Actually good cover versions of songs

JCoatsworth

JCoatsworth

UP THE IRONS!
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So, I heard Taylor Swift's version of American Pie on the radio today. Taylor Swift fans may like it, but I hate it. I love the original version by Don McLean, but the cover version just isn't my style.
Anyway, I remembered that there had been a thread about bad cover versions some time ago and I began thinking about cover versions that I like better than the original versions.

Are there any covers that you really like, maybe even better than the originals? Share!



Here are some covers that I like better than the original versions:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQLtCoh5EaI"]Joe Cocker - With a Little Help from my Friends (The Beatles)[/ame]
I really like the original, but Joe's voice is unbelievable!



[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bzk0n7h6I-o"]Ray Charles - Yesterday (The Beatles)[/ame]
Same reason as with Joe Cocker.



[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmnZRBTPzg0"]Otis Redding - Satisfaction (The Rolling Stones)[/ame]
I like this one better than the Stones' version because of the horns. Sounds awesome. And Otis Redding's voice sounds absolutely fantastic.



[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRGzGzxr-1Q"]Guns N' Roses - Live and Let Die (McCartney)[/ame]
Sounds more aggressive than the original. GNR have a great sound and they changed (they didn't change much) this into a really great, bombastic hard rock song.


As you may have noticed, 3 of the 4 songs are written by The Beatles or members of The Beatles. That's not because I don't like The Beatles, that's because they write great songs. 😉
 
Evil Angelus 95
Evil Angelus 95
[No message]
Could pick any cover Johnny Winter has done... but I decided for his cover of Rolling Stones Stray Cat Blues.
I think Stones original version is a mess. But in the hands of Mr Winter it becomes a brilliant song. Johnny Winter has done quite a few Rolling Stones covers. All better than the original.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaH2Pm_8Sr4"]Johnny Winter - Stray Cat Blues - YouTube[/ame]

Would also like to show a great example of how to make a classic blues song into a great rock song.
It's also the funniest video ever. 🙂

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VlRUIHwygc"]AC/DC - Baby Please Don't Go - YouTube[/ame]

/SK
 
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bEGSuoALA4"]No Surprises - Regina Spektor (animation) - YouTube[/ame]

Regina Spektor's version of No Surprises is just magic. I will always love Radiohead's original but this just blew me away the first time I heard it.
 
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFOqeAI6PtY"]Lifehouse- Beast of Burden[/ame]

As much as I love the original Stones version, this version just casts the entire song in a different light.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2me1whctwc"]Blues Brothers - Soul Man[/ame]

Come on, they took the original and made a standard out of it!

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBZ3r3lGO8A"]Bob Seger- Love The One You're With[/ame]

I like this alot more than the original version by Stephen Stills
 
sk
sk
I've always prefered Bette Midler's version of Beast of Burden over Stones original.
sk73 said:
Would also like to show a great example of how to make a classic blues song into a great rock song.
It's also the funniest video ever. 🙂

AC/DC - Baby Please Don't Go - YouTube

/SK
Click to expand...
Yes, definitely. Great version.



Evil Angelus 95 said:
Blues Brothers - Soul Man

Come on, they took the original and made a standard out of it!
Click to expand...
As much as I love the Blues Brothers and their version of Soul Man, I think the version by Sam & Dave is the best. They're such amazing singers, it sounds so awesome.



Here are two more covers that I really like:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZBKQpY1pis"]ZZ Top - Brown Sugar (The Rolling Stones)[/ame]


[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbcTSTmqG9Y"]Iron Maiden - Hocus Pocus (Focus)[/ame]
 
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fk2prKnYnI&feature=youtube_gdata_player"]B.B King - The Thrill Is Gone (Roy Hawkins)[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_ciiCyxOJA&feature=youtube_gdata_player"]Patti Smith - Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana)[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLV4_xaYynY&feature=youtube_gdata_player"]Jimi Hendrix - All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan)[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8AWFf7EAc4&feature=youtube_gdata_player"]Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen)[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gs2o5T7oN8&feature=youtube_gdata_player"]Red Hot Chili Peppers - Higher Ground (Stevie Wonder)[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54XRNQ2C2x0&feature=youtube_gdata_player]Tina Turner - Proud Mary (Creedence Clearwater Revival)[/ame]

These are just a couple of cover songs that made me totally forget about the original. They made it their own, and that's when you know it's a great cover.
 
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ItMustBeBunnies
ItMustBeBunnies
Ahh, I luv ya! haha :)
Evil Angelus 95
Evil Angelus 95
Hallelujah is one of the most beautiful songs ever recorded
Lillasyster's version of Umbrella and Artist vs. Poet's version of Bad Romance.

They're on youtube and I really recommend them.
 
there are some true classics there, even the covers are classics and I, of all people, am going to be controversial.

Chris Colfer's cover of I Want to Hold Your Hand on Glee was amazing! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the original and it is by far my favourite Beatles song, but this is just breathtaking

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvt1DFkeoDI"]Chris Colfer-Glee-I Want to Hold Your Hand[/ame]
 
I think Foo Fighters always do good covers:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nDGwp7MChU"]Foo Fighters - Band On The Run - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BO1qcWa6blQ&feature=related"]Foo Fighters - Baker street - YouTube[/ame]
 
Evil Angelus 95
Evil Angelus 95
[No message]
I agree with so many of these! 2 others:

Mott the Hoople's cover of Bowie's All the Young Dudes! Definitely prefer the cover. I think it's more upbeat and fun to listen to...

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKvNtAVZyOc"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKvNtAVZyOc[/ame]


Annnnnd The Sundays, covering Wild Horses! Here, of course, is a Bangel fanvid to the song: (Don't say I never did anything nice for you, ya Bangels! Xoxo 😀)

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZJEbh_116A"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZJEbh_116A[/ame]
 
Oooh, I love this thread!!!!

I'm gonna go with No Doubt's cover of "come on Eileen"
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehSgJF7BIds"]Come On Eileen - YouTube[/ame]

I also love Marilyn Manson's "I put a spell on you"
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPw1i9dAJiQ"]Marilyn Manson - I Put A Spell On You - YouTube[/ame]

And Fiona Apple's "Across the Universe"
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZ5WPXxNzPU"]Fiona Apple - "Across The Universe" - YouTube[/ame]
 
ItMustBeBunnies
ItMustBeBunnies
[No message]
Lissie's cover of "Pursuit of happiness" is much better than the original in my opinion 🙂
 
I'm not generally a fan of cover version, but one that comes to mind is 'Go West' by the Pet Shop boys beats the Village People version. I don't know, it just feels more enthusiastic somehow and brings the message of the song across better.

Original:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wc-AQJ2MYo"]Go West - YouTube[/ame]

Cover:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=gn-ofIAbv-w&NR=1
 
More! 🙂

Tori Amos, Desperado
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6nUxkxTps0"]Tori Amos Cover Song Desperado - YouTube[/ame]

Linkin Park, Rolling in the Deep
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irAE5LIM-gY"]Rolling In The Deep (Adele) - Linkin Park - YouTube[/ame]

Gipsy Kings, Hotel California
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMYyxqaaWew"]Gipsy Kings - Hotel California(Spanish Version) - YouTube[/ame]
 
Hanson covering Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'"

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trBx5eG5K7w"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trBx5eG5K7w[/ame]

Hanson covering Taylor Swift's "We are never getting back together" - Sounds better than Taylor Swift singing her own song.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WegodyP-vB4"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WegodyP-vB4[/ame]

Vanessa Carlton covering Rolling Stone's "Paint It Black"

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMauMGqa_rk"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMauMGqa_rk[/ame]

Adele- Covering The Cure "Love Song"
FF to 2:08
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRJimmei1c0"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRJimmei1c0[/ame]

Adele- covering "I can't make you Love me" -- Anything Adele covers sounds amazing. Hearing her cover of it, gives me goosebumps and I feel tingly. Because it's amazing.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2vkohEhEAQ"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2vkohEhEAQ[/ame]
 
Here's another one that I really like.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HB8WHA3WWz0"]Van Halen - You Really Got Me (The Kinks)[/ame]



Oh, I almost forgot this one! It is amazing, his voice is awesome! Check it out!
By the way, I think the original version is total crap 😛
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsvlsuLau5c"]Noah - Sexy and I Know It[/ame]
 
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[MENTION=11292]kittenpoker[/MENTION] Lils, actually that song was done by a Ska band called Save Ferris. Which her voice is a little similar to Gwen Stefani's. So I guess whoever put that youtube vid up and said it was No Doubt, was probably confused and didn't know either.

I really like Save Ferris's cover of "Come on Eileen"

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCzWPBR30Nk"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCzWPBR30Nk[/ame]

---------- Post added at 07:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:08 PM ----------

Letters Of Cleo - I want You To Want Me(Cheap Trick Cover) This one isn't too bad.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aquSBPS4oAU"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aquSBPS4oAU[/ame]
 
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