Cover versions that give a new appreciation of the song

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by bob_32_116, Apr 21, 2019.

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  1. bob_32_116

    bob_32_116 Forum Flaneur Thread Starter

    Location:
    Perth Australia
    First the terms of reference: the word "covers" is to be taken fairly loosely. I'm looking for newer version of a song that was a successful release by someone else, whether that original release was from the songwriter or by someone else. In rare circumstances the "cover" could actually be by the writer himself/herself, if recorded and released some time after the hit version.

    "All Along the Watchtower" by Jimi Hendrix might qualify, but only just; in most people's minds the song is so closely identified with Hendrix that even Bob Dylan himself has performed it declaring it to be "my cover of a jimi Hendrix song".

    I am looking for examples where you consider the new version to be so much better than the well known version that it may actually make you like a song that you previously thought was pretty ordinary.
     
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  2. bob_32_116

    bob_32_116 Forum Flaneur Thread Starter

    Location:
    Perth Australia
    This thread was inspired by hearing this version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah", a song I never liked much either from Cohen or from Jeff Buckley:

     
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  3. Man at C&A

    Man at C&A Senior Member

    Location:
    England
    I only heard Dana Gillespie's cover of Bowie's Andy Warhol yesterday. Fantastic. It was always one of my lesser favourites on Hunky Dory.

     
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  4. Madonna's cover of "American Pie" certainly made me love the original even more, because her version was so crappy.

    Seems Don McLean liked it, though, so what do I know?
     
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  6. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    Not a fan of Suede
    So Apop's cover of Trash works for me, great tune :)
     
  7. Man at C&A

    Man at C&A Senior Member

    Location:
    England
    Goodness me, that was crap beyond belief! I can imagine Don liked the royalties.
     
  8. illwind64

    illwind64 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto
    Toots & the Maytals version of "Country Roads" still strikes me as being one of the greatest covers of all time.
     
  9. pinkrudy

    pinkrudy Senior Member

    Neil Young - borrowed tune (lady jane- rolling stones)
    the band - i shall be released (dylan)
     
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  10. StarThrower62

    StarThrower62 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Syracuse, NY
  11. I dunno … I seem to remember him mention that "American Pie" had been cover by a 'goddess' (referencing Madonna). Yuck!...
     
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  12. AlmostHeavenWV

    AlmostHeavenWV The poster formerly known as AlmostHeavenWV

    Location:
    Lancaster UK
    Marc Almond's cover of David McWilliams' Days of Pearly Spencer, where he adds an extra verse of his own composition, to leave the song with a more upbeat ending.

    A tenement, a dirty street
    Walked and worn by shoeless feet
    Inside it's long and so complete
    Watched by a shivering sun
    Old eyes in a small child's face
    Watching as the shadows race
    Through walls and cracks and leave no trace
    And daylight's brightness shuns

    The days of Pearly Spencer
    The race is almost run

    Nose pressed hard on frosted glass
    Gazing as the swollen mass
    On concrete fields where grows no grass
    Stumbles blindly on
    Iron trees smother the air
    But withering they stand and stare
    Through eyes that neither know nor care
    Where the grass is gone

    The days of Pearly Spencer
    The race is almost run

    Pearly, where's your milk white skin
    What's that stubble on your chin
    It's buried in the rot gut gin
    You played and lost, not won
    You played a house that can't be beat
    Now look your head's bowed in defeat
    You walked too far along the street
    Where only rats can run

    The days of Pearly Spencer
    The race is almost run
    The days of Pearly Spencer
    The race is almost run
    The race is almost run

    A tenement, a dirty street
    Remember worn and shoeless feet
    Remember how you stood to beat
    The way your life had gone
    So, Pearly, don't you shed more tears
    For those best forgotten years
    Those tenements are memories
    Of where you've risen from

    The days of Pearly Spencer
    The race is almost won



    But I still prefer the original.
     
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  13. McCool71

    McCool71 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Norway
  14. RayS

    RayS A Little Bit Older and a Little Bit Slower

    Location:
    Out of My Element
    It took The Grateful Dead to cover "Okie From Muskogee" for me to realize that Merle was winking at us from the beginning.
     
  15. bob_32_116

    bob_32_116 Forum Flaneur Thread Starter

    Location:
    Perth Australia
    Steven Wilson - The Guitar Lesson (original by Momus).

    Wilson's version does not appear to be available on Youtube, so unless you have heard it you will have to take my word for it.
     
  16. abzach

    abzach Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sweden
    Jerry Williams - Working Class Hero
     
  17. Man at C&A

    Man at C&A Senior Member

    Location:
    England
    I don't mind Madonna, but that was wretched!
     
  18. Jerrika

    Jerrika Mysterious Ways

    Location:
    Canada
  19. bob_32_116

    bob_32_116 Forum Flaneur Thread Starter

    Location:
    Perth Australia
    I've posted this before, but it fits here; Gary Shearston's version of the Cole Porter song "I Get a kick Out of You":

     
  20. I prefer The Mamas And The Papas cover of "I Call Your Name" over The Beatles original. Also, I think The Carpenters absolutely nailed "Please Mr Postman". However, I prefer The Beatles version of "Twist And Shout" over the original.

    While we're on the subject of opinions that will make people hate me, I prefer the Art Of Noise Featuring Tom Jones version of "Kiss" over Prince's original. And I prefer the Michael Andrews Featuring Gary Jules version of "Mad World" over Tears For Fears' original.

    Mind you, sometimes I hear covers that make me crave the originals. And you know what? I can't even remember who performed most of them because I didn't like them. In my opinion, "One" is still a song by U2, "Summer In The City" is still a song by The Lovin' Spoonful and "With A Little Help From My Friends" is still a song by The Beatles.

    When all is said and done, though, no talk about originals vs covers will be complete without mentioning Manfred Mann's Earth Band and their version of "Blinded By The Light". The album version, of course.

    By the way, what was it with all the sampling in the earlier half of this decade?

    But now I must discuss parody. Most Americans won't know this one from Australia. Winfield is a brand of cigarettes and VB is Victoria Bitter, a very well known full strength beer.


    And I can't help but play several parodies from my Stan Freberg CD instead of the originals, or, better still, right after playing the originals. His "The Great Pretender", "Sh-Boom" and "Heartbreak Hotel" are so fantastic, I've even started muttering "My hand is falling off!" while singing along with the original from The Platters or "I've ripped my jeans!" over Elvis's vocal work!
     
  21. SirMarc

    SirMarc Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cranford, NJ
    Yes's cover of America. Absolutely love this version
     
  22. bob_32_116

    bob_32_116 Forum Flaneur Thread Starter

    Location:
    Perth Australia
    ^^ The above mention of Manfred Mann's Earth Band makes me think of their cover of the Police song "Demolition Man". However I think Grace Jones nailed it better than either The Police or Manfred Mann.
     
  23. MPLRecords

    MPLRecords Owner of eleven copies of Tug of War

    Location:
    Lake Ontario
    Johnny Cash covering Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt".
     
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  24. bob_32_116

    bob_32_116 Forum Flaneur Thread Starter

    Location:
    Perth Australia
    I consider this a "cover", though it's performed by the man who wrote it, quite some time after the original hit version by Glen Campbell:

     
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  25. Maltman

    Maltman Somewhat grumpy, but harmless old man.

    Location:
    Vancouver Canada
    Counting Crows-Big Yellow Taxi.
    They change it up nicely with the help of some “000h, bop, bop” from Vanessa Carlton.
     
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