The Boss wrote:
No brainer for me:
Mannfred Mann's "Blinded by the Light". There is no way to convince me that the original by the Boss is better. It's possibly his worst sounding song save the catchy lyrics.
Along those lines, Frankie Goes to Hollywood's cover of "Born to Run" is better than Springsteen. Much faster beat; really good "pump up" song. My opinion.
Jaco Lives wrote:
As much as I love Dylan, there are several covers that sound better than his originals. Hendrix in Watchtower, and (I hate to admit) Rod Stewart in Forever Young.
However, that dickweed from GNR totally sucks in Heaven's Door.
Anything by Dylan... I have heard it said that people cover Dylan because he is the greatest song writer ever but an average performer. So a good performer can always play a Dylan song better than Dylan. Hendrix, Clapton, etc.. they blow him away.
red hot chili peppers doing stevie wonder's "higher ground."
I like Marylin Manson's cover of Soft Cell's cover of Tainted Love.
So does that make it the best cover of a cover?
Patti Smith's "So You Want To Be A Roll 'n' Roll Star" is NOT better than Byrds original, and Tom Petty's "Something In The Air" is nowhere near as good as the Thunderclap Newman original. I can't even believe someone would make that latter claim. Getting back to the Byrds for a second, their leader Roger McGuinn did a "Dreamland" that was way better than Joni Mitchell's original.
One of the other people to top a Dylan original is Emmylou Harris, who surpassed him with her cover of "Every Grain of Sand." And Emmylou's version of "Wrecking Ball" is also better than the Neil Young original.
Really old guys may remember "Hey Gyp" by The Animals, which was a lot better than the Donovan original. And Jeff Beck's "Truth" record, with Rod Stewart, had two covers that surpassed the originals...a "Morning Dew" that beat all earlier versions, and a "Shapes of things" that was better than the version Beck played on with the Yardbirds.
Hendrix's "Hey Joe" surpassed earlier versions of that song.
Robert Plant on his 2002 "Dreamland" CD topped Dylan's "One More Cup of Coffee" and Tim Buckley's "Song To the Siren"....the CD also includes versions of "Morning Dew" and "Hey Joe" that aren't bad.
Since Cat Stevens was in the news lately, take your pick as to whose version of "First Cut Is The Deepest" was best...his original, Rod Stewart's version, or the more recent hit by Sheryl Crow.
"All Along the Watchtower" Jimi > Dylan
"Landslide" Smashing Pumpkins > Fleetwood Mac >>>> Dixie
Chicks
"That's When I Reach For My Revolver" Moby > Mission of Burma
(blasphmous but Moby's just rocks harder)
"Jolene" White Stripes > Dolly Pardon
"Party of Special Things to Do" White Stripes > Captain
Beefheart
"Here She Comes Now" Nirvana > Velvet Underground
any cover Nirvana did on Unpluged > original (not a huge nirvana fan, just saying all those covers were really good)
"Blue Monday" Orgy > New Order
Draggin' The Line - R.E.M. (original artist: Tommy James & the Shondells)
Over The Rainbow - Israel "Brother Iz" Kamakawiwo'ole (Judy Garland)
The First Cut Is The Deepest - Sheryl Crow (Rod Stewart (Written by Cat Stevens a.k.a. Yusuf Islam))
Have you listened or just guessing? As I stated, the FGTH version has a much faster beat, which is why I like it. Might not be your cup of tea, but just give it a listen.
Like your mother used to say, "you'll never know unless you try it".
Another thing... your moniker makes me think you might be a tad biased.
R.E.M. also does a "Pale Blue Eyes" that's better than Lou Reed's original.
David Bowie did an entire album of covers called "PinUps" that was notable for containing a version of "Where Have All The Good Times Gones" by The Kinks that caused the Kinks to add the song to their live shows in a rendition that was closer to Bowie's than to their original.
There's a great tribute CD to Victoria Williams called "Sweet Relief" that has several tracks that do better justice to her songwriting than her own versions did...including Pearl Jam doing a truly truly great "Crazy Mary" - it's actually one of the greatest Pearl Jam tracks anywhere - Soul Asylum doing "Summer of Drugs," Evan Dando doing "Frying Pan," and Lucinda Williams (no relation to Victoria) doing "Main Road."
I agree with the Brother Iz "over the rainbow"
The Stones are great, but the "Wild Horses" remake by Cowboy Junkies is my favorite. I even heard that version sung at a wedding.
Raspberry Beret Hindu Love Gods/Prince
Wichita Lineman REM/Glen Campbell/Jimmy Webb
Everlasting Love U2/Robert Knight
Dancing Barefoot covered by U2. Original by Patty Smythe.
Elton's "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" blows the Beatles version away, baby!
"Dancing Barefoot" was by Patti Smith, not Patty Smythe, who is an entirely different singer who happens to be married to John mcEnroe.
Crap. I always get the spellings on those two mixed up. You'd think it would be easy given that their visual appearance is umm.....quite different.
Speaking of which (and drawing in The Boss) Patti Smith's version of "Because the Night" is a hundred fold better than the reedy whinings of Natalie Merchant. In this case, the original is far superior (unless Springsteen recorded it and I haven't heard it).
Check out LITTLE FEAT'S cover of Robbie Robertson's (The Band)
Rag Mama Rag on their recent live album Down on the Suwannee.
This thing absolutely smokes.
If you ever get a chance to see Little Feat don't pass it up.
The cumulative session/album credit of these guys, not even counting what they've done on their own albums, is incredible.
You can see Little Feat for about 25% of what it costs to see the Stones or the Eagles.
Whenever you can see a band where each individual has absorbed and internalized the totality of 30 years of pop music, your chance of hearing a top quality cover is very good.
I am guessing you have not yet turned 15 years old by that ludicrous statement. Metallica's version has to be one of the biggest hack jobs ever of a fantastic song.
Johnny Cash- Personal Jesus
Dynamite Hack- Boyz in the Hood
Metallica- Tuesday's Gone
RATM- Pistol Grip Pump
RATM- Renegades....hell, the whole cd
U2- Beat on the Brat
Marilyn Mason- The KKK Took My Baby Away
Vanilla Ice- Under Pressure, oh wait, that's just the beat
The Wallflowers- We Can Be Heroes
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes- Country Roads
This is off the subject but Manfred Mann did a song in 1983 called The Runner that went to #1.
THE RUNNER
Manfred Mann's Earth Band
Through the night, through the dawn
Behind you another runner is born
Don't look back you've been there
Feel the mist as your breath hits the air
And it's underneath the moonlight
Passing some
Still your heart beats in the moonlight
Like a drum
Through the night, through the dawn
Behind you another runner is born
Don't look back, you've been there
Feel the mist as your breath hits the air
And it's underneath the moonlight
Passing some
Still your heart beats in the moonlight
Like a drum
And you will run your time
A shooting star across the sky
And you will surely cross the line
To pass on the flame
Sun come up, sun go down
Hear the feet see the sweat on the ground
Watch your step, keep your cool
Though you can't see what's in front of you
And it's underneath the moonlight
Passing some
Still your heart beats in the moonlight
Like a drum
And you will run your time
A shooting star across the sky
And you will surely cross the line
To pass on the flame
Pass on the flame
Through the night, through the dawn
Behind you another runner is born
Don't look back, you've been there
See the mist as your breath hits the air
And it's underneath the moonlight
Passing some
Still your heart beats in the moonlight
Like a drum