Covers Better Than The Original

Some great contributions on here, thanks everybody.

I've another for you: The orchestral cover of the Rolling Stones 'The last time', by the Andrew Oldham Orchestra




For those that have never heard of this and have zero intention of clicking play - I urge you to just listen to 20 seconds of it to see if you recognise a very popular song it was sampled on.......

 

Yes, terrible version which is why I hadn’t mentioned on this thread, though I do like some of his stuff like “Dead in the water”. Mrs TuT loves his version but as you already know, she has dodgy taste across the board.

 

Prefer his Jilted John.

 

Thanks. You learn something everyday, though maybe both are based on some underlying famous piece of classical music ? Could The Verve really have heard this ? Who knows…not me (no Bowie link intended!).

 

Also 99% of the output of the UOGB:

 

Take That - Relight my Fire

Much more uptempo with Robbie in a wizard’s hat and Mark in a pink crop top.

 

Better than Elvis (and Jerry Reed)

 

Couldn’t be arsed to read that far down.

 

Actually I don’t mind it, I quite like the fact it is played so straight. But it isn’t as good as the original.

 

From Wiki: "Bitter Sweet Symphony" was produced by Youth at Olympic Studios, London. The Verve developed it from a sample from a 1965 version of the Rolling Stones song “The Last Time" by the Andrew Oldham Orchestra, adding vocals, strings, guitar and percussion.

 

Maybe a little controversial, but can a true 'cover' only be where the first release of the song was by its actual writers? For example, The Stranglers' version of 'Walk On By' is not really a 'cover' of Dionne Warwick's version; they are both, in fact, versions of the song written by David & Bacharach.
Versions of Beatles songs written & originally recorded by them are covers, but quite a few suggestions on here are 'alternative versions' of a previously-released version of a song not recorded by its writers.

 

I see where you are coming from but could you argue that when the first version has been a big hit, subsequent versions qualify as covers? The first version would be in the public domain and familiar to the subsequent artiste/s and as such would invite, and be intended to invite, comparisons.

Also, since ‘Walk on By’ was explicitly written for Dionne Warwick, I think you might count hers as the original.

 

Wilson Pickett’s version of Hey Jude


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y8Q2PATVyI

 

This is an absolute **** aong and the legal case it prompted was shameful. Fortunately I think, a couple of years ago it was changed, but to that point, The Verve hadn't earned a penny out of their song, which is better than both the Stones' song and this trite, Mike Flowers type instrumental cover

 

They actually had permission to sample a small part. The argument was that they'd taken too much and that their song was therefore the same as this claptrap

 

Fair enough, although it may raise the question ‘how big a hit qualifies as big enough’?

 

Being a massive fan of both Bowie and DM it's difficult to add these for me. But are decent.

My Mrs wants to get involved with her choices. So I apologise now.

 

No fan of Duran Duran but this is cracking

 

Painter man - The Creation
Painter man - Boney M
both choons in my opinion !

 

Jagger and Richards had no interest in getting involved in the lawsuit. It was Allen Klein (former Stones manager) who was behind it and ended up profiting from something he'd had zero creation in (the orchestral cover nor Ashcroft's song). Jagger and Richards just got their name credited until Klein died and it was all renegotiated.

The true victim of it all was David Whitaker (died 2012), the guy who wrote the strings for the orchestral cover of the Stones song. Despite Bitter Sweet Symphony making millions, it all went in the pockets of ABKCO (Klein's company). If you ask anybody to hum BSS, they'll hum the arrangement Whitaker wrote, not Ashcroft's parts, yet Whitaker made nothing from it.

BSS is a banging track though.

 

Do the clips from The Nirvana's "MTV Unplugged" session 'really' count as covers? Cobain planned the show as an "event" highlighting the band's abilities and influences as he said that all the other MTVU's were little more than the other artists churning out their greatest hits on acoustic guitars...

 

Yes. It absolutely was all Klein

 

I'm not sure. I didn't take that into account. Still good though.

 

I've always found Nirvana a bit "meh" - but I do really like their MTVU set. It appears I'm not alone - when my son was trying out pedals at "The Sound Garden" (Barnet) I asked the manager if he could show me what Dave Grohl was using as sticks in that - he did and went into a 30 minute spiel on why that was one of, if not the, greatest rock shows ever...

Back to covers - I had Janis Joplin on the way to and fro' Marlow - her range and timing are (were?) exquisite - was most of her output covers?

 

The Fall’s version of Sister Sledge’s Lost in Music




Stayin’ Alive by The Bee Gees – Happy Mondays’ rendition




Johnny Cash’s cover of Nine Inch Nails’ Hurt would be a good one to slit your wrists to




John Martyn’s take on Portishead’s Glory Box is wonderful.

 

Heroes - Motorhead

 

Johnny Cash murdered Hurt but because he was old and dying, people fawned over it. Also, it had that novelty factor of a crappy old crooner singing a relatively cool song.
Johnny Cash can't sing. Very overrated. He was good in an episode of Columbo once though.

 

Motorhead doing Isley Brothers' Leaving Here.

 

Not strictly a cover, but...
(maybe should start a mashup thread)

 

What a serious talent Kurt Cobain was.

 

Not better, but so completely different as to be judged on their own merit:

 

Rodney you paul anka!

 

That reminded me of this...



(Paul Anka wrote the English lyrics)

 

Dying is always a good marketing ploy!
He might not be Pavarotti but 'Johnny Cash can't sing'??!!! Please tell me you're kidding

 

He doesn't sing on any of his records. He talks. He can't sing. People might like his tone and his folky voice, but he wasn't much of a singer.