OT – Songs and their Covers (Re-Makes)
Obviously there have been many songs and there have been a boat load of Covers.
I was listening on Sirius (free until 6/08; not an ad, just a PSA) and heard a few songs that have been covered by various artists. Sometimes the cover was better than the original.
What songs/covers have you heard at like?
Original Artist / Cover Artist
John Cougar (1978) / Pat Benetar (1979) I Need a Lover.
B J Thomas (1968) / Blue Suede (1974) Hooked On a Feeling
Dusty Springfield (1962) / Linda Rondstadt (1969) Silver Threads & Golden Needles (Many others by Linda)
Charlie Ryan (1955) / Commander Cody Hot Rod Lincoln
So many more that there are tooooo many to mention. Start your list(s).
Hey Joe and All Along the Watchtower by Hendrix.
All Along The Watchtower by Bob Dylan was already a fine song, but once Jimi got ahold of it, it became amazing, the all-time standard by which so much else is measured.
OTOH, "You Really Got Me" by The Kinks and "Mony Mony" by Tommy James and The Shondells were made more famous when they were covered, respectively, by VanHalen and Billy Idol. I still somewhat prefer the originals.
But my favorite that somehow got eclipsed? Here it is:
Ian Hunter doesn't get nearly the credit he deserves for this one (Mick Ronson on the guitar, BTW) which IMO is butchered by Great White.
All Along the Watchtower covered by Michael Hedges - I miss his playing very much
I wasn't aware of Michael Hedges - thanks for this!
Hedges is a true virtuoso. I would recommend giving a listen to Aerial Boundaries, if your appetite has been whetted:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaIN13aDbCc
All Along the Watchtower was my first thought too for the reasons Rob F notes. My (distant) second pick is Blinded by the Light, Bruce Springsteen / Manfred Mann.
Edit: I guess "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" The Band / Joan Baez deserves at least a mention too.
"woke up like a douche bag with a rotor in the night" or something like that
Blinded by the Light - Springsteen - covered by Manfred Mann
The Kinks’ You Really Got Me, released in the UK in August 1964 and in the US a month later, was their first major hit, getting to number one in the UK and number seven in the US on the Billboard Hot 100 and number five in the US on the Cash Box Top 100. The Van Halen cover version of the song, released as their first single in 1978, never got higher than 36 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Tommy James and the Shondells’ version of Mony Mony, released in March 1968, reached number one in the UK and number three in the US on the Billboard Hot 100. While Billy Idol’s hard-rocking version of the song, released in 1981, reached number one in the US on the Billboard Hot 100 seven in the UK and number one in the US on the Billboard Hot 100.
Maybe for you, these songs “were made more famous” with the Van Halen and Billy Idol versions, but I was in high school when the Kinks’ original was released and in college when the Tommy James and the Shondells' original was released and often played both songs during my college radio shows. Both songs were very famous for me and probably for many members of my generation long before the cover versions were released (Yes, I’m very old and I’m ready for, “OK, Boomer.”)
Hey Joe by The Marmalade, which I just recently discovered. They were a British band who covered the song after Hendrix, and I prefer their version to his. It sounds like it could be from 2010, but also from 1969.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw1HX4bpWMU
Harvest Moon - Neil Young/Poolside.
I love Neil Young's version. I also love Poolside's version for totally different reasons.
My girlfriend has that one in her Spotify and agree on both counts. Another Neil cover along those lines that I dig is Only Love Can Break Your Heart by St. Etienne.
Tangled Up In Blue: Bob Dylan -> Jerry Garcia Band/Grateful Dead
I'll throw in some Double Covers for Mr. Dark Star
The Weight: The Band -> Aretha Franklin -> Grateful Dead
Johnny B. Goode: Chuck Berry -> Grateful Dead -> Phish
Indigo Girls has a live version of Tangled Up in Blue, which I think is pretty good. They also have a live version cover of Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters (Elton John)
Hurt- Reznor and Cash, respectively.
Hurt, covered by Johnny Cash is probably #1 on my list
Others, Twist And Shout covered by the Beatles, All Along The Watchtower covered by Hendrix
At Last covered by Etta James
I Fought the Law covered by The Clash
Me and Bobby McGee covered by Janis Joplin
Heard It Thru The Grapevine covered by Marvin Gaye. Also the CCR version is killer
Hurt, covered by Johnny Cash is probably #1 on my list
Agreed - this is probably the best improvement by any covered song I've ever heard!
As commented below, "Sound of Silence" by Disturbed (Simon & Garfunkel original) is probably #2 for improvements.
"Landslide", covered by the Smashing Pumpkins, is very close in quality to Fleetwood Mac's original - they're both amazing, it's hard to decide.
And speaking of the Pumpkins, while I do think their original of 1979 is better, I also really like Freedom Fry's stripped-down acoustic version a lot....
STRONG list, gobluem!
Prince / Chris Cornell (Sinead O'Connor also covered it) - Nothing Compares 2U
NIN (going to their concert in Sept) / Johnny Cash - Hurt
Soundgarden / Johnny Cash - Rusty Cage
Tim Rose / Jimi Hendrix - Hey Joe
Bob Dylan / Jimi Hendrix - All Along the Watchtower
David Bowie / Nirvana - The Man Who Sold the World
Dolly Parton / White Stripes - Jolene
Patti Smith / Bruce Springsteen - Because the Night
Jake Holmes / Led Zeppelin - Dazed and Confused
Leonard Cohen / Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah
Eric Clapton / Bob Marley - I shot the Sherriff
Janis Joplin / Kris Kristofferson - Me and Bobby McGee
Also, pretty much anything Chris Cornell covered, or did, was phenomenal
Bruce wrote (or at least co-wrote with Smith) Because the Night so I don't think you can cover your own song. Not trying to be a dick. Just chiming in all over this great thread topic!
I'm a huge Buckley fan, and imma let you finish, but his cover was really the cover of a cover (original cover by John Cale).
Maybe we need a new thread for covers of covers. Then we could add things like DMB's cover of Hendrix' cover of Watchtower and...yikes not off to a great start so far
Cohen wrote the song in the early 80's for a record he was doing and the exec. said, 'There is no way that song is going on this or any other record.' Cohen tinkered with it and played it live.
In 89 (I may be off with the dates) Cale heard it live and asked Cohen if he could play it. Cohen faxed Cale 70 verses. The version that became popular is Cale's.
A French magazine did an anthology record which included Cale's version. Only a handful of units sold but one was to a women in New York whose apartment Jeff Buckley was sitting. Jeff, who liked the tune, played at a bar near by and included it in his set.
On a Monday evening rain delayed the departure of a record exec who heard Buckley's version and signed the singer. Buckley's released his version in the mid 90's but it was received with little fanfare. It wasn't until some 4 years later, when the tall handsome singer walked into the Mississippi never to be seen again, did the song get any attention.
Since then, the song that was 'Never going on any record' has been covered some 300 times and reach Billboard #1 three times.
You seeing NIN at a festival? Or their solo shows?
Solo. Nautical Pavillion in Cleveland
Chris Cornell's estate released an album in December of 10 covers he did, "Patience" is all over the radio at least around here. I also heard on the radio (so no source) that his wife said they have a bunch more songs/covers he'd already recorded that they plan to release.
Completely agree drjaws....was always a huge Chris Cornell fan.
Check out Soundgarden's cover of Come Together. I think it was early Soundgarden days where Cornell had those amazing pipes!
Like Gordon lightfoot - Me and Bobby McGee
This is a random one - Green Day's cover of I Fought the Law
Bruh, The Clash’s version is that tune’s zenith.
Landslide by Fleetwood Mac was covered by the Smashing Pumpkins. I first heard the Pumpkins version, so I think of it as their song, but after they remade it, it seems like the radio started playing Fleetwood Mac's original more often. Both renditions are really good IMO.
NIN/ Johnny Cash: Hurt
Kristofferson/Joplin: Me and Bobby Mcgee
Karen Carpenter/Sonic youth: Superstar
Dylan/Hendrix: All along the watchtower
Cohen/Buckley: Hallelujah
So many others… but those are some of my favorites in which a good/great song was made exceptional.
Can’t believe I forgot one:
when in rome/sturgill Simpson: The Promise
Superstar was actually written and first performed by Delaney and Bonnie. Not a big Carpenters fan but their version is haunting. Story goes that Karen nailed it on the guide vocal and that is what they used on the final release.
Great topic - here are 3 of my favorites:
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds - Beatles/Elton John
All things must pass - George Harrison/Jim James (of My Morning Jacket)
Cum on Feel the Noise - Oasis/Quiet Riot/Slade
Good call on All Things Must Pass. The cover for the Concert for George was also amazing but does that really count since it was mainly Paul covering it? Anyway, what a moving sad song.
The Man Who Sold the World - David Bowie/Nirvana.
Sticking with my David Lee Roth kick today: That's life - Frank Sinatra/David Lee Roth
Edit to add: Walk this way - Run DMC w/ Steven Tyler & Joe Perry > Aerosmith
DLR’s “Just a Gigolo/I Ain’t Got Nobody” is also a cover of Louis Primo.
I never knew until I heard it on Sirius.
EDIT/add: Eddie Cochran wrote “C’mon Everybody”, famously covered by Humble Pie. It’s used in a recent Hershey S’mores TV ad.
He also wrote “Summertime Blues”, covered by The Who and others, and “Twenty Flight Rock” covered by the Stones and others
Great song. I didn't know that either. I'm gonna have to break out some DLR tonight.
Baba O’Riley...originally The Who, but a staple of Pearl Jam live shows.
They closed with it when I saw them at Wrigley a few years back. A fine choice to end the set!
Rolling Stones/ Devo: (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction.
Absolutely love both versions.
Speaking of Devo they also cover R U Experienced by Jimi . I didnt like it at first , its a different arrangement , but I love Devo and i eventually came around to it .
Nirvana also did a cover of "Turnaround", which is a B-side off the "Freedom Of Choice" album (the album with "Whip It", for those who don't know).
Speaking of "Whip It", Moby did a metal version of it in the mid-90s.
Rage Against The Machine did a cover of "Beautiful World" from "New Traditionalists" as well.
This was always my favorite version.
A real fun one...Dynamite Hack cover of Boyz in the Hood by Easy E
This is a great call....the video of them wearing country club attire and having police officers wave to them while singing an NWA song was brilliant satire.
Prince / Foo Fighters - Darling Nikki
? / Disturbed - Sound of Silence (tells you which version I prefer!)
Yikes. Do the names Simon and Garfunkel ring a bell?
Just proves that I need some afternoon caffeine! (and I was too lazy to Google it)
That's a law firm, right?