posted
I think I may have already said this in this thread when it was brought up before, but I'll say it again: CCR's version is better. Ike and Tina didn't ruin the song, but they certainly didn't improve it.
And "Bohemian Rhapsody" is freaking brilliant. Did you not get that the song is intended to be tongue in cheek?
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Kinda late getting in on this thread, but I prefer Phil Collins' version of "Tomorrow Never Knows." Full credit to the Beatles version, I simply think the technology to record it properly didn't exist when they did it.
Also, virtually anything Bob Dylan wrote is likely better done by someone else, with the exception of "Rolling Stone" (All Along the Watchtower has been noted here already) My mother's entire guitar class in 1970 did "Blowin' in the wind" for their recitals, and every one was better than Bob's.
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Yes, and speaking of Bohemian Rhapsody, I heard a fantastic instrumental version - solo classical guitar. I can't remember the guitarist, but it was amazing.
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I have to second the Gary Jules remake of "Mad World" as superior.
Ryan Adam's "Wonderwall" is very well done, as is Alanis Morrisette's "King of Pain."
A good remake is good enough and original enough that you can like them at least as much as the original. You stop trying to compare them because they are different and valid interpretations (as opposed to, say, the Atari's lifeless "Boys of Summer" compared to Don Henley's plaintive one).
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I'll agree with the mentions of Hendrix's version of "All Along the Watchtower" -- that was the first thing I thought of when I first saw this thread. I kinda like Dylan's version, though. Even though it's rather unremarkable. Dave Matthews Band also covers this (as do many others, I've heard), but I don't particularly care for it.
I do like Dave Matthews Band's cover of "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard". Makes me want to hear them cover "Late in the Evening", but that'll never happen.
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"covered by a bluegrass band from Texas called the Gourds."
The Gourds are no bluegrass band. They are bluegrassish, but they are more Southern rock, and they do rock. They do a killer Gin and Juice. I missed them this year at Rhythm and Roots, but they were the highlight for me last year.
Edit: Mike, I love the Matthews version, too.
[ September 11, 2004, 12:34 AM: Message edited by: Elizabeth ]
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posted
For the last year or two, music-listening has kind of fallen out our lives (mine and Diane's). The old stereo system is kaput and we haven't bothered to get a new one. I think we're finally going to get something - on the cheap side - to replace it.
But what started this new urge to fill the gap is relevant to this thread. One remake that never made the list is the version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow by the late Israel Kamakawiwo'ole.
I'm not sure what took me so long to have the song register (I think it might have been used in a "Cold Case" episode recently.), since it didn't register when I saw "Finding Forrester."
I'm currently in love with the song, which is a beautiful rearrangement and interpretation of the original.
Definitely gotta get the house wired for sound - soon.
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quote: One remake that never made the list is the version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow by the late Israel Kamakawiwo'ole.
Check my post about 2/3 of the way down page 2 of this thread. It's kind of a long post, but that song is, in fact, there. Posts: 2804 | Registered: May 2003
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I really like songs being covered in completely different genres, especially rap songs like the aforementioned Gin & Juice. I highly recommend Nina Gordon (of Veruca Salt) singing Straight Outta Compton, available on her site, here.
Language Warning! In case you are not familiar with the song, it is by Ice Cube and NWA. Hence: swear words.
posted
Oh! I've been trying to remember where I heard that version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" before. They used it exactly the way it appears in "Finding Forrester" in the credits of "Meet Joe Black."
Talk about a Deja vu. The credits roll and I'm going: Wait, I've heard this before, exactly like this, but I've never seen this movie before. Hmm, what movie was it in before?
Ok, so thanks for reminding me.
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posted
Forgive me if this has already been mentioned and I missed it, but one of my absolute favorite cover artists would be Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine. They do lounge-act covers of popular songs, and it is absolutely hilarious. Several of these qualify for "better than the original" status in my book.
posted
Speaking of people remaking rap songs, Ben Folds just released a single in which he remakes Dr. Dre's Bit**es ain't s**t. I haven't heard it yet since it's only available for download, and I'm not into that, but I like Dre and Ben Folds quite a bit so I'm going to have to check it out sometime soon.
I've got a couple more that I just picked up. I was listening to a bit on NPR about people remaking entire classic albums, and they mentioned two examples that sounded so cool I had to hear them, so I picked up both the discs. The first one was a Phish cover. Apparently every Halloween Phish polls their fans to pick an entire album, then they learn it and play it live. One of these made it onto a concert album. Phish releases altogether too much live material... they've got at least 24 live box sets of 3-4 discs each. But somewhere in there included a remake of the entire Talking Heads album "Remain in Light". That's one of the best albums of all time, and I dig Phish, so I had to hear it. It was very interesting. Of course, without Brian Eno's masterful over-production, there's no way they could match the perfection of the original. But it was still quite good in a jam-band sort of way. Phish is an incredibly tight band, so if anyone is up to the task of a live version of a studio-production masterpiece like "Remain in Light", it's them. Kind of a new perspective on one of my favorite pieces of music ever. The rest of the quadruple-album had some really great stuff as well, but the Talking Heads cover remains the best reason to buy the set.
The other album I picked up I wasn't so sure about. The market is flooded with crappy remakes and tribute albums. Sucky bands no one has ever heard of (usually for good reason) doing orchestral Sting or a bunch of Zeppelin covers, trying to make money off music better than they could ever make. So I'd run across the album "Dub Side of the Moon" by the Easy Star All-Stars before, and I'd always dismissed it. Until I heard the piece on NPR. These guys got together a group of really stellar reggae musicians, of all different sub-specialties, and remade "Dark Side of the Moon" in its entirety, as a reggae album. It sounds really weak, and there's no way I'm going to be able to describe it that's going to change that, but they really managed to pull it off. Yes, it's a step down from the original, but considering the original, a step down from that is still an amazing recording. They change to various sub-styles of reggae and meticulously maintain the tone of the original while giving it a total stylistic facelift. Well worth the $15. If it sounds at all interesting to you, I suggest you get it... I knew it was a risk when I was buying it, but it really paid off. I actually liked it better than the Phish, which surprised me.
By the way, if you're curious to hear how it turned out, go to the Easy Star website. There's a little radio toolbar in the middle of the page. The first four tracks are from "Dub Side of the Moon", three being the regular remakes and the fourth being a bonus track. Or you can go to the NPR website and hear some audio archives of the bits they did on Easy Star and Phish that made me get those two albums.
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In the movie The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, Seu Jorge does David Bowie songs in Portugese, and they are spectacular!
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The remake of 'Mrs. Robinson' by The Lemonheads from 92'. The Greenday remake of 'I fought the lawsong. The Ataris 'Boys of Summer'. There's more, I just can't think of them.
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not sure if it counts as a remake, but I heard a rap version of Bruce Hornsby's "The Way It Is", don't know who did it. It was excellent, and notably, unlike a lot of rap, it didn't have samples from the song... it actually did new takes on the melodies and accompaniment.
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posted
James Taylor's son, Ben Taylor, covered I Will (Beatles), and it's eerie how similar him and his dad's voice is.
I just discovered a version by the Fugees of A Change is Gonna Come that makes me happy just listening to it. If I could sing like anyone, it'd be Lauryn Hill (even though she's a total nutjob).
Other Beatles Covers that I really like:
Yesterday - Donny Hathaway
Something - Musiq Soulchild
While My Guitar Gently Weeps - Kenny Lattimore
Across The Universe - Fiona Apple
In case you can't tell, I listen to a lot of R&B.
Oh yeah, I've also been listening to Toby Lightman - Real Love (an old Mary J. Blige song) a lot.
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posted
I just realized that one of my favorite remakes ever isn't on this thread yet. I don't know if anyone has ever heard the Public Enemy song Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos, or Tricky's version, just called Black Steel. A classic example of an original you don't think could be improved upon, until you hear the new version.
Just click on the "Black Steel" sample on each page. Of course, 30 seconds at high compression won't do either song justice, but it'll give you an idea what I'm talking about.
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Also, I second the Fiona Apple version of Across the Universe, as well as the Rufus Wainwright version (it's great!).
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I'm not such a huge fan of Fiona Apple's cover of Across the Universe, although I generally love her stuff. The first time I was exposed to it was watching the video, though, so it's quite possible that that colored my perception of her performance.
Stephen Bennett has an album of accoustic Beatles covers that is quite good. It doesn't look like it's available on his website yet though.
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Does it count if he remakes his own song? I guess it's still a remake, technically. I love that song (although the spelling nazi in me feels compelled to tell you it's 'Layla').
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Thanks. I should have looked it up. And I know that technically it's a remake, but it's so different that it's hard not to think of it as a cover.
That list, incidentally, is of songs where I prefer the later version, at least by a small margin. In the case of the Manfred Mann covers, it's an enormous margin. Bruce Springsteen, other than "Born to Run", should stick with being a songwriter. And sometimes, like in the case of that date rape favorite "Fire", even though the Pointer Sisters' version is way better than his, the song gives me the creeps regardless of who's singing it.
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Speed, as for Phish and the covers of whole albums, they would do that for their New Year's shows. They would poll the fans, and do the whole album.
And no one does Bruce Springsteen except Bruce Springsteen. Some things must remain pure.
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posted
Well, here are some that I don't think have been mentioned. Are they better than the originals? Some perhaps, but it's pretty hard to compare cover songs with the original because the music style is usually quite different, as it should be. Many times the cover song appeals to a different crowd or genre than the original did, further making comparisons irrelevant. Anyway, here's my list of what hasn't been mentioned...
Deftones - The Chauffer - originally done by Duran Duran Strung Out - Every Breath You Take Korn - Another Brick in the Wall - Pink Floyd Wyclef Jean - Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd Less Than Jake - Entire Greased Soundtrack - kind of funny although lacking in anything remotely resembling talent 50 First Dates Soundtrack has many interesting renditions of song Zebrahead - Wannabe - Funny, but just as irritating as the Spice Girls version Jem - Maybe I'm Amazed Down By Law - I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)
And I'm going to mention Gary Jules version of Mad World again just because there seems to be some controversy about which version is better, and since my opinion is definitive, I'm going to set the record straight by saying that Gary Jules' version is superior.
quote:Originally posted by AmkaProblemka: I personally think that the Mad World remake by Gary Jules is much, much better than the Tears for Fears original.
Is that the one that was in Donnie Darko? If so, I totally agree.
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posted
Manfred Mann's cover of blinded by the light is infinetely better then Bruce's original. What a TERRIBLE song in Bruce's hand.
And whoever it was on the front page who said cheryl crow's version of Sweet Child O mine is better then the GnR version should be flogged 50 times with a wet noodle. Cheryl Crow should be drawn and quartered for perpetrating that crime on Rock and Roll.
Oh yeah. Some dumbass groups covered Behind Blue Eyes recently.
There are some truly abominable covers out there. Don't cover it unless you have a new take on the song, OR, the original sucked eggs but you liked the idea. If you're just going to re-play the song... don't cover it. Bad idea.
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quote:Aaron Neville and Ernie's "I'd Like to Visit the Moon"
I don't think I've heard this one, but Ernie and Shawn Colvin do a version that is pretty good (btw it's actually called "I Don't Want To Live On The Moon")
And camus, Less Than Jake have plenty of talent (even on the Greased album).
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posted
All those great classic rock songs of the 60's and 70's that have had the copyrights expire and are available to groups now have caused an explosion of remakes by anyone and everyone. It makes me cringe to hear them in the hands of todays bands who couldn't play a clear note on a guitar to save their lives.They can't play their guitars so every note is played with a fuzzy sound to mask the poor quality of their playing. This is also why no one remakes the music of Led Zepplin or if they do it always sounds like crap.That being said,I also thought AAF's version of smooth criminal was way better than the pedophile's original.
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quote:And camus, Less Than Jake have plenty of talent (even on the Greased album).
I agree. I've been to their show, and I have a lot of their songs.
It's just that I've had to listen to so many people complain about their supposed lack of talent for so long that I've just come to accept that most people are probably not going to like them. What I said was more of a disclaimer for what I think is the majority of people's reaction to Less Than Jake.
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Yeah, I can see that opinion being common. I really like them. Especially the Borders and Boundaries album and the song they did with Billy Brag.
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posted
Well, if you're talking parody covers, ya gotta check out Dread Zeppelin. They have several albums, but Un-Led-Ed is beyond belief.
For the uninitiated, the band is a punk reggae band fronted by an Elvis impersonator impersonator.
Songs include: "Heartbreaker (at the end of lonely street)", Black Dog, Living Loving Maid, Your time is gonna come, Bring it on home, Black mountain side, I can't quit you baby, Immigrant song, Moby Dick (complete with clueless dramatic reading of "the chase" by Tortelvis)
What's amazing is that despite being ridiculously tongue in cheek, they're REALLY good, and they aren't disrespectful of the originals (Zeppelin or Elvis). The whole effect grows are the songs keep coming. It's hilarious!
[ September 28, 2005, 10:23 PM: Message edited by: Glenn Arnold ]
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posted
The song Star Wars Cantina is better than Manilow's Copa Cabana. Sounds like him singing, too.
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quote: "Don't Dream it's Over" by Six Pense None the Richer is pretty good. Maybe not as good as Crowded House.
Hey, thanks for mentioning this. I got Sixpence None the Richer's first album five years ago or so and I always really liked it. Obviously I wasn't a totally rabid fan, though, because I never even realized they made a second album until you mentioned it. So I looked it up on Amazon, ordered it, and I'm now listening to the Don't Dream It's Over cover you referenced.
This is another good album, and well recommended. While SNTR may not be my favorite band of all time, they are consistently very pleasant to listen to. If nothing else, they are by far the best Christian rock band I've ever heard in my life. Of course, the fact that I didn't know they were Christian rock until a few years after I bought their first album helps. Posts: 2804 | Registered: May 2003
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posted
I don't know if this has been mentioned, but I was just listening to the album Fakebook by Yo La Tengo the other day. That is an entire album of covers, and it's fairly magnificent. Of course, most of those covers are so obscure that almost no one will recognize them as such. I myself haven't heard more than a couple of the originals that they were based on. Still, I got the album for their version of "Speeding Motorcycle", which was excellent. Their version of Cat Stevens' "Here Comes My Baby" is very worthy as well. And the rest of the album, judged on its own merits, is wonderful.
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quote:The great Louis Armstrong song "What a Wonderful World" is currently being used in a TV commercial, and is performed woefully. That song needs the every man, gravelly voice of Armstrong to be believable.
Aww...Jalapenoman doesn't like Braddah Iz...
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