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OT: Cover Songs Better Than the Original - Thoughts and Your Favorites

winloseortie

winloseortie

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Tears for Fears Mad World was a wonderful song. Gary Jules version that was in the film Donnie Darko is slower and stripped down to basics.
 
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Cackmandu

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Y'all have some good ones, first ones that I thought of were Hurt and Watchtower.

From the Bluegrass side The Infamous Stringdusters do some great covers.
Walking on the Moon
Just like Heaven
and recently released As it was by Harry Styles

The Del McCoury Band does some great ones
Nashville Cats
and 1952 Vincent Black Lightning by Richard Thompson is one of my favorite covers ever

I was always partial to Dwight Yoakam's version of Purple Rain, he has a really good cover album Under the Covers
 
The Reel Ess

The Reel Ess

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"You really got me". Most people don't know it's a Kinks song. Doesn't hurt that it was released as a single with "Eruption".
 
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Harvard Gamecock

Harvard Gamecock

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Prestonyte said:
I Heard It Through the Grapevine - Creedence Clearwater Revival
With A Little Help From My Friends - Joe Cocker
Black Magic Woman -Santana
Susie Q - Creedence Clearwater Revival

Creedence Clearwater Revival - I Heard It Through The Grapevine (Official Audio) - YouTube
Click to expand...
Well that is interesting. So the original is done by Smoky Robinsons, then covered by Gladys Night, and then the most recognizable cover is by Marvin Gaye.
And please don't say Marvin, thats blasphemous.
 
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Harvard Gamecock

Harvard Gamecock

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Respect - Aretha
It's A Thin Line Between Love and Hate - Pretenders
I Don't Want To Talk About It - Rod Stewart
I Love Rock n Roll - Joan Jett
Up On The Roof - James Taylor
 
will110

will110

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Josh Turner's cover of You Don't Mess Around with Jim is really good. Hard to say it's "better" than Jim Croce, but he took it and made it his own.

Travis Tritt nailed the cover of the Atlanta Rhythm Section's Homesick.
 
DHue

DHue

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Great White - Ramble On is really good cover of Zeppelin song.
 
Harvard Gamecock

Harvard Gamecock

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Just thought of 4 more

Hazy Shade of Winter : The Bangles
Twist and Shout : The Beatles (the Isley Brothers were the original, but the Beatles made it iconic)
Whiter Shade of Pale : Annie Lennox
Blue Moon : The Mavericks. ( I just can't say enough of this version. OUTSTANDING)
 
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wob

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If anyone says Fast Car, I'm coming through the internet to throw some dukes.
 
SSIGamecock

SSIGamecock

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Prestonyte said:
I Heard It Through the Grapevine - Creedence Clearwater Revival
With A Little Help From My Friends - Joe Cocker
Black Magic Woman -Santana
Susie Q - Creedence Clearwater Revival

Creedence Clearwater Revival - I Heard It Through The Grapevine (Official Audio) - YouTube
Click to expand...
To quote the great Zach Lane Bryan - No one covers a song better than the original. The artistry in the original song should receive it's respect.

Now, there could be cover songs that you like better, but saying they are better is a discourtesy to the original. Especially if the original artist/band was the writer of the song.
 
Prestonyte

Prestonyte

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SSIGamecock said:
To quote the great Zach Lane Bryan - No one covers a song better than the original. The artistry in the original song should receive it's respect.

Now, there could be cover songs that you like better, but saying they are better is a discourtesy to the original. Especially if the original artist/band was the writer of the song.
Click to expand...
Many a songwriter wrote a great song but performed the song poorly.
Most do quite well financially through royalties when someone else performs it better and sales go up and recognition for the writer as well.
 
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SSIGamecock

SSIGamecock

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Prestonyte said:
Many a songwriter wrote a great song but performed the song poorly.
Most do quite well through royalties when someone else performs it better and sales go up.
Click to expand...
I don't disagree with what you're saying here, but I just feel the artistry is lost in a cover that can't be replaced, even if it isn't as audibly pleasing. My point is that I think it's more of a personal preference to say a cover is "better" vs the actual original because the groundwork has already been laid. There's plenty of covers I like better than the original, but to definitively say it's better is unfair.

I don't think I'm making much sense here lol.
 
Harvard Gamecock

Harvard Gamecock

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SSIGamecock said:
To quote the great Zach Lane Bryan - No one covers a song better than the original. The artistry in the original song should receive it's respect.

Now, there could be cover songs that you like better, but saying they are better is a discourtesy to the original. Especially if the original artist/band was the writer of the song.
Click to expand...
I'm so very glad that Tony Bennet did not receive that memo.
 
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Go Gamecocks

Go Gamecocks

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Have to throw this in there...not better than the original, but one heckuva version. Satriani nails both the Jon Lord & Blackmore licks.
"Highway Star" (Deep Purple/Machine Head album)
Chickenfoot....(sorry about the f-bombs).

 
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