RangerDude, you can listen to my copy. I’m going shopping this afternoon, so I’ll stop by a music shop and buy a copy of Reba’s rendition. I’ll bring it with me when I go over to your place to see the baby next weekend for dinner.
You don’t have to twist my arm. I’ll even bring over some lamb fritters, unless it’ll conflict with what you’ll be serving.
Do you still have your copy of Vicki Lawrence’s rendition? We can play them back-to-back and compare.
Some guy did yet another version of Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi” and of course turned it into modern pop sludge with silly vamping. Even Janet Jackson’s use of the original as a sample was less objectionable.
Depends. Holly Cole did a great cover of “I Can See Clearly” and I like it as much as the original.
She also did a cover of “I’ve Just Seen A Face” that I hate. Sometimes a cover is good, but I do know what you mean.
Yes, FairyDust, I still have my copy. See you next weekend with your lamb fritters!
Some wretched female “singer” took it upon herself to cover Talking Heads’ Take me to the River - badly. The cover of that song from the movie The Committments was pretty good, this wasn’t. It nearly drove me from the store when it came over the PA. Blech.
And another thing, I HATED Sheryl Crow’s cover of Sweet Child of Mine. Ugh, just typing that set my teeth on edge. shudder
That was probably Counting Crows.
Of course, “Take Me to the River” itself was a cover of an Al Green tune… 
I’ll venture a guess it was Annie Lennox who did the awful cover of “Take Me to the River”.
It all depends, FairyDust. I listen to jazz and some songs, e.g. “Lady, Be Good” and “Stardust,” are covered by many different artists. As long as they’re good, I don’t often compare them. I adore the song “Stolen Moments” and I have versions by Gary Burton, Ahmad Jamal, Miles Davis, and NY Sound Sensations. The latter is my favorite, but I like the other three.
I think Marvin Gaye, God rest his soul, was an excellent singer, and yet three of his most famous songs were remade by other people. “Heard It Through the Grapevine” was redone as an 11±minute jam by Creedence Clearwater Jam. I don’t think John Fogerty is nearly as good a singer as Gaye, but I admire his guts for trying to measure his band against such a formidable standard, and I do like his guitar solos on the song. (I’m aware that Gladys Knight & the Pips also covered the song, but their version, although listenable, is strictly lightweight compared to CCR and Gaye’s versions
“What’s Going on?” is a helluva of a protest song, and I really do like Gaye’s version. However, Les McCann covered this at the 1971 Montreaux Jazz Festival and did a version equal to Gaye’s with a much smaller band: McCann on electronic clavier and vocals, a bassist, a drummer, and a percussionist.
Gaye and Tami Terrell also recorded “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” I think this version is superior to Diana Ross and the Supremes’ version, although I like their cover.
Sometimes, as with Jimi Hendrix covering Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” and “All Along the Watch Tower,” Joan Baez covering The Band’s “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” and Vanilla Fudge covering the Supremes “You Just Keep Me Hanging On,” I think the cover artist does a superior job to the orginal recording artist.
In other cases, like The English Beat doing the Temptations’ “Ball of Confusion,” Madonna covering “American Pie,” and any Michael Bolton remake, the covers are hideous, and I greatly prefer the original.
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Vonda Shepherd seems to have been paid to ruin Beatles songs.
And Smashmouth, however good they are, simply cannot do I’m a Believer well. IMO, anyway.
Stevie Nicks’ version of Landslide is the only one I acknowledge (once I figured out the version that’s making the radio station rounds these days isn’t her … hey, it’s been a while!).
Thankfully the You Can Close Your Eyes version with Joni Mitchell has very little audible Joni Mitchell and very muc audible James Taylor.
Jimmy Buffet covering the Grateful Dead’s “Uncle John’s Band” was a jolt at first, but I like it now.
Ah, the live Tori version of Lanslide is pretty good.
Another I hate: some random R&B singer’s cover of Ani’s “32 flavors” I read an interview with the new singer, and she was totally totally clueless: it was obvious that it was just handed to her by her producer.
The Dixe Chicks doing ‘Landslide’ it is amazing how awful they make that great song sound.
I would have thought you could have had a deaf child read the lyrics and it would sound good.
The Dixe Chicks are the worst.
And fat bleech Blond that screams with half a boob hanging out all the time has to be shot ~
One of my favorite songs is ‘Angry All The Time’ by Bruce Robison. About a year ago Tim McGraw did a remake and just butchered it. Of course if you listen to the radio, all you’ll hear is the McGraw version because he’s a bigger name, irregardless of the fact Robisons’ (or live with his wife Kelly Willis) version is 100 times better. Radio sucks.
On the other side, Barry Manilow wrote(I think) and sang ‘This Ones For You’, which I could pass on. Teddy Pendergrass redid it and his version is a knockout. One of my favorite songs by him, by anyone.
I agree with the prvious comment on the Dixie Chicks song. I only hear it now and then in passing somewhere, could their voices be any flatter??
Let’s not forget the utter raping of the Bee Gees song Emotions by Destinys Child. :eek:
Isn’t Cher’s version the cover? The original was Marc Cohn in 1991 - Cher didn’t record it until 1996…
or do you mean an even newer version?
I honestly don’t know… I’ve only ever heard the Cher version until the other night. I definately prefer the Cher version though.
I heard just last night, driving in a snow storm, a dance remake of Boys of summer. HOW HORRIBLE!!! I hate any dance remake of rock songs.
As for Johnny Cash doing Hurt from NIN, I actually like it. It’s so different than NIN, and I feel the pain in the Johnny Cash version, just a different kind of pain. I think the lyrics go well with someone older.
The Spouse and a couple of his friends collect odd covers for a hobby. Some of them are good, some of them are blah, and some of them just suck.
I like Harvey Danger’s cover of “Save It For Later,” from the 200 Cigarettes soundtrack, even better than the English Beat original. On the other hand, I like BNL’s cover of Bruce Cockburn’s “Lovers In a Dangerous Time,” but I still prefer the original by quite a bit. And there are a large number of covers of Nick Lowe’s “(What’s So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding,” but the only versions I really enjoy are the Elvis Costello and the Attractions one and the acoustic remake he did himself - his original treats the whole song as a joke.
Then there’s all the songs on When Pigs Fly: Songs You Never Thought You’d Hear . . . .
I’ve now heard many songs covered by Johnny Cash, and I find it impossible to dislike them, though I HATED Fiona Apple in the background of “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” And Smashing Pumpkins did an excellent “Landslide.”