Cover songs versus the original track, which ones are better?

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SUMMARY

This discussion centers on the comparative analysis of cover songs versus their original versions, highlighting specific examples such as Johnny Cash's cover of "Hurt" and Jimi Hendrix's rendition of "All Along the Watchtower." Participants argue that the quality of a cover is subjective, often depending on personal taste and the context in which the songs are experienced. Notable mentions include The Residents' cover of "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" and the contrasting styles of Simon & Garfunkel versus Disturbed. The conversation emphasizes the importance of interpretation and arrangement in determining whether a cover enhances or detracts from the original work.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of music theory and arrangement techniques
  • Familiarity with notable cover songs and their original counterparts
  • Knowledge of subjective versus objective analysis in music critique
  • Awareness of the cultural impact of iconic artists like Johnny Cash and Jimi Hendrix
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the impact of Jimi Hendrix's "All Along the Watchtower" on music history
  • Explore the nuances of music interpretation in cover songs
  • Analyze the critical reception of Johnny Cash's "Hurt" compared to the original by Nine Inch Nails
  • Investigate the role of personal bias in music appreciation and critique
USEFUL FOR

Music enthusiasts, critics, and artists interested in the dynamics of cover songs versus originals, as well as anyone exploring the subjective nature of musical interpretation and performance.

  • #2,191
Someone told me this was the worst cover in the world. I think it's really good, the drummer especially. Shows how subjective this stuff is.

 
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  • #2,192
Hornbein said:
Someone told me this was the worst cover in the world. I think it's really good, the drummer especially. Shows how subjective this stuff is.



Here's a video of this song on stage

(Nov 2025) Black Sabbitch "The Wizard"


They sound good to me... and I really like "The Wizard".
 
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  • #2,193
Hiroshima Mon Amour (1983)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Parole_from_Rock_'n'_Roll
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcatrazz

It was newborn and ten feet tall
But they called it little boy
And C7, H5, O6, N3 they called him
T-N-T

https://genius.com/Alcatrazz-hiroshima-mon-amour-lyrics

Hiroshima Mon Amour | Alcatrazz 1984 ( Nakano Sun Plaza, Tokyo , January 28, 1984 )

Yngwie is 21 here. Graham is 36.
https://www.songfacts.com/facts/alcatrazz/hiroshima-mon-amour
  • Alcatrazz lead singer Graham Bonnet wrote the lyrics to this song, which are about the nuclear bombs that America dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945, effectively ending World War II.

    Bonnet was inspired by the 1959 French film Hiroshima Mon Amour, (translation: "Hiroshima My Love"), which he had seen in school. The film recounts the Hiroshima bombing and tells of the human suffering in the aftermath. "We played in Japan a lot, and I thought this would be a nice little tribute to what happened," Bonnet said in our 2013 interview. "I was always horrified by what happened. And Hiroshima, my love, it was like, goddamn, you know, I didn't want that to happen again. So I read up a little bit about it, and that's how that came about. It was something I thought should never have happened. It was just a horrible thing. I couldn't believe that the Americans would do this, or anybody would do that to anybody. It was sort of a protest song in a way."


Following an internal disagreement and split in 2020, there are currently two separate and distinct Alcatrazz line-ups, one featuring Bonnet, and another featuring Waldo and Shea.

The Waldo-Shea Alcatrazz lineup [Waldo (keyboards & backing vocals) and Shea (bass & backing vocals)] features Joe Stump on guitar and Giles Lavery on vocals. This lineup just re-recorded some classic songs from the Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai eras in (2025) Prior Convictions .

So, this selection is a different type of "cover".

(2024) ALCATRAZZ -"Hiroshima Mon Amour" (Giles Lavery vocals) The King Of Clubs Columbus Ohio April 3, 2024


-- To me, it's hard to top Graham Bonnet on these songs.

(2014) ALCATRAZZ - HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR [Full band collaboration cover] - Drums by Pauly G (Australia) plus others from Mexico, Romania, Japan


(2016) Alcatrazz - Hiroshima Mon Amour [보컬커버 - 와일드정] Vocalist 와일드정 -vocal cover


(2013) Hiroshima Mon Amor(ALCATRAZZ) from MEGATON CLUB - Kelly SIMONZ ケリーサイモン




Honorable mention
(2010) Yngwie Malmsteen - Hiroshima Mon Amour (Resurrection)
(2025) Alcatrazz Hiroshima Mon Amour 2025 cover - TheTenkop - instrumental cover (is this AI or processed MIDI?)
(2025) Wolfman & Engvay - Hiroshima Mon Amour (Alcatrazz Cutting Room Floor Clip) - playthrough
 
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  • #2,194
 
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  • #2,195
If your parents don't hate it then it isn't rock.

 
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  • #2,196
Hornbein said:
If your parents don't hate it then it isn't rock.


Forget all the pop rubbish that girl can sing. Her band did a great job too. Very authentic sound, even with the electric kit.....yikes!
 
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  • #2,197
Here is another girl who can sing, the lead is Yvonne Elliman but she ok with sticking Murray Head and Ian Gillan in there because they are easy parts to sing yes?



The original. Elliman was 18 when she recorded the Album in 1969.

 
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  • #2,198
Hornbein said:

That is nuts.

Band. Hey let's do some Stevie.

Drummer. Which one?

Band. I wish, I have this cheeky arrangement already recorded piano and backing track. It's sort of samba ish. I'll sing you a bit.
(Plays track, singer sings a bit)

Drummer. No.
 
  • #2,199
Hornbein said:
Someone told me this was the worst cover in the world. I think it's really good, the drummer especially. Shows how subjective this stuff is.


That's awful! What on earth are the drums doing?
 
  • #2,200
Hornbein said:
If your parents don't hate it then it isn't rock.


This from Glasto

 
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  • #2,201
Note the electronic wizardry. He writes that the guitar can even sing!



Encore!

 
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  • #2,202
robphy said:
Here's a video of this song on stage

(Nov 2025) Black Sabbitch "The Wizard"


They sound good to me... and I really like "The Wizard".

This is quite funny actually. I am in a Black Sabbath tribute band and our singer is always going on about this band, how bad they are. He was almost apoplectic when found out they had sold out at a large venue when we had just done a gig to about 30 people!
Just a gimmick it's all girls, just a bit a fun.
However listening to the drums and harmonica.......yeesh!
 
  • #2,203
Hornbein said:
Note the electronic wizardry. He writes that the guitar can even sing!



Encore!


Walter is such a lovely guy, he responds to pretty much every comment I make on his videos.
His technique is exquisite, feel beautiful and arrangements jazzy, complex without being pretentious.
He did one track with his daughter singing, absolutely adorable, check it out.
Bass at 1:13 ha ha!
 
  • #2,204
pinball1970 said:
robphy said:
Here's a video of this song on stage

(Nov 2025) Black Sabbitch "The Wizard"


They sound good to me... and I really like "The Wizard".


This is quite funny actually. I am in a Black Sabbath tribute band and our singer is always going on about this band, how bad they are. He was almost apoplectic when found out they had sold out at a large venue when we had just done a gig to about 30 people!
Just a gimmick it's all girls, just a bit a fun.
However listening to the drums and harmonica.......yeesh!


I'm just an armchair (and amateur) fan (not a professional like you :wink:)
who appreciates that classic heavy metal
is being played these days
by a variety of folks that are different from those who first played it.
 
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  • #2,205
robphy said:
I'm just an armchair (and amateur) fan (not a professional like you :wink:)
who appreciates that classic heavy metal
is being played these days
by a variety of folks that are different from those who first played it.
I'm not a professional, I'm a part time, tribute band, wannabe rock star OAP (Not far off anyway)
Your opinion is just as important as anyone else's because art is about how people react, are moved. It is individual, subjective and from the heart.
 
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  • #2,206
pinball1970 said:
That's awful! What on earth are the drums doing?
That's 3-1 for likes on Black Sabbitch by my count. :) I'm not a musician, though, so probably my vote may be weighted accordingly. I like it because it has that garage-band sound of rock, raw, and, though harmonica doesn't sound great, her voice makes up for it.
 
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  • #2,207
Today I learned Dream On was a cover by Helix, originally done by Nazareth:



​
 
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  • #2,208
Dig the one note guitar solo.



 
  • #2,209




I find the cover far superior. That's the only cover Fit For Rivals ever did. They didn't get far but I think they're great. They had it all. Once they came to Michigan. I was willing to drive 250 miles to see them in Flint but none of my friends wanted to go.

 
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  • #2,210
difalcojr said:
Not sure if this one in thread,...
https://www.liquisearch.com/positively_4th_street/cover_versions. List of covers.
Not sure what language script this is, but a short bit of Dylan original.



Dylan said Johnny Rivers' version was better than his.

Byrds' version with the Byrds' sound. Distinct voice of Roger McGuinn.

More Merl Saunders/Jerry Garcia

That script is Korean. Lots of ovals.
 
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  • #2,211
44th st. Is in midtown. (PositiveIy) 4th st. Is in Greenwich Village. From East village to West village
IMG_20251126_094128.webp
 
  • #2,212
morrobay said:
44th st. Is in midtown. (PositiveIy) 4th st. Is in Greenwich Village. From East village to West villageView attachment 367739
Near to my home in Washtenaw county was the crossroads of Nixon and Blewitt.
 
  • #2,213
The orig



Cover


​

 
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  • #2,214
Hornbein said:
The orig



Cover


​


The chords are so gorgeous this will sound great on anything, this is piano but I think a Rhodes would be best.

 
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  • #2,215
Not a cover but clearly a Rolling Stones tribute. I'm impressed that they can get that groove. No one else seems to be able to do it. They do cheat by double tracking the guitar and organ, but we can overlook that. Maybe they can't find anyone else in Japan with this ability.

 
  • #2,216
pinball1970 said:
The chords are so gorgeous this will sound great on anything, this is piano but I think a Rhodes would be best.


I really don't like digital pianos. I bought a highly recommended one and in a month I was so sick of its unresonant sound that I gave it away. The fake Rhodes though can be very good. Even there the real thing rules, but a real Rhodes is heavy, expensive, and high maintenance so not worth it. It's been reissued and allegedly has been improved.

The Rhodes MK8 costs $9,999.00, has a 3-month lead time, is built to order, and has limited supply of 500 per year.

But is it any good? I won't buy anything without playing it in real life. The old Fender Rhodes were very inconsistent. Most of them were too distorted. I'm told there were two good ones in Los Angeles that were used for all those pretty recordings. I'll stick with my $300 untrustworthy fake Rhodes, which I quite like.
 
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  • #2,217


 
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  • #2,218
crutchfield.com. Large U.S. A/V retail company. Thought you musicians might like to see this recent catalog photo or check out the website on the Fender guitars and amps, etc. for sale.
1764271322292.webp
 
  • #2,219
Hornbein said:


Had not heard this since it first came out in U.S., forgotten until now! They still sound good now here:

 
  • #2,220
 

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