When the "cover" song is as good or better than the original

Hi-FiGuy · May 22, 2015

amirm said:
Most covers struggle to approach the original. But sometimes, they create unique works of arts of their own, even though they are a "copy" of the original. After all, a painting is a copy of the real thing and we praise that.

So I thought I create a thread and have everyone post the covers they enjoy as much if not more than the original.

To get us started, here is the House of the Rising Sun, sung by Kimberly Nichole in the show, The Voice:

And the "original" as sung by Animals: [yes, I know, they were also doing a cover as this is a much older song than their rendition]

The real hero in The Voice version is the band, holy crap! They made her performance!
http://www.nbc.com/the-voice/about/bio/the-voice-band

The Animals version cant be touched, love the video, Metallica Master of Puppets be damned! I love how they guitar and bass players follow the singer around the stage in a funeral march, wind up at the keyboard for the solo and them complete the laparound the stage. Brilliant early music video. Not a cable to be seen, early Wi-Fi!

I "dig" how Hilton Valentine keeps a stone face till the last verse and then totally hams it up behind Eric.

jazdoc · May 24, 2015

Not better, just different...Brad Mehldau takes on Jimi Hendrix

jazdoc · May 24, 2015

Love the original (obviously, in no small part to Louis Johnson's bass part)

That makes me think of the Brother's Johnson whose greatest hit was a Shuggie Otis cover:

This version has another great Louis Johnson bass line and the LP is well recorded...

Edit: Just saw this sad news:http://www.vintagevinylnews.com/201...tm_source=plus.google.com&utm_campaign=buffer

APP · May 25, 2015

jazdoc said:
One For My Baby (and One More for the Road)

First recorded by Fred Astaire in the movie musical "The Sky's the Limit"

Covered many, many times but Sinatra owns this...

My favorite version is 'unplugged' off the triple best of Capitol Records set...

+1!!!

Johnny Vinyl · May 25, 2015

jazdoc said:
That makes me think of the Brother's Johnson whose greatest hit was a Shuggie Otis cover:

I still have the red vinyl 12" EP of that with "Get Da Funk Outta My Face" on the B side. Might have to give that spin today!

es347 · May 25, 2015

Ian Shaw covers Joni Mitchell's "BARANGRILL"...don't miss this one guys...

Johnny Vinyl · May 25, 2015

es347 said:
Ian Shaw covers Joni Mitchell's "BARANGRILL"...don't miss this one guys. By the way how do you get the youtube photo to appear in a post?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUfmHRRtA3o

Use the Insert video icon (looks like a filmstrip).

es347 · May 25, 2015

..well duh...thx Johnny!

jazdoc · May 25, 2015

What's So Funny About Peace, Love and Understanding

Written by Nick Lowe and first performed by his group Brinsley Schwarz

Lowe would later produce the definitive version by Elvis Costello and the Attractions (initially released as a B side for Lowe's great "American Squirm")

jazdoc · May 26, 2015

Continuing the Rockpile/Elvis Costello theme....

"Girls Talk"

Originally by Elvis Costello on "Get Happy"

Dave Edmunds bravura version kills with Nick Lowe on the bass

Edmunds has a new LP of cover songs coming out next month "Rags and Classics". You can listen to stream of "God Only Knows" here: http://bravewords.com/news/guitar-great-dave-edmunds-returns-with-first-ever-all-instrumental-album-god-only-knows-track-streaming

Al M. · Jun 8, 2015

Sara Bareilles, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

This is at least as good as the original, and perhaps, dare I say it, even better. And how can you be even better than Elton John on a song of his -- he is enormously difficult to sing? Yet I think this may very well be:

https://youtu.be/eAti8JNmJi8

jazdoc · Jun 8, 2015

Squeeze re-recorded an album of their best songs "Spot The Difference"...brilliant CD

Recently ran across this BBC documentary...

Once you get past the stunning physical transformation of Glen Tilbrook, it's an amazing documentary

Whatmore · Jun 8, 2015

MiTT · Jun 8, 2015

Al M. said:
Sara Bareilles, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

This is at least as good as the original, and perhaps, dare I say it, even better. And how can you be even better than Elton John on a song of his -- he is enormously difficult to sing? Yet I think this may very well be:

https://youtu.be/eAti8JNmJi8

I agree and had meant to suggest this one myself. Great sound too on the version from her her live "Brave Enough" album which she does entirely solo. One of my favorite albums of recent.

jazdoc · Jun 16, 2015

Really like the Bangles cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "Hazy Shade of Winter"

Recordsguy · Sep 7, 2015

the great[luther Vandross]was a master at taking an original and making it his own[since I lost my baby-a hose is not a home]the marvelettes great cover of[that's how heartaches are made].

daytona600 · Sep 10, 2015

amirm · Sep 10, 2015

daytona600 said:

That is a nice one! Thanks for posting.

JonFo · Sep 11, 2015

One of my favorites in the Prog genre is the Jordan Rudess collection of prog masterpieces covers, including Genesis - Dance on a Volcano, ELP - Tarkus, and many others.
from his album The Road Home

JonFo · Sep 11, 2015

Genesis is one of my favorite bands, and one of the their ex-members, Steve Hackett has done a series revisiting the old classsic with two albums of modern covers that are in many ways better than the originals. The Genesis Revisited II album is particularly good.

It is even available in 24/96 high-resolution FLAC direct from Hackett's site: http://hackettsongs.sandbaghq.com/downloads/genesis-revisited-ii-24-bit-studio-master-flac.html

When the "cover" song is as good or better than the original

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