Covers that are better than/you like better than the originals. - by SubJeff
Stitch on 4/8/2011 at 15:33
Quote Posted by Syndy/3
And that's Manson for you. Always pretending to be so avantgarde but ultimately mainstream poprock.
Manson's music certainly has its issues--much of it is tuneless, much of it is uninspired, and most of it hasn't aged well--but their cover of "Sweet Dreams" is pretty stellar for the druggy, dirge-like reinterpretation that it is. I'm not surprised that a hardcore Eurythmics fan would find it tantamount to sacrilege, but your dismissal of the cover as
poprock utterly backfires when it doesn't really rock and is less pop than the original.
nbohr1more on 4/8/2011 at 16:23
C'mon
Guns 'n Roses' version of "Knocking on Heavens Door" is crap. It's supposed to be about the feelings of a dying deputy... you know, "a sad song". But instead GNR decided to replace minor chords with happy sounding major chords and add gimmick background chatter, telephone rings, and a Gospel group. Yes, the guitar solo was great but does a sad song need a huge bombastic solo?
It was a soul-less rendition made so that GNR could jam and riff easily and show-off their stage antics amongst which is the atrocity of Axel Rose trying to do blues style "call and response" with the Gospel singers. I cringe every time I hear that part, he might as well have put on mammy-face and performed minstrel.
I suppose you could say that it has all the hallmarks of GNR's pseudo ballad "Sweet Child of Mine" (which I do like) but it doesn't sit well with me because "November Rain" was a much more sincere ballad by them made around the same time.
The Black Crows, with tunes like "Bad Luck Blue Eyes Goodbye" in the same year, could easily have pulled-off a better version of what GNR was trying to accomplish (a concert blues-rock jam version of the song) and it would've been more true to the spirit of the lyrics.
Matthew on 4/8/2011 at 17:01
Quote Posted by Subjective Effect
I can't tell if you're bring serious here (I don't like the SRC cover) but 10 points for knowing who they are. I don't think I've met anyone in rl who has heard of them.
Not heard the tatu version.
I do actually like it better than the original. Amusingly, Wiki tells me that Morrisey thought tatu's cover was 'magnificent'.
My 'Covers' playlist on my iPod tells me that I like college a capella covers far too much, but I don't think those count. I will however say that Joe Jackson and William Shatner entertain me on Common People a lot more than Jarvis Cocker.
SubJeff on 4/8/2011 at 17:14
I've had a listen to it now (thanks Spotify) and the tatu version isn't bad tbh.
Nothing touches the original imho though.
Quote:
Yes, the guitar solo was great but does a sad song need a huge bombastic solo?
Totally agreeing that the GnR cover is inferior, but the guitar solo is one of the best watching-the-sun-go-down-over-the-lake pieces of music ever. Ever.
Kuuso on 4/8/2011 at 17:54
Guns'n'Roses are completely shit, so they just simply can't have good covers..
Big ups for the Nirvana version of The Man Who Sold the Version. The unplugged one is possibly my favourite Nirvana song. Bowie's original is quite magnificent though.
NIN's Hurt is better than Cash's, but thumbs up for him picking such a fitting song to perform and making it his own in such way (so some idiots even think it's his song). (
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PP2Dgftin6M) (NIN: Hurt @Reading, this video always gives me shivers).
henke on 5/8/2011 at 17:56
Quote Posted by demagogue
If I have to pick one, Van Zandt's version of the Stone's Dead Flowers
As much as I like Townes I still prefer the Stones' original, even though I heard the cover first. It feels more singalong-friendly I guess.
Quote Posted by Syndy/3
And making good covers of Dylan songs has always been easy.
As the half-dozen Dylan covers on my main Spotify playlist will attest I would have to agree with that. John Doe's version of Pressing On is one of the few of them that I actually like
better than the original though.
I'm not gonna start listing favourite covers as I can think of quite a few, and I'm feeling a bit under the weather.
SubJeff on 5/8/2011 at 18:19
Quote Posted by Kuuso
Guns'n'Roses are completely shit, so they just simply can't have good covers..
Shut up.
Quote:
NIN's Hurt is better than Cash's, but thumbs up for him picking such a fitting song to perform and making it his own in such way (so some idiots even think it's his song).
My old housemate told me it was about Cash's girlfriend who died.
I put him straight. Idiot.
