Covers that surpass the original *masterpieces*

[The Dark Elf]

Joe Cocker made a habit of stealing other performer's songs and making them his own: "With a Little Help From My Friends", "Delta Lady", "Feelin' Alright", etc. I really like what Mad Dogs and Englishmen did with this Boxtops hit....

[moecurlythanu]

A taste of 70s Cleveland for you all...Every Friday at 6:00 PM, on radio station WMMS, Murray Saul would kick off the weekend with a stream-of-unconsciousness rant, which always ended with the line "Gotta get down, dammit!" and then went into a live version of Earthquake's cover of the Easybeats track "Friday On My Mind." It blows the original away, and was the official start to the weekend, back when we were young and partying was the priority. Fun memory.

[progholio]

I heard this on the radio today, maybe not surpass but jesus christ they do a fabulous job on this -





The original was really, really good but I think this does qualify as a successor

[firepile]

[Progbear]

Does a cover of an original count? Then their 1973 'That Lady' is, for me, superior to their 60s original version of the exact same song, called 'Who's That Lady'. That has a sort of bossa nova arrangement, if I remember rightly.

I don’t know if redoing one’s old material but I often enjoy when an artist revisits past work and refreshes it into something exciting and different: for example, Todd Rundgren dusting off the old Nazz ballad “Hello It’s Me” and giving it a “singer-songwriter” update for the 70s. I suppose “It Begins With a Blessing/Once I Awakened/But It Ends With a Curse” by Kevin Ayers also applies here, since he originally did it as “Why Are We Sleeping?” with Soft Machine.

And speaking of the Softs, neither of these covers surpass the original (definitely not the Bloodrock one, which is far inferior), but it’s interesting to know there are SM covers out there, right?

[Nashorn]

I never really liked that version, they overdid it for my taste.
I much prefer the one by David Bowie: https://vimeo.com/214103415

[arturs]

And speaking of the Softs, neither of these covers surpass the original (definitely not the Bloodrock one, which is far inferior), but it’s interesting to know there are SM covers out there, right?

Great tune. I actually think Whitney's Memories *does* surpass the original (the JPP version). She turned what is an intelligent song into a potential mainstream blockbuster that still "gets" the essence of the tune and the emotional impact of the lyrics. I love Wyatt's singing and he does a great job conveying nuance and subtlety, but he's never going to capture a mass audience.

Memories doesn't need nuance or subtlety; it needs the power of Whitney's delivery and could have hit with the masses. If only she had re-recorded this for her debut album.

EDIT: I should have said the song does need nuance, but it also needs power. Whitney's version has both.

[kenschwartz]

I don't think this one's been mentioned yet - in my opinion, better than the original. And even more impressive is that it is such a unique interpretation that when I've played for people, they don't even realize what song it is:

[Shadow]

[Shadow]

[jake]

[Progbear]

All right, one that really does belong here. Mind you, I do enjoy the Originals’, um...original (Produced by Marvin Gaye, fact fans), but the Nyro/Labelle interpretation just launches this song into the upper stratosphere. Truly a wonder to behold:

I don't think this one's been mentioned yet - in my opinion, better than the original. And even more impressive is that it is such a unique interpretation that when I've played for people, they don't even realize what song it is:

She did an excellent version of “Love Me Tender” as well. In fact, I like it better than “Don’t Be Cruel,” even if it’s not quite so much of a departure from the original. It has this aching, bluesy feel that really serves the song.

[Sturgeon's Lawyer]

[Vic2012]

Listening to a cover version of Christopher Cross, Ride Like The Wind by British heavy metal group.....Saxon.

[revporl]

[Trane]

the joke is good, but I certainly don't know the original track enough to know if he did it 0K or not. (seemed alright to me)
The really worrying thing is that the audience knows the lyrics to actually do more than a sing-along.

[proggy_jazzer]

Frisell's been mentioned already in this thread, but given that many Beatles compositions are rightfully considered masterpieces (IMO), and that the idea of "surpassing" them is infinitely debateable, I have to say I enjoy the hell out of his album of Lennon covers. Here's a "making of vid with plenty of snippets:

[Sturgeon's Lawyer]

Well, if we're messing with the Beatles, there has to be this:



The best version ever of the best Lennon/McCartney song ever.

[Buddhabreath]

^^^
Good pick, first one I thought of but I still prefer the original. I'm pretty sure McCartney had little or nothing to do with TMK.

[Mister Triscuits]

^^^
Good pick, first one I thought of but I still prefer the original. I'm pretty sure McCartney had little or nothing to do with TMK.

Well, aside from obviously playing bass on it, Paul was the main tape loop guy, and the one who encouraged the other Beatles to create their own tape loops for the track.

John was known to complain that Paul was very controlling on his own songs, but liked to get wild and experimental when it came to John's. The side effect of that was that John got all the credit for being the experimental one.

[Buddhabreath]

^^^
Gotcha. It is purely a Lennon song but I was not aware that Paul was the one that apparently instigated the use of tape loops. Live and learn. Thanks.

Stockhausen's Gesang Der Jünglinge was also apparently an inspiration:

https://enmoreaudio.com/tape-loops-a...w-never-knows/

<edit>
... and Stockhausen's Gesang der Jünglinge, recently mentioned in another thread was an influence as well!

[spiderfeathers]

Close but not quite... Well worth checking out this underrated band though who, speaking of Beatles, have a major hard-on for Abbey Road throughout this album...

BigElf - Death Walks Behind You (Atomic Rooster)

[jake]

Always loved this, even though I'm not convinced he or the band knew the middle section at all. Still, Dewey Redman covers Gilbert O'Sullivan gotta be some kinda somethin'.

[Skeptrick]

[Mike D]

I don't know about surpassing the original versions, but there are two Joni Mitchell tunes that I can think of. One is Nazareth's version of 'This Flight Tonight'. Yeah, Joni wrote the tune, but her recording of it is a bit rambling. The Nazareth cover rocks, despite it's numerous edits.

Also 'Woodstock'. That's not an easy call. I always thought I preferred CSNY's version, but upon listening to both just now, I think I like Joni's better. They are both great.

Just for the hell of it, Elton John's cover of 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds'. No, it doesn't better the original and is thus disqualified. But, sometimes I prefer this version.