Favourite cover of a song?

[WhyBotherToTry]

Are there any versions of a song that you consider to be better than the original? I found this one recently. For those who don't know, in one of the final episodes of season 2 of Game of Thrones, Sansa (one of the characters) sings a hymn asking the Gods for mercy during a battle. I found this cover of that hymn on youtube and I just think it's a beautiful sounding bit of singing.


Captcha: swan song. How very apt.

 

[madwarper]

Spoiler: Obligatory: Hurt, Cash

Cash owns the song.

Also,

Spoiler: Boys of Summer, Hooters

I may be biased, being from Philly, but the Hooters' version of the Boys of Summer is much better than Don Henley's.

 

[Calibanbutcher]

Well this Enter Sandman cover springs to mind:
https://soundcloud.com/badmusicplace/enter-sandbuarg


In all honesty though:
All along the watchtower by Jimi Hendrix is great, Knockin on Heavens Door by GnR is wonderful, John Scofields version of Scarborough Fair is amating.
But my #1 pick is still Johnny Cash - Hurt.
So yeah, I have been ninjad.

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

I still prefer the Nine Inch Nails version of Hurt. So nah.

Spoiler

Personally, I fucking love Turbowolf. They do a few really awesome covers (the Somebody To Love one is pretty fantastic too) and they're Bristolian too, which makes them extra awesome.

 

[Scrustle]

Jim Sterling is a musical prodigy when it comes to covers.

"Mickey" [http://squalled.bandcamp.com/track/jimmy-mickey-tribute-w-jim-sterling]​

"Jonathan" [https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/72150804/JonathanHolmesKai.mp3]​

 

[BathorysGraveland2]

I actually do have one that could be considered blasphemous by fellow fans of heavy metal, but fuck it. While I do like and respect Venom, I prefer the Unleashed cover of their classic song 'Countess Bathory'. Not entirely sure why, just do.

Original:

Spoiler

Cover:

Spoiler

Fucking great song though, great riff.

 

[Andy Shandy]

I must admit there is a fair few covers I enjoy more than the original - besides ones that have already been named.

Spoiler: First, Gav's cover of Somewhere Over The Rainbow

Spoiler: Jonathan Coulton's version of Baby Got Back

Spoiler: Bee Sharps/A Mighty Wind's version of God Only Knows

Spoiler: Halestorm's cover of Bad Romance

Spoiler: The Blanks' version of Hey Ya

Spoiler: Santana's version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Spoiler: Joe Bonamassa's cover of Feeling Good

And quite a few others but I'll leave it there for just now.

 

[Wadders]

Spoiler: Boys of Summer, Hooters

I may be biased, being from Philly, but the Hooters' version of the Boys of Summer is much better than Don Henley's.

Sacrilege! Nah, in all fairness that is a very nice cover, but the 80's vibe and longing tone of the original is still hard to beat.

My first is a little obscure perhaps *dons Hipster glasses*

Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine covering Inspiral Carpets:


Has a lot more go than the original. The original is great, but this cover is just mad :-D

And less obscurely (is that even a word?) Bon Iver covering Peter Gabriel:


And even less obscure, Tom Jones covering Leonard Cohen:

 

[Eddie the head]

Well for one thing this.

For another

Spoiler: Bruce Dickinson-Sin City

 

[Aris Khandr]

Spoiler: Troggs cover by R.E.M.

Spoiler: Madonna cover by Alizée

Also, pretty much anything that was covered by Karen Carpenter, because I love her voice.

 

[run_forrest_run]

It may be a song from a movie, but it counts.

Spoiler: The Pixies: In Heaven (Eraserhead)

And this is probably the best cover song I've ever heard.

Spoiler: Jeff Buckley: Mama You've Been on My Mind (Bob Dylan)

Every Jeff Buckley cover ends up being something stellar. He also covers I shall be released by Bob Dylan and it's brilliant to. But this one just affects me the most.

There are a lot of great covers. Too many for me to just rattle them off. Nirvana covered several of the Vasolines songs (Molly's Lips, Jesus Don't want me for a Sunbeam) and really steal them from the originals. The Beatles did a lot of good covers as well. Hell, there early careers were halfway based on covering other artists. Same with Creedence Clearwater Revival who do an excellent cover of Heard it Through the Grapevine. Still doesn't top the original cause ain't nobody topping Marvin Gaye.

 

[I Stomp on Kittens]

I really love Tool's cover of Led Zeppelin's "No Quarter. It just sounds so damn haunting! Night driving to this is wonderful.

Spoiler: Tool - No Quarter

Another good one would have to be Pantera's cover of Black Sabbath's "Planet Caravan." For a Phil Anselmo/Pantera fan like myself it's perfect! Sounds a lot like Down's "Jail" also featuring Phil.

Spoiler: Pantera - Planet Caravan

If I think of more I'll add on!

 

[Requia]

A giant chunk of british blues revisionism (bands like Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones) was covers, and that never hurt anything. Nor all the covers of Bob Dylan and Velvet Underground songs that were so popular in the 70s.

Though I'd like to call out The Animals cover of House of the Rising Sun, which is a cover of a cover (the first cover was done by Bob Dylan, who covered somebody else I forget the name of), as being particularly awesome.

Spoiler

 

[Total LOLige]

Spoiler: Feeder cover of R.E.M's Eveybody Hurts

Spoiler: Feeder cover of Breed

There's a studio recorded version on a Murmur re-release but I can't find it, which is a shame so live will have to do.

Spoiler: R.E.M cover of There She Goes Again

Spoiler: R.E.M cover of Superman

Again I can't find the studio one that was on Document

Spoiler: R.E.M cover of Strange

Spoiler: Jimi Hendrix All Along The Watchtower cover

 

[Xiroh86]

I've got a couple

<youtube=EH2LwjSIgDA>

<youtube=MAt9QTmVc7Q>

<youtube=XjKNUfPEsB8>

<youtube=BBu5GZ7lP1o>

I know that I've got more, but I can't think of them at the moment.

 

[BreakfastMan]

Can't have a "great covers" thread without mentioning Judas Priest and Anthrax.

Really like this cover of an ABBA song by the band Ghost, too.

 

[rob_simple]

Johnny & Mary by Robert Palmer is one of my favourite songs, it also appears to be one of the most covered songs ever. More surprising still, the covers are all incredibly varied and are almost all on par with the original.

Spoiler: The Original

Spoiler: Placebo

Spoiler: Axel Wolph

Spoiler: The Notwist

Spoiler: Ellen Foley

Spoiler: Martin Taylor

Funny story about the last cover: When I was growing up, probably about 6 or 7, there were a series of adverts running for a car, I think it was the Renault Clio that had this song in the background and I loved it, but it was only about fifteen years later that I discovered what it was on an ad music CD I borrowed from my parents.

Okay, maybe more boring than funny, but I thought it was strange, nonetheless.

 

[cojo965]

Fuck all of you, you know what's missing? Lordi:

Original:


Cover:

 

[piinyouri]

I got a few.

Spoiler: Halestorm's cover of Skid Rows *Slave To The Grind*

That girl can wail when she want's too, and does she ever on this cover. She almost outdoes Bach. I also love how the guitar is more upfront and in your face.

Spoiler: Throne of Chaos cover of Deep Purple's *Smoke On The Water*

Not much to say other than I love this band and this cover is pretty cool.

Spoiler: Warbringers cover of Bathorys *Sacrafice*

Blasphemy incoming, I've never been the biggest fan of Bathory, but this cover is great. The riffs just continually lay down sections of track for John Kevills vocals to go tearing right off of.

Spoiler: Tyr's cover of The Dubliners *The Wild Rover*

I realize the absolute insanity of a viking/scandinavian band covering an irish folk song, but I don't care. I like it.

Spoiler: Turbowolfs cover of Black Sabbaths *The Wizard*

I love the drums in this. Faithful, while still adding thier own twist to it.

Spoiler: Nevergreens cover of Madonnas *Frozen*

I'm a huge fan of the original and I feel Nevergreen do a fairly good job at transcribing it over to heavier guitars without losing the atmosphere, and the singer's deep tone adds a new dimension to it all.