[Stoatz]

Post covers of songs that you feel are better than the original

[Fnorg]

Wow, no. This is so wrong. I regret sitting through those 3 minutes and 16 seconds. Painfully mediocre. It has nothing on the Dylan original. Plus, it's missing eight minutes of the song. Horrible.

I think this one is on par with its original. They offer different things, so I like them just the same. Can't say one either one is better than the other:

Here's the cover by The Blind Boys of Alabama:


Here's Tom Waits' original:

[Robinski]

I'm not so sure about those in the OP, but this is a pretty good topic of discussion.

I'm a big Paramore fan, but this Sea of Treachery cover of Misery Business (for those of you who don't follow Paramore, this is probably "that song" by them that you've heard) is just way better than the original.

[Warlord.]

The reggae influence really does it for me. I also love the vocals much more than those in the original version.

The Cure's version is pretty good too, but 311 just took this to a whole new level.

[ThePinkFloydSound]

Topic title should be changed to something like Good Cover Songs or Covers That Rival Their Originals. Otherwise it's passing it off as fact which comes off as arrogant. It's gonna cause loads of unwanted arguments espcially when someone like me is gonna tear the sh*t out of Fall Out Boy. Better than Michael Jackson's original? Michael Jackson's Beat It alone is better than FOB's whole career. Fact! Something like that will ensue.

@Gronf: I actually prefer the original but Tom Waits version is probably the most well known. Seen BBOA before in '02.

It's all subjective but if I'm to contribute to this topic, now I'm here, I'll do it carefully. You can't beat the original as without it the cover wont exist. Let's get that straight. Jimi Hendrix's cover of Dylan's All Along The Watchtower is great. He made it his own in a way. It was a very Hendrix style take and approach to the track.

Mostly though, when I listen to a cover lately, it's from the Easy Star All Stars covers of Floyd. Dub/Reggae...nice!

[Fnorg]

QUOTE (ThePinkFloydSound @ Saturday, Jul 2 2011, 11:49)

@Gronf: I actually prefer the original but Tom Waits version is probably the most well known. Seen BBOA before in '02. It's all subjective but if I'm to contribute to this topic, now I'm here, I'll do it carefully. You can't beat the original as without it the cover wont exist. Let's get that straight. Jimi Hendrix's cover of Dylan's All Along The Watchtower is great. He made it his own in a way. It was a very Hendrix style take and approach to the track.

I have a really tough time deciding which one I like the most, because they differ wildly. That song (or perhaps The Wire) is what got me into Tom Waits in the first place so obviously it has some sort of a sentimental value, but I love the sound BBOA have going on. Waits' version is my second most played track, but to be fair I only recently started listening to Spirit of the Century. Like mothers around the world, I have a hard time picking a favorite.

On the subject of All Along the Watchtower, I prefer Dylan's version. Johnny Cash had some killer Dylan covers too, but they're not quite up to par either. If you're going to cover Dylan, you're gonna have a hard time, especially if you're friggin' My Chemical Romance and decide to omit many key verses.

Here's a wicked Neil Young cover, sung by Cash:


While I'm already blabbering on about Cash's covers, I've gotta mention Hurt. I prefer this over the original by a lot. Never been a Reznor fan, myself.

[trip]

Downtown



As much of a Dylan fan I am - no one beats Jerry Garcia doing Dylan songs.

*I was at this show

[Stoatz]

Here is another cover of an excellent song that I feel is better than the original

[860]

[shred durst]

311's cover of Lovesong what the hell is wrong with you jksjdsjjsa.

[Fnorg]

QUOTE (tripmills @ Saturday, Jul 2 2011, 14:12)

As much of a Dylan fan I am - no one beats Jerry Garcia doing Dylan songs. [youtube]zFwoFZbmfHs[youtube] *I was at this show

Gonna have to disagree with you here Trip. It just lacks the raw emotional punch in Dylan's original - especially in the New York version of the album (if you haven't heard that jesus christ do it) - but it was a pretty good cover. It's really hard taking something as personal as anything off Blood on the Tracks and making it your own, I reckon, since that album is basically Dylan channeling emotional torment for fifty minutes. Gonna have to check out more of Garcia's stuff, though, seems like a good artist.

[trip]

Thanks Gronf . You caused a spin off conversation about covers between my wife and I.

I'm proxy posting for my wife with this post.

Buffy Saint Marie doing Neil Young's 'Helpless'

IMO, it's not that it is better then Neil's, but it is a damn good cover of the song.


Etta James doing Alice Cooper's 'Only Women Bleed'

I have always thought this to be the best version of this song.

/wife proxy


Here is another one from me. You may need to ask your parents about the original Jerry Jeff Walker version, and I'm willing to bet most of you have no clue as to who Bromberg is - so open up your minds and expand.

My good friend can't listen to this version because the line about the dog is too freaking sad. Whenever we played this on the guitars he would never let me sing that line, and he was serious about it.

[SIKKS66]

(This one aint really a cover but still f*cking quality)


(Loool)

[ozzman1]

Box Car Racer's cover of barry manilow's Mandy is WAY better.

Listen to the first song.

[DTUMan]

Land of Confusion - Disturbed. This is a brilliant cover in my opinion! It is probably better then the original by Genesis.



Holy Diver - Killswitch Engage. Another great cover! I do prefer the Dio version of this song though, but I like how Killswitch Engage have taken this song and have made it heavier especially in the verse.

[ioN]

Would it be cheating to post Green Day covering one of their own songs?



Don't get me wrong the Skids version is amazing but I think Green Day and U2 did a wonderful job covering it.



After hearing this version in the inFAMOUS 2 trailer I found it to be much better then the Animals version. Preferably because of the higher audio quality and deeper, more meaningful vocals(IMO).



Not gonna lie. I am not a big fan of the Beatles myself and I don't see why people find them to be a godly band. Once I first heard this cover I looked up the original and my god it's just so much better. No arguing with me on that.




Also I was looking to see if someone would post Jimi Hendrix's cover of All Along the Watchtower and I'll say it now. What's so spectacular about Jimi Hendrix? Bob Dylan is an amazing musician and aside from MCR's cover of Desolation Row and Eddie Vedder's cover of The Times They are A-Changin' no one can out do him.

Last one from me(for now)



Eddie Vedder truly is an amazing person and I want to meet him some day.

[The General]

Mad World Cover by Micheal Andrews and Gary Jules.


I just prefer it over the one that was created by Tears for Fears. I just find The Tears for Fears version's music and singing do not fit the lyrics, and it also sound very pop'ie. The cover of the song is pretty much the opposite of the original. The singing is more haunting and the piano just fits, into the song. I do enjoy the Tears for Fears version, but I enjoy the cover more, hell the cover is one of my favorite songs of all time.

[stinomontana]

[Fnorg]

QUOTE (ioN @ Monday, Jul 4 2011, 05:33)

Also I was looking to see if someone would post Jimi Hendrix's cover of All Along the Watchtower and I'll say it now. What's so spectacular about Jimi Hendrix?

He made good music and didn't look like a half-dead lady-boy who butchers great songs?

[ska]

Been listening to a lot of The Smiths lately, and I have to say this is one of the better covers of one of their songs. To me, it still captures the essence that the original song has, and doesn't wreck it in the process. The guitars replacing the synthesizers is probably one of my favorites aspects of this version. Even her voice fits the song, which is something you don't hear to often when a song is covered.