Cover songs you find as good (or better) than the original work.

[BoingoTango]

THERE'S DINOSAURS IN VIETNAM!!!!

It's his dad's song, but whatever. Also could provide a valuable lesson to all you virgin cucks out there.

Spoiler: The virgin Marty Robbins

VS

Spoiler: The Chad Johnny Cash

This is one of Johnny Cash's really shitty covers. I love Johnny cash, but whoo boy. Though, not as bad as 16 tons. He has such a good voice, he should've been able to do this flawlessly, but he just somehow took all the soul out of it, I don't know how...

 

[CumDumpster]

Oh hey, that's the single release, isn't it? I didn't realize that was even up on Youtube anywhere.

It's easier to find the album cut of the song than the version included on the single, as that's what tends to happen after an album's release.

 

[BisquitDoughHandsMan]

Any Van Halen cover, really.

Spoiler: You Really Got Me

The first single Black Sabbath ever released was a cover of a Crow song. It was nice showing my dad up on Boomer music trivia with this one.

Spoiler: Evil Woman

This one only counts as a technicality, since the original was quietly released by the writer (Steve Goodman) and played live before David Allan Coe did the cover and actually got people to listen to it.

Spoiler: You Never Even Called Me By My Name

I'd also bring up Blind Guardian's take on Barbara Ann, but it's just goofy.

 

[Sylvie Paula Paula]

Rate me autistic all you want, but the Evanescence version of Lacrymosa is the superior one.

Also, while I enjoy both, I prefer the Ghost version of I'm A Marionette.

 

[Krokodil Overdose]

There's a few obvious ones here. The Motorhead cover of "Cat Scratch Fever" is a head and shoulders above the original.

Soft Cell's gender-flipped cover of "Tainted Love" is so ubiquitous that people forget it's a cover. Admittedly this may be a matter of taste.

Johnny Cash (again) hit it out of the park by when he covered "Personal Jesus" turning Depeche Mode's fedora-tipping into something good.

 

[Red Hood]

I don't really consider this "better" than the original but it's on the same level as the Allman Brothers' version.

This one is in every way superior to the original though.

 

[Radioactive Man]

RATM have done a lot of covers that I would say are better than the originals.... everyone else falls short when they try to cover a rage track though. (If anyone has any covers of Rage they think are better than the originals I'd love to see them)

Spoiler: Pistol Grip Pump

Pistol Grip Pump - by Volume 10

Video of the underground classic

youtu.be

Rage Against the Machine - Pistol Grip Pump

Please subscribe

youtu.be

Spoiler: Ghost of Tom Joad

Bruce Springsteen-The Ghost of Tom Joad.wmv

youtu.be

Rage Against The Machine - The Ghost of Tom Joad (HQ)

The Ghost of Tom Joad from the cover album Renegades.

youtu.be

 

[Judge Holden]

Motorhead's cover of Ozzy's Hellraiser

Ozzy's original

Lemmy's cover in which he beats Pinhead in poker

 

[Positron]

I just posted this in the "songs that gives you feels" thread, but I much prefer Mark Graham's take on Laura Nyro's "And When I Die".

The original overheats right from the start:

Mark Graham's cover conveys a sense of world-weariness much more effectively. The gentle resignation, paradoxically, gives it strength:

 

[From The Uncanny Valley]

 

[Fek]

Nightwish - The Phantom of the Opera

I love Sarah Brightman but Tarja is amazing. The end gives me goosebumps. The guy is kinda meh but he fits this version, I guess. Michael Crawford best Phantom though.

I think the dynamic between Marco and Tarja made that extra special. It probably helped getting to see it live like this, too.

Phone posting with a dying battery so I won't link it just now but compare House of the Rising Sun by The Animals with Dolly Parton's version.

That was very, very 80s sounding.

I know someone's bound to disagree with me, but the cover of Zombie that Bad Wolves released after Dolores O'Riordan's death was kind of good.

Other than "in 2018," I didn't mind that cover one bit. I think that largely has to do with people using "it's 20xx, people!" in politics ad nauseam more than it is the song's fault, though.

Distubed - The Sound of Silence

I appreciate how much care and effort went into their rendition of the song. Apparently, David went through some pretty extensive vocal coaching to perform the song as he did.

Monster Magnet - Into the Void
A Perfect Circle - The Nurse Who Loved Me

Monster Magnet was a pretty enjoyable band back in the day.

A Perfect Circle also released a very dissonant and haunting cover of a rather famous older song. The original actually never really struck a chord with me, but the cover? I could appreciate for the instrumental portion at least.

I think the cover really fit into the nihilism plaguing the 90s and early 00s. It turned the original more spirited and somewhat optimistic song into uh, how to phrase it.. Into what it might sound like if the song had somehow taken on a life of its own and lived to see the state of the world in the time of the cover's release. Something like that, anyway (enjoy your word salad).

Beyond that, I can think of another good example of "just as good as the original," in my opinion:

Gary kinda laid the groundwork for bands proceeding him by many years, such as Nine Inch Nails. He was very far ahead of his time, I'd say (that song came out in 1979, just btw).

This is a pretty faithful to the original remake that brings the original into a more modern (lollate90s) era. If you watch the video, you might see a surprise guest appearance, too..

 

[MZ 052]

Anal Cunt - Stayin' Alive (Oi! Version)

From the Top 40 Hits album.

www.youtube.com

this is the ultimate cover song

 

[ShittyRecolor]

 

[BoingoTango]

I don't really consider this "better" than the original but it's on the same level as the Allman Brothers' version.

Hank did it better, imo. Appreciate the surprising amount of Outlaw Country respect in this thread though.

 

[BoingoTango]

MORE HANK JR COVERS

I almost feel like this is cheating because Bocephus did so many covers

Bonus Unknown Hinson's I fought the law. I wish I could find a better version of this somewhere. When I saw him live he did this song and it was really badass, just hard to find a good recording

 

[Pargon]

I try not to be too staunch a defender of my most beloved originals (but y'all nuts about that Orgy cover of Blue Monday being superior):

This one's pretty faithful but there's some heavier reverb on the hook that makes it punchier. Also apologies for the vid but the original music video is social awareness bullshit:

Meg Myers manages to do what few can do and not insult Kate Bush:

I don't think it's a superior version but I think a quieter, more wounded and desperate take is really appropriate for this song:

 

[1Tonka_Truck]

Lots of good cover already mentioned, but nobody brought up All Along the Watchtower. I didn't know this wasn't a Jimi Hendrix original until a couple years ago. It's so much better than Bob Dylan's version that I wish I could go back to my ignorance.

I don't know how I forgot Bad Company.

 

[Sevatonius]

I'm not going to start shit about people here thinking the Hurt cover is better, I'm not going to start shit about people here thinking the Hurt cover is better, I'm not going to start shit about people here thinking the Hurt cover is better....

Okay enough stanning, here's something from Reznor.

 

[Non-Threatening Niall]

I'll see myself out.

 

[Dolphin Lundgren]

I enjoy Whitney Houston's version of I'm Every Woman more than Chaka Khan's.

Also Gloria Estefan doing Everlasting Love.