Bait and Switch

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One of my all time favorites is "Twist and Shout" by the Isley Brothers. It's got a great skippy, funky, percussion. It's got horns.

The Beatles covered it a couple of years later. No horns. Flat drums. Blah, IMHO. The Beatles version is the one most often played on oldies radio. Sorry my Lord Sir Paul, your close but no cigar.

What "covered" songs do you like better than the original? What "originals" do you like better than the covers?

-- Anonymous, April 12, 2001

Answers

I like the Beatles' version, mostly because John Lennon is screaming his head off. :-)

Very few covers come off sounding better than the originals, in my opinion. There are notable exceptions. I prefer Elvis' "Blue Suede Shoes" over the orginal by Carl Perkins. And nobody can seem to get a grip on Buddy Holly hits - I've heard the Rolling Stones, Stephen Stills, and Rush all doing covers of "Not Fade Away," and they all stink. Linda Ronstadt doing "It's So Easy" - that was just loud, nothing else.

Mellencamp and O'cello doing "Wild Nights" by Van Morrison... well, their heart was in the right place, but I prefer the original.

Speaking of the Beatles, I think Fairground Attraction's cover of "Do You Want To Know A Secret" surpasses the original. It's very sweet. And local New Orleans band The Cold used to do a punk rave-up of "Love Me Do" that was a blast and much better than the original. :-)

Madonna's "American Pie"? Nope.

I heard Melissa Etheridge do "Let's Get It On," a Marvin Gaye cover, in concert and it was awesome, but ... not better than Marvin.

Save Ferris did a great version of "Come On Eileen" by Dexy's Midnight Runners which was so different, and so well done, I don't think a head to head comparison is fair. And then Great White did a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You" which was such an exact copy it left you wondering "why bother?" Speaking of Led Zeppelin, anyone remember Stone Temple Pilots doing an "unplugged" cover of "Dancing Days"? They slowed it down and mellowed it out so much you could fall asleep if you're not careful. Sorry, that won't cut it.

-- Anonymous, April 12, 2001


My new favorite song, an old song remade by divas-in- training... "Lady Marmalade" by L'il Kim, Christina Aguilera, Pink and Mya. Yahoo!

Cake's version of "I will survive" kicks serious ass.

And Jane's Addiction did a great cover of "Sympathy for the Devil" before Guns and Roses got to it for the Interview With a Vampire soundtrack.

-- Anonymous, April 12, 2001


No, no, no people!!! The god-awful "Faith" by George Michael was enough to make anyone do some type of physical harm to the closest person or music playing devise. However, when Fred Durst and the rest of Limp Bizkit got their hands on it, oh boy!! It became an instant classic! I'll take the switch on this one, ladies and gentleman. GM can go touch himself and want anyone's sex he wants! Limp Bizkit rules!

-- Anonymous, April 12, 2001

I like Seal's cover of Fly Like An Eagle (which was on the Space Jam soundtrack) a lot better than the original Steve Miller one. He also does a few good covers of Jimi Hendrix songs.

I have the Madonna tribute cd. Some of the covers on it are way better than the originals.

-- Anonymous, April 13, 2001


Erika, I agree on Cake and "I Will Survive," I'd say it's more fun than Gloria Gaynor's original. Cake also does "Sad Songs and Waltzes," by Willie Nelson, and it's arguably the best version of that I've ever heard.

Speaking of George Michael, have you heard him do The Police's "Roxanne"? You almost wouldn't recognize it, he slows it way down and gives it a smooth jazz flavor. Interesting and different, but not better.

Perhaps my least favorite cover was Michael Bolton's cover of "Dock of the Bay," originally done by Otis Redding. I know he won an award for it, but man, the original recording is just so much more moving.

One of the funniest covers I've heard is Ozzy Osbourne covering "Stayin' Alive," by the Bee Gees. He's accompanied by a number of guitarists, including Dweezil Zappa (and others I can't remember right now). It's a pretty poor cover, but the irony is as big as Brazil. :-)

One of my all time favorite covers is Frente!'s version of "Bizarre Love Triangle," originally by New Order. While the original is a "new wave" classic and also a dance hit, the cover is one voice and one acoustic guitar, and it's just so freakin' cool. Well, I like it anyway, my wife doesn't (she was a big fan of the first one).

And I like "Sea Of Love" by the Honeydrippers and "People Get Ready" by Rod Stewart and Jeff Beck better than their originals, too. I mean, these are cool songs and all, but they really didn't get what they deserved until they were remade.

-- Anonymous, April 13, 2001



Paul, anything Michael Dolton sings cover song or not, is bad.

Shame on you, you silly man!

-- Anonymous, April 13, 2001


The album "Badlands" is a collection of different artists doing remakes of Bruce Springsteen's "Nebraska" album, and I think the remakes are FAR superior to the originals. I'm no fan of the Boss. He's cool and all, I just don't dig his voice or style.

Salt n Peppa's remake of "What a Man" is better than the original, but the original isn't bad at all.

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes only do remakes (so far as I know) and they all kick ass, but they aren't all better than the originals. Personally, I think they should have steered clear of "Rainbow Connection" and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" because those are sacred. Their remake of "Phantom of the Opera" is great, and "Country Roads" is ever so much better than the original.

Man, what a good topic. I could write pages of this stuff! But I won't :)

-- Anonymous, April 13, 2001


Shelly, I stand corrected. :-)

How about when artists cover their own songs and really change them up? This is almost borderline-MTV-Unplugged (most of which was just plain lame), but I especially like it when an artist can get something new out of a song.

For instance, Sting covered two Police songs for The Secret Policemen's Other Ball, "Message In A Bottle" and "Roxanne." Both were just him and his electric guitar, and both are very different and very cool.

Bruce Springsteen's acoustic "Born To Run" is a somber, sober, antidote to the youthful bombast of the original with the E Street Band.

But maybe the most successful of all was Eric Clapton's Unplugged "Layla," which he originally did with Derek and the Dominoes. The original is a great song (well, half of it is, the rest just rambles around for an hour or so), and the acoustic solo version is almost a brand new song because he changed it so much, but it's still recognizable.

-- Anonymous, April 13, 2001


ok, Paul. You had me worried there for a second.

I like some of the Unplugged stuff better than the original. For instance, I never listened to Alice in Chains, but I thought their Unplugged was awsome.

-- Anonymous, April 13, 2001


Robyn, I didn't know "Whatta Man" was a cover! Who did the original? I love Salt and Pep!

Shelly, when did the Madonna cover CD come out? I have to add that to my collection. I own the Led Zepplin covers, Encomium. I like it a lot. My favorite is Scott Weiland singing "Dancing Days".

-- Anonymous, April 13, 2001



Geez Paul W., you beat me to the post. I was going to talked about Eric Clapton's Layla too.

-- Anonymous, April 13, 2001

Geez Paul W., you beat me to the post. I was going to talked about Eric Clapton's Layla too. Sorry 'bout the double post, my finger slipped. I hated the cover the first time I heard it. Maybe because it seemed to be in response to the tragic death of his son. But, it has really grown on me and I can love and appreciate the second version as its own song.

-- Anonymous, April 13, 2001

Evidently, Linda Lyndell did the original "What a Man". I heard it yesterday, and it was mighty fine.

-- Anonymous, April 13, 2001

A whole other category of covers is when a song crosses over musical genres. For instance, Kronos Quartet has done a number of string quartet versions of rock songs. I have a 12" EP of them doing "Purple Haze." It's pretty awesome, but the novelty wears off pretty fast by the end of the song. I've also got violinist Rachel Barton, also known to cover rock songs, doing "The Spirit of Radio" in a quartet setting. She does it so well, you could almost imagine it being the hit of Vienna a century ago. :-)

Speaking of Purple Haze, does anybody remember when Kip "She's Only 17" Winger covered it? That was good for a laugh, although I'm sure he was dead serious about it.

So how many times has "All Along The Watchtower" been covered? Jimi Hendrix's version is much better than Bob Dylan's original (but then, it ain't hard to outperform Bob, I think most would agree :-), but then Michael Hedges does a wicked solo acoustic version in his own inimitable style and once again it's not fair to compare his with the others head to head because they're so different.

-- Anonymous, April 13, 2001


Wow! Great Responses. I am really enjoying this thread.

Paul, I like it when other genres crossover into pop music. I am thinking of Frank Mills "Music Box Dancer", Mongo Santamaria's "Watermellon Man", and Cannonball Adderley's "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy".

Buddy Holley was a trio (guitar, bass, drums). He also had good backup vocals. I agree 100% that there are few good covers of his music. Sometimes the "real deal" is the "only deal".

George Thorogood covers a lot of classic blues/rock & roll. I think he is very good at it. His covers have energy and they are honest; just like the originals.

Dylan? Jeez, "Corrina Corrina" is in the public domain. There are thousands of covers. Early in his career, Bob covered it on "Freewheelin" - (circa 1963). I really like it. Bob is Bob, sometimes he can grab you despite his voice and arrangements.

-- Anonymous, April 13, 2001



I'd like to hear more people take on Thin Lizzy. I remember Bon Jovi's ill-fated stab at "The Boys Are Back In Town." Bleh. But Metallica's version of "Whiskey In The Jar" kicks serious ass, Thin Lizzy or not. :-)

-- Anonymous, April 13, 2001

I don't know anything about Thin Lizzy. It's late and I'm travelling tomorrow so I won't be able to hear any of their material this weekend. Could you recommend a CD? I'll try to find it at a used record store and then I'll get back to you.

I have a very healthy respect for the contributions made by people on this forum. Have a great weekend, and I'll check in next week.

-- Anonymous, April 13, 2001


Paul, please tell me if Thin Lizzy sings "The Cowboy Song". That is them, right? I heard some people cover it, and I didn't appreciate their mocking drawls at all.

The Cardigans' cover of Ozzy's "Iron Man" -- gotta fucking love it.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2001


Joseph, check out the Thin Lizzy LP Black Rose. If you can't find that, you may like Jailbreak or Bad Reputation.

Gwen, Thin Lizzy wrote "Cowboy Song," but their version is not mocking at all, and there's no drawl to be heard.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2001


No, Paul... I meant that the band who covered Thin Lizzy's Cowboy Song was mocking in their drawl.

I love that song. (The original, I mean.)

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2001


Yeah, I caught what you meant, Gwen. I just didn't know you'd ever heard the original and wanted to make sure you knew they weren't mocking. It's a great song, I agree. :-)

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2001

Britney Spears covered "Satisfaction." I haven't heard it, because the thought of it makes me ill. Listening to it would make my head explode.

Pearl Jam must not be forgiven for covering "Last Kiss." Teen Death Songs suck. Period. They do not need to be given more air time on the radio.

Joseph, you are *so* right about the Isley Brothers' "Twist and Shout." Much as I love the Beatles, their version is simply not It.

-- Anonymous, April 16, 2001

Britney covering "Satisfaction" cannot be worse than the sacrilege that was Faith Hill covering "Piece of my Heart". I cannot forgive her for raping that song, even though I want to like the song "This Kiss".

And Puff Daddy MUST BE STOPPED from destroying our songs. He's like Godzilla, stomping through our Musical City and mangling everything.

-- Anonymous, April 16, 2001


Speaking of "Satisfaction," I'd almost give the nod to Devo for the best version of that. :-)

-- Anonymous, April 16, 2001

Britney sang part of her "Satisfaction" cover during her 1999 MTV MVA strip tease act. God love her. I can't wait for her HBO concert this month!

-- Anonymous, April 16, 2001

Sorry Paul & Gwen, but I think Thin Lizzy's pulling your leg.

I have listening to "The Cowboy Song" by Thin Lizzy. I see it was written in 1976. Guess what? It's a bait & switch.

That song is a semi-pirate job on Lowell George's "Roll Um Easy". "Roll Um Easy" is from Little Feat's "Dixie Chicken". circa 1973. That's 3 years older than "The Cowboy Song".

It gets even stranger. "Roll Um Easy" isn't just about women in Texas. It's about women in Houston, Tx. Not just any women in Houston, Tx. It's about women who sing in Houston, Tx. Do we know anybody like that?

That's probably why those other musicians were poking a little fun at Thin Lizzy. The musicial idea belongs to Lowell George/ Little Feat. Oh well, gotta call em like I see em.

-- Anonymous, April 16, 2001


It's been proven over and over again that wholly original musical ideas can bear striking resemblences to others, which explains your story. (And I would add that "country and western" musical ideas are especially similar.) "Cowboy Song" as recorded by Thin Lizzy was authored by bassist/vocalist Phil Lynott and drummer Brian Downey. It's not a case of "who copied whom."

-- Anonymous, April 17, 2001

a. That's funny because the other day my dad was saying that "The Cowboy Song" sounded just like a song by Van Morrison.

b. Obviously, the song about women singing in Houston, TX, was written for me, even though I was only a few years old at the time.

c. There are only so many chord sequences out there.

d. I doubt that the "alternative" band's cover I heard was inspired by, in homage to, or in defense of Little Feat. Maybe I'm just cynical, but I just doubt it was.

Juliana Hatfield's dance version of "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" by Neil Young: innovative but scary. (I think it was Juliana. Not sure.) I've always disliked minor-chord dance music, though, whether it's original or not.

-- Anonymous, April 17, 2001


Well, you both made good points. You may well be right. If I die and go to heaven, I'll get to the bottom of this. Both guys are dead.

It's just that both songs start off as slow ballads. Then both songs start talking about "Rolling". That's unusual.

Lowell George was/is highly regarded as a songwriter. He never achieved great commercial success, but he is held in great esteem in the American Music community. He influenced many musicians and songwriters.

There is a tradition among artists to help other artists. Case in point is Steve Goodman. He wrote "City of New Orleans". It was a folkie hit, but it had no big commercial success. Steve died. After his death, Willie Nelson covered "City of New Orleans". This would throw some royalties into Steve Goodman's estate. A very nice gesture, IMHO.

-- Anonymous, April 17, 2001


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