Good songs where the cover is better know than the original

DT100

Christy Moore/Declan Synnot's version of Shine on you crazy diamond.

really reilly

look up a girl called...wallis bird and the song, just cant enough, on you tube,class or what

keefg

DT100 wrote: »

Christy Moore/Declan Synnot's version of Shine on you crazy diamond.

Erm.....doubt if that is better known than the original

rathgorma

Rufus Wainwright superb version of Hallelujah
Mary J Blige singing U2's One
Hal Ketchum doing Past the Point of Rescue
Mary Black improves every Jimmy mc Carthy song
Jimi Hendrix,, All along the watchtower
Eva Cassidy 'over the rainbow' but u cant beat Judy Garland

Mac Masters

You Really Got Me originally by The Kinks but most well known is the Van Halen version!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvyDWGF290M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HB8WHA3WWz0

This cover here isn't that well known but it is amazing it's an acoustic cover of Boyz N Tha Hood by Eazy-E!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34YV2Ads9Xk

I just can't stop listening to this!

CDfm

China Girl by Iggy Pop - Bowie did the cover version

Duckjob

It must be love - Madness / Labbi Siffre

oldyouth

keefg wrote: »

Never heard of this one?? Would have thought it was much more well known than Driving Home For Christmas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EBw_da7BZk

Chris Rea released it in 1978 and made the top 10 in the US. Elkie released it in the early 80's and made her a star in Britain. Lots of brilliant Chris Rea stuff out there (except for Driving Home for Christmas)

yerayeah

Mad World - originally by Tears for Fears, covered by Michael Andrews and Gary Jules

Live and Let Die - originally by Wings, covered by Guns n' Roses

American Woman - originally by The Guess Who, covered by LEnny Kravitz

davylee

keefg wrote: »

Red Red Wine by UB40 was much better known than Neil Diamond's version.


Come to think of it, every cover that UB40 did (and they did a lot) was probably better known that the original.

I knew diamond wrote it but i didn't think he ever released it?

cashback

I suppose most younger people would know The Fugee's version of Killing Me Softly better than Roberta Flack's.

CDfm

Tragedy - Steps (original by the BeeGees)

I hated the original not being a BeeGees fan but the cover was so inappropriately bouncy it could have been Animaniacs.:eek:

lordgoat

davylee wrote: »

I knew diamond wrote it but i didn't think he ever released it?

You're right, he never recorded it or released it, if i remember correctly.

Same story with daydream believer.

keefg

davylee wrote: »

I knew diamond wrote it but i didn't think he ever released it?

lordgoat wrote: »

You're right, he never recorded it or released it, if i remember correctly.

T'was recorded & released by Diamond in 1968 according to Wiki.

keefg

Duckjob wrote: »

It must be love - Madness / Labbi Siffre

Forgot about this one. I've been a huge Madness fan since I was a kid but I love Labbi's version.

,mnb

well thanks all for replying. some deadly songs there i downloaded a few.

niallon

Probably one of the most unknown originals ever:

Robin S with the original Show Me Love:

And the Michael Mind remix that followed (I know it's not technically a cover but still, the original nineties version by Robin has been all but forgotten!)

seanybiker

moe_sizlak wrote: »

no they dont , i for one didnt know six pence non the richer had any hits other than KISS ME

Either did I.

orestes

Placebo did a really good cover of Running up that Hill (Kate Bush) and a decent cover of Bigmouth strikes again (the Smiths), they released a whole disk of covers with Sleeping with Ghosts (I think it was that one anyway)

Nevyn

Cinnamon girl covered by Type O Negative, original Neil Young.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JJ70SBKWeA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hnMgIOnjMs

oldyouth

cashback wrote: »

I suppose most younger people would know The Fugee's version of Killing Me Softly better than Roberta Flack's.

Ah, you have to be having a laugh. Robert Flack's version is a pure soul gem whereas the Fugees version is cack. 'One time' etc:p

A Neurotic

orestes wrote: »

Placebo did a really good cover of Running up that Hill (Kate Bush) and a decent cover of Bigmouth strikes again (the Smiths), they released a whole disk of covers with Sleeping with Ghosts (I think it was that one anyway)

Which reminds me - Futureheads covering Kate Bush's Hounds of Love.

Crowcifer

RE: Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah. For me The best version of that song is by John Cale.

Trying to think of some more...

For heavy metal - Hammerfall recorded a version of a Warlord song called "Child of the Damned". I guess the Hammerfall version is better known.

Dream Theater are crazy for it. But then again it's unlikely that any of their covers are more famous than the originals - Genesis,Rush,Zeppelin, Purple, Floyd...

Speaking of Deep Purple - the late 60s line up ('MK I' for nerds and devotees) had a tasty line in covers that included The Beatles, Hendrix, Ike and Tina and so on. But also you have a song by Joe South that they made very popular indeed..."Hush"! Later covered again by the MK II line up and eventually covered again by...Kula Shaker. (Anyone remember that tosspiece Crispin Mills?)

Black Sabbath's first lp has a great,soulful bluesy cover called The Warning. One of their finest tracks in my opinion. The original was writted by a band called Retaliation and on that same Sabbath album there's a more famous cover: Evil Woman originally by a band called Crow.

Of course if you start talking about old heavy metal, the blues influence is massive and I guess so are the numbers of covers, so we'll leave that there for now,but just to sign off with:

Blue Cheer's great recording of Summertime Blues:

df1985

my favourite nirvana song for years was the man who sold the world.was suprised to hear a while back it was originally done by bowie (before my time)

that infinity dance track that was huge the past few months was originaaly a dance track from the early nineties.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNlDczS4YK4

in fact a lot of the big commercial dance tracks in recent times use samples from house tracks of the nineties.calabria is another example of a old track thats been used in loads of new versions the biggest one being the alex gaudino track destination unknown.

davylee

niallon wrote: »

Probably one of the most unknown originals ever:

Robin S with the original Show Me Love:

I do djing a fare bit and whether it's pubs or parties, Robin S's original Show Me Love is requested but every time without fail

As we're on dance music roger sanchez's Another chance was originally a toto song - i wont hold you back - think that was the name

Mental Mickey

rathgorma wrote: »

Rufus Wainwright superb version of Hallelujah
Mary J Blige singing U2's One
Hal Ketchum doing Past the Point of Rescue
Mary Black improves every Jimmy mc Carthy song
Jimi Hendrix,, All along the watchtower
Eva Cassidy 'over the rainbow' but u cant beat Judy Garland

Ugh! Horrible. The original version is brilliant.

cashback

oldyouth wrote: »

Ah, you have to be having a laugh. Robert Flack's version is a pure soul gem whereas the Fugees version is cack. 'One time' etc:p

Where did I say The Fugee's version was better? Read the thread title...

Flight19

Cocaine covered by Eric Clapton originally by JJ Cale.

oldyouth

cashback wrote: »

Where did I say The Fugee's version was better? Read the thread title...

OK the thread title is better know(n) than the original rather than a better version, but to my generation Roberta Flack would be the better known artist

cashback

oldyouth wrote: »

OK the thread title is better know(n) than the original rather than a better version, but to my generation Roberta Flack would be the better known artist

Yeah well i'd agree that Flack's version is better even though The Fugee's The Score was the first proper album I ever bought!