There have been many, many versions of “Reason To Believe”, but the only one I’ve heard that nails it is by Rod Stewart, on “Every Picture Tells A Story.”
On the same album, he delivers an apocalyptic rock version of The Temptations’ “(I Know) I’m Losing You”, which was also ably covered by Rare Earth in their own rock arrangement.
“This Masquerade” is certainly nice by Leon Russell, but George Benson made it special. However, The Carpenters blandified it beyond recognition.
Everybody did Laua Nyro’s songs better than she did. She wrote lots of great songs, but she couldn’t get a hit with any of them based on her original interpretations. In the hands of The Fifth Dimension, Barbra Streisand and Three Dog Night - gold.
Speaking of whom, a fair number of people would say that 3DN wrecked Harry Nilsson’s “One”, with their tour-de-force version of it, but Harry’s recording is…well…potentially harmless.
Ask me tomorrow and the answer might be different, but the best cover version I can think of right now is Dave Edmunds’ attempt to recreate the Chess Records sound on his version of Chuck Berry’s “Promised Land.” Blows Chuck’s record right out of the water.
For my taste it’s the only way. I hate remakes that are just doing the same arrangement except with your own band–Aerosmight doing Come Together is a perfect example. What a waste, IMHO.
Not that I’m above doing a song close to the original. Here’s my version of Hocus Pocus, and the only changes I made are a) playing on 6 different acoustic guitars, b) no electric guitar, drums, bass or B3 and c) slightly slower, funkier tempo.
So, my fav remakes would be those that are REALLY different from the original:
Devo Satisfaction
Cocker With a Little Help from My Friends
Bobs Helter Skelter (well, just about anything by The Bobs)
CSN Woodstock
The Lyle Lovett version is almost as good as the original. The Indigo Girls were doing great until they substituted “sister” for “goddamn.” I can’t hear it without wincing.
I like Shawn Colvin’s Your Gonna Make Me Lonsome When You Go and Paula Cole’s manic cover of Dolly Parton’s Jolene.
My all-time favorite cover version is Hüsker Dü’s version of The Byrds’s “Eight Miles High”. It took me quite a few listens to shake the original out of my head when listening to it, but now it’s easily superior to the original, IMO. Similarly with their cover of Donovan’s “Sunshine Superman”.
My most favorite song ever is Time After Time covered by Eva Cassidy. Cindi Lauper’s version was good, but I feel like it’s just too fast and breathy compared to Eva’s.
I have one friend who insists the Ryan Adams cover of Wonderwall is better, and while it probably is better (well…yeah, it is), I still prefer the original because it’s the one that gets stuck in my head.
Gary Jules’ cover of Mad World is 10x better than the Tears for Fears’ original.
I didn’t know that Iron and Wine’s Such Great Heights was a cover, but now tht I do, it’s hard to imagine a better version of that song.
Dave Edmunds did a terrific a cover of Juice Newton’s “Queen of Hearts.” Also, I second Husker Du’s “Eight Miles High.” I think they’re the only band that could credibly cover that song.
The Cramps’ “She Said” is great, but I still prefer Hasil Adkins’s original. His voice has that “generic-cigarettes-and-canned-tuna” sound that you just can’t fake; I think that’s what makes the song. (And I LOVE the Cramps.)
A couple others that have occurred to me:
twickster mentioned the “Deadicated” Grateful Dead cover album; I thought Jane’s Addiction did a great version of “Ripple” on that one.
And do I remember correctly that I read an interview with Lou Reed in which he said that he preferred the Cowboy Junkies’ version of “Sweet Jane” over his own?
I think Leon Russell might be responsible for Cocker’s arrangement of “The Letter,” which is just amazing.
She was another one of those people who could cover anything.
Led Zeppelin could play with a lot of power and the riff to their take on “How Many More Times [Years]” is great, but Howlin’ Wolf vs. Robert Plant? Forget it.
I like The Atari’s version of “Boys Of Summer” a whole lot more than the original version by Don Henley.
The “America” that Yes used to perform way back in their early days ( and did on tour a few years ago ) was a beautiful interpretation of the Simon and Garfunkel original.
A couple of covers the artists should be SHOT for even attempting:
Sheryl Crow 's “The First Cut is the Deepest” Natalie Merchant 's version of Patti Smith’s “Because the Night”
Both great gut-wrenching songs, both remade into Goddamn Lilith Fair Hootenanny Folk Songs!!! :mad:
There, I feel better now.
A few others:
Brooks and Dunn ‘s version of “My Maria” holds pretty true to the **B. W. Stevenson ** version.
An earlier post mentioned The Dickies ’ “Nights in White Satin”–how about their cover of the “Gigantor” theme? Classic!
I actually prefer Run-DMC ‘s “Walk This Way” to the original Aerosmith version.
"Smokin’ in the Boys’ Room"–gotta give the edge to the Brownsville Station original over Motley Crue (though I like that one, too.)
**Ringo Starr ** vs. Johnny Burnette on “You’re Sixteen”–Ringo. I also prefer his cover of “Hey Baby”.
And speaking of the Beatles, for sheer novelty, Tim Curry 's reggae take on “I Will” is pretty entertaining.
My favorite version of “Wild Horses” is by 90s band Bush, or I suppose more specifically, just the singer Gavin Rossdale. Was recorded live during one of those travesty MTV Spring Break things, and it’s him out there with his Fender Jaguar alone in the rain, with the honest fear he’s gonna get electrocuted at any moment. I have no idea if it’s actually available for purchase, but I’ve heard a number of radio stations that seem to have gotten recordings (through what legal or dastardly means, I don’t know) from MTV.
The George Benson version of On Broadway is vastly superior to the original version.
For me, the test of of a cover is to ask which version do I hear in my head when I think of the song. Despite the fact that I like Joe Cocker, when I think of songs he’s covered the original is always the one I hear. I shudder and change the station whenever I hear his butchered rendition of Randy Newman’s You Can Leave Your Hat On.
Sean Colvin did an album of covers called Cover Girl but only one song on the album surpasses any of the originals versions; One Cool Remove. It’s a good album. The songs work well together but the originals were better.
Tribute albums are always interesting to listen to. There are 2 Leonard Cohen tribute albums that I know of. REM’s version of First We’ll Take Manhattan is very good. I really like Don Henley’s version of Everybody Knows. Jeff Buckley’s version of Hallelujah is superb. Given all that, I still prefer the originals. Other people may have better voices but only Cohen seems to make his songs have real meaning for me.
As for All Along The Watchtower, The version I hear is always the one by Brewer and Shipley. The others by Dylan and Hendrix and everybody else are probably superior but their’s is what I hear when I think of the song. I can’t explain it. It just is what it is.
Warren Zevon’s version of **Knocking On Heaven’s Door ** is what I hear when I think of that song. I think Dylan’s version of it is a better song but Zevon’s is more powerful because of the subtext.
Steve Miller did the first “Mercury Blues” I ever heard, and I love it, but David Lindley’s all-out, balls-to-the-wall cranked up slide version is a pure delight.
Bonnie Raitt’s cover of “Louise” is fine, but I still prefer Leo Kottke’s version.
Derek and the Dominos’ “Little Wing” takes Jimi Hendrix’s original up to another level.
The Beatles’ take on George Harrison’s “Something” is beautiful, but Frank Sinatra’s is a tiny bit better.
All of Robert Johnson’s originals were one take, one singer, playing one guitar in a hotel room on a single track machine, so it’s not surprising that several covers of his songs are done better by modern bands. However, they’re still playing his stuff after all these years.
Kieth Richards says when he was a young whelp, another guitarist handed him an LP of Johnson and told him to take it home and study it. At first, he couldn’t believe it was just one guy. He realized he had a lot to learn.
Ry Cooder’s cover of Randy Newman’s “My Old Kentucky Home” is the gold standard for that song. (Not to be confused with the Stephen Foster song of the same name. Oh, my Lord, no.)
Leadbelly was a national treasure, and The Weavers’ censored cover of “Goodnight Irene” was a sweet dilution. Ry Cooder’s edgier version, in waltz time, with Flaco Jimenez on accordian, is the best of the lot.
