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

[Hornbein]

Orig. I think that drumming is terrific. I don't know why Alex doesn't get on those lists of best rock drummers. He's #51 on the Rolling Stone list. Too late to the party I guess. He wasn't special in his early days and first impressions are lasting.



Cover. Much lower in pitch.

 

[Hornbein]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashmir_(song)

Kevin Gilbert would have made it to stardom but he died young.



This song was rejected for a Led Zeppelin tribute album (!). He released it to a local radio station. Listeners called in and said I gotta hear that again. The good old days.

 

[Hornbein]

 

[robphy]

Sammy Hagar covering Good Times Bad Times

Here's the video that got Yoyoka ( https://www.youtube.com/@yoyoka_soma , https://vimeo.com/yoyoka ) noticed—-it was for a drumming contest.

https://www.moderndrummer.com/2021/...-contestant-2021-jr-global-ambassador-4-4-21/

In 2018, at the age of 8, she became the youngest weekly champion in the under-18 category of the Hit Like A Girl Contest.

(2018) Good Times Bad Times - LED ZEPPELIN / Cover by Yoyoka , 8 year old drummer

- Robert Plant reacts to 8-year-old girl playing Led Zeppelin on drums

 

[robphy]

"Desert Song" (Schenker & Bonnet) from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assault_Attack (1982)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Schenker_Group
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham_Bonnet

Although recorded in 1982 ( Desert Song - studio version, 2009 remaster ) ,
Schenker and Bonnet didn't perform it on stage until 2015 (according to this video from Osaka 2015 posted by Bonnet). The next video has the best quality on stage

(2018) "Desert Song" Michael Schenker Fest@TLA Philadelphia 3/11/18 - (Schenker is 63 and Graham is 70)


Here is the earliest version I could find for
"Desert Song" on stage with Bonnet (1984, with 20-year-old Yngwie in Alcatrazz)

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(2022) Desert Song / Michael Schenker Group / M.S.G. /マイケルシェンカー / Graham Bonnet / グラハムボネット 【歌ってみた】【叩いてみた】 - 木村"HIRO"洋幸 HIRO KIMURA


(2022) Desert Song - MSG Cover by Taz Taylor Band


Here is Graham at 75.
GRAHAM BONNET - "Desert Song" Token Lounge Westland Michigan June 16, 2023


Honorable mention:
- (2017) 직장인밴드 Michael Schenker Group - Desert Song [cover by Renegade Band]

 

[Hornbein]

Emmylou Harris. From a great album, At The Ryman. It may have saved that venue.



"We'll make the dream a reality. Because our hearts tell us so." -- Stevie Wonder

 

[Hornbein]

I saw Yuki in a Nagoya club that was so small it held only about 25 people standing. No tables or chairs. This isn't unusual. Also in Tokyo in a club with 100 standing people tightly packed together. I can attest that Yuki can play like that in real life.

Here's the orig.

 

[Hornbein]

Sebonzakura. This is a song that everyone in Japan knows. I think of it as the unofficial national anthem of Japan. The real anthem is dirgelike and gloomy.

Cover by a string quartet.



Here's the original.

 

[Hornbein]

Orig by Little Richard. Wow! How can music like this be forgotten?



Cover of Frank Zappa/Sugarcane Harris's cover

 

[Hornbein]

Original by Steely Dan.



Donald Fagen was first employed on Tin Pan Alley, the center of commercial music in New York City. Does such a center still exist?

Cover by two guitars.



Mononeon brings da funk.

 

[Hornbein]

Has the world ever been gifted with a greater work of genius than the Nutcracker Suite? I think not. In general the turn of the century Russian composers dominated. Maybe if it weren't for politics they would be even more famous than they are.

 

[Hornbein]

Orig of Time Is On My Side



Cover. When bands were still wearing suit and tie.

 

[pinball1970]

Original by Steely Dan.



Donald Fagen was first employed on Tin Pan Alley, the center of commercial music in New York City. Does such a center still exist?

Cover by two guitars.



Mononeon brings da funk.

The bass guy?? He is playing a right handed 5 string upside down? EDIT: With a sock on his neck. That rings a bell.

 

[pinball1970]

Original by Steely Dan.



Donald Fagen was first employed on Tin Pan Alley, the center of commercial music in New York City. Does such a center still exist?

Cover by two guitars.



Mononeon brings da funk.

The kid on the acoustic doesn't need that bass, it's good enough on its own.

 

[jack action]

Orig of Time Is On My Side

Apparently, this is the original version:

​

It comes with a nice little story:

Dionne Warwick, Dee Dee Warwick & Cissy Houston combined for the vocal on this original (largely wordless) version of the song, top-credited to jazz-pop trombonist Winding, former player in the Benny Goodman and Stan Kenton bands who had released the hit instrumental “More” earlier in 1963 and was best-remembered in some jazz circles for his trombone duet recordings with J. J. Johnson. Jimmy Norman later wrote the additional lyrics that were included on the subsequent releases by Irma Thomas and The Rolling Stones.

 

[Hornbein]

The kid on the acoustic doesn't need that bass, it's good enough on its own.

It's possible that it's automated to double the guitar part. I saw Steve Morse do that on stage 40 years ago.

I'd guess not though.

 

[pinball1970]

It's possible that it's automated to double the guitar part. I saw Steve Morse do that on stage 40 years ago.

I'd guess not though.

Think I saw him with Garth Rocket and the Moonshiners. 89ish

 

[Hornbein]

Dang that guy can sing. Japanese men have an advantage in rock singing because their voices tend to be high.



Not a cover but I like this guy too. Even higher. And the guitarists are great. Too bad they couldn't make it far enough.



Nothing else quite like a pink Marshall stack.

 

[Hornbein]

They did not change the gender?

They did. Changed boy to girl, him to her. She won't accept her inamorato messing around with other women.

Did you know Diana Ross dated Gene Simmons?

 

[Hornbein]

Orig [Detroit]



Cover [LA]



Diana gets me vote.

 

[pinball1970]

They did. Changed boy to girl, him to her. She won't accept her inamorato messing around with other women.

Did you know Diana Ross dated Gene Simmons?

Whoops got my genders/relationships mixed up, easy to do.

Gene Simons? I would not have put them two together.

 

[pinball1970]

Orig [Detroit]



Cover [LA]



Diana gets me vote.

Beatles

 

[pinball1970]

Beatles

It always throws me when Paul is doing the low harmony as he tends to sound like John, a little droney and nasal. In fact they all have that which is why they were so unique as a unit, they sounded like one voice at times.
Low harmony from Paul, this, Get back and dirty Maggie and parts of dont let me down (I think) Not many.

 

[jack action]

Gene Simons? I would not have put them two together.

Is it that hard to imagine?

​

Maybe it is easier to imagine him with Cher:

 

[Hornbein]

Boney M -- Rasputin



Cover by Aurora

 

[robphy]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Diver (1983)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dio_(band)

(1984) Dio • “Holy Diver” • 1984 [Reelin' In The Years Archive]

- Dio-Holy Diver(Jazzy Version) [Andy Rehfeldt's Variety Show] - top comment: "Smooth Diver"

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(2019) Liliac - Holy Diver

- Holy Diver - Liliac (Official Cover Music Video)

(2009) Killswitch Engage - Holy Diver [OFFICIAL VIDEO] - 46M views


(2021) Holy Diver (acoustic cover by Sandra Szabo and Sonia Anubis) -- really good vocals


(2014) Holy Diver by Steve'n'Seagulls (LIVE) -- unique interpretation


(2024) Primus - Holy Diver live with Puddles Pity Party (Dio cover) 8-10-24 Big Flats, NY

- Puddles Pity Party - Holy Diver - Dio - Mellow Metal Style

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Honorable mention

• (2023) Paul Gilbert — “Holy Diver” | Live at Sweetwater
• (2010) Jack Black sings | Holy Diver | Late Night With Jimmy Fallon
• (2021) Holy Diver (Dio); By The Iron Cross
• (2019) BURNING WITCHES - "Holy Diver"

 

[Hornbein]

Wanda Jackson, Fujiyama Mama



To my surprise there are dozens of covers of this, including by The Clash(!). I'm not willing to listen to those but this one by the Yellow Magic Band in 1978 must be hard to beat. It's a little known fact that along with Kraftwerk they invented techno.



Hmmm, I recognize that artist's style. He did the cover for the J version of Miles Davis' Agharta. It's Tadanori Yokoo.

 

[Hornbein]

Skip ahead to 0:29.



Did Simon add that new verse? It's great. And it's nice to see Mark Zuckerberg has chosen to make an honest living for a change.

Same for Jay Bhattacharya.

​

 

[robphy]

( continuing with covers of Michael Schenker )
Captain Nemo (1983)
from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Built_to_Destroy_(Michael_Schenker_Group_album)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Schenker_Group

MSG - 01 - Captain Nemo [Hammersmith '83]

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Captain Nemo-Michael Schenker by Minerva Pla
- has other covers of Michael Schenker


Haruka Kageyama - Captain Nemo [MSG]


どえらいうまいCAPTAIN NEMO☆稲ちゃん♪ (a friend of SATSUMA3042)

- SATSUMA304's CAPTAIN NEMO☆マイケルシェンカーグループ

Captain Nemo - Michael Schenker cover by Xavier ( Xavi Martinez ) - backing track and lead
- has other covers of Michael Schenker



Captain Nemo Megumi♡Kei - very nice duet with an Electric Violin and a wind synthesizer EWI

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Honorable mention:

• Captain Nemo / Michael Schenker Group【guitar cover】by 美弦-まだ見たことのないセカイ【MADASEKA】 - has other covers of Michael Schenker
• Captain Nemo / Michael Schenker　ギター　タブ譜　弾いてみた　大隈秀徳　Hide Okuma　Guitar　tab　くまT　レインボーミュージック
• Michael Schenker - Captain Nemo by Kelly SIMONZ

 

[sbrothy]

Nevermore - Sound of Silence

I think we all know the original.