Poll: Music Covers, The Good, The Bad... Your thoughts?

[Sigmund Av Volsung]

It really depends on how well it's executed. Usually covers (in my case) can be bad if they just transcribe the original song into something that is the antithesis of the original idea, like this:


Since it takes a passionate and fiery song and makes it drony and long winded.

However, it really is relative. De Staat's cover of Firestarter is pretty good as far as I'm concerned.


It depends on how the original hold up, how fluid the instrumentation is and what it's being used for. Torre Florim may be a bad example, since his discography is about going from genre to genre and recreating sounds.

 

[-LiQUiDPoWEr-]

Covers are always a crap shoot IMO, however, there's always a few that hit the mark and more. The one example of a perfect cover I always use is Tool's cover of "No Quarter" originally by Led Zeppelin. It truly turned what I consider a pretty mediocre musical score into a haunting, powerful song. Check it out if you get the chance.

 

[RedDeadFred]

Most are just people less talented trying to cash in on something bigger than them.

Some however, are amazing. People have already listed many of my favourites so I'll add Eric Clapton's cover of While My Guitar Gently Weeps.

 

[lacktheknack]

I don't know if I've heard a single decent cover of "Chandelier", for instance, and 95% of them seem to be operating under the delusion it's a happy-go-lucky song.

How does someone miss a point that hard? I guess "Help me I'm holding on for dear life/.../Help me I'm holding on for the night" wasn't brazen enough.

OT: Uh... most of my music is utterly uncoverable, so I don't have any favorites. There's this gem of an earbleeder, though:

<spoiler=pain><youtube=rXofYXDwRK8 autoplay=1>

 

[BloatedGuppy]

How does someone miss a point that hard? I guess "Help me I'm holding on for dear life/.../Help me I'm holding on for the night" wasn't brazen enough.

Well you know. It had a good beat and you could dance to it. And Ziegler looked happy in the video. Or...manic, at least.

 

[lacktheknack]

How does someone miss a point that hard? I guess "Help me I'm holding on for dear life/.../Help me I'm holding on for the night" wasn't brazen enough.

Well you know. It had a good beat and you could dance to it. And Ziegler looked happy in the video. Or...manic, at least.

I'm on team manic. She was clearly symbolically naked in the vid, too, which is rarely a good sign.

But, I mean, the people who sing a cover had to know the lyrics, right? D:

 

[BloatedGuppy]

I'm on team manic. She was clearly symbolically naked in the vid, too, which is rarely a good sign.

I'm pretty sure noticing that gets you on an FBI watch list, knack.

But, I mean, the people who sing a cover had to know the lyrics, right? D:

Eh. Hehehe. I shit you not, one of them said "When you slow it down, it almost sounds sad".

 

[lacktheknack]

I'm on team manic. She was clearly symbolically naked in the vid, too, which is rarely a good sign.

I'm pretty sure noticing that gets you on an FBI watch list, knack.

Oh, the ludicrously ridiculous arguments I've had about this. ;____;

But, I mean, the people who sing a cover had to know the lyrics, right? D:

Eh. Hehehe. I shit you not, one of them said "When you slow it down, it almost sounds sad".

Wat.

In other news, Lily Wood and the Prick's "Prayer in C" is actually a bitter screed - shocker, I know - and Fall Out Boy's "Uma Thurman" isn't actually about anything. I don't know how other people hear these songs, but clearly they're not hearing the same thing as me.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

as mentioned, covers can be both good and bad, I don't think someone has to stay particularly "faithful" to the original, but to at least give credit where credit is due, I've seen some insane covers that sounded almost nothing like the original, but definitely worked and were awesome to listen to.

I'm not sure if I will list any of my covers that I like though...besides the johny cash "hurt" (which I don't like) I don't think I've heard of a single cover played in this thread, some clashing music tastes in here.

 

[kitsunefather]

Personally, I enjoy a cover; especially if the artist's native tone is vastly distinct from that of the original song. Rasputina's cover of "Wish You Were Here" and Kelly Sweet's "Dream On" spring quickly to mind.

It's actually a discussion I often have with friends when the subject of music comes up. I'd like to hear someone like Katy Perry cover Tool's "Eulogy". I absolutely loved Type O Negative's cover of "Possession".

Now that I think about it, I really want to hear Adele do "Paint it Black".

Basically, I'm in the "even when it's bad, it can be interesting" camp.

 

[Silverbeard]

So this new cover of Sound of Silence came out this week

Just for the record, the cover did not come out 'this week'. It was on Disturbed's Immortalized album which came out at the end of August, I believe.
I do love it, though. I'd never have imagined Draiman and co. could put on a softer style of tune and still make it work.

 

[Asita]

Have you ever heard Marc Cohen's Walking in Memphis?

Spoiler

It's a nice enough song, but to me it's the kind of thing I think of as background music, it's just...there. Compare that for a minute to Lonestar's rendition of the song.

Spoiler

There's just so much more energy in it, and I think that really works for the song. Cohen's version has me sit back and listen, Lonestar's gets me singing along.

 

[freaper]

One type of cover I really like is the one that juxtaposes the original's music, usually for comedic effect:

Spoiler

 

[FPLOON]

Well... uh... there is this one Glee cover...

Spoiler: Wrecking Ball

Yeah... I still can't believe it myself...

(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...)

Which reminds me... I prefer Glee's version of Umbrella... (slightly...)

Spoiler: Singing In The Rain/Umbrella

I mean, I never was a fan of the original by Rihanna (despite only liking Jay-Z's edit, at most), however I would be lying to you if I said that I wasn't singing along to this version... (despite always preferring the original "Singing In The Rain" from Gene Kelly...)

Thanks, past me! I know you'll like the series finale of Glee, by the way...

Other than that, I think this is the definitive cover of J-Kwon's Tipsy:

Spoiler: Warning: Moe as FUCK!

 

[Nazulu]

They allow artists to pay tribute to a classic.

Never agreed with the popular Hurt cover from Johnny Cash. He just turned it into a simple pop song and completely took away the unique feel the original has. The style that was so interesting about NIN.

The obvious one is the All The Watch Tower cover from Jimi Hendrix, even Bob Dylan said it became his.

Also, I'm amazed Peter Gabriel's cover of My Body Is Cage has been mentioned, by none other than the great Fox12 too.

Here is some covers I believe improved over the original, by a lot:

Spoiler

Ok, this ones a remix, but I don't give a shit.

And this one cracks me up nearly every time. Watch the vid closely.

 

[Godhead]

It depends on the artist. As previously mentioned All Along the Watchtower was a great cover by Hendrix, and I'm fairly sure I have only ever seen a cover of Mad World in the media. On the other hand you can also get a lot of really janky covers as well.

Spoiler: Though to be honest, this cover blows everything else out of the water. Covers are over, nothing can top this.

 

[Buckets]

I chose option 3 - I love some cover versions, some are just downright hideous.
I even like the crazy Richard Cheese style of stuff, amusing and pretty creative considering the total change of musical styles.

Some of the covers change the original so much that they become a whole new animal, which often works in their favour for example Lorde-Everybody Wants to Rule the World, Gary Jules- Mad World, Johnny Cash - Hurt, Pet Shop Boys - Always on my Mind are a few that come to mind.

Also Wow, that Disturbed song was beautiful. I love the original, and there is no doubt this is a great tribute to that one.

 

[Eddie the head]

I tend to like them if they're done by bands who's sound I like more. For example Sabaton doing Twilight of the Thunder God.

Spoiler: Ragnarok awaits

Not that I dislike Amon Amarth, its just I like Sabaton's sound better.

 

[Cowabungaa]

I even like the crazy Richard Cheese style of stuff, amusing and pretty creative considering the total change of musical styles.

Yup, that's my pick too. Neither the good, the bad or the ugly, but the hilarious:





Seriously man I just

I'm way too fond of laughing my ass off.