Covers that are better than the original

**Ripzalot** · 08-16-2018, 01:52 AM

i'll give two, from the same band and one of my favorite albums...

original:

cover:

original:

cover:

**Benny Profane** · 08-16-2018, 08:19 AM

Kenny Wayne Shepard doing Dylan's Everything is Broken.

**Danno** · 08-16-2018, 09:14 AM

Originally Posted by dookey67

(Just went back through the entire thread and noticed that this had been posted 2× previously, so 3rd time's the charm!)

I am not saying better than, just radically different and therefore embodies what I believe a great cover should do...

Definitely not "better" (because the original is so fucking rad) but radically different and very cool in its own right. Agree that the best covers are not ones that just play the song well, but are ones where the song is remade into something different.

**Danno** · 08-16-2018, 09:30 AM

Originally Posted by FLS

Oh man did this send me down a rabbit hole.

**Meadow Skipper** · 08-16-2018, 09:44 AM

BTW Danno, that video of the cover of Shapes of Things above didn’t work for me. I’m guess it’s the Jeff Beck version?

**Meadow Skipper** · 08-16-2018, 09:48 AM

This came up on the morning rotation. Timely:

**AdironRider** · 08-16-2018, 11:20 AM

Probably already been thrown out there, but in the world of covers, this is pretty hard to beat, and the only guy who can top Jimmi.

Plus pretty much everything Joe Cocker touched was awesome.

**dookeyXXX** · 08-16-2018, 12:45 PM

Keeping with my "not necessarily better, just different" tact:

**dookeyXXX** · 08-16-2018, 12:55 PM

Only subtle differences from the original and way shorter, but the Def Squad do justice to this Old School rap classic nonetheless:

**FLS** · 08-16-2018, 02:09 PM

Originally Posted by Danno

Oh man did this send me down a rabbit hole.

Hey, If Daniela ever shows interest in out of shape, middle aged men, I got first dibs.

If that was not what you were suggesting, then, Nothing to see here. Moving right along.

She does a real nice cover of "Creep" that I almost posted up but I didn't want to freak out Meadow Skipper

I'm also standing by my post of Karl Wallinger/World Party's interpretation of "Long and Winding Road". Really creative and deserves a good sound system.

**dookeyXXX** · 08-16-2018, 07:57 PM

I think a lotta folks are wholly unaware that Jay-Z's ripper "99 Problems" is actually a cover of an Ice-T joint.

I would say that I am a bigger fan of Ice, but Rick Rubin's block rocking beat on Hova's version is insane.

JAY-Z VERSION
99 Problems https://g.co/kgs/J5B7n2

ICE-T VERSION
https://youtu.be/bicN4ryVQSI

**XXX-er** · 08-16-2018, 08:19 PM

https://www.facebook.com/festivalnor...jIzMzY2NTI3Nw/

alternative to alternative

**Angle Parking** · 08-16-2018, 09:43 PM

^^^ nice one xxx-er.

On this day, i’ll nominate Aretha Franklin’s version of Eleanor Rigby.

Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

**BeardMech** · 08-16-2018, 10:31 PM

Originally Posted by IJ

if anyone says Johnny Cash's version Of Hurt I will slap them. This usually comes from people that don't know Trent Reznor or the point of the song.... but it still amazes me.

I saw this thread and came to say the same thing. Years later of course.

Big NIN fan. One of my sons is named after Trent.

**FLS** · 08-16-2018, 11:03 PM

OK... I think I've got 2 songs that the covers have to be better than the originals (blasphemy!)...

1) Happy Birthday

2) Star Spangled Banner

**dookeyXXX** · 08-17-2018, 12:35 AM

Slug and Ant have done some pretty stellar covers that pay homage to the rap classics they grew up on...

Kool God Rap & DJ Polo original:

**Flyoverland Captive** · 08-17-2018, 12:39 AM

I just learned that this is an Al Green cover. How did I not know this?

https://youtu.be/6ar2VHW1i2w

**dookeyXXX** · 08-17-2018, 12:41 AM

Ice-T Original:

**dookeyXXX** · 08-17-2018, 12:46 AM

NME article "50 Hauntingly Beautiful Covers"

https://www.nme.com/photos/50-haunti...by-you-1405019

**smartyiak** · 08-17-2018, 04:12 AM

https://youtu.be/1-LxmdxHEFg

https://youtu.be/YkTyQ0kgmzs

Sent from my iPad using TGR Forums

**Marshall Tucker** · 08-17-2018, 07:13 AM

**4matic** · 08-17-2018, 08:16 AM

Everything The Bangles covered:

https://www.whosampled.com/The-Bangles/covers/

**Meadow Skipper** · 08-17-2018, 08:29 AM

Originally Posted by dookey67

NME article "50 Hauntingly Beautiful Covers"

https://www.nme.com/photos/50-haunti...by-you-1405019

Cool list, some really interesting things that’ll have me down that rabbit hole today.

**dookeyXXX** · 08-17-2018, 10:33 AM

'Bout to turn this into the "Tricky Appreciation Thread"

Slick Rick original:

**The AD** · 08-17-2018, 01:55 PM

Originally Posted by dookey67

NME article "50 Hauntingly Beautiful Covers"

https://www.nme.com/photos/50-haunti...by-you-1405019

For some reason they show a photo of Galaxie 500 in the article at #6, but never mention them. I'm guessing they meant to include their cover of Joy Division's "Ceremony" which I never really liked even though I'm a fan of theirs in general.