Which cover versions improve on the original?

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i'm not sure if i evah heard dolly parton's version, but whitney houston's "I Will Always Love You" is better anyway

i decided it is my favourite song ever

(hey custos, is The Craft what became Charmed? cz i agree w.you abt that version of "How Soon is Now", if the TV version is the same as the one yr talking abt) (also The Smiths didn't star Shannon Docherty)

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 17 September 2002 22:27 (10 years ago) Permalink

travis' radical rework of britney's "...one more time" adds a real musicality and depth that ms. spears' bubblegum pop just couldn't attain.

― michael w., Wednesday, 18 September 2002 07:30 (10 years ago) Permalink

;)

― michael w., Wednesday, 18 September 2002 07:31 (10 years ago) Permalink

you broke ilm!! we're me-e-elting oh waddaworld

― mark s (mark s), Wednesday, 18 September 2002 07:33 (10 years ago) Permalink

Tiffany "I think we're alone now"

― donut bitch (donut), Wednesday, 18 September 2002 07:53 (10 years ago) Permalink

Actually, I take that back.

The Warlock Pinchers "I Think We're Tiffany"

― donut bitch (donut), Wednesday, 18 September 2002 07:53 (10 years ago) Permalink

the very wonderful Flying Sausages do a mean Parisian Gypsy mix of One More Time.

Went down vrey well at a recent wedding party at 2am. Doesnt translate well to record.

― jon (jon), Wednesday, 18 September 2002 15:55 (10 years ago) Permalink

Am I the only person who prefers Dylan's "All Along The Watchtower" by far? I don't think it's a very good song in the first place and I think Hendrix' version gives it a gravitas it really doesn't earn, and unearned gravitas = horrible bombast, nice guitar work or no.

Neither. XTC! (off "White Music")

― donut bitch (donut), Wednesday, 18 September 2002 17:29 (10 years ago) Permalink

I prefer the Dylan original of "All Along the Watchtower" too (legitimately dramatic, as opposed to Hendrix's turgid psychedelia), but I also think it may be one of his ten or so best songs.

― Burr, Wednesday, 18 September 2002 19:17 (10 years ago) Permalink

John Cale. "Heartbreak Hotel". "Hallelujah". Even his "Pablo Picasso" is at least as good as the original. Considering he's completely fucked up and it's brilliant.

― Simon, Wednesday, 18 September 2002 22:02 (10 years ago) Permalink

7 months pass...

The Feelies' version of "Everybody's Got Somethin to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey"

― T. Weiss (Timmy), Sunday, 27 April 2003 17:57 (10 years ago) Permalink

The Pixies version of Head On is much better, I think. They add so much more energy and get way better guitar tones.
And I LOVE Jesus and Mary Chain.

― David Allen, Sunday, 27 April 2003 18:54 (10 years ago) Permalink

11 months pass...

Lee Perry "How Deep is Your Love"

― oops (Oops), Friday, 2 April 2004 23:50 (9 years ago) Permalink

Boney M's version of "Heart of Gold" (the Neil Young song)

― Tim Ellison, Saturday, 3 April 2004 00:01 (9 years ago) Permalink

Bardo Pond - "Call the Doctor"
Distortion > Drone

― Vitamin Leee (Leee), Saturday, 3 April 2004 00:16 (9 years ago) Permalink

Did I miss David Bowie's "Fill Your Heart"?

― dlp9001, Saturday, 3 April 2004 01:05 (9 years ago) Permalink

Boney M's version of "Heart of Gold" (the Neil Young song)

You what? Is it as good as their versions of The Creation's "Painter Man" and The Smoke's "My Friend Jack"?

As for Bowie's "Fill Your Heart", it's not in the same league as Tiny Tim's version.

― Dadaismus (Dada), Saturday, 3 April 2004 01:09 (9 years ago) Permalink

Snow Patrol "Crazy in Love" THAT'S RIGHT, I said it. He just sounds so eeeeeeevil. I like that

― Donna Brown (Donna Brown), Saturday, 3 April 2004 01:44 (9 years ago) Permalink

"Is it as good as their versions of The Creation's "Painter Man" and The Smoke's "My Friend Jack"?"

I've only heard "Painter Man." In its own way, yes, it is as good as that! It's a killer.

― Tim Ellison, Saturday, 3 April 2004 02:30 (9 years ago) Permalink

boney m did "my friend jack"?! i gotta hear this

― the surface noise (electricsound), Saturday, 3 April 2004 03:15 (9 years ago) Permalink

Oh what beautiful things they snort.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 3 April 2004 03:41 (9 years ago) Permalink

Copied this from one of those lyrics sites with the pop-up window ads. The Boney M version:

My friend jack eats sugar loaves
My friend jack eats sugar loaves
Sugarman hasn't got a care
He's been traveling everywhere
Been on a voyage across an ocean
Heard the sweet sounds of wheels in motion
He's seen hawks fly high to hail the setting sun
My friend jack eats sugar loaves
My friend jack eats sugar loaves
Sugarman hasn't got a care
He's been traveling everywhere
He's seen the people in the city
And the bright lights looks awful pretty
He's followed dusty tracks into eternity
Eating sugar cain in cuba
Try to grow it in japan
On the west coast, he's real famous
Kids they call him sugar man
My friend jack
My friend jack
My friend jack
My friend jack
My friend jack eats sugar loaves
My friend jack eats sugar loaves
Sugarman hasn't got a care
He's been traveling everywhere
Been on a voyage across an ocean
Heard the sweet sounds of wheels in motion
He's seen hawk fly high to hail the setting sun
Eating sugar cain in cuba
Try to grow it in japan
On the west coast, he's real famous
Kids they call him sugar man
Been on a voyage across an ocean
Heard the sweet sounds of wheels in motion
He's seen the hawk fly high to hail the setting sun
My friend jack eats sugar loaves
My friend jack eats sugar loaves
Sugarman hasn't got a care
He's been traveling everywhere
My friend jack eats sugar loaves
My friend jack eats

― Tim Ellison, Saturday, 3 April 2004 04:41 (9 years ago) Permalink

I'm quite a rebel when it comes to preferring covers. Stevie Wonder's
"We Can Work It Out" surpassed the Beatles', and Buckwheat Zydeco's
"Beast Of Burden" outdoes the Rolling Stones' original recording.
Furthermore (and this is controversial), the Foo Fighters "Have A Cigar" outstrips
the Pink Floyd version. For one thing, the Foo Fighters convey the anger
in the lyrics, whereas the original version was far too laid-back to sound
anything more than tiredly sardonic.

― Squirrel_Police (Squirrel_Police), Saturday, 3 April 2004 23:32 (9 years ago) Permalink

Two cover versions of Joy Division's songs improve on the orginals:

Therapy? - Isolation
Nine Inch Nails - Dead Souls

Now you can hate me...

― Elvis is Dead, Saturday, 3 April 2004 23:42 (9 years ago) Permalink

Did y'all see that Motown documentary, "Standing In The Shadows Of
Motown?" Cool film, by the way. Anyway, Meshell Ndegeocello really
did a fantastic version of "Really Got A Hold On Me," I can barely listen
to the Beatles or the Zombies' version now. And Joan Osborne crooned
"What Becomes Of The Broken-Hearted" so powerfully my ears popped.

― Squirrel_Police (Squirrel_Police), Saturday, 3 April 2004 23:47 (9 years ago) Permalink

Hmmm. A huuuuuuge thread, and no mention of Jeff Buckley's glorious "Hallelujah" yet.

Anyways, "Mr. Tambourine Man" remains my fave answer here.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Sunday, 4 April 2004 01:04 (9 years ago) Permalink

palomars version of I'll Come Running by Brian Eno is kind of a completly different song. i don't like it more than the Eno version but i do think it's very bad ass

― Dude (The Yellow Dart), Sunday, 4 April 2004 04:07 (9 years ago) Permalink

"Nine Inch Nails - Dead Souls

Now you can hate me..."

It's not better than the original, but the NIN version does do it justice.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Sunday, 4 April 2004 04:31 (9 years ago) Permalink

Geir OTM.

― Jole, Sunday, 4 April 2004 12:53 (9 years ago) Permalink

I much prefer The Sundays version of Wild Horses to the Rolling Stones'.

― Melissa W (Melissa W), Sunday, 4 April 2004 13:17 (9 years ago) Permalink

1 year passes...

I don't think I'll ever hear The Arcade Fire's "No Cars Go" again without thinking of vitaminsforyou's cover version.

― StanM (StanM), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 09:48 (7 years ago) Permalink

Really obvious one, but Johnny Cash's cover of Hurt.

― Anna (Anna), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 10:54 (7 years ago) Permalink

Might have already cited this, but...

"It's Not Unusual" by the Wedding Present (injects Tom Jones' signature track with an amphetamine-fueled, post-punk twitch).

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 12:36 (7 years ago) Permalink

Not sure if it improves, but it's certainly different.

http://andrewpaulwoodworth.com/4758290687fg6b689erbg69349gh5g5.html

― James Mitchell (James Mitchell), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 13:03 (7 years ago) Permalink

Before the New Pornographers existed, Neko Case and Carl Newman did a version of The Everly Brothers "Bowling Green" that appears on an early Neko album. Much, much, much better than the original.

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 14:10 (7 years ago) Permalink

"My Back Pages" done by the Byrds. Pisseth all over, sideways and down, and on, Zimmer's own vershion.

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 15:56 (7 years ago) Permalink

"Help Me Make It Through The Night" by Sammi Smith miles ahead of Kris Kristofferson's not-bad original.

Oh, I guess lots would say the same about Janis Joplin's treatment of Me and Bobby McGee...

― Billy Pilgrim (Billy Pilgrim), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 16:50 (7 years ago) Permalink

I love Redd Kross' "Dancing Queen" and I don't care for ABBA at all. Also, the Butthole Surfers' "Summer In the City". I really like the original "We Can Work It Out" but there is something to be said for King Missile's take on it.

― Sundar (sundar), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 18:43 (7 years ago) Permalink

I prefer Siouxsie's "Dear Prudence" to the Beatles'. That song was just MEANT to be gothed up

Seconded, and exactly the same argument applies to "Eloise", as covered by the Damned.

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 18:51 (7 years ago) Permalink

On roughly similar lines (?), I think I prefer Lydia Lunch's and Clint Ruin's "Why Don't We Do It In the Road?" to the Beatles'. As much as I love the white album, that track's a bit of a throwaway but LL and CR add another dimension to it with the campily OTT dark/noisy angle.

― Sundar (sundar), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 19:00 (7 years ago) Permalink

johnny cash's version of the mercy seat. it is startling. johnny really sounds as if he was singing this on the electric chair.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 19:08 (7 years ago) Permalink

Amii Stewart's version of "Knock On Wood"

― donut e-g (donut), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 19:16 (7 years ago) Permalink

None of these *improve* the original per se, but certainly impressed me beyond most ordinary cover versions.

A Perfect Circle "Imagine". They can make anything sound scary. Including this.

Bette Midler "Beast Of Burden". She rocked it.

Foo Fighters "Darling Nikki".

Frankie Goes To Hollywood "Born To Run". I love Brooce, but this is great.

Filter "One". I don't even like Filter that much, but I love this cover.

― VegemiteGrrl (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 19:36 (7 years ago) Permalink

The Fatima Mansions "Everything I Do (I Do It For You)". Not immensely difficult to improve upon, admittedly.

Much as I love the original, I am hugely fond of the Trash Can Sinatras' take on "To Sir With Love".

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 19:47 (7 years ago) Permalink

Phish's "Crosseyed and Painless"

Divine Comedy's "Life on Mars"

― Suzy Creemcheese (SuzyCreemcheese), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 19:48 (7 years ago) Permalink

David Byrne's cover of "I Wanna Dance with Somebody".
How about Nouvelle Vague's "Melt With You"? if it doesn't improve, it certainly breathes some life into a song that's become a little tired over the years.

― patita (patita), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 19:54 (7 years ago) Permalink

Byrne also does a FIERCE version of "Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless)."

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 20:29 (7 years ago) Permalink

Peter Prescott always delivers, hence I prefer:

Kustomized's "Dead Souls"
Volcano Suns' "Red Eye Express"

...with "Needles In The Camel's Eye" at least equalling the Eno vsn, which is in my book to touch godhead.

Has no one mentioned The Gourds' version of "Gin & Juice" ?

Agreed Killdozer's "I'm Not Lisa" good call.

Glass Eye's Celicia blows away S & G, speaking of which as does an old Micronotz cover of "Scarborough Faire"

Speaking of which (Glass Eye, not S & G) I just love K McCarty's "Worried Shoes" though again topping D. Johnston, like topping B. Eno is probably just not possible in my book.

Continue discussion...

― Declan Zimmerman, Tuesday, 28 June 2005 21:13 (7 years ago) Permalink

Pixies cover of JAMC's "Head On"

― That One Guy (That One Guy), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 21:16 (7 years ago) Permalink

ah also Nick Cave's version of "By The Time I Get To Phoenix"

― Declan Zimmerman, Tuesday, 28 June 2005 21:33 (7 years ago) Permalink

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