Everyday on the radio and TV you here remakes and cover tunes of songs by other artists. Some you hear of that you never realized that were previously done like I always thought that Michael McDonald's song Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher was a cover of Rita Coolige, but actually the former Mrs. Kris Kristofferson took it from Jackie Wilson.
Any songs that you want to point out.
I would like to say Manfred Mann's Blinded By The Light that was originally done by Springsteen in Greetings From Asbury Park. The difference is that in Bruce's song there was no Early Whirly in the line Little Early Whirly came by in his curly whirly but a Pearly Curly or something of the sort in the original.
Rod Stewart Downtown Train was a remake of Tom Waits also done by Patty Smythe.
Celine Dion's Power of Love was done by another female artist ( cannot remember her name) and also covered by Air Supply.
U Can't Touch This was originally done by Rick James.
There are lots of them. Some artists even do entire cover albums. Some songs off the top of my head:
Aerosmith: Come Together (originally by the Beatles)
Guns N Roses: Live & Let Die (Wings), Knockin' on Heaven's Door (Bob Dylan)
Weezer: Viva La Vida (Coldplay)
Smashing Pumpkins: You're All I've Got Tonight (The Cars), Landslide (Fleetwood Mac), Jackie Blue (Ozark Mountain Daredevils), Transmission (Joy Division, live only), many, many more
The Killers: Shadowplay (Joy Division)
Jack White: I'm Shakin' (Rudy Toombs)
Disturbed: Land of Confusion (Genesis)
And that's just scratching the surface.
One recent cover that I really like is Metallica's cover of Deep Purple's "When a Blind Man Cries". I had never heard the song before I heard Metallica's version, so I went and sought out Deep Purple's original. I like both versions as each is a uniqie interpretation.
The thing about covers, is usually you know they are a cover song, and the band covering the song is offering its own interpretation of the original. I usually like covers if they're done well. One thing I really hate, and is one big reason why I can't stand rap music, is sampling. MC Hammer's U Can't Touch This wasn't a cover of Rick James, it sampled the original beat and bass line, and MC Hammer added his own lyrics. That's what I can't stand, sampling somebody else's music and trying to pass it off as your own.
Check Yo Self was originally done by Grandmaster Flash.
This thread was originally done by Bach.
Quote from: NE2 on October 21, 2012, 01:43:48 AM
Check Yo Self was originally done by Grandmaster Flash.
This thread was originally done by Bach.
The guy from Skid Row?
Most Beatles covers are terrible.
Quote from: Takumi on October 20, 2012, 10:46:15 PM
Smashing Pumpkins: You're All I've Got Tonight (The Cars), Landslide (Fleetwood Mac), Jackie Blue (Ozark Mountain Daredevils), Transmission (Joy
Billy Corgan's side project Starchildren did a cover of Joy Division's "Isolation." It totally kicks ass.
A list of Pumpkins covers would take several hours to compile.
Quote from: bugo on October 21, 2012, 04:08:48 AM
Most Beatles covers are terrible.
agreed. that goes for Bob Dylan covers. I also don;t like when people cover Zeppelin and ruin it. Zeppelin songs have one definite sound that should never be tampered with.
Tool did a great cover of Zeppelin's No Quarter. Suck it.
Quote from: bugo on October 21, 2012, 04:11:51 AM
Billy Corgan's side project Starchildren did a cover of Joy Division's "Isolation."
Would New Order playing Joy Division songs count as a cover? The band changed its name after Ian Curtis killed himself, but they have studio versions of at least four songs from the JD era (Ceremony, In A Lonely Place, Transmission, and Love Will Tear Us Apart). Nine Inch Nails also covered their song "Dead Souls", and Joy Division themselves did a live cover of the Velvet Underground's "Sister Ray".
Quote
A list of Pumpkins covers would take several hours to compile.
Indeed. One of their singles in the MCIS era had B-sides that were all covers. There's a website that has every song SP has ever played, live or studio, covers included, but I can't remember it.
Here are some of my favorite covers...
The White Stripes - Jolene (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35brwZUg7CE) (originally sung by Dolly Parton)
Alien Ant Farm - Smooth Criminal (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDl9ZMfj6aE) (originally sung by Michael Jackson. I know a lot of people don't think too highly of this cover, but I like it)
Cake - War Pigs (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDJgwUeW7_k) (originally sung by Black Sabbath)
30 Seconds to Mars - Bad Romance (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeX2nLza4AY) (originally sung by Lady Gaga)
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Love Rollercoaster (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1cbsLKXasQ) (originally sung by The Ohio Players)
A number of bands have done whole albums of cover songs, in tribute to some of their influences. The ones that come immediately to mind are by Rush and Styx.
I'm also a fan of tribute albums.
I guess some of my favorite cover songs are "You Really Got Me" and "You're No Good" by Van Halen, "I'm A Man" by Chicago and "Come Together" by Aerosmith. I also like "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" as done by the Stones.
Quote from: NE2 on October 21, 2012, 05:36:12 AM
Tool did a great cover of Zeppelin's No Quarter. Suck it.
See also: Dread Zepellin.
Quote from: Takumi on October 20, 2012, 10:46:15 PM
Disturbed: Land of Confusion (Genesis)
Also Shout (Tears for Fears), I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (U2), Midlife Crisis (Faith No More), and Living After Midnight (Judas Priest).
All decent renditions.
Covers are OK if done right. What gets me is when idiot uncultured youth do not recognize that they are listening to a cover of a well-known classic song. Like the time someone told me about this amazing song called "Riders on the Storm"... by Snoop Dogg. *facepalm*
My favorite cover is April Wine's "Sign of the Gypsy Queen." I'm guessing very few people outside of Canada know that April Wine's version is a cover.
Ozzy Osbourne did a cover album and I liked a couple of the tracks on there too. I didn't think they were better than the originals, but I very rarely like covers to begin with.
Another cover song done by Cake that I really like: I Will Survive (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=596qaxm-u4o) (originally sung by Gloria Gaynor).
"Hard To Handle" by the Black Crowes was originally done by Otis Redding in '68. Didn't know that it was a remake for the longest time. In this case the remake is better than the original.
"(If Loving You is Wrong) I Don't Want To Be Right" was first done as an R&B song by Luther ingram in 1972, remade by Barbara Mandrell as a country song in 1979.
In the 90's, two country songs by John Michael Montgomery "I Swear", and "I Can Love You Like That" were immediatly remade into R&B/pop songs by All-4-One.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers do a good cover of "Brandy", which was originally be The Looking Glass in 1972.
"I Heard It Through The Grapevine" Originally by Marvin Gaye, remade not much later by CCR.
"Hooked On A Feeling". Originally by BJ Thomas, remade by Blue Suede.
Miley Cyrus recently covered Poison's "Every Rose Has It's Thorn"
Joss Stone and Les Paul do a pretty good remake of Bonnie Raitt's "Love Sneakin' Up On You"
Alanis Morissette - "My Humps" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRmYfVCH2UA)
I cover 4'33" nightly.
I don't understand cover songs when they are nearly indistinguishable from the original - the No Doubt version of "It's My Life" comes to mind - it's like the shot-for-shot remake of "Psycho." An interesting exercise, perhaps, but nothing was added to the artistic life of the song.
Quote from: bugo on October 21, 2012, 04:08:48 AM
Most Beatles covers are terrible.
Agreed for the most part, but I do enjoy the Earth, Wind and Fire version of "Got To Get You Into My Life."
I don't ever listen to cover versions. In my opinion, Pink Floyd covers are usually horrible as the music can never be truly covered. Pink Floyd used instruments most bands don't ever think of using. To sum it up, when I listen to music, it's gotta be the original song from the original album (occasionally I will listen to a greatest hits album).
Speaking of covers, isn't Sunday Morning by Maroon 5 originally done by a 60s or 70s group? I can't find evidence on wikipedia, but I distinctly remember a song that had its tune played before.
Hocus Pocus was done by two bands. A heavy medal band and some other artist who yodeled throughout the song. Both versions were played on classic rock in the 90s, although the songs were originally done years earlier.
Supertramp's Give A Little Bit was redone by Google Dolls
Joni Mitchell's Pink Taxi was redone by another artist.
Juice Newton's Angel In The Morning was redone in the chorus part by an R & B artist who did not cover the verses and added his own style.
A lot do not know, but Rod Stewarts's Broken Arrow was originally done by Robbie Robertson (ex Band member).
We all know Kid Rock used the chords to Warren Zevon's Wearwolves of London and some of the music to Skynyrd's Sweet Home Alabama to form All Summer Long. ( I am late for work and have no time to look up the spelling on the word)
Quote from: NE2 on October 21, 2012, 11:50:15 PM
I cover 4'33" nightly.
Do you time it? If not, then it isn't really 4'33", is it? You might, perhaps, actually be composing a new piece which you might entitle 4'51".
I usually hate Beatles covers.
But I usually like U2 covers.
Anyone else like U2 covers?
I've always liked Bruce Springsteen's cover of Bob Dylan's "Chimes of Freedom" (a live recording found on the Chimes of Freedom EP from 1988).
Jimmy Buffett's version of "Southern Cross" is better than the original, IMO.
The Gaslight Anthem's cover of "Tumbling Dice" (released only as a single for Record Store Day a few years ago) has some funk to it and it's a lot easier to understand the words than with the Stones' original recording. Their current album, Handwritten, has a cover of Tom Petty's "You Got Lucky." For the most part I turn the radio off if a Tom Petty song comes on, not because I dislike his music but because I feel like the radio stations massively overplay the same few songs of his. But I don't mind the Gaslight Anthem's cover. I'm sure it helps that they're easily my favorite reasonably new band (we have tickets to see them play the 9:30 Club in DC this December).
Quote from: kphoger on October 22, 2012, 10:49:47 AM
Quote from: NE2 on October 21, 2012, 11:50:15 PM
I cover 4'33" nightly.
Do you time it? If not, then it isn't really 4'33", is it? You might, perhaps, actually be composing a new piece which you might entitle 4'51".
I creatively reinterpret it. Usually the background includes my fan gears grinding.
Anyway it's funny (maybe only in the roadman65 way) how everyone hates Beatles covers, yet they started out doing a bunch of covers.
Quote from: NYYPhil777 on October 22, 2012, 02:35:21 AM
I don't ever listen to cover versions. In my opinion, Pink Floyd covers are usually horrible as the music can never be truly covered. Pink Floyd used instruments most bands don't ever think of using. To sum it up, when I listen to music, it's gotta be the original song from the original album (occasionally I will listen to a greatest hits album).
It's interesting how, in a few generations, popular music went from focusing on the actual song to the artist performing the song. The "standards" of, say, 1930-1955, were very rarely written with specific artists in mind, so most of the best-known songs of that time have versions by most of the best-known artists of that time, each with their own interpretation, none of which lose the integrity of the lyric, tune or harmonic and/or rhythmic structure. Many artists even recorded multiple interpretations of the same song during their careers.
Once the artists by and large started writing their own material, it became much more rare for songs to be successfully covered by other artists - the song is immediately and inexorably tied into the band or singer who first released it (or at the least, had the first big hit with it).
I think at least part of it is, consciously or not, bands write songs that play to their own strengths as performers, rather than trying to write a song that can stand up to multiple interpretations by multiple artists.
So in the example above, for the listener, Pink Floyd (whom I like FWIW) songs are as much about the
production of the song (instrumentation, engineering, etc) as the
writing of the song itself (lyric, melody, harmony). Without the original production, the song doesn't resonate the same way. As I mentioned above, I'm the same way - using Beatles covers as an example, and I think they were excellent songwriters, but for whatever reason, without their voices or instrumentation, it doesn't feel the same. Yet, I can think of three versions of "I've Got You Under My Skin" - with radically different feels, and I like them all, because I like the
song.
Not saying it's bad or good, it's just a different way of approaching the craft.
I can't say I've ever heard a U2 cover.
Clapton has done numerous cover tunes, mostly of old Blue artists that influenced him. He even dedicated an album to Robert Johnson called Me and Mr. Johnson as a tribute to the artist using his songs. Then two of his hits: After Midnight and Coccaine are originally done by J. J Cale, who a few years ago Eric done an entire album with him. Then you have Knocking On Heaven's Door that was a Dylan song.
Then he covered one of his own Derek and The Dominos songs: Layla back in the early 90's starting the whole Unplugged thing that has grown into something big.
Quote from: roadman65 on October 22, 2012, 02:26:51 PM
Clapton has done numerous cover tunes, mostly of old Blue artists that influenced him. He even dedicated an album to Robert Johnson called Me and Mr. Johnson as a tribute to the artist using his songs. Then two of his hits: After Midnight and Coccaine are originally done by J. J Cale, who a few years ago Eric done an entire album with him. Then you have Knocking On Heaven's Door that was a Dylan song.
Then he covered one of his own Derek and The Dominos songs: Layla back in the early 90's starting the whole Unplugged thing that has grown into something big.
Unplugged was a bunch of acoustic covers of old blueses as well.
Quote from: roadman65 on October 22, 2012, 02:26:51 PM
Clapton has done numerous cover tunes, mostly of old Blue artists that influenced him. He even dedicated an album to Robert Johnson called Me and Mr. Johnson as a tribute to the artist using his songs. Then two of his hits: After Midnight and Coccaine are originally done by J. J Cale, who a few years ago Eric done an entire album with him. Then you have Knocking On Heaven's Door that was a Dylan song.
Then he covered one of his own Derek and The Dominos songs: Layla back in the early 90's starting the whole Unplugged thing that has grown into something big.
Clapton's album was the bigger hit, but Paul McCartney was the one who really got the fad rolling when he released the album
Unplugged: The Official Bootleg after his appearance on that show. He had previously done an acoustic segment (not called "unplugged" at the time) during the 1975—76 Wings tour.
I remember when the dirge-like unplugged version of "Layla" was a hit. I was in college at the time and when I played the original version one day, one of my friends was appalled, said something like "What is this shit, this isn't 'Layla'!" He had only heard the unplugged version and didn't know anything about the original. I prefer the original.
Quote from: DTComposer on October 22, 2012, 11:38:31 AM
Quote from: NYYPhil777 on October 22, 2012, 02:35:21 AM
I don't ever listen to cover versions. In my opinion, Pink Floyd covers are usually horrible as the music can never be truly covered. Pink Floyd used instruments most bands don't ever think of using. To sum it up, when I listen to music, it's gotta be the original song from the original album (occasionally I will listen to a greatest hits album).
It's interesting how, in a few generations, popular music went from focusing on the actual song to the artist performing the song. The "standards" of, say, 1930-1955, were very rarely written with specific artists in mind, so most of the best-known songs of that time have versions by most of the best-known artists of that time, each with their own interpretation, none of which lose the integrity of the lyric, tune or harmonic and/or rhythmic structure. Many artists even recorded multiple interpretations of the same song during their careers.
Once the artists by and large started writing their own material, it became much more rare for songs to be successfully covered by other artists - the song is immediately and inexorably tied into the band or singer who first released it (or at the least, had the first big hit with it).
I think at least part of it is, consciously or not, bands write songs that play to their own strengths as performers, rather than trying to write a song that can stand up to multiple interpretations by multiple artists.
So in the example above, for the listener, Pink Floyd (whom I like FWIW) songs are as much about the production of the song (instrumentation, engineering, etc) as the writing of the song itself (lyric, melody, harmony). Without the original production, the song doesn't resonate the same way. As I mentioned above, I'm the same way - using Beatles covers as an example, and I think they were excellent songwriters, but for whatever reason, without their voices or instrumentation, it doesn't feel the same. Yet, I can think of three versions of "I've Got You Under My Skin" - with radically different feels, and I like them all, because I like the song.
Not saying it's bad or good, it's just a different way of approaching the craft.
I totally agree with you. Apparently we all have different tastes for music. At least when musicians make music covers, I will give them an "A" for effort. At least they tried, and that's what matters.
Here's a question to ponder: If an artist wrote a song for a group they weren't a part of, and then does a version of that song later, would that qualify as a "cover"?
The instance of this that immediately comes to mind is the Monkees' Pleasant Valley Sunday. Carole King and Gerry Goffin originally wrote the song, but Carole King never performed it until recently - it's one of the songs on her live The Living Room Tour CD set. BTW - Carole King's live version of the song during this concert blows the original out of the water.
Glenn Danzig wrote "Thirteen" for Johnny Cash then later recorded it with his band Danzig.
John Hiatt wrote and recorded several songs that became hits for others.
Thing Called Love (Bonnie Raitt)
Angel Eyes (Jeff Healey Band)
Drive South (Suzy Bogguss)
With the demise of the album as a moneymaking vehicle for artists, you don't hear straight covers anymore where the money all goes to the songwriter(s) and little or none to the artist(s). Instead, artists will sample a snippet of an old song, claim originality, and only pay partial royalties instead of the whole thing.
Covers seem to vary a lot in quality, but every once in a while there's one I really like.
I, however, hate any cover made by Guns n' Roses. Axl Rose just overdoes it and it spoils everything. (Knaaawk knaaaawk knaaaaaawkin on hayyyyven's dooooowowooos... his voice makes it even worse)
Quote from: Special K on October 22, 2012, 09:14:37 PM
John Hiatt wrote and recorded several songs that became hits for others.
Thing Called Love (Bonnie Raitt)
Angel Eyes (Jeff Healey Band)
Drive South (Suzy Bogguss)
But did he record those songs before those other artists or after? That was the point of my original question.
Quote from: roadman on October 23, 2012, 12:49:23 PM
Quote from: Special K on October 22, 2012, 09:14:37 PM
John Hiatt wrote and recorded several songs that became hits for others.
Thing Called Love (Bonnie Raitt)
Angel Eyes (Jeff Healey Band)
Drive South (Suzy Bogguss)
But did he record those songs before those other artists or after? That was the point of my original question.
Recording your own work is not a cover, regardless of which version came first.
Also of note, David Bowie and Iggy Pop recorded a song called China Girl, though neither is considered a cover, since they co-wrote the song.
Sort of on topic, but this reminds me of the time when Tom Fogerty tried to sue his brother, John Fogerty (both formerly of Creedence Clearwater Revival) for John's song recorded in the 80's called "Old Man Down the Road". The melody is very similar to a song that CCR recorded called "Run Through the Jungle". But, since John was the sole author of both songs, there was no merit to the suit.
One of my favorites was POD's cover of Bullet the Blue Sky. I like they're version better than the U2 originals.
Quote from: Brian556 on October 21, 2012, 10:43:07 PM
"I Heard It Through The Grapevine" Originally by Marvin Gaye, remade not much later by CCR.
Actually, the first version was by Gladys Knight and the Pips and was a hit about a year before Marvin Gaye's version. It doesn't get a lot of airplay on the oldies stations, though, unlike Marvin Gaye's version.
Just for the record (oops! :pan:), I like CCR's version the best.
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on October 21, 2012, 07:14:16 PM
My favorite cover is April Wine's "Sign of the Gypsy Queen." I'm guessing very few people outside of Canada know that April Wine's version is a cover.
Who did the original?
Every version of "Whiskey in the Jar" is a cover.
QuoteThen he covered one of his own Derek and The Dominos songs: Layla back in the early 90's starting the whole Unplugged thing that has grown into something big.
This is an interesting sub-topic. Artists who have covered their own songs.
Examples:
Laya-Eric Clapton
Walk This Way-Aerosmith. Newer version featured RUN DMC
I Honestly Love You-Ovivia Newton-John
Missing You-John Waite- Newer version a duet w/ Alison Krauss
I Will Always Love You-Dolly Parton. Covered more than once. One version a duet w/ Vince Gill
There's gotta be more.
Another interesting topic is songs where the remix was better than the ablum version,
The two that I can think of are:
You Drive Me Crazy-Britney Spears
Nobody Wants To Be Lonely-Ricky Martin w/ Christina Augilera
Quote from: Brian556 on October 23, 2012, 09:56:38 PM
This is an interesting sub-topic. Artists who have covered their own songs.
Chicago covered "25 or 6 to 4" on one of their late 80s albums.
Then a few years ago, the new lineup did an entire album of some of their older songs, called
The Nashville Studio Recordings. Most were cover versions of the songs on which Terry Kath or Peter Cetera had been the vocalist, but they did a few Robert Lamm songs too.
Kiss also re-recorded a bunch of their old songs for a bonus CD that was included with their
Sonic Boom album. Prior to that, they re-did "Strutter" as "Strutter 78" for the
Double Platinum album, and did a new version of "Beth" with Eric Carr singing on the
Smashes, Thrashes & Hits compilation.
And then there are all those "unplugged" albums...
Gene Simmons also did "See You In Your Dreams Tonight" on his solo album.
As mentioned in an earlier post, New Order has covered some Joy Division songs. Also, the John Mayer Trio live album has covers of a few of John's solo hits.
Nine Inch Nails and Linkin Park, among others, have done remix albums sampling or in some cases reimagining their earlier work.
Quote from: hbelkins on October 23, 2012, 10:08:50 PM
Quote from: Brian556 on October 23, 2012, 09:56:38 PM
This is an interesting sub-topic. Artists who have covered their own songs.
Chicago covered "25 or 6 to 4" on one of their late 80s albums.
Then a few years ago, the new lineup did an entire album of some of their older songs, called The Nashville Studio Recordings. Most were cover versions of the songs on which Terry Kath or Peter Cetera had been the vocalist, but they did a few Robert Lamm songs too.
Kiss also re-recorded a bunch of their old songs for a bonus CD that was included with their Sonic Boom album. Prior to that, they re-did "Strutter" as "Strutter 78" for the Double Platinum album, and did a new version of "Beth" with Eric Carr singing on the Smashes, Thrashes & Hits compilation.
And then there are all those "unplugged" albums...
Gene Simmons also did "See You In Your Dreams Tonight" on his solo album.
I didn't know "25 or 6 to 4" wasn't originally by Chicago. I always thought Chicago was the original performer of that song.
Quote from: NYYPhil777 on October 23, 2012, 11:43:39 PM
I didn't know "25 or 6 to 4" wasn't originally by Chicago. I always thought Chicago was the original performer of that song.
Quote from: hbelkins on October 23, 2012, 10:08:50 PM
Quote from: Brian556 on October 23, 2012, 09:56:38 PM
Artists who have covered their own songs.
Chicago covered "25 or 6 to 4" on one of their late 80s albums.
Quote from: Special K on October 23, 2012, 08:53:27 PM
Every version of "Whiskey in the Jar" is a cover.
And Metallica's is terrible.
Quote from: Steve on October 23, 2012, 10:25:28 PM
Nine Inch Nails and Linkin Park, among others, have done remix albums sampling or in some cases reimagining their earlier work.
Sisters of Mercy as well. "Some Girls Wander By Mistake" is a 1992 album that is ostensibly "greatest hits" but contains reworked versions of some of the songs. this ranges from a few small changes in verse/chorus structure ("More") to a complete musical re-imagining ("Temple of Love").
Quote from: roadman65 on October 22, 2012, 03:59:28 AM
Hocus Pocus was done by two bands. A heavy medal band and some other artist who yodeled throughout the song. Both versions were played on classic rock in the 90s, although the songs were originally done years earlier.
huh. I've heard the Focus version and the cover by Helloween, but Helloween is sufficiently obscure in the US that I have not once heard any of their songs on the radio.
I didn't know there was another well-known version other than the one by Focus.
Quote from: NYYPhil777 on October 23, 2012, 11:43:39 PM
I didn't know "25 or 6 to 4" wasn't originally by Chicago. I always thought Chicago was the original performer of that song.
You misunderstood. Chicago did originally perform the song, on the
Chicago II album. They recorded another version of it in the late 80s.
What ever happen to Rod Stewart doing new stuff that is original? It seems all he has done lately is cover songs, like his Soul collection that was, I believe, his last studion album.
Quote from: agentsteel53 on October 24, 2012, 10:12:29 AM
Quote from: roadman65 on October 22, 2012, 03:59:28 AM
Hocus Pocus was done by two bands. A heavy medal band and some other artist who yodeled throughout the song. Both versions were played on classic rock in the 90s, although the songs were originally done years earlier.
huh. I've heard the Focus version and the cover by Helloween, but Helloween is sufficiently obscure in the US that I have not once heard any of their songs on the radio.
I didn't know there was another well-known version other than the one by Focus.
Iron Maiden released a cover in 2006 on the Different World single.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbcTSTmqG9Y
Quote from: kphoger on October 22, 2012, 10:50:33 AM
I usually hate Beatles covers.
But I usually like U2 covers.
Anyone else like U2 covers?
I hate U2, but I like Johnny Cash's version of One.
Quote from: hbelkins on October 24, 2012, 01:28:41 PM
Quote from: NYYPhil777 on October 23, 2012, 11:43:39 PM
I didn't know "25 or 6 to 4" wasn't originally by Chicago. I always thought Chicago was the original performer of that song.
You misunderstood. Chicago did originally perform the song, on the Chicago II album. They recorded another version of it in the late 80s.
Then "25 or 6 to 4" by Chicago wasn't a cover song to begin with. Thanks for the information.
There's the album the Flaming Lips did where they redid all of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. It was a particular favorite of one of my old friends who used to work in a record store, not long before they killed all record stores.
Then there's those godawful "Bluegrass Tribute to Metallica" or whatever musical groups or styles of music you can think of.
Finally, there is Weird Al Yankovic doing Bohemian Rhapsody on accordion.
The song "Love Hurts" was originally performed by the Everly Brothers and once covered by Roy Orbison but they got eclipsed by the cover made by Nazareth.
Also, Paul Young's Everytime You Go Away is actual a cover for Hall and Oates, who actually released the song, but never made a hit of it. So no one really knows it existed either.
I am not thinking the same as the Judge who made it legal that George Harrison covered Hes So Fine (an old 50s tune) in My Sweet Lord. To me I see some similarities in the two songs, but they are definetely not the same song! I think the ex Beatle got the screws put to him. Also, My Sweet Lord is a much better song than the Chiffons could have ever done.
Quote from: bugo on October 27, 2012, 01:06:26 AM
Quote from: agentsteel53 on October 24, 2012, 10:12:29 AM
Quote from: roadman65 on October 22, 2012, 03:59:28 AM
Hocus Pocus was done by two bands. A heavy medal band and some other artist who yodeled throughout the song. Both versions were played on classic rock in the 90s, although the songs were originally done years earlier.
huh. I've heard the Focus version and the cover by Helloween, but Helloween is sufficiently obscure in the US that I have not once heard any of their songs on the radio.
I didn't know there was another well-known version other than the one by Focus.
Iron Maiden released a cover in 2006 on the Different World single.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbcTSTmqG9Y
There is also a version done by Gary Hoey, and came out in 1993 or 1994. I remember this version being all over the radio, and is probably my favorite cover of Hocus Pocus.
http://youtu.be/X0rAlUqVUAE
Dream Theater has done albums, released to its fan club members, which are covers of the entire Metallica Master of Puppets and Iron Maiden The Number of the Beast albums. The entire second side of the A Change of Seasons album is comprised of live versions of cover songs.
Quote from: DandyDan on October 27, 2012, 06:18:32 AM
There's the album the Flaming Lips did where they redid all of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. It was a particular favorite of one of my old friends who used to work in a record store, not long before they killed all record stores.
Then there's those godawful "Bluegrass Tribute to Metallica" or whatever musical groups or styles of music you can think of.
Finally, there is Weird Al Yankovic doing Bohemian Rhapsody on accordion.
:sombrero: Weird Al covers songs on his polkas. That would be called the "Bohemian Polka" on
Alapalooza (1993). He's also known to cover or parody (or even make original songs) based off the musical style of an artist, and not always a particular song.
Johnny Cash also does a nice cover of Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down". Little slower and plaintive.
Dylan's voice is so one of a kind that covering Dylan in a pure sense can almost be impossible. There are some decent covers of Dylan songs out there. The Byrds Mr. Tamborine Man, Chimes of Freedom, and My Back Pages. Hendrix's version of All Along the Watchtower is more well known than Dylan's own version. And The Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia Band did countless covers of Dylan songs in their concert rotation. Usually Garcia or Weir would sing, depending on the style of song, except Lesh did sing Just Like Tom Thumb Blues.
One final song that is interesting is "Because the Night", which was co-written by Patti Smith and Springsteen. Many people consider Smith's version to be the original and Bruce's the cover, but each can claim credit. I actually prefer Springsteen's. One sings it from a man's point of view, and the other a woman's. Of course, Natalie Merchant's version is a cover.
Speaking of Johnny Cash, let's mention also his cover of Nine Inch Nails of Hurt made before he passed away.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmVAWKfJ4Go
When I was driving earlier today Styx came on the radio and this thread prompts me to recall that the current lineup (i.e., without Dennis DeYoung) did a cover of "I Am the Walrus." I've never heard their version, though. I'm sure I could find it on YouTube or iTunes, I'm just lazy.
Metallica cover:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC65ufGUvKM (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC65ufGUvKM)
Watch this at least halfway through, preferably all the way to the end. It just keeps getting better.
Quote from: kphoger on November 16, 2012, 01:05:43 PM
Metallica cover:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC65ufGUvKM (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC65ufGUvKM)
Watch this at least halfway through, preferably all the way to the end. It just keeps getting better.
One of the worst songs ever written, and WAY overplayed.
I think most people tend to prefer the version of a sing that they heard first, though there are some exceptions. For example, I first heard "It's My Life" by No Doubt when it came out circa '03, and only later found out that Talk Talk had done it in the 80's. They're both good, but I like the Talk Talk version slightly better.
Johnny Cash has done a few songs which other bands have covered, which I enjoy. "Ring Of Fire" (Wall of Voodoo), "Sad Songs and Waltzes" (Cake), "Hurt" (Nine Inch Nails)... One could probably put together several Johnny Cash covers and get a rather varied and enjoyable playlist.
Quote from: vtk on November 16, 2012, 04:11:45 PM
I think most people tend to prefer the version of a sing that they heard first, though there are some exceptions. For example, I first heard "It's My Life" by No Doubt when it came out circa '03, and only later found out that Talk Talk had done it in the 80's. They're both good, but I like the Talk Talk version slightly better.
Johnny Cash has done a few songs which other bands have covered, which I enjoy. "Ring Of Fire" (Wall of Voodoo), "Sad Songs and Waltzes" (Cake), "Hurt" (Nine Inch Nails)... One could probably put together several Johnny Cash covers and get a rather varied and enjoyable playlist.
I tend to dislike other versions of songs when I first hear them, but then I often warm up to them the more I listen. Covers of Bob Dylan songs are often like this for me, especially when the cover artist imitates some of Dylan's quirks. Another very notable example for me is Arlo Guthrie's
City of New Orleans: Other artists' covers used to make me grumble, but now I like them just as well as (some even better than) Guthrie's.
In general, though, I prefer versions that bear similarity to the one I know and love. A hip hop version of the Beatles just won't cut it for me. If any of you are classical music fans, though, you should check out
Switched-on Bach (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switched-On_Bach).
Quote from: kphoger on November 16, 2012, 04:22:11 PM
Another very notable example for me is Arlo Guthrie's City of New Orleans: Other artists' covers used to make me grumble, but now I like them just as well as (some even better than) Guthrie's.
I don't think the original author of that song is known. I've acquired as many versions of that song as I can find, looking for the version that a local classic rock station played several years ago; Arlo Guthrie's might be it, but I'm not sure. And I can't decide if I like Guthrie or Cash better on this song...
Quote from: vtk on November 16, 2012, 04:31:27 PM
Quote from: kphoger on November 16, 2012, 04:22:11 PM
Another very notable example for me is Arlo Guthrie's City of New Orleans: Other artists' covers used to make me grumble, but now I like them just as well as (some even better than) Guthrie's.
I don't think the original author of that song is known. I've acquired as many versions of that song as I can find, looking for the version that a local classic rock station played several years ago; Arlo Guthrie's might be it, but I'm not sure. And I can't decide if I like Guthrie or Cash better on this song...
vtk, you and I have some interesting similarities. Maybe you should move to Kansas. :)
I once saw Arlo Guthrie perform at Croce's bar in San Diego–sat about 15 feet from him a couple of tables away from Jim Croce's wife and some other big names. Quite a surreal experience. He had just been busted on drug charges, yet still performed
Coming into Los Angeles, which might not have been the most appropriate thing to do...
Quote from: kphoger on October 21, 2012, 11:44:20 PM
Alanis Morissette - "My Humps" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRmYfVCH2UA)
:bigass:
Quote from: kphoger on November 16, 2012, 04:40:08 PM
Quote from: vtk on November 16, 2012, 04:31:27 PM
Quote from: kphoger on November 16, 2012, 04:22:11 PM
Another very notable example for me is Arlo Guthrie's City of New Orleans: Other artists' covers used to make me grumble, but now I like them just as well as (some even better than) Guthrie's.
I don't think the original author of that song is known. I've acquired as many versions of that song as I can find, looking for the version that a local classic rock station played several years ago; Arlo Guthrie's might be it, but I'm not sure. And I can't decide if I like Guthrie or Cash better on this song
vtk, you and I have some interesting similarities. Maybe you should move to Kansas. :)
I once saw Arlo Guthrie perform at Croce's bar in San Diegosat about 15 feet from him a couple of tables away from Jim Croce's wife and some other big names. Quite a surreal experience. He had just been busted on drug charges, yet still performed Coming into Los Angeles, which might not have been the most appropriate thing to do...
Steve Goodman originally wrote 'City of New Orleans' in 1970.
Quote from: Hot Rod Hootenanny on November 16, 2012, 09:53:22 PM
Steve Goodman originally wrote 'City of New Orleans' in 1970.
Wikipedia says the song was released by Goodman in '71, and credits him as its original author, so yeah I guess the origins of the song aren't as mysterious as I thought. I must have misremembered previous research on the matter.
I just heard Nickelback's cover of Elton John's Saturday Night's Alright.
Not sure what to think here.
I think of suicide every time I hear any Nickelback song.
Quote from: Dr Frankenstein on November 17, 2012, 06:05:13 PM
I just heard Nickelback's cover or Elton John's Saturday Night's Alright.
Not sure what to think here.
Some metal band covered that back in the '80s. I think it was Flotsam & Jetsam, but I wouldn't swear to it.
Quote from: bugo on November 17, 2012, 06:09:39 PM
I think of suicide every time I hear any Nickelback song.
Totally! Most of the lyrics sound like drunken crying!
Quote from: vtk on November 17, 2012, 08:48:48 PM
Quote from: bugo on November 17, 2012, 06:09:39 PM
I think of suicide every time I hear any Nickelback song.
Totally! Most of the lyrics sound like drunken crying!
No, you're thinking of The Cure.
Did not Don McClean dislike Madonna covering his famed American Pie as it was sacred to him about the three deaths of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Vallens, and the Big Bopper?
Plus, I think that she had nerve to do it herself anyway. She and McClean are on opposite sides in music and in other areas. Why would she need to cover his (or anyones) song anyway.
Madonna should cover herself with six feet of dirt. She's a no-talent skank who has jumped on every trend and bandwagon. I'm sure she's going to do a dubstep album next.
Quote from: bugo on November 19, 2012, 01:23:17 AMI'm sure she's going to do a dubstep album next.
Nah, Madonna is more likely to dance naked Gangnam style. Actually, anything to show off her aging flesh in a desire to show that she's still got it (not that she has). It's tragic.
It's not that Madonna has jumped on every trend, her desire (like here clone Gaga) is to make a show of herself, being exhibitionist and breaking taboos. Infamy is just as good as fame for her - she needs the attention.
Quote from: bugo on November 17, 2012, 06:09:39 PM
I think of suicide every time I hear any Nickelback song.
Actually, I think of homicide.
Hey Lady Gaga turned down a request to perform with Madonna.
Anyway back on topic, how about when Rodney Dangerfield covered the Beatles Twist and Shout in Back to School way back in the great 80's? Was not the best version as Rodney is not known for his singing talent but his comical aspect mainly. That is what made is so great among his request to the waitress in the bar he sang the song before singing it..
I dust-off this old thread to mention another song well covered. ;)
Cat Stevens' song "The first cut is the deepest" was covered by Keith Hampshire who was #1 in Canada in 1973.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBccr-aLu4I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4HiSM-0rfY
And covered again by Rod Stewart in 1977
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoitegszoRc
More recently covered by Sheryl Crow in 2003
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dK9eLe8EQps
Quote from: hbelkins on November 17, 2012, 08:30:43 PM
Quote from: Dr Frankenstein on November 17, 2012, 06:05:13 PM
I just heard Nickelback's cover or Elton John's Saturday Night's Alright.
Not sure what to think here.
Some metal band covered that back in the '80s. I think it was Flotsam & Jetsam, but I wouldn't swear to it.
The Who covered it in the early 90's, and it even included a bar of " Take me to the Pilot"
https://youtu.be/SdGc-RJ0_wU
Interesting timing on the thread revival. I just finished reading Brian Wilson's autobiography and seeing this thread prompts me to think of how some of his solo albums include re-recorded versions of Beach Boys songs (for example, Imagination features "Let Him Run Wild" and "Keep An Eye on Summer"). Does that count as a cover when he's the guy who wrote and composed the songs in the first place? I suppose his live album contains a ton of Beach Boys songs, but I wouldn't count that because it's pretty normal for a former member of a band to play that band's hits while touring.
I guess that raises the interesting question of whether his release of Smile might count as a cover album since the original Beach Boys album was, infamously, never released unless you count the 2011 boxed set The Smile Sessions; also, on Brian Wilson's version, he used the original lyrics for "Good Vibrations" rather than the lyrics made famous on the single released in 1966. I wouldn't think any of that counts as a "cover."
Quote from: Stephane Dumas on November 05, 2012, 04:24:12 PM
Speaking of Johnny Cash, let's mention also his cover of Nine Inch Nails of Hurt made before he passed away.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmVAWKfJ4Go
BRAVO Johnny!!! Thats a heavy video! RIP with June, Johnny. Thanks for all the great music.
Quote from: Takumi on October 22, 2012, 11:52:35 AM
I can't say I've ever heard a U2 cover.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZvgIhawBF4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGrR-7_OBpA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cover_versions_of_U2_songs
Dusting this thread off for Lana Del Rey doing a fantastic live cover of Nirvana's Heart-Shaped Box in 2013.
https://youtu.be/rPIJk0MKSWM
The studio version credited to her on YouTube is not her.
This is the Deftones covering Sade's "No Ordinary Love". It is fantastic. The bass groove is smooth and Chino's vocals are great as usual.
Quote from: allniter89 on July 07, 2017, 11:33:17 PM
Quote from: Stephane Dumas on November 05, 2012, 04:24:12 PM
Speaking of Johnny Cash, let's mention also his cover of Nine Inch Nails of Hurt made before he passed away.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmVAWKfJ4Go
BRAVO Johnny!!! Thats a heavy video! RIP with June, Johnny. Thanks for all the great music.
With respect to the dear departed Mr. Cash, who was truly a great artist in many respects, IMO his cover of
City of New Orleans totally butchered what I still consider to be one of the best folk songs, and still one of the best railroad-themed songs of any genre, ever recorded.
Quote from: roadman on March 09, 2018, 06:21:13 PM
With respect to the dear departed Mr. Cash, who was truly a great artist in many respects, IMO his cover of City of New Orleans totally butchered what I still consider to be one of the best folk songs, and still one of the best railroad-themed songs of any genre, ever recorded.
I am a big Johnny Cash fan and I like a lot of what he did, but I think he butchered "Hurt". The original Nine Inch Nails version spoke to me in a poignant, direct way. Cash's version didn't. When Cash changed "crown of shit" to "crown of thorns" it changed the meaning of the whole song and ruined it for me. Trent's version is about suicidal despair while Johnny's version is about old age and mortality along with a healthy dose of Jesus.
Quote from: jp the roadgeek on July 07, 2017, 02:56:51 AM
The Who covered it in the early 90's, and it even included a bar of " Take me to the Pilot"
https://youtu.be/SdGc-RJ0_wU
The Who covered a lot of others' songs, especially early in their career. Some were better than others.
The good: Summertime Blues (Eddie Cochran), Shakin' All Over (Johnny Kidd & the Pirates, also the Guess Who), Eyesight To The Blind (Sonny Boy Williamson #2, tune rewritten by Pete Townshend for Tommy). The first two were on Live At Leeds (1970).
The bad: Heat Wave (Martha & the Vandellas), I Don't Mind, and Please Please Please (both James Brown).
The ugly: Under My Thumb, and Fortune Teller (both Rolling Stones).
Quote from: achilles765 on October 21, 2012, 04:34:25 AM
Quote from: bugo on October 21, 2012, 04:08:48 AM
Most Beatles covers are terrible.
agreed. that goes for Bob Dylan covers. I also don;t like when people cover Zeppelin and ruin it. Zeppelin songs have one definite sound that should never be tampered with.
Mocedades covered "Let it Be" quite well.
Carpenters (maybe just Karen by herself) covered "Ticket to Ride" quite well.
Elton John and Billy Joel did a VERY good job of "Come Together".
I don't know if any of the Beatles actually ever recorded "You Won't See Me".
The only two Beatles covers that I really like are Eddie Vedder's version of "Hide Your Love Away" and Motley Crue's version of "Helter Skelter". There are a few others that are OK but those are the only two that approach being as good as the originals.
Quote from: NE2 on October 21, 2012, 05:36:12 AM
Tool did a great cover of Zeppelin's No Quarter. Suck it.
On the flip side, The Lovemongers did a really shitty cover of "The Battle of Evermore." THEY can suck it!
Quote from: michravera on March 09, 2018, 11:31:47 PM
Quote from: achilles765 on October 21, 2012, 04:34:25 AM
Quote from: bugo on October 21, 2012, 04:08:48 AM
Most Beatles covers are terrible.
agreed. that goes for Bob Dylan covers. I also don;t like when people cover Zeppelin and ruin it. Zeppelin songs have one definite sound that should never be tampered with.
Mocedades covered "Let it Be" quite well.
Carpenters (maybe just Karen by herself) covered "Ticket to Ride" quite well.
Elton John and Billy Joel did a VERY good job of "Come Together".
I don't know if any of the Beatles actually ever recorded "You Won't See Me".
Quote from: bugo on March 10, 2018, 12:03:31 AM
The only two Beatles covers that I really like are Eddie Vedder's version of "Hide Your Love Away" and Motley Crue's version of "Helter Skelter". There are a few others that are OK but those are the only two that approach being as good as the originals.
One of the best Beatles covers I've ever heard is "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" by Elton John. (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=p6HkiruZFyY) I cannot describe in words how incredible both this and the original song are. Heck, I even think John Lennon (formerly of The Beatles) provided backing vocals and guitar playing on this very Elton John cover, if I recall correctly. I was introduced to this just a few weeks ago actually (I did not know it existed before), and I sure am glad I was! :nod:
Quote from: achilles765 on October 21, 2012, 04:34:25 AM
Quote from: bugo on October 21, 2012, 04:08:48 AM
Most Beatles covers are terrible.
agreed. that goes for Bob Dylan covers. I also don;t like when people cover Zeppelin and ruin it. Zeppelin songs have one definite sound that should never be tampered with.
There are some good covers of Dylan songs, many of which became hits. Mr. Tambourine Man by the Byrds, and All Along the Watchtower by Jimi Hendrix come to mind. Hendrix and The Stones both did nice cover versions of Like a Rolling Stone, and The Grateful Dead (including side projects and post-Jerry incarnations) include at least 1 Dylan tune in each of their shows, many versions of which have been epic. Garcia once took Positively 4th St and turned it into a 17 1/2 minute monster. As for Zeppelin, I have yet to hear a good cover.
Mr. Tambourine Man by William Shatner
Quote from: Rothman on March 10, 2018, 07:55:44 AM
Mr. Tambourine Man by William Shatner
This one is even better:
For years, Chicago played "Got To Get You Into My Life" as an encore tune. There's a version on the "Live in '75" album but it isn't as good as the 1974 Louisville King Biscuit version that's on Concert Vault.
Quote from: D-Dey65 on March 10, 2018, 01:07:30 AM
Quote from: NE2 on October 21, 2012, 05:36:12 AM
Tool did a great cover of Zeppelin's No Quarter. Suck it.
On the flip side, The Lovemongers did a really shitty cover of "The Battle of Evermore." THEY can suck it!
Not to mention Heart's "Rock and Rock" cover.
Quote from: hbelkins on March 10, 2018, 01:03:43 PM
For years, Chicago played "Got To Get You Into My Life" as an encore tune. There's a version on the "Live in '75" album but it isn't as good as the 1974 Louisville King Biscuit version that's on Concert Vault.
Do you mean Earth, Wind, & Fire?
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on March 10, 2018, 05:58:31 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on March 10, 2018, 01:03:43 PM
For years, Chicago played "Got To Get You Into My Life" as an encore tune. There's a version on the "Live in '75" album but it isn't as good as the 1974 Louisville King Biscuit version that's on Concert Vault.
Do you mean Earth, Wind, & Fire?
No, I mean Chicago.
Quote from: michravera on March 10, 2018, 05:26:17 PM
Quote from: D-Dey65 on March 10, 2018, 01:07:30 AM
Quote from: NE2 on October 21, 2012, 05:36:12 AM
Tool did a great cover of Zeppelin's No Quarter. Suck it.
On the flip side, The Lovemongers did a really shitty cover of "The Battle of Evermore." THEY can suck it!
Not to mention Heart's "Rock and Rock" cover.
Heart was known for awhile as the female Zeppelin. I've heard several versions of them doing "Rock and Roll" and they pull it off well. I've also heard them do "The Battle of Evermore" and it's pretty true to the original. Listen to "Dream of the Archer" and tell me you don't hear "Evermore" all over it.
I saw this clip showing exterpt of the original songs and the covers who was more famous than the originals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1uFn9uvP4I
Quote from: Stephane Dumas on December 01, 2018, 10:27:21 PM
I saw this clip showing exterpt of the original songs and the covers who was more famous than the originals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1uFn9uvP4I
The video creator missed that "A Hazy Shade of Winter" was originally recorded by Simon & Garfunkel in 1966 before Bananarama covered it as "Hazy Shade of Winter" in 1987. Also, "I'm A Believer" was originally recorded by its songwriter, Neil Diamond, although his version was released after The Monkees.
Quote from: Brian556 on October 23, 2012, 09:56:38 PMThis is an interesting sub-topic. Artists who have covered their own songs
The Police planned to release an entire album of re-recorded songs, but never got further than Don't Stand So Close To Me.
Chances are, if it's a cover that was released before I turned 18, I didn't know it was a cover. I didn't know Because The Night was a cover when 10,000 Maniacs recorded it (and still don't know if it was originally recorded by Bruce Springsteen or Patti Smith). A female artist covered Sweet Jane for the Natural Born Killers soundtrack, I haven't seen the movie but the song got a lot of airplay on the local alt-rock station, and I didn't know it was a Lou Reed cover. I'm almost positive I didn't know Ugly Kid Joe's version of Cat's in the Cradle was a cover. And more obscurely, Don Henley covered Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat for the Leap of Faith soundtrack, and I didn't know it was at least 40 years old by then (the song first appeared in Guys and Dolls, but I don't know if it was written before then).
The only U2 song I've heard covered was Bullet the Blue Sky by Richard Cheese, unless you count the time someone assembled a bunch of GWB soundbites to form Sunday Bloody Sunday.
Quote from: Dr Frankenstein on October 24, 2012, 09:56:58 AM
Quote from: Special K on October 23, 2012, 08:53:27 PM
Every version of "Whiskey in the Jar" is a cover.
And Metallica's is terrible.
I don't think it's awful, but Thin Lizzy's is better.
Metallica did a good cover of Tuesday's Gone, I can't remember if I've mentioned it here before or not.
Quote from: DandyDan on October 27, 2012, 06:18:32 AM
There's the album the Flaming Lips did where they redid all of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. It was a particular favorite of one of my old friends who used to work in a record store, not long before they killed all record stores.
It's awful (and I liked Flaming Lips at the time). So is the reggae cover of DSotM I heard.
People need to stop covering it. You can't improve on it. It's already perfection.
If I never had to hear another cover of While My Guitar Gently Weeps, it'd be too soon.
Cowboy Junkies was the band that did "Sweet Jane." They're more of an early alt-country band, IIRC, it was also on their album CAUTION HORSES.
Quote from: bulldog1979 on December 02, 2018, 12:22:13 AM
Quote from: Stephane Dumas on December 01, 2018, 10:27:21 PM
I saw this clip showing exterpt of the original songs and the covers who was more famous than the originals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1uFn9uvP4I
The video creator missed that "A Hazy Shade of Winter" was originally recorded by Simon & Garfunkel in 1966 before Bananarama covered it as "Hazy Shade of Winter" in 1987.
That cover was recorded by The Banlges.
Quote from: jon daly on December 04, 2018, 06:15:52 AM
Cowboy Junkies was the band that did "Sweet Jane." They're more of an early alt-country band, IIRC, it was also on their album CAUTION HORSES.
Ah, thanks. Didn't sound significantly different than the other songs that were playing on the alt-rock radio station at the time.
I think the CJs had a crossover appeal. That's how a rock guy like me was aware of them/
I don't know if there was an excessive amount of country/alternative rock and country/grunge crossover, or if there were just a lot of bands in Atlanta (where I was living at the time) that fit that description.
As a Pink Floyd fan, I do appreciate it when other artists pay tribute to their influences by covering those influences' material. I'm also a Dream Theater fan, and I own the "official bootleg" album where they covered Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety (that's one CD, the other has them recording other Floyd classics, including "Echoes" (my favorite Floyd song), and "Welcome to the Machine"--which they recorded with Queensryche. I also enjoy Korn's attempt at "Another Brick in the Wall"--but I don't think they should have attempted to do all three versions in one song.
Speaking of Dream Theater, they released an EP in the mid-90s (probably the first DT recording I purchased) entitled A Change of Seasons. Side two is a live recording of a number of different cover songs, which includes "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" (Elton John), "Perfect Strangers" (Deep Purple), a medley of songs by Led Zeppelin ("The Rover"/"Achilles Last Stand"/"The Song Remains the Same"), and "The Big Medley" ("In the Flesh?"/"Carry On Wayward Son"/"Bohemian Rhapsody"/"Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'"/"Cruise Control"--Dixie Dregs/"Turn It On Again").
Obviously, when I say this was probably the first DT purchase I made, I must've enjoyed it, since I purchased every single one of their albums (except their debut). I thought the Elton covers, in particular, were very well done.
Another cover song (that I didn't realize at the time was a cover) that I loved was Nirvana's unplugged cover of Bowie's "Man Who Sold the World".
I like cover songs, as long as they're not awful.
Quote from: Mark68 on December 04, 2018, 04:14:05 PM
As a Pink Floyd fan, I do appreciate it when other artists pay tribute to their influences by covering those influences' material. I'm also a Dream Theater fan, and I own the "official bootleg" album where they covered Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety (that's one CD, the other has them recording other Floyd classics, including "Echoes" (my favorite Floyd song), and "Welcome to the Machine"--which they recorded with Queensryche. I also enjoy Korn's attempt at "Another Brick in the Wall"--but I don't think they should have attempted to do all three versions in one song.
Speaking of Dream Theater, they released an EP in the mid-90s (probably the first DT recording I purchased) entitled A Change of Seasons. Side two is a live recording of a number of different cover songs, which includes "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" (Elton John), "Perfect Strangers" (Deep Purple), a medley of songs by Led Zeppelin ("The Rover"/"Achilles Last Stand"/"The Song Remains the Same"), and "The Big Medley" ("In the Flesh?"/"Carry On Wayward Son"/"Bohemian Rhapsody"/"Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'"/"Cruise Control"--Dixie Dregs/"Turn It On Again").
Obviously, when I say this was probably the first DT purchase I made, I must've enjoyed it, since I purchased every single one of their albums (except their debut). I thought the Elton covers, in particular, were very well done.
Another cover song (that I didn't realize at the time was a cover) that I loved was Nirvana's unplugged cover of Bowie's "Man Who Sold the World".
I like cover songs, as long as they're not awful.
I'm with you there on the DT and Nirvana versions.
Also, Tool's live version of "No Quarter" kicks serious ass.
Quote from: Mark68 on December 04, 2018, 04:14:05 PMAnother cover song (that I didn't realize at the time was a cover) that I loved was Nirvana's unplugged cover of Bowie's "Man Who Sold the World".
I didn't either. I also didn't know that The Wallflowers' cover of Heroes for the Godzilla soundtrack was a David Bowie cover.
Quote from: Mark68 on December 04, 2018, 04:24:25 PM
Also, Tool's live version of "No Quarter" kicks serious ass.
It sure does.
To cross-post from a similar thread...
Quote from: kphoger on October 11, 2017, 04:14:14 PM
"Cry" by Faith Hill was originally by Angie Aparo (and not a country song).
And now I'll include the YouTubes.
Quote from: abefroman329 on December 04, 2018, 04:25:13 PM
Quote from: Mark68 on December 04, 2018, 04:14:05 PMAnother cover song (that I didn't realize at the time was a cover) that I loved was Nirvana's unplugged cover of Bowie's "Man Who Sold the World".
I didn't either. I also didn't know that The Wallflowers' cover of Heroes for the Godzilla soundtrack was a David Bowie cover.
That one I did know. They even left out an entire verse of the original.
Here is another really awesome cover, this one of the Cranberries' "Zombie" by Bad Wolves.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XaS93WMRQQ
RIP Dolores
Quote from: Mark68 on December 04, 2018, 05:01:19 PM
Quote from: abefroman329 on December 04, 2018, 04:25:13 PM
Quote from: Mark68 on December 04, 2018, 04:14:05 PMAnother cover song (that I didn't realize at the time was a cover) that I loved was Nirvana's unplugged cover of Bowie's "Man Who Sold the World".
I didn't either. I also didn't know that The Wallflowers' cover of Heroes for the Godzilla soundtrack was a David Bowie cover.
That one I did know. They even left out an entire verse of the original.
I don't think they left out a verse, I think they just rearranged the order.
Quote from: abefroman329 on December 04, 2018, 04:25:13 PM
Quote from: Mark68 on December 04, 2018, 04:14:05 PMAnother cover song (that I didn't realize at the time was a cover) that I loved was Nirvana's unplugged cover of Bowie's "Man Who Sold the World".
I didn't either. I also didn't know that The Wallflowers' cover of Heroes for the Godzilla soundtrack was a David Bowie cover.
I knew of these as Bowie songs, but I'm older. Nirvana's was from an episode of MTV's "Unplugged." Someone once explained to me why Nirvana used electric instruments on what was supposed to be an acoustic television show, but I forget the answer.
I didn't know that The Wallflowers did that cover for a soundtrack.
I really dig Dream Theater's full-album remakes of "Master of Puppets" and "The Number of the Beast."
I may have mentioned this before, but I'm generally a huge fan of cover version tribute albums, whether it's one artist doing a bunch of other artists' songs, or an album with a bunch of songs from one artist performed by different artists. Metallica is one of the best in the business at doing that. Tesla has a double-CD tribute set that I'm fond of, Chicago finally did a big-band cover album about 22 years ago, Styx has one as well that I've listened to a few times. That's just to name a handful.
Quote from: jon daly on December 04, 2018, 08:08:45 PMI didn't know that The Wallflowers did that cover for a soundtrack.
It's a shame the movie was such a bomb, because there are some good songs on the soundtrack. Air by Ben Folds Five is another one.
Here are two covers I recently found that are
very different from the originals. Both are by the same band.
Billie Jean, originally by Michael Jackson
Disarm, originally by the Smashing Pumpkins
I like how Clapton covered his own Layla in the 1990s on Unplugged.
Then how McCartney covered the intro to You Never Give Me Your Money in the bridge to Carry That Weight on Abbey Road was also fascinating.
Also George Martin covered parts of Abbey Road with his own orchestra.
If anyone really likes covers, there's a YouTube channel called 'Like a Version'. It's an Australian radio show where bands come in and do one original and one cover and a lot of them are really stinking good. Obviously they cover a lot of Australian based artists' songs, so I don't know them all, but I highly recommend a couple.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7yRjD5yLv4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjwwmFrsX_E
Chris
Kevin Ryan had always loved the Beatles. In high school, he amused himself by attempting to recreate their sound on his dad's four-track recorder, and he eventually went into music production. Fascinated by the technical aspect of the Beatles' recording career, he searched for a book on the topic but came up empty-handed. So he set about writing it himself.
What member of the band played what instrument on what tracks? What microphones were they using? Who was on the soundboard? How did they set the mix? So, to that end, he figured out who the engineers had been and began writing letters and making phone calls, eventually making trips from Houston to London. After two years of research, he learned that a music producer from Los Angeles had been undertaking the same sort of work, and the two joined forces as co-authors. Their final product, the 540-page Recording the Beatles, was published in 2006 and is the definitive guide to the Beatles' studio work.
That book may be Kevin Ryan's official claim to fame, but he has another, less reputable but equally admirable claim to fame as well.
Just one year after the book's publication, in 2007, Ryan decided to move on to two of his other favorite artists: Bob Dylan and Dr Seuss. He went into his Houston recording studio and produced a mash-up of two artists who go together like green eggs and ham. Ryan composed the music himself, played all the instruments and sang all the vocals, Photoshopped an album cover, registered an internet domain name, and uploaded the songs. He didn't really expect it to generate much traffic.
He was wrong.
Contrary to Ryan's expectations, his work went viral. Hundreds of thousands of (presumably) folk music and/or poetry fans visited his website. And that attention presented a problem, for Ryan had not bothered to get permission from anyone at Dr Seuss Enterprises before producing what was obviously a copyright- and trademark-infringing work. Two weeks later, that firm sent him a cease-and-desist order, and Ryan–in no mood for an expensive legal battle against a well-prepared firm–took the songs down. And that was the end of that.
Except, of course, it wasn't. This, after all, was the internet. The phrase 'Facebook is forever' hadn't yet been coined, but the gist of its message was already true. People everywhere had already downloaded the songs. And fortunately for us, copyright-dodging uploads of most of them can still be found.
There were seven original songs uploaded by Ryan:
Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!
Green Eggs and Ham
Miss Gertrude McFuzz
McElligot's Pool
Too Many Daves
The Zax
The Cat in the Hat
Of those seven, I've been able to hunt down five for your enjoyment:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nURf3BePHiw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhuWipIDhwI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHIWNwVKWbw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtGAh_0dBrg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KToLnK7GSFA
I enjoy Phil Collins as much as the next person, but this is the only song of his where I prefer the cover to the original.
https://youtu.be/uiXc1klH0jw
As one comment puts it, they made an 80s song sound even more 80s than the original.
Ereasure (Other People's Songs) and Weezer (Teal Album) did entire albums of covers.
I wouldn't say I like it better than the original, but I like Ozzy Osbourne's cover of John Lennon's "Woman" sometimes, as well as his cover of "How?" on the same Osbourne covers album.
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on June 09, 2022, 02:10:13 PM
I wouldn't say I like it better than the original, but I like Ozzy Osbourne's cover of John Lennon's "Woman" sometimes, as well as his cover of "How?" on the same Osbourne covers album.
The highlight on that one to me is the cover of "Fire" by Arthur Brown. He gave that song a lot more oomph then it had.
I'm a fan of both versions of "Woman".
Quote from: NWI_Irish96 on June 09, 2022, 01:29:29 PM
Ereasure (Other People's Songs) and Weezer (Teal Album) did entire albums of covers.
That's become a pretty common thing. Metallica's "Garage, Inc." comes immediately to mind. So, too, does Rush's "Feedback."
I am going to play devil's advocate. ANY song not performed by the writer or at least the demo, is technically a cover.
Hey you could look at the reimagined hits of PopSugar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mr4HffbAUTk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhhqS-qlZsQ
Quote from: SectorZ on June 09, 2022, 02:51:38 PM
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on June 09, 2022, 02:10:13 PM
I wouldn't say I like it better than the original, but I like Ozzy Osbourne's cover of John Lennon's "Woman" sometimes, as well as his cover of "How?" on the same Osbourne covers album.
The highlight on that one to me is the cover of "Fire" by Arthur Brown. He gave that song a lot more oomph then it had.
I'm a fan of both versions of "Woman".
Barry Manilow and Paul Anka did some cover albums as well covering the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Greatest_Songs_of_the_Fifties
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Greatest_Songs_of_the_Seventies
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_Songs,_My_Way
Quote from: abefroman329 on December 02, 2018, 06:34:16 AM
The only U2 song I've heard covered was Bullet the Blue Sky by Richard Cheese, unless you count the time someone assembled a bunch of GWB soundbites to form Sunday Bloody Sunday.
Here are a couple:
Here's the best Yes cover I've ever heard. All four musicians are pretty well respected in prog circles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azlchsTqc_U
The original has a passage starting about 3 minutes in including Wakeman noodling on the harpsichord; Stanley Snail basically decided "naw, we're gonna skip that part"
Is it just me, or when there's a popular song in an ad, it's always the worst cover of it?
Quote from: roadman65 on April 14, 2021, 11:41:04 AM
I like how Clapton covered his own Layla in the 1990s on Unplugged.
Then how McCartney covered the intro to You Never Give Me Your Money in the bridge to Carry That Weight on Abbey Road was also fascinating.
Also George Martin covered parts of Abbey Road with his own orchestra.
Another great cover of a song by the original artist is the live version of Elton John's Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me. In this version, the late George Michael sings the first verse, then hands it off to Elton for the second amid the applause. I remember when the live version got far more airplay than the studio recording, especially on AC stations like WLIT.
Quote from: LilianaUwU on May 04, 2023, 01:44:45 AM
Is it just me, or when there's a popular song in an ad, it's always the worst cover of it?
Even worse is when it's the original artist.
https://youtu.be/LW91niMh-so
Why did Billy Corgan decide that pretending to be Eminem was the best way to promote a wrestling match?
There have been a LOT of pretty bad ads lately with 1980s song riffs, too...
:rolleyes:
Mike
Quote from: mgk920 on May 04, 2023, 02:14:33 PM
There have been a LOT of pretty bad ads lately with 1980s song riffs, too...
:rolleyes:
Mike
It's weird, I saw commercials in England that were clearly aimed at aging Gen-Xers (one had He-Man and Skeletor re-enacting the final dance scene from
Dirty Dancing) years before they started airing here.
Quote from: LilianaUwU on May 04, 2023, 01:44:45 AM
Is it just me, or when there's a popular song in an ad, it's always the worst cover of it?
And why do many of those seem to be pharmacutical ads? Ozempic, anyone?
The Canadian band the Headstones did a cover of Gordon Lightfoot, who recently passed away, song "The wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8LBkYjniTU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgI8bta-7aw
Contry singer Luke Combs did a very good cover of Tracy Chapman song "Fast car".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SODqe0Tlnac
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIOAlaACuv4
Kind of a sad statement, but the latest Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart (2023-07-01) has country titles in the #1 and #2 positions, including the above mentioned cover at #2.
:ded:
Mike
Wouldn't call it sad, it's just a reversion to the anti-disco Urban Cowboy fad of 1980-1981. Mind you, these songs aren't being played on KISS so it's mostly a tempest in a teapot.
Love this one.
https://youtu.be/0xAXkmo-HTI