Music lovers: Original vs. Cover Versions

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Replies

  • whiteheaddg
    whiteheaddg Posts: 325 Member
    Song: A little help from my friends
    Original: Beatles
    Cover: Joe Cocker

    The live version from Woodstock is my favorite song of all time

    ...and is the definitive version imo. It's tough to pull a song away from the Beatles, but Cocker just owned it.
  • BondBomb
    BondBomb Posts: 1,781 Member
    Sweet Dreams - Original Eurythmics
    Remake - Marylin Manson

    I love them both but the MM remake has a dark quality I really like.

    Also 'Like a Prayer' - Madonna
    Remake Bigod 20

    Remake is awesome. :)
  • DontStopB_Leakin
    DontStopB_Leakin Posts: 3,863 Member
    Reel Big Fish doing 99 Red Balloons!

    Yes!

    Obscure one -
    Song: Down in the Park
    Original: Gary Numan (of "Cars" fame - song not band)
    Cover1: Marilyn Manson
    Cover2: Foo Fighters

    All versions great, but Foo Fighters rock it
    Love love LOVE the Manson version of this one.

    Manson notoriously pulls off a great cover. I know I'm opening myself up to flaming on that one, but he has perfected the art of taking an extremely well known song (Personal Jesus, Tainted Love, Sweet Dreams) and turning it on it's head.

    I actually agree with this.....but I will also disagree, because I'm on the internet and that's what Al Gore invented it for. Manson's 'Tainted Love'....not great
    No, Tainted Love was horrible, but it WAS different from the original. It was done for a soundtrack to an absolute *kitten* movie, so with that it mind it kind of gets a pass.
  • ckay220
    ckay220 Posts: 271 Member
    Lovesong-The Cure
    Cover-Adele

    I really love both of them, but I like how Adele put her own spin to it & made the song sound like her own!
  • Eaglesfanintn
    Eaglesfanintn Posts: 813 Member
    Song: Little Wing
    Original: Hendrix
    Cover: Sting

    Love this version!

    Song: Boys of Summer
    Original: Don Henley
    Cover: The Ataris

    The cover is 100X better than the original.
  • sillygoose1977
    sillygoose1977 Posts: 2,151 Member
    Downtown Train
    Original - Tom Waits
    Cover - Rod Stewart

    As a huge Tom Waits fan, it pains me to say, the Rod Stewart cover is certainly the definitive. Doesn't mean it's better :-P

    Definitely not better.

    Sweet Jane
    Original: Velvet Underground
    Cover: Cowboy Junkies

    I love both but Cowboy Junkies win because as mush as I love VU, Lou Reed makes me want to kill myself.
  • whiteheaddg
    whiteheaddg Posts: 325 Member
    Sweet Dreams - Original Eurythmics
    Remake - Marylin Manson

    I love them both but the MM remake has a dark quality I really like.

    Also 'Like a Prayer' - Madonna
    Remake Bigod 20

    Remake is awesome. :)

    Bigod 20!!! That launched me immediately back to college. Yes - great cover of "Like a Prayer."
  • cubizzle
    cubizzle Posts: 900 Member
    Reel Big Fish doing 99 Red Balloons!

    Yes!

    Obscure one -
    Song: Down in the Park
    Original: Gary Numan (of "Cars" fame - song not band)
    Cover1: Marilyn Manson
    Cover2: Foo Fighters

    All versions great, but Foo Fighters rock it
    Love love LOVE the Manson version of this one.

    Manson notoriously pulls off a great cover. I know I'm opening myself up to flaming on that one, but he has perfected the art of taking an extremely well known song (Personal Jesus, Tainted Love, Sweet Dreams) and turning it on it's head.

    I actually agree with this.....but I will also disagree, because I'm on the internet and that's what Al Gore invented it for. Manson's 'Tainted Love'....not great
    No, Tainted Love was horrible, but it WAS different from the original. It was done for a soundtrack to an absolute *kitten* movie, so with that it mind it kind of gets a pass.

    Pass handed out.

    I'm a big fan of his version of 'I Put a Spell on You'
  • DeepAsAPlate
    DeepAsAPlate Posts: 121 Member
    Here are a few of my favorites:

    Song: Say Hello Wave Goodbye
    Original: Soft Cell (Yes, of "Tainted Love" fame.)
    Cover: David Gray
    Winner: David Gray. Hands down.

    Song: Hallelujah
    Original: Leonard Cohen
    Cover: Jeff Buckley
    Winner: Jeff Buckley. Though I'd argue that Rufus Wainwright's cover is pretty fantastic, too.

    Song: Oh! You Pretty Things
    Original: Peter Noone
    Cover: David Bowie
    Winner: David Bowie. Always David Bowie. Especially Hunky Dorey-era Bowie.

    -HOWEVER-

    Song: The Man Who Sold the World
    Original: David Bowie
    Cover: Nirvana
    Winner: Nirvana. I don't even particularly like Nirvana, but this cover really is excellent.
  • Song: We Belong

    Original: Pat Benetar

    Cover: Lowen & Navarro

    Deninitive - L&N


    (They wrote it for her, BTW)
  • rickpearce
    rickpearce Posts: 100 Member
    Not sure how many ppl woulda ever heard this cover but everyone knows the original:

    original : Sir MixAlot
    cover: ph8

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrNbsMKUNOE
  • cubizzle
    cubizzle Posts: 900 Member
    Song: Little Wing
    Original: Hendrix
    Cover: Sting
    .

    Song: Little Wing
    Original: Hendrix
    Cover: Stevie Ray Vaughan

    Fixed this
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    Speaking of Muse... I think they definitely redefined 'Feeling Good' and gave it new life. That is simply an awesome cover song!
  • Eaglesfanintn
    Eaglesfanintn Posts: 813 Member
    Song: Little Wing
    Original: Hendrix
    Cover: Sting
    .

    Song: Little Wing
    Original: Hendrix
    Cover: Stevie Ray Vaughan

    Fixed this

    No, not really. I'll take Sting's version over SRV's
  • WarriorReady
    WarriorReady Posts: 571 Member
    Radar Love - Original Golden Earring Covered by White Lion. Golden Earring's is the better of the 2 by a thin line imo :tongue:


    Simple Man - Original: Lynyrd Skynyrd Cover: Shinedown. I love, love, love Shinedown's version! One of my all time fav songs.
  • bratleen
    bratleen Posts: 60 Member
    Song--Take me to the River
    Original--Al Green
    Cover--the Talking Heads

    Song--Blinded by the Light
    Original--Bruce Sprinsteen
    Cover--Manfred Mann

    Both of these the cover is so much more well known than the original that most people don't even realize the original exists.

    I am a huge fan of cover songs, and enjoy hearing the different take an artist puts on a song..
  • DeepAsAPlate
    DeepAsAPlate Posts: 121 Member
    Oh, and a really fun one:

    Song: B****es Ain't S***
    Original: Dr. Dre
    Cover: Ben Folds
    Winner: This is a hard one. The original is a classic, but Ben Folds' cover is so friggin' fun. I'm giving it to Ben Folds.
  • DontStopB_Leakin
    DontStopB_Leakin Posts: 3,863 Member
    Speaking of Muse... I think they definitely redefined 'Feeling Good' and gave it new life. That is simply an awesome cover song!
    You read my mind. That song has been done to DEATH, but their version is amazing. Piss off, Michael Buble.
  • sillygoose1977
    sillygoose1977 Posts: 2,151 Member
    Song: Little Wing
    Original: Hendrix
    Cover: Sting
    .

    Song: Little Wing
    Original: Hendrix
    Cover: Stevie Ray Vaughan

    Fixed this

    No, not really. I'll take Sting's version over SRV's

    Hendrix version is always the best but Concrete Blonde has the best cover.
  • Eaglesfanintn
    Eaglesfanintn Posts: 813 Member
    Song--Take me to the River
    Original--Al Green
    Cover--the Talking Heads

    Song--Blinded by the Light
    Original--Bruce Sprinsteen
    Cover--Manfred Mann

    Both of these the cover is so much more well known than the original that most people don't even realize the original exists.

    I am a huge fan of cover songs, and enjoy hearing the different take an artist puts on a song..

    I argue with a buddy of mine all the time over Blinded by the Light. He likes Manfred Mann, I stick with the original on that one.
  • whiteheaddg
    whiteheaddg Posts: 325 Member
    Song: Boys of Summer
    Original: Don Henley
    Cover: The Ataris

    The cover is 100X better than the original.

    I don't know...it made me sad when they switched up the lyrics to say "a Black Flag sticker on a Cadillac." Only because it hurts me to think of a Blag Flag sticker as a senseless embrace of nostalgia.
  • Eaglesfanintn
    Eaglesfanintn Posts: 813 Member
    Song: Little Wing
    Original: Hendrix
    Cover: Sting
    .

    Song: Little Wing
    Original: Hendrix
    Cover: Stevie Ray Vaughan

    Fixed this

    No, not really. I'll take Sting's version over SRV's

    Hendrix version is always the best but Concrete Blonde has the best cover.

    I'll have to check that one out.
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
    There are a lot of great cover songs out there. Which ones do you believe have become the definitive version of the song?

    I'll start with an easy one.

    Song: China Girl
    Original: Iggy Pop
    Cover: David Bowie

    The Bowie version is easily the definitive version (though, to be fair, he co-wrote the song)
    Feel free to debate or post a new one.

    Yeah, well, I have a hard time with this because without the original, the copy cat wouldn't be able to do it. So, mad respect to the original creators of the art. With that said, to me, Van Halen's version of "You Really Got Me" klilled the Kinks version.
  • DontStopB_Leakin
    DontStopB_Leakin Posts: 3,863 Member
    Reel Big Fish doing 99 Red Balloons!

    Yes!

    Obscure one -
    Song: Down in the Park
    Original: Gary Numan (of "Cars" fame - song not band)
    Cover1: Marilyn Manson
    Cover2: Foo Fighters

    All versions great, but Foo Fighters rock it
    Love love LOVE the Manson version of this one.

    Manson notoriously pulls off a great cover. I know I'm opening myself up to flaming on that one, but he has perfected the art of taking an extremely well known song (Personal Jesus, Tainted Love, Sweet Dreams) and turning it on it's head.

    I actually agree with this.....but I will also disagree, because I'm on the internet and that's what Al Gore invented it for. Manson's 'Tainted Love'....not great
    No, Tainted Love was horrible, but it WAS different from the original. It was done for a soundtrack to an absolute *kitten* movie, so with that it mind it kind of gets a pass.

    Pass handed out.

    I'm a big fan of his version of 'I Put a Spell on You'
    Totally forgot that one. I've loved him for a long time, though his recent stuff is pretty craptastic. His covers are almost better than his original stuff.
  • oregonzoo
    oregonzoo Posts: 4,251 Member
    Oh, and a really fun one:

    Song: B****es Ain't S***
    Original: Dr. Dre
    Cover: Ben Folds
    Winner: This is a hard one. The original is a classic, but Ben Folds' cover is so friggin' fun. I'm giving it to Ben Folds.
    Ben Folds can do no wrong.
  • DontStopB_Leakin
    DontStopB_Leakin Posts: 3,863 Member
    Song: Boys of Summer
    Original: Don Henley
    Cover: The Ataris

    The cover is 100X better than the original.

    I don't know...it made me sad when they switched up the lyrics to say "a Black Flag sticker on a Cadillac." Only because it hurts me to think of a Blag Flag sticker as a senseless embrace of nostalgia.

    The Ataris took that song and turned it into pure pop bullsh!t. The Eagles version is far superior in every way, shape, and form.
  • cubizzle
    cubizzle Posts: 900 Member
    Oh, and a really fun one:

    Song: B****es Ain't S***
    Original: Dr. Dre
    Cover: Ben Folds
    Winner: This is a hard one. The original is a classic, but Ben Folds' cover is so friggin' fun. I'm giving it to Ben Folds.
    Ben Folds can do no wrong.

    absolutely!!!

    When I saw him live last year he covered a Ke$ha song. Couldn't tell you which one, but it was great. That guy is rather amazing
  • whiteheaddg
    whiteheaddg Posts: 325 Member
    Song--Take me to the River
    Original--Al Green
    Cover--the Talking Heads

    Song--Blinded by the Light
    Original--Bruce Sprinsteen
    Cover--Manfred Mann

    Both of these the cover is so much more well known than the original that most people don't even realize the original exists.

    I am a huge fan of cover songs, and enjoy hearing the different take an artist puts on a song..

    Wow! I have to admit I didn't know "Take me to the River" was a cover. Talking Heads version clearly definitive (and on heavy rotation on my playlists)
  • DeepAsAPlate
    DeepAsAPlate Posts: 121 Member
    Song: Twist & Shout
    Original: The Isley Brothers
    Cover: The Beatles.
    Winner: The Beatles. Duh. As if there's some kind of argument here. Pfft.
  • Eaglesfanintn
    Eaglesfanintn Posts: 813 Member
    Song: I Walk the Line
    Original: Johnny Cash
    Cover: Live

    For me, this is a toss up. I really like the original, but I also dig Live's version of it.