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

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The discussion centers around the merits of cover songs compared to their originals, exploring which covers are considered better and which should have been avoided. The subjective nature of evaluating music is emphasized, with opinions varying widely based on personal taste. Notable examples include Jimi Hendrix's cover of "All Along the Watchtower," which many argue surpasses Bob Dylan's original, and Johnny Cash's rendition of "Hurt," which evokes deep emotion. Other covers, such as those by Eva Cassidy and the Bare Naked Ladies, are praised for their unique interpretations that enhance the originals. Conversely, some covers are criticized for lacking originality or failing to add anything new, with specific songs mentioned as examples of covers that should have been left alone. The conversation also touches on the broader implications of musical interpretation, the role of the listener in evaluating art, and the complexities of genre classification, particularly in jazz. Overall, the thread highlights the rich landscape of music covers, showcasing both celebrated interpretations and those deemed unnecessary.
  • #1,591
Meanwhile in the Department of Bad Covers...



They can't get the title right. It's Give Up The Funk.
 
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  • #1,593
Hornbein said:
Meanwhile in the Department of Bad Covers...



They can't get the title right. It's Give Up The Funk.

Cmon. Not the easiest, see how many players? Should have one drummer to make it tighter. Snare, cut through.
 
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  • #1,594
pinball1970 said:
Cmon. Not the easiest, see how many players? Should have one drummer to make it tighter. Snare, cut through.
I'm used to Japanese marching bands. A Japanese middle school band is about as good as a USA music college band. This is a nation where millions of people have been playing music diligently since age three.



Last time I was in Tokyo I attended a concert by the high school orchestra that is attached to the number one music college. It was just as good as the pros.
 
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  • #1,595
I have always liked Satsuma3042's videos showing how to play songs by Van Halen, Yngwie Malmsteen, etc...
usually filmed in his restaurant.

Here's a recent video:
(2024) VAN HALEN TRIBUTE BAND from Japan / PON HALEN feat SATSUMA3042
Panama, Running With The Devil, ...


(2011) Mean Street/VAN HALEN ( SATSUMA3042 )


and my current favorite song
(2021) Ozzy Osbourne - Over the mountain / YOYOKA's 12th Birthday Session (with SATSUMA3042 )


(older references to SATSUMA3042 in this thread)
 
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  • #1,596
Gram Parsons and Emmy Lou.

 
  • #1,597
This made me look up "Love Hurts", which I didn't know was an Everly Brothers original. I like it:



But the Nazareth version is unbeatable. The raspy voice seems necessary to render the emotion of that song. Lots of covers which just render hommage to Nazareth's version. Notable is this female version with Gabriela Gunčíková's voice:



Having both male and female raspy voices with Tom Keifer (from Cinderella) & Joanna Dean:



On the softer side, Joan Jett's softer voice with a somewhat heavier guitar gives a nice result:



On the acoustic side, the very soft - yet powerful - voice of Emily Linge is just great:



Finally, Dee Snider gives his cover version which is at least different and interesting:

 
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  • #1,598
 
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  • #1,599
Doesn't she seem like the nicest person in the world?



This is a cover of the theme song for the anime A Certain Scientific Railgun, which is about neither science nor railguns. (Who ever said art has to make sense?) It's about middle school girls who use their superpowers to preserve order, protecting the good from evil by taking down street criminals. I would trust that singer to protect me with superpower. She seems suffused with incorruptible goodness.

She also covers Demon Slayer, which a few years ago was a big fad. You saw it everywhere. One of the characters is a girl who is transformed into demon with an overwhelming desire to consume human flesh. Her brother goes to great lengths to help her with the unprecedented achievement of resisting this hunger and using her new demon powers for goodness instead of evil. Among these measures is wearing a gag. This was during COVID so I think this hooked into the mass wearing of medical masks.

1736050193181.png


Something tells me that not far below the very polite surface in the hearts of Japan lurk warriors most fierce. The USA wants the Japanese to rearm. I think that's a really bad idea. Once you get a powerful army you are tempted to use it. It wasn't long ago that they did that. Stick with anime. As someone once said to me of Bali,

That’s why they have such an orderly society. If not, all hell would break loose.
 
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  • #1,601
Stevie Ray Vaughan's Scuttle Buttin' (start at 1m10s):

covers by kids

(2020) Jasmine Star- Scuttle Buttin' (Stevie Ray Vaughan) (about 17 years old).



(2019) Scuttle Buttin - Stevie Ray Vaughan - Guitar Cover - Federica Golisano 15 Years OLD. (Italy.)
(solo &t=56s )



(2023) Scuttle Buttin' (Extended) by Melis Ogut (15 years old. Turkey.)
(solo &t=35s ) 6m48s





(2023) Scuttle buttin - Stevie ray Vaughan - Guitar by Evlee (Evlee is 15 years old. China.)
(solo &t=40s shreds with pitch harmonics )



earlier posts of covers of Scuttle Buttin
  • #553 (posted by @Hornbein) Scuttle Buttin' (Stevie Ray Vaughan) - IREE from Rolling Quartz @ 2nd Solo Concert 2022 DEC 10
  • #556 (posted by me) ASTERISM 『Scuttle Buttin』(Stevie Ray Vaughan cover)2019/03/30
    (Hal-Ca is 16 years old.)
 
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  • #1,602
Hornbein said:
Doesn't she seem like the nicest person in the world?


Have you noticed that some lyrics are in English?

At 1:01 and 3:31, she really says:

Looking!
The blitz loop this planet to search way
Only my RAILGUN can shoot it


At 2:02, she really says:

Sparkling!
The shiny light true desire
Only my RAILGUN can shoot it


I could have never noticed without the lyrics.
 
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  • #1,603
jack action said:
Have you noticed that some lyrics are in English?

At 1:01 and 3:31, she really says:

Looking!
The blitz loop this planet to search way
Only my RAILGUN can shoot it


At 2:02, she really says:

Sparkling!
The shiny light true desire
Only my RAILGUN can shoot it


I could have never noticed without the lyrics.
Mixing in some English is common in J music. It is also common that I don't recognize it as English without the subtitles. Some bands even have their names in English, such as Bandmaid. Japanese words all end with either an s or a vowel so it's pronounced Banda-maido. One hears of "jazzu", at the supermarket you get a "receipto" and so forth. Oh and that pun is deliberate. Japanese is so ambiguous that punning is a national pastime. It's possible to speak a sentence that has hundreds of meanings.

In east Asia book titles are often in English even though the text is in the native language. That baffles me. The most extreme example might be Thailand. That's really the name of the country. Though it isn't English. It's German. The name changed from Siam when their model was Nazi Germany.
 
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  • #1,604
(1981) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don't_Stop_Believin'
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journey_(band)

(2010) Journey - Don't Stop Believin' (Live 1981: Escape Tour - 2022 HD Remaster) (with Steve Perry)

(2016) Journey - Don't Stop Believin' (Live 2009) [Official Video] (with Arnel Pineda)



(2024) Don't Stop Believin' by JOURNEY | Missioned Souls family band (studio) cover


(2018) Don't Stop Believin' - Journey; By The Iron Cross and friends


(2024) Don't Stop Believin' - Live Recording, Gold Coast, Australia - Elevation Live Band - nice vocals


(2017) Don't Stop Believin' - Journey (ONE TAKE Vintage Postmodern Jukebox Cover) - my favorite cover of this song

- PMJ Pop-Up: Don't Stop Believin' - Journey (Cover) ft. Rayvon Owen, Thia Megia & More (annotated with info)

Honorable mentions
 
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  • #1,607
What A Voice
 
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  • #1,609
French, ok, but it hits me like a bomb...

 
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  • #1,610
robphy said:
I have always liked Satsuma3042's videos showing how to play songs by Van Halen, Yngwie Malmsteen, etc...
usually filmed in his restaurant.

Here's a recent video:
(2024) VAN HALEN TRIBUTE BAND from Japan / PON HALEN feat SATSUMA3042
Panama, Running With The Devil, ...


(2011) Mean Street/VAN HALEN ( SATSUMA3042 )


and my current favorite song
(2021) Ozzy Osbourne - Over the mountain / YOYOKA's 12th Birthday Session (with SATSUMA3042 )


(older references to SATSUMA3042 in this thread)

We do "over the Mountain" in our tribute. That is a good version. How can the drummer hold the sticks like that but play so well?

And it's a kid!
 
  • #1,611
(These links don’t seem to work on my phone…. On a phone, choose the desktop version…. For the first URL, it should point to the 9th entry on the playlist.)

(2016) Igor Paspalj - Legato Etude from Hell
https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1h5411N7qx/?p=9
1736952934802.png

- https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/legato-etude-from-hell.115107/ (link to now-private video)

Igor Paspalj - Legato Etude from Hell (Slow Version)
https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1Ku4y1X7xa/
1736952963481.png




(2022) Legato Etude from Hell - Igor Paspalj - Cover by Evlee ( https://www.youtube.com/@Evlee. - trailing period in this URL is important)


 
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  • #1,612
morrobay said:

They did not change the gender?
 
  • #1,613
Arjan82 said:
French, ok, but it hits me like a bomb...


Lara's voice is hard to beat:


Speaking of Lara Fabian, she did a cover of Je suis malade de Serge Lama, also sung by Dalida.

THIS is the cover of covers. You can close this thread afterward. Fair warning: Every reaction video concerning this interpretation leaves most professional analysts speechless, with goosebumps, or even in tears. You've been warned if you don't get your tissue before listening.



OK, one more for the lovers of "Je t'aime" songs.

This is a cover of Que je t'aime, first sung by Johnny Hallyday, by a local artist, Sylvain Cossette:

 
  • #1,614
jack action said:
THIS is the cover of covers. You can close this thread afterward. Fair warning: Every reaction video concerning this interpretation leaves most professional analysts speechless, with goosebumps, or even in tears. You've been warned if you don't get your tissue before listening.



Actually I agree with this. I know this cover well, the first (and second and possibly third) time I heard this I was blown away...
 
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  • #1,615
 
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  • #1,618
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cult_of_Personality_(song) (1988)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Living_Colour

(2009) Living Colour - Cult Of Personality (Official Video)

- acoustic Corey Glover Cult of personality "(2022) Corey Glover at Mattingly’s Tavern in Florida NY 1/14/22" (great vocals and great acoustic guitar)
- (1989) Living Colour performing "Cult Of Personality" on Arsenio


(2023) School of Rock students perform "Cult Of Personality" by Living Colour



(2014) Cult Of Personality - Living Colour Acoustic Live Dustin Prinz



(2017) Cult of Personality | ‪@LivingColour‬ cover | ft. Mazz Swift - (Brass Against) - with electric violin



(2018) Cult Of Personality-Jesse Kinch(Living Colour Cover)-Live In Nashville 2018
 
  • #1,619
Orig by Edie Brickell. With a cameo by Barry White.





This is in Jakarta. Three of them have Balinese names. Dang that sax player is good.
 
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  • #1,620
Sammy Hagar covering Good Times Bad Times

 

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