Better Than The Original?

[JIF]

Yeah I'm with you on this one for sure. Badfinger's version was missing the "emotion" that Harry tapped into to.
I've never heard Mariah Cary's version but suspect she "belts" it.

The Badfinger version did have emotion. You can hear the pain and sadness in Tom Evans' voice. Considering that Ham and Evans both committed suicide, I get all chocked up hearing the original version of Without you. Sounds like Tom is screaming in pain at the end.

[happytheman]

The Badfinger version did have emotion. You can hear the pain and sadness in Tom Evans' voice. Considering that Ham and Evans both committed suicide, I get all chocked up hearing the original version of Without you. Sounds like Tom is screaming in pain at the end.

You're right.. but I still think Harry's cover was better than the original..

[trurl]

But the most better-than-the-original cover of all time:

[JIF]

You're right.. but I still think Harry's cover was better than the original..

Fair enough. I like Harry's version, too. Btw, I wish Mrs. Cannon would stop butchering other people's songs. Covering The Jackson 5 is fine, but don't mess with Badfinger or Def Leppard.

[trurl]

Fair enough. I like Harry's version, too. Btw, I wish Mrs. Cannon would stop butchering other people's songs. Covering The Jackson 5 is fine, but don't mess with Badfinger or Def Leppard.

Covering the Jackson 5 is NOT fine *lol* Unless you're Stevie Wonder, then maybe.

[Larry Canary]

Although I like Ike & Tina's version of "Proud Mary" (they pretty much made a new song out of it) I can't agree that it's better than Creedence's. I will however assert that I like Creedence's version of "I Heard It through the Grapevine" more than the original.

[ronmac]

I guess I am in the minority but while I love Yes's version of America, I still love the original by Simon and Garfunkel more.

I'm inclined to agree with that. Yes' version is superior as a piece of music, but they lost the feeling of the song by doing it that way. I would have much rather heard them take that music and apply it to something original. They put the form over the function.

[Spiral]

At the top of the list imo is "All Along The Watchtower" by Hendrix

And Aretha Franklin's adoption of "Respect." Those are probably the two most definitive examples out there of songs being totally owned by the artists who really deserved to define them.

I'd never heard that Marillion cover before--thanks! I've also always loved their takes on Carole King's "Way Over Yonder" and Britnee's "Toxic." (Their Crowded House cover is also noteworthy, but the jury in my head is still out on whether it's better.)

Hallelujah-John Cale.YMMV,but i far prefer Cale's cover of this tune than the original.No slight to Leonard Cohen intended.

I think I remember Leonard said something similar himself about that arrangement at one point. It's really a matter of personal taste, but I'd rank Jeff Buckley's rendition even a step above Cale's.

Any Dylan cover to me is better than the Dylan version.

Ditto.

[Lino]

Everybody jumps pretty quickly on Yes' America...and it is good...but better than the original? ... I dunnnnno about that.

[meimjustalawnmower]

Don't know of many other covers of this other than Styx and Spooky Tooth...

[trurl]

Everybody jumps pretty quickly on Yes' America...and it is good...but better than the original? ... I dunnnnno about that.

Certainly better to me, but it's such a radical difference in intent that people's mileage is going to vary, for sure.

[JKL2000]

Hogarth & Rothery do that beautifully, but they didn't do the last verse, and since my reverence for Dion & other Italian & black doo-wop singers is 2nd only to my reverence for progressive rock, I'll still take the original.

However, I didn't even know they ever covered it, so thanks JL!

Wait, what's the last verse? One after the Abraham, Martin, and John verses? I don't remember. Actually, at one time in concert, Hogarth added a verse "Has anybody here seen my old friend Diana," and he caught a lot of flack for it for some reason. People just thought she wasn't worthy of it or whatever. I had no problem with it - if that's how he felt, why not?

There are a couple of other performances of them doing it that I have bootlegs of, where it's just slightly more stripped down than the above and Rothery's solo is even better - a little more standard blues, and less "Rothery" sounding, but it rips.

[JKL2000]

On my list: Any Dylan cover to me is better than the Dylan version.

So you just don't like Dylan then? I'll bet I can find some pretty bad Dylan covers for your enjoyment.

Not on my list: No Neil Young cover is better than the original.

Hmm, interesting challenge, but I'd probably end up agreeing with you. I do really enjoy Neil's later version of his own Mr. Soul - the one on Trans.
A kickass guitar solo.

[ThomasKDye]

I'd never heard that Marillion cover before--thanks! I've also always loved their takes on Carole King's "Way Over Yonder" and Britnee's "Toxic." (Their Crowded House cover is also noteworthy, but the jury in my head is still out on whether it's better.)

Their cover of "Everybody Hurts," I think, is at least equal to the original. If there's anything H can do well, it's sing plaintively about crushing emotions.

[enpdllp]

Sounds like the story that Bobby Womack tells of how he was reluctant about letting "Mick Jagger sing one of my songs", in regards to The Stones plans to record a version of It's All Over Now. But when he got the first royalty check after their version came out he said "Mick Jagger can sing any of my songs he wants".

Not familiar with Womack's story or career, but Puente was just playing a joke with the audience. No question that the income from Santana's royalties was very good for Puente, but by the time Santana released Abraxas, Puente was already a very successful musician with 25 years in the music business, over seventy LPs under his belt (Not including compilations or guest appearances), and many singles. A good amount of the music on those albums was written and/or arranged by Puente. He was so prolific and in so much demand that he would sneak out of his native NYC for the day to obscure recording studios in New Jersey and record albums under different aliases (The Latin All Stars, Roper Dance Orchestra, etc.) to avoid conflicts with his recording label (Tico Records).

Santana used Puente's Para Los Rumberos on his next album, but it was not as successful as Oye Como Va.

[ItalProgRules]

Johnny Cash "Hurt"

Trent Reznor said that when he first heard it, both he and his wife had tears rolling down their cheeks. Reznor said it was his proudest day as a songwriter.

[A. Scherze]

The Nice - America
ELP - PAAE, Barbarian, Hoedown
Nash the Slash - Dead Man's Curve

[enpdllp]

No Neil Young cover is better than the original.

This one is definitely better:

[progeezer]

Wait, what's the last verse? One after the Abraham, Martin, and John verses? I don't remember. .

Actually, I was wrong. They didn't do the last 2 verses!

"Didn't you love the things they stood for?
didn't they try to find some good for you and me,
and we'll be free
Some day soon, and it's-a gonna be one day"


"Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up over the hill,
With Abraham, Martin & John"

Not exactly throw-away verses imo.

[davis]

I love The Earth Band's version of For You.

Their version of Quinn the Eskimo is really good. I generally prefer Bob's originals to others' Bob covers. the primary exception being Jimi and 'Watchtower'.

[davis]

Inside Looking Out by GFR > Inside Looking Out by The Animals. Leon Redbone did a really good cover of Dylan's "Living the Blues". People don't usually think of Dylan covering others, but I think this one is a riot, given that he's doing a duet with himself:

[Lopez]

As far as I'm concerned, the greatest cover ever is Devo's "Satisfaction." Better than the original? NOPE! But surely the most original cover.

I'm sorry, I feel Santana's cover of Peter Green's "Black Magic Woman" is not better than the original. Mighty good, yes, but the Mac's was sinewy and full of "how did I get myself involved with this woman?" feel to it that Santana's lacked.

I agree that Jimi's cover of "All Along the Watchtower" was perfection. Better than the original.

My only other choices for better than the original are The Move's version of "The Last Thing on My Mind" and The Pogues' "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda."

[Spiral]

Their cover of "Everybody Hurts," I think, is at least equal to the original. If there's anything H can do well, it's sing plaintively about crushing emotions.

Interesting thought. It's hard to imagine anyone matching the simple sweetness of REM's, but these guys might. I'm sure I'll get around to it (and the rest of the Friends show) someday.

Johnny Cash "Hurt"

Can't believe I forgot that one. It's exquisite.

[GuitarGeek]

Their version of Quinn the Eskimo is really good. I generally prefer Bob's originals to others' Bob covers. the primary exception being Jimi and 'Watchtower'.

Quinn The Eskimo was done by Manfredd Mann's pre-Earth Band group, wasn't it? Or did he redo it with the Earth Band as well? I know the version that was the big hit was his 60's era band. That was I think the first Bob Dylan song I ever heard, and it's still a favorite of mine.

[davis]

I'm sorry, I feel Santana's cover of Peter Green's "Black Magic Woman" is not better than the original. Mighty good, yes, but...

listening to the original for the first time, as I just found out that Santana's version is a cover. I can hear how Santana made the song more palatable for radio. the original is gooooood. actually, what I just heard was live. apparently the original is about 3 minutes. a great 3 minutes tho.