Cover songs versus the original track, which ones are better?

[Vanadium 50]

Sometimes a true artist can make even a crappy song sound good:



Ene without a young Toni Wine.

 

[Hornbein]

There's a reason Emmylou Harris is famous. Singing The Beatle's Here There and Everywhere.

Emmylou broke into country music as a proud hippy but didn't keep that image for long.

 

[Hornbein]

The REO Brothers do The Beach Boys



That bass player needs to work on his posture though. You can't get any power singing like that.

 

[pinball1970]

 

[Hornbein]

Ha, I already posted that one.

 

[pinball1970]

Ha, I already posted that one.

Oh no! I think said I would ask for the thread to be closed if I did that!

 

[Hornbein]

Lexington Lab Band covers Travis Tritt.

I thought their vocal lacked pizazz so called up Travis to give 'em some hep. His phrasing is unorthodox. But good.

 

[morrobay]

 

[Hornbein]

The guitar soloist is the star for me.

 

[BWV]

In a Silent Way trip hop remix

 

[Hornbein]

Yoyoka -- Summertime Blues

 

[morrobay]

 

[morrobay]

 

[fresh_42]

And now for something completely different ...

Spoiler: Consider yourself warned!

 

[Hornbein]

And now for something completely different ...

Spoiler: Consider yourself warned!

I was a small boy in Germany. I can still sing some of the comic songs of 1963, which were oompah stuff pretty similar to this. At the time film and TV was black and white so this was nostalgia for me. It's a lot like the movie The Man Who Could Walk Through Walls,.

Here's the orig (which I knew nothing about).

Dance is a lot more important in eastern Asia than in the West. In the Bali religion dance is at least as important as singing. Japan has great dance, so much so that they are exporting ballerinas to Europe. Tokyo has dozens of dance schools. Ballet, hiphop, tango, hula, and more. Dance groups are among the biggest stars. South Korean pop is all about dance (and clothes and makeup), the music is secondary. This has caught on in China. All in all east Asians have an ability for synchronized movement that in the West only pros might have, and not always even then. Even little kids can do it. I've never really gotten used to it. It still impresses.

So why all this? The big exception is Michael Jackson. I thought, this guy is good but why number one? Later I found out. It was the way he moves. Magic. It was a big part of Elvis's appeal as well. But as far as dance goes that's pretty much it.

 

[fresh_42]

Dance is a lot more important in eastern Asia than in the West. In the Bali religion dance is at least as important as singing. Japan has great dance, so much so that they are exporting ballerinas to Europe. Tokyo has dozens of dance schools. Ballet, hiphop, tango, hula, and more. Dance groups are among the biggest stars.

I can't help, but I found this funny ... maybe because Line Dance itself is already strange:

 

[morrobay]

 

[morrobay]

 

[Hornbein]

The original. Real good sez I.

Roger Miller sings Me and Bobby McGee. He was there first.

 

[Hornbein]

When I was a teenager we poor young musicians would dig up albums in cutout bins and used record shops. Usually they weren't worth much but every now and then you'd find a gold nugget. A certain amount of status accrued from this. Someone found a Howard Tate record. Possibly the best soul singer ever. He had some success but not much. Who knows why? Some people don't like the lifestyle. It's not for a home-lovin' man.

Janis Joplin made his Get It While You Can famous.

Today I accidentally found out that Howard recorded again late in life. Those impressed by his great talent tracked him down forty years later and persuaded him to take up his career again. He got help from those who remembered. Better than ever says I.



But maybe this cover by Lachy Doley is...you be the judge.

 

[jack action]

So looking for music from my favorite band KISS, I stumble across The Merkins:

​

OK, more parody than cover, but there is some good stuff, like "Feastie Boys" (original):

​

Or "K.W.A." (original):

​

 

[jack action]

Blind Witness, a group from my hometown! The only death metal song on my playlist:

​

 

[morrobay]

 

[Hornbein]

Beat It on Guzheng

 

[difalcojr]

You will never hear the song the same way again......

Do you think it was because he had just gotten out of the mental hospital from that Twilight Zone episode?

 

[difalcojr]

Which songs were performed, arranged or produced better in a cover than the original version?
Which songs should have been left well alone?

Also, I think restricting the covers just to released singles will restrict some interesting stonkers and stinkers so album tracks are allowed.

Here's a couple for you all to judge? Sorry, but I'm not computer savvy enough to figure out how to post the videos here. Here's the links.

Song is "Down So Low". The original of Tracy Nelson with Mother Earth

https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=6400...NTI0QzBFQjk5NTBDRTlEMjIwNiZGT1JNPVZJUkU&ntb=1

Cover by Linda Ronstadt

https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=19b1...0I2OEQ4QTYmdmlldz1kZXRhaWwmRk9STT1WSVJF&ntb=1

 

[pinball1970]

L

Here's a couple for you all to judge? Sorry, but I'm not computer savvy enough to figure out how to post the videos here. Here's the links.

Song is "Down So Low". The original of Tracy Nelson with Mother Earth

https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=6400...NTI0QzBFQjk5NTBDRTlEMjIwNiZGT1JNPVZJUkU&ntb=1

Cover by Linda Ronstadt

https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=19b1...0I2OEQ4QTYmdmlldz1kZXRhaWwmRk9STT1WSVJF&ntb=1

If you go on YouTube, search and select your track, "share" then "copy" you can post on here that will give a thumbnail. Sometimes.

Edit: just tried it.

 

[pinball1970]

Here's a couple for you all to judge? Sorry, but I'm not computer savvy enough to figure out how to post the videos here. Here's the links.

Song is "Down So Low". The original of Tracy Nelson with Mother Earth

https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=6400...NTI0QzBFQjk5NTBDRTlEMjIwNiZGT1JNPVZJUkU&ntb=1

Cover by Linda Ronstadt

https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=19b1...0I2OEQ4QTYmdmlldz1kZXRhaWwmRk9STT1WSVJF&ntb=1

I don't know a lot about Linda Ronstadt, what I have heard a like.

 

[difalcojr]

She sang mostly covers. Check out the first album she is on. The Stone Poneys. Strong, beautiful voice, she had lots of hits on the radio over the years. I like both versions, but Tracy Nelson's is best I've heard.

Thks for the how-to instructions. Still can't get it to work, though.

 

[pinball1970]

She sang mostly covers. Check out the first album she is on. The Stone Poneys. Strong, beautiful voice, she had lots of hits on the radio over the years. I like both versions, but Tracy Nelson's is best I've heard.

Thks for the how-to instructions. Still can't get it to work, though.

Are you on a phone? I never do the net on a cell phone, far too small and fiddly.

 

[difalcojr]

No, on a desktop. Followed your instructions on the share and copy, but Bing seems to only allow me to paste the link, as far as I can tell. Oh well, you'll have to cut and paste the links, sorry, still no good pics.

Here's then just a couple more for review. Song: "Mama Tried". Original by Merle Haggard. Cover by Grateful Dead. Haggard first. Which is best?

www.bing.com/videos/search?q=music+of+Merle+Haggard%3a++Mama+Tried&qs=n&sp=-1&ghc=1&lq=0&pq=music+of+merle+haggard%3a++mama+t&sc=0-31&sk=&cvid=E8D6305EF65341A088E7D601DAA5F148&ghsh=0&ghacc=0&ghpl=&ru=%2fsearch%3fq%3dmusic%2520of%2520Merle%2520Haggard%3a%2520%2520Mama%2520Tried%26qs%3dn%26sp%3d-1%26ghc%3d1%26lq%3d0%26pq%3dmusic%2520of%2520merle%2520haggard%3a%2520%2520mama%2520t%26sc%3d0-31%26sk%3d%26cvid%3dE8D6305EF65341A088E7D601DAA5F148%26ghsh%3d0%26ghacc%3d0%26ghpl%3d%26FORM%3dVDVVXX&view=detail&mmscn=vwrc&mid=B2CC4A29554613CFF58DB2CC4A29554613CFF58D&FORM=WRVORC

Dead cover.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...445BF237FF2A055102D9445BF237FF2A&&FORM=VRDGAR

 

[difalcojr]

Here's the previous Mother Earth video

and then the last two:

 

[difalcojr]

Which songs were performed, arranged or produced better in a cover than the original version?
Which songs should have been left well alone?

Also, I think restricting the covers just to released singles will restrict some interesting stonkers and stinkers so album tracks are allowed.

Here's a couple versions of the song "Mona": one the original (I think) classic, the cover a whole lot different.

 

[difalcojr]

Or the song "Fanny Mae". Original by Buster Brown, cover by The Steve Miller Band.

 

[difalcojr]

OK, last one, then I'll stop. Song is "Killing Floor". Original by Howlin' Wolf. Cover by The Electric Flag. With LBJ speaking first. Listen to his words. He was concurrently escalating war. Great opening and then off goes Bloomfield on the guitar. Enjoy.