What covers > original? A few to get started. The Clash - I Fought The Law The Byrds - Mr Tambourine Man Willie Nelson - Blue Skies David Bowie - Sorrow Harry Nilson - Without You Johnny Cash - Hurt Love - Hey Joe Jimi Hendrix - All Along The Watchtower
There are Dylan-covers that reach the status of being so good, that they are classics in their own right (Byrds, Hendrix), but none are better than the original. They can only be "as good as"!
Crosby Stills and Nash - Woodstock (I heard this BEFORE I HEARD JONI's (When I heard hers,i thought it sucked))
1. Richard Thompson: Oops I Did It Again 2. Jerry Lee Lewis: She Even Woke Me Up to Say Goodbye 3. Jerry Lee Lewis: Me & Bobby McGee 4. Ray Charles: You Don't Know Me 5. Frank Sinatra: Send In The Clowns 6. Robert Plant & Alison Krauss: Killing The Blues 7. Jeff Beck Group: Goin' Down 8. Elvis Costello: A Good Year For The Roses 9. Miles Davis: Time After Time 10. BB King: Don't Get Around Much Anymore
Yep, deffo getting deja-vu here....but I'll throw 5 beauties in the ring: The Damned: 'Eloise' Def Leppard: 'Rock On' Bryan Ferry: 'A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall' Imelda May: 'Tainted Love' Tracey Ullman: 'Move Over Darling';
In my opinion, The Byrds "add song title here", is better than Dylan's version! I also LOVE Emmylou Harris's take of "Here, There & Everywhere" better than the Beatles original.
Joe Cocker. A Little Help From My Friends. Roxy Music. Jealous Guy. Tori Amos. Smells Like Teen Spirit. The Stranglers. Walk On By.
A guy named Billy Roberts wrote the song and recorded the first version which I admit I never heard of. Tim Rose did the first "known" version in 1965 and that's the version that influenced Jimi to record his two years later. Love's came last.
Here's a few (11) that come to mind... Elmore James - "Dust My Broom" Howlin' Wolf - "Sitting On Top Of The World" The Rolling Stones - "Little Red Rooster" Otis Redding - "Chain Gang" Cream - "Spoonful" Elvis Presley - "Tomorrow Is A Long Time" The Jimi Hendrix Experience - "All Along The Watchtower" The Who - "Summertime Blues" The Who - "Shakin' All Over" Jerry Lee Lewis - "Drinking Wine Spo-Dee-O Dee" Elvis Presley - "Promised Land"
The November 1965 version by The Leaves pre-dates Tim Rose's version, as does Love's version, which was released in March 1966. The Byrds' version was released in July 1966. So The Leaves' version is as close as we come to an "original" recorded version. If Billy Roberts indeed did write the song (doubtful), he didn't release any recording of it prior to 1966. Jimi Hendrix's version is the best for me.
A list of relatively obscure original versions: http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threa...-than-the-original.225180/page-6#post-7939936 In about half of these cases, I do prefer the cover version.
Mama you been on my mind, Dylan song covered by Rod Stewart Statesboro Blues, Allman Brothers Lady Lynda, Beach Boys cover Bach I Only have eyes for you, Art Garfunkel I get a kick out of you, Gary Shearston
>>>Willie Nelson - Blue Skies<<< Jolson and Crosby can sing, unlike Willie >>>David Bowie - Sorrow<<< Are you comparing it to the McCoys' or Merseys' version? >>>Love - Hey Joe<<< What exactly is the "original" of this? Has anyone heard the alleged Billy Roberts tape from 1961?
While claimed by the late Tim Rose to be a traditional song, or often erroneously attributed to the pen of American musicianDino Valenti (who also went by the names Chester or Chet Powers, and Jesse Farrow), "Hey Joe" was registered for copyrightin the U.S. in 1962 by Billy Roberts. Scottish folk singer Len Partridge has claimed that he helped write the song with Roberts when they both performed in clubs in Edinburgh in 1956. Other sources (including singer Pat Craig) claim that Roberts assigned the rights to the song to his friend Valenti while Valenti was in jail, in order to give him some income upon release. (Wikipedia)