Are there song covers you prefer to the originals?

[bishop5]

Whiskey in the Jar - Metallica.

 

[MorganL4]

Santana does an awesome cover of Photograph by Def Leopard

 

[Legion]

Lindsey Stirling and Pentatonics' cover of Radioactive by Imagine Dragons. I'm on my phone so I can't link it but you should all go check it out

I was recently introduced to Lindsey Stirling via a Youtube video of all places. I absolutely adore what I have heard of her work so far.

EarlyRise's cover of Korn's Narcissistic Cannibal. I'm a Korn fan, but that dubstep mix album was really 'meh'. This band, however, turned that song into decent rock song AND with an awesome female vocalist.

Spoiler

Oh wow, thank you for introducing me to this. Strangely enough it reminds me of another cover. The original song "Love Breeds Suicide" is a heavy, industrial/metal song and the cover is gentle with a piano backing. Although unlike this one it doesn't change halfway through.

Spoiler: Love Breeds Suicide

Original:


Cover:

I also much prefer the Apotygma Berzerk version of Fade to Black and Nothing Else Matters. Both originally by Metallica (I doubt I really need to link the originals).

Spoiler: Fade to Black

Spoiler: Nothing Else Matters

 

[Nimzabaat]

Not really covers, but I like Isosine's mashups

For example Korn and Taylor Swift

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0P7gar7efHI&list=PLA2BEDBA64DBCC0C7

There's a whole bunch including Justin Beiber/Slipknot, Kesha(not putting the fucking dollar sign in)/Lamb of God etc

 

[RoonMian]

Even though I normally hear rock as well this one sprang directly into my mind:

Spoiler: "Umbrella" NOT by Rihanna

Also good and a hilarious video:

Another REALLY great one from the same series is:

Spoiler: "London Bridge" NOT by Fergie

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

I know it's practically sacrilege to prefer anything but the original Dio version, but Howard and the crew do an amazing cover.

You know, I actually prefer the KsE version. Not that Dio wasn't awesome, but I'm not a big fan of 80's production.

Spoiler

Justin Vernon's voice works really well with depressing songs, this is pretty much the perfect breakup song.

Spoiler

I've seen him play this a couple of times and he can pull of singing like a black dude surprisingly well for a ginger guy. The last time I saw him do it it was a bit more ballsy and energetic than this version, but this is still great.

I seem to be one of the three people on the planet that actually prefers the original version of Hurt, but I can see why people aren't into NIN prefer the Johnny Cash version.

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

Hendrix's awesome All Along The Watchtower cover is probably the definitive one, Johnny Cash's version of "Hurt" makes great song better somehow

I also love some weirder ones like The New Pornographers cover of 'Your Daddy Don't Know" from the FUBAR soundtrack (originally made famous by the band Toronto)

 

[The Night Angel]

There are any number of covers to Bob Dylan's songs that I prefer. I mean don't get me wrong, I love me some Bob, but I think his talents as a songwriter were practically unrivaled, whereas people can match and surpass him just in the performance part. So, I'll say Hendrix doing All Along the Watch Tower, The White Stripes doing One More Cup of Coffee, and maybe Jason Mraz's version of Man Gave Names.

 

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

Lindsey Stirling and Pentatonics' cover of Radioactive by Imagine Dragons. I'm on my phone so I can't link it but you should all go check it out

I was looking so forward to that after all the great stuff that each party had put out, but was so disappointed.
They just took out all the power in the song. It had such a deep beat and I felt it was made generic by taking that out.
A song about the end of the world through nuclear fire should feel destructive.

Just my feeling about it.

OT:
I submit everything Malukah has ever done ever.


It's a tad auto-tuny, but it still sounds goddamn incredible.

Dammit, now I feel the overpowering need to play Skyrim some more.

 

[Aesir23]

Almost any cover Michael Henry and Justin Robinett have done. My two particular favourites are "Set Fire to the Rain" and "If I Die Young".

 

[Yoshi4102]

If any, very few. If I happen to hear a cover before I hear the original, I still tend to pick the originals.

I'm trying to think of how to explain why, but can't think of the correct way to word it, so take my really bad explanation instead. The remakes seem to take out the main aspect of what makes the song good, and without that "layer" if feels bland and watered down. Ya know?

That isn't to say that there never are covers I like more, just in my experience it's less common.

Yeah, I say it's more that the original was made in a unique original style, and most cover artists just take it and quickly remake it with their own sound, but without changing the words or riffs to suit their own style, it comes out awkward and weaker. Or they try to remake the original so much it comes out forced.

That's how I feel about most suggestions.

Thanks, you took my brainwaves and turned them into a single cohesive thought! I thought I was the only person who saw it this way, but I'm glad others do too.

 

[WWmelb]

Frente's version of Bizarre Love Triangle is so much better than New Order's. Sorry about the crappy live recording. Seek out the studio recorded one, it is beautiful.

This is one i cannot believe i was ninjad on. Angie, gods how i'm still in love with you. After all these years since your first frente EP...

And bless her, she is such a sweety! Got to hang out with her for a bit 5 years or so ago when she was doing a residency at a Pub in melbourne with her husband. Went down nearly every day for a week to watch them play. Fantastic and gorgeous and talented woman.


On another note, cannot believe this hasn't been mentioned. Thought it would be within the first few posts



Also on the Johnny Cash wagon:

 

[Tactical Pause]

What's this? We're up to page two, and there hasn't been a single mention of the Gary Jules/Michael Andrews cover of Mad World?

For shame, Escapist. For shame.

 

[V da Mighty Taco]

(And every other cover I would have mentioned is more or less a "remix" in some way, shape, or form... like the song Luna by Odyssey Eurobeat...)

Don't know if this is is what you were referring to, but my pick has to go to Cyrilthewolf's "Luna's New Republic", which I believe is actually a hybrid cover of two different songs: The aformentioned "Luna" by Odyssey Eurobeat and Notacleverpony's "New Lunar Republic", done in a Hard-Rock style (at least, from my understanding of what Hard Rock is). Anyways, it's easily the one song I've listened to more than any other throughout the past two years.

Spoiler: Youtube video of Luna's New Republic

 

[Ix Rebound]

Most of the songs done by a youtube channel called LittleVMills
My favourites being his covers of the Pacific Rim main theme and the RWBY opening theme

 

[Cooperblack]

I find this better than the original in every possible way.

 

[WarpedLord]

Mad World - Gary Jules
Planet Caravan - Pantera
Little Lion Man - Tonight Alive

Worst.Cover.Ever: Sanitarium - Bullet For My Valentine

 

[Darth Marsden]

In an oddly appropriate move given the season, I submit the only decent thing Michael Buble's ever done.


It's not that I dislike the original, it's... well, I don't like Christmas songs. But this? LOVE IT.

 

[franticfarken]

Rage Against The Machines version of Renegades Of Funk, is downright an incredible cover. The song by Afrika Bambaataa is great in itself but the cover for me is just entirely on another level of brilliance.