto…
“I Wanna Be Your Man”- the Beatles. OK, technically not a cover, since the Beatles recorded it before the Stones did, but still a Jagger/Richards composition.
OK, next…
Hendrix’s cover of Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower”
Failure’s cover of Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence”
and believe it or not,
Snake River Conspiracy’s cover of The Cure’s “Love Song”
runners up:
Catherine Wheel’s cover of Sebadoh’s “Willing To Wait”
Type O Negative’s cover of ???'s “Summer Breeze”
Nirvana’s cover of Leadbelly’s “Where Did You Sleep Last Night?”
Slowdive’s cover of Nancy Sinatra’s “Some Velvet Morning”
oh…
and Blind Melon’s cover of School House Rocks’ “Three is a Magic Number”
Bongwater’s version of The Porpoise Song is much better than the Monkees version, which was the original recording. It was written by Carole King, but I don’t think she ever recorded it.
“Everlasting Love” by Carl Carlton is head and shoulders above all other versions: Robert Knight’s original and later versions by Gloria Estefan and Rex Smith/Rachel Sweet.
Ditto “Blinded by the Light” & “All Along the Watchtower”
IIRC, even Dylan admited that Hendrix’ version was superior to his own.
Seals and Croft did the original, and yes, I ADORE Type O’s cover. I also like their cover of Sarah McLaughlin’s “Possession” better than the original.
For my money, Gene Loves Jezebel’s cover of “All the Young Dudes” (on ‘Goth Oddity’) beats Mott the Hoople’s into the asphalt.
led zep’s Dancing Days cover by STP.
dont cry for me argentina by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes.
You can go your own way by NOFX.
i DO find that hard to believe, HATED their redundant remake of ::::gurgle, cringe, cant mention it:::: I even gave em benefit of the doubt and listened to one of their CDs and hated every track.
The first one that leapt to my mind when I saw the thread title was “I Fought the Law” by the Clash. I loved the original, but a rebel-song like that one needs Joe Strummer’s voice kicking it through your skull.
“Sweet Jane” by Cowboy Junkies. Lou Reed said he wished he’d done it that way.
“Baker Street,” Foo Fighters. Again, I liked Gerry Rafferty’s original, but putting the flute bit onto an overdriven guitar really makes it.
And let’s not forget “That’s All Right (Mama),” which Elvis transformed from a fairly sweet bluegrass song to the proto-rocker that first got him noticed.
TridCloudwalker, very good call on Nirvana’s “Where Did You Sleep Last Night?” That version showed a lot of people (including myself, I must admit) that Kurt Cobain wasn’t just some ignorant punk with a guitar and shredded vocal chords.
How about BJ Thomas’s cover of “Hooked on a Feeling”, which is EXACTLY like the original, except that this love song now has a chorus of background singers going, “OOGAH CHAKA OOGAH OOGAH OOGAH CHAKA”
And of course, it was a monster hit while the original one wasn’t.
I think you’ve got your versions mixed up. BJ Thomas did the original in 1969 which went to #5. Blue Suede, a Swedish band, did the remake with the OOGA CHAKA bit in 1974 and hit #1.
Side note: Blue Suede also did a fast-paced version of “Never My Love”.