Songs where the cover is better then the original

[UglyCasanova]

Originally posted by: LS20
someone give Built to Spill's rendition of neil young's 'Cortez the Killer' a listen
also, Mogwai has a pretty killer "Don't Cry"

Definitely, I was just gonna suggest that. Probably the best cover ever made. 20 minutes of sonic goodness. :thumbsup: Mercury Rev also did a pretty decent version of it.


Also:

Kid Loco's remix of Mogwai's "Tracy" is amazing. The original is great, but damn!!
Yo La Tengo - Sun Ra's "Nuclear War" (they did 4 versions of it, #4 is the best)
Twilight Singers - Bjork's "Hyperballad", Fleetwood Mac's "What Makes You Think You're the One"

 

[DrPizza]

Remarkably, a lot of George Thorogood's songs are covers..

I was shocked the day I heard one of the origninals.

"Bad to the Bone" was originally a Johnny Lee Hooker song...
"One Whiskey, One Scotch, One Beer" is another Hooker cover (IIRC)
"Who Do You Love" (cover of Bo Diddly)

Those are probably Thorogood's best known songs... and they're just covers. But, excellent covers.


Clapton has a few good covers...
"I shot the Sheriff" I think is a cover
and
"After Midnight"


Van Halen's cover of "Pretty Woman"... can't recall the original from the early 70's....

Led Zeppelin - "When the Levee Breaks"

But the best cover of all time:
"Unchained Melody" - Righteous Brothers

It had been covered at least half a dozen times prior to them, and dozens since... but no one does it as good as they do. The originals hardly even sound like their version.

Oh, and another one: Rolling Stones "Satisfaction"

 

[spacejamz]

how bout Mariah Carey covering Def Leppard's Bringin on the Heartbreak?

/puts flame suit on...

never knew she even covered it until I saw the 40 least metal moments on VH1 the other day...

where is the thread for the worst cover??

 

[Iron Woode]

Originally posted by: DrPizza
Remarkably, a lot of George Thorogood's songs are covers..

I was shocked the day I heard one of the origninals.

"Bad to the Bone" was originally a Johnny Lee Hooker song...
"One Whiskey, One Scotch, One Beer" is another Hooker cover (IIRC)
"Who Do You Love" (cover of Bo Diddly)

Those are probably Thorogood's best known songs... and they're just covers. But, excellent covers.


Clapton has a few good covers...
"I shot the Sheriff" I think is a cover
and
"After Midnight"


Van Halen's cover of "Pretty Woman"... can't recall the original from the early 70's....

Led Zeppelin - "When the Levee Breaks"

But the best cover of all time:
"Unchained Melody" - Righteous Brothers

It had been covered at least half a dozen times prior to them, and dozens since... but no one does it as good as they do. The originals hardly even sound like their version.

Oh, and another one: Rolling Stones "Satisfaction"

When the Levee Breaks is not a cover, but alot of the music was stolen from other artists.

Pretty Woman was done by Roy Orbison in 1964.

 

[RGN]

American Woman - Lenny Kravitz

Blue Monday - Orgy

Turn the page - Metallica
Yeah, several of you don't agree, but I think its better. Its also one of two of the metallica songs I like. I'm so not a fanboy.

 

[Iron Woode]

Here are some more slightly obscure covers:

Barbara Ann: Beach Boys - originally by The Regents

Spirit in the Sky: Doctor and the Medics - original by Norman Greenbaum

Louie Louie: The Kingsmen is technically a cover.

Lion Sleeps Tonight: Tokens - original song was called Weemaway.

Heart of Glass: Blondie - originally a Caribean folk song turned into disco-pop.

Tainted Love: Soft Cell: originally by Gloria Jones

Like A Virgin: Lords of the New Church - originally by Madonna

 

[tm37]

HOT ROD LINCOLN- asleep at the wheel.