Which cover versions improve on the original?

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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

isaac hayes is the best, though

― chris andrews (fraew), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 21:37 (7 years ago) Permalink

Declan OTM. My favorite of Nick's has to be "Running Scared" though, for the nice little kicker of an ending. Oooh "What a Wonderful World" with Shane McGowan...though they really should have spelled their version as "WADDA WUNNNERFUL WURLLLLLLLLLL". It's truly bewdyful.

― VegemiteGrrl (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 22:12 (7 years ago) Permalink

ya know what?....i take mine back.
i like the jamc's version just a little more than the pixies'.

― That One Guy (That One Guy), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 23:22 (7 years ago) Permalink

bauhaus's third uncle.

― cutty (mcutt), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 23:27 (7 years ago) Permalink

you obviously meant to say telegram sam

― donut e-g (donut), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 23:42 (7 years ago) Permalink

no, i mean bauhaus's third uncle.

― cutty (mcutt), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 23:47 (7 years ago) Permalink

not to be confused with bauhaus's ziggy stardust.

― cutty (mcutt), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 23:47 (7 years ago) Permalink

Some of my favorites:

Aretha - The Long & Winding Road
Bryan Ferry - Will You Love Me Tomorrow
Pavement - The Killing Moon
Arto Lindsey - Simply Beautiful

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 23:50 (7 years ago) Permalink

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

I used to think it was the greatest thing ever; now, not.

Maybe it was b/c of its use on the episode of "The OC" where Seth was sailing across the Pacific Ocean or whatever.....

― PB, Tuesday, 28 June 2005 23:51 (7 years ago) Permalink

Laibach to thread. Among other things, they make a version of Let It Be that's listenable.

― Sasha (sgh), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 00:42 (7 years ago) Permalink

Cool Beans.

http://www.geocities.com/telephonepolesmusic

Thanks, Brian Hall.

― Michael Costello (MichaelCostello1), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 00:46 (7 years ago) Permalink

801 doing "tomorrow never knows" is probably the greatest cover ever.

― cutty (mcutt), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 00:50 (7 years ago) Permalink

I like The Fall's version of "Victoria" a lot more than the Kinks'.

― Jessie the Monster (scarymonsterrr), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 05:16 (7 years ago) Permalink

sometimes i prefer wall of voodoo's version of "ring of fire" to johnny cash's version.

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 05:25 (7 years ago) Permalink

and the cardigans' version of "iron man" is amusing.

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 05:26 (7 years ago) Permalink

I really love the Futureheads' version of "Hounds of Love" from last year.

― Maciej Kasperowicz (Maciej), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 05:57 (7 years ago) Permalink

johnny cash's "in my life." the slits' "i heard it thru the grapevine" (i love the original too, but i haven't gotten sick of this one yet). cat power covering almost anything.

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 06:07 (7 years ago) Permalink

6 months pass...

Guardian Readers recommend covers that are better than the original songs:

'Gloria' - Patti Smith
'Black Steel' - Tricky
'Only Love Can Break Your Heart' - Saint Etienne
'Your Song' - Billy Paul
'By the Time I Get to Phoenix' - Isaac Hayes
'My Favourite Things' - John Coltrane
'Song to the Siren' - This Mortal Coil
'Hallelujah' - Jeff Buckley
'Hurt' - Johnny Cash
'Heartbeats' - Jose Gonzalez

― James Mitchell (James Mitchell), Friday, 13 January 2006 12:29 (7 years ago) Permalink

'Hallelujah' - Jeff Buckley

If you want to hear it sung by a man instead of a boy, try John Cale's version.

― StanM (StanM), Friday, 13 January 2006 12:33 (7 years ago) Permalink

tears for fears' cover of robert wyatt 'sea song'

and the newer 'sunglasses at night' sounded better that the original

― nique (nique), Friday, 13 January 2006 12:40 (7 years ago) Permalink

'Heartbeats' - Jose Gonzalez

Meh. This is another case of "Oh, someone's turned a pop song into an acousticy earnest number, so it's good," innit?

― brittle-lemon (brittle-lemon), Friday, 13 January 2006 12:42 (7 years ago) Permalink

Celtic Frost - "Mexican Radio"
Johnny Cash - "Hurt"
The Epoxies - "Robot Man"
Black Sabbath - "Evil Woman"

And does anyone remember the Slappin' Mammy's? New Jersey group (I think) in the early '90s released a disc Blackface In Bondage featuring thrashin' versions of Al Jolson cuts.

I liked this entire disc better at the time and probably still might because I heart metal and could give a shit about Al Jolson.

― Brian O'Neill (NYCNative), Friday, 13 January 2006 12:47 (7 years ago) Permalink

I wouldn't say Jose Gonzalez's version of Heartbeats is better than the original, it's just different. You could say the same for his covers of Love Will Tear Us Apart and Teardrops, both of which are spine tingling.

A third vote for Siouxsie's Dear Prudence, which is amazing.

Kiki and Herb do a very unusual cover of Total Eclipse Of The Heart that almost, but not quite, frees the song of its soft-rock ballad associations.

― klee (klee), Friday, 13 January 2006 13:30 (7 years ago) Permalink

God, Buckley's Halleluja shoulda been aborted. "Look, I have a histrionic warble! I'm the male Mariah Carey! I put notes where they don't belong!" Cale fucking nails it, though, with this sense of resignation and weariness that makes the hallelujahs so powerful.

And I've gotta mention the Spacemen 3 cover of Rollercoaster by the 13th FLoor Elevators. They make that song everything it would have been if Erikson could have just gotten enough acid.

― js (honestengine), Friday, 13 January 2006 14:36 (7 years ago) Permalink

the BOWIE originals rocked but i prefer these covers.
def leppard - ziggy stardust
culture club - starman
midge ure / nirvana - the man who sold the world.
and some hazell dean / erasure/a*teens abba covers were better than the rorginals.

― retrokid, Friday, 13 January 2006 14:52 (7 years ago) Permalink

Them - "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue"

― zaxxon25 (zaxxon25), Friday, 13 January 2006 14:53 (7 years ago) Permalink

blondie "ring of fire"

― retrogurl, Friday, 13 January 2006 15:57 (7 years ago) Permalink

checked the thread to make sure i aint dropped my obvious one :

Kiss - Age of Chance

as great as the orig is .. this version still holds a lot of power over my psyche.

― mark e (mark e), Friday, 13 January 2006 16:06 (7 years ago) Permalink

"Surrender" by OX (Vancouver's Will Oldham analog)

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Friday, 13 January 2006 16:08 (7 years ago) Permalink

Melvins "Going Blind"

― Brian O'Neill (NYCNative), Friday, 13 January 2006 17:26 (7 years ago) Permalink

tears for fears' cover of robert wyatt 'sea song'

Not heard this, but I find it hard to believe, seeing as the original is the greatest 8 minutes of music ever committed to tape. And the fact it's by TFF.

Buckley's Hallelujah is lush, but yeah, Cale nails it.

Talking of Laughing Len, Antony has been doing an almost unbearably gorgeous The Guests on tour. Like his Candy Says, it's possibly the equal of the original.

― stew!, Friday, 13 January 2006 17:43 (7 years ago) Permalink

The Pet Shop Boys' "Always On My Mind" absolutely kills Elvis's.

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Saturday, 14 January 2006 04:13 (7 years ago) Permalink

Oh, and Bauhaus's "Ziggy Stardust."

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Saturday, 14 January 2006 04:14 (7 years ago) Permalink

Bryan Ferry: The "In" Crowd.

― Cunga (Cunga), Saturday, 14 January 2006 05:01 (7 years ago) Permalink

claudine longet owns this thread - see esp. "let's spend the night together" & that inspired Jealous Guy/Don't Let Me Down medley. Genius!

― prof. felchenstein, Saturday, 14 January 2006 05:01 (7 years ago) Permalink

the birthday party's version of 'loose' is way more unhinged and awesome than the stooges original

i like us maple's 'lay lady lay' a lot more than dylan's

― 6335, Saturday, 14 January 2006 08:42 (7 years ago) Permalink

Gloria' - Patti Smith

Patti Smith rarely improves on anything

'Black Steel' - Tricky

Tough one. Certainly arguable, especially since the PE song goes on for way too long.

'Only Love Can Break Your Heart' - Saint Etienne

Absolutely.

'Your Song' - Billy Paul
'By the Time I Get to Phoenix' - Isaac Hayes

never heard

'My Favourite Things' - John Coltrane

boring, but the original is hardly unfuckwithable to begin with. Weak inclusion.

'Song to the Siren' - This Mortal Coil

Absolutely

'Hallelujah' - Jeff Buckley

y'know, I'm not sure if I've ever actually heard the original, but Buckley certainly did a fantastic job of making the song his own (unlike Rufus Wainwright, whose version makes me want to punch myself)

'Hurt' - Johnny Cash

Again, arguable, though I still probably prefer the original (and without the video, might not even be a contest)

'Heartbeats' - Jose Gonzalez

Of course not. Do people actually think this?

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Saturday, 14 January 2006 08:47 (7 years ago) Permalink

M. Ward's version of "Let's Dance" is pretty damn stunning.

― Drew Daniel (Drew Daniel), Saturday, 14 January 2006 08:53 (7 years ago) Permalink

I doubt many of you will agree with me, but I vastly prefer REM's version of "Strange" to the Wire original.

― pfaff, Saturday, 14 January 2006 10:02 (7 years ago) Permalink

The Slits' Heard it Through the Grapevine rules

― Dr X O'Skeleton, Monday, 16 January 2006 12:37 (7 years ago) Permalink

fugees "killing me softly"

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Monday, 16 January 2006 18:16 (7 years ago) Permalink

All improvements:

Donna Summer - "MacArthur Park"
Boys Town Gang - "Can't Take My Eyes Off You"
Cyndi Lauper - "When You Were Mine"
Pet Shop Boys - "It's Alright"
Miss Kittin & The Hacker - "Dirty Talk"
Alcazar - "Crying At The Discotheque"
Peaches - "Keine Melodien"

― LeRooLeRoo (Seb), Monday, 16 January 2006 20:49 (7 years ago) Permalink

The Slits grapevine rules, but the Marvin Gaye original is pretty rediculous as well. I think the Smashing Pumpkins "Landslide" is a little better

― Stephen C (ihope), Monday, 16 January 2006 20:54 (7 years ago) Permalink

just heard the original Jr. Walker version of "Do You See My Love for You Growing" for the first time, the Dirtbombs' version is definitely more good.

― tremendoid (tremendoid), Monday, 16 January 2006 21:04 (7 years ago) Permalink

Not sure which was the original but Johnny Cash's version of "Beat the Devil" beats Kris Kristofferson's(who wrote it, but may have wrote it just for Cash, I forget). My favorite Johnny Cash song, actually.

― tremendoid (tremendoid), Monday, 16 January 2006 21:10 (7 years ago) Permalink

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