Covers better than the originals?

[delta123]

the cover was played at the end of one of the scrubs episode.

original


Cover

 

[ProtoKun7]

I remember watching Sesame Street, but before 1998.

Also, looks like YouTube has made minor changes to the embedded player. Notably the title font.

 

[Revolution [9]]

First thing that comes to mind. This cover is much better than the original IMO. It's just so whiny in the original track that I get very annoyed.

...And also:

Just for lulz.

 

[N4RU70 FR34K]

for sure. hate the original so much.

Funniest thing I saw in this post

 

[KingdomBlade]

Since I'm currently addicted with Broadway, I'm gonna be posting a lot of these.

Seasons of Love: Stevie Wonder + OBC > Original Broadway Cast

You Can't Stop the Beat: Movie Cast > Original Broadway Cast

Epiphany: Johnny Depp > Len Cariou

Some that are not from Broadway.

What Hurts the Most: Rascal Flatts > Jo O'Meara

Only Hope: Mandy Moore > Switchfoot

 

[Guild McCommunist]

Here's some more Marilyn Manson covers:

Personal Jesus:

Spoiler

Original:


Cover:

Tainted Love:

Spoiler

Original:


Cover:

And the covers are covers of covers. They're meant to resemble the songs I posted as "originals", not the real originals of the songs.

Non-Marilyn Manson cover but it's still pretty funny. Fred Astaire version is better though.

Putting on the Ritz:

Spoiler

Original:


Cover:

And covers to never bring up:

- Disturbed: Shout: The Tears for Fears version is a lot better, this version is horrible.
- Rascal Flats: Life is a Highway: Sorry, anything Rascal Flatts does sounds like crap. Their covers are so generic. Take the same song, make it corny country western, and add a really annoying singer voice.

 

[Wombo Combo]

Orginal (left) Cover (right)


Song: Bad Company


I love the cover 5 Finger Death Punch did.

 

[Deleted User]

This is at least as good as the original song by The Beatles.

 

[FAST6191]

original

Cover​

Anyhow being serious once more (and with apologies to those stuck in the UK during the period that I just caused flashbacks to).

I will expand this to include versions of classic songs/widely covered that have been done anew
Ram Jam "Black Betty"

Die Apokalyptischen Reiter - Ghostriders In The Sky (I should also mention I have searched for many hours to find good covers of this song). The song was written rather than performed as I understand it so I suppose technically there is no "original".


Blues Brothers - Rawhide (the cover in this)

The theme from the TV show of the same name (the "original")


Tom Waits - Heigh Ho (cover of the Snow White and the seven dwarfs song)

As I have already contributed more than my fair share of flash and each page is already a browser crusher it is links from now on
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7IXZ0yUqY4...feature=related

I usually think the cover versions of songs by Jimi Hendrix are the superior versions.
http://www.whosampled.com/covers/Jimi%20Hendrix/

Hayseed Dixie I find amusing but I am not sure I could stretch to calling better.
http://www.whosampled.com/covers/Hayseed%20Dixie/

I like the type o negative version of highway star more than the deep purple.
http://www.whosampled.com/cover/view/32055...Highway%20Star/

On the subject of deep purple no thanks to people sitting across the veranda a few weeks back at Hotrod Hayride- saxaphone cover of smoke on the water was not appreciated.

Not sure how to call this one but unlike most covers which are like it or leave it Ozzy Osbourne does a good version of Fire
http://www.whosampled.com/cover/view/48810...r%20Brown-Fire/

Creedence Clearwater Revival did a better version of Heard it through the grapevine as far as I am concerned.
http://www.whosampled.com/cover/view/5552/...he%20Grapevine/

Thin Lizzy's cover of Whiskey in the Jar beats version from The Dubliners for me
http://www.whosampled.com/cover/view/35360...in%20the%20Jar/

I could go on with things but I shall leave it at this.

 

[BlueStar]

 

[Cermage]

i dunno if you'd class this as a cover, its more of a rework. original was Talkshow Host by Radio head.



Their latest album is basically reworks and cover of more popular songs (Voodoo Child, The ocean, blackdog and a few others)

 

[ProtoKun7]

Thank you, Universal Music Group, for borking my first post.

 

[WildWon]

First up: @TrolleyDave- Good play with the Reel Big Fish cover. They have a killer lounge style remake of Hungry Like The Wolf that is just as killer (those guys were/are hella talented.)
Vid here:

Spoiler

Oh, and Lupin The Third is fucking balls awesome as well. fyi)

Second: I'd like to nominate Me First & The Gimme Gimmes to take this whole thread. It's true, they're entire library is cover songs, but they're fucking good.

Here's their cover of the Dixie Chicks song "Goodbye Earl"

Spoiler

(yea, that's the dixie chicks video. if you were chompin at the bit to mention it

And i can't be arsed to find it right now (work showed up!) but the cover of 99 Red Balloons by Gold Finger is fucking amazing and knocks the original out of the water, hands down.

(may edit later with those vids, but who knows)

 

[Monkee3000]

Not technically a cover as a member of both bands wrote the song. Go-Go's guitarist Jane Wiedlin and Fun Boy Three singer Terry Hall.

IMO Gary Jules isn't fit to lick the sweat from Tears for Fears scrotum.

 

[kalmis]

This is at least as good as the original song by The Beatles.

MEH

 

[Vidboy10]

 

[BionicC]

Noo, you're supposed to post covers that are better than the originals!

Besides, neither's as good as the ACTUAL original version from 1964.



EDIT: Wait, I forgot Gloria Jones' version was posted first in the thread! Regardless, I do think her version is unsurpassed.

 

[BionicC]

As much as the original of this is a classic...



...I love Ben Folds' wistful take on it:



I'm not sure if this counts as a cover btw, but this is the album version of Pulp's Bad Cover Version:



...and this is the video they made for the single (sorry, couldn't find a YouTube video of it). I'm not saying it's better as such, but the idea behind it is utterly inspired.

Spoiler

"Brian May" is rubbish though -- he looks NOTHING like him.

Spoiler

And they could at least have got someone who sounded like Jarvis Cocker to sing his line.

Spoiler

 

[BionicC]

Alright, one more from me for now. This is the original:



And this is the cover:



I just find the vocals too loud and overpowering in the original, and the drums are buried too far down in the mix for my liking. As it happens, neither of these is a problem in this version, which is a leaked demo of the song:



Even so, I think I still prefer Ulrich Schnauss' cover on account of the lush pads he's added and the extra percussion that comes in partway through.

Oh, you know what? I tell a lie. Here's another two songs.

First, a Eurodance classic from the 90s:



And now this track, which samples huge chunks of the vocal:



I don't know if it really counts as a cover version but I LOVE it: I love the bit that starts around a minute in (that reminds me a little of the jangly guitars in All Together Now by the Farm); I love that he had the balls to omit the iconic chorus when it would've been so easy to just lay down the entire original vocal track; I love how he manages to invoke memories of 80s synth-pop while sounding so unmistakeably of the now... In short, I have a major musical crush on Fear of Tigers and I invite you all to join me.

 

[Issac]

Second: I'd like to nominate Me First & The Gimme Gimmes to take this whole thread. It's true, they're entire library is cover songs, but they're fucking good.

I fully agree with this! Me First & The Gimme Gimmes are really good at making fun and good covers of old fun and good songs

Also I find the cover of "Heartbeats" a LOT better than the original!

Original: The Knife.... Cover: José González