Favorite Cover Songs! Yay!

I can't fault anyone for preferring Blind Faith's original - as I mentioned, it is a classic - but my favorite covers are the ones that take a song in an entirely different direction (like Judas Priest's cover of Joan Baez's "Diamonds and Rust"), which is one of the things I like about Christian Sands' version. While the lyrics in the original are exceedingly sparse, Steve Winwood's vocals are indeed wonderful and I'm hard pressed to think how anyone could improve on them, so why even bother? It's like thinking you can somehow improve on one of Shakespeare's classics by putting it in a modern setting - it ain't gonna happen. I also like how Sands weaves different styles of music - Jazz, Gospel, etc. - through his song, but I must admit that I like it when he let's his own individual style and sound take off. If there's one knock I have on Christian is that he's trying to be another Wynton Marsalis and that's impeding his creative potential, which is a shame given how immensely talented he is.

 

I feel, similarly, that a good cover takes ownership of the tune as, not a copy, but something of one's own (provided it's still good, that way). That attribute, I think, applies to all my submissions to this thread, if you haven't seen or heard them. My last one was of the extreme-makeover variety (I included the original, old blues tune, "When the Levee Breaks," along w/ Led Zeppelin's cover, post #374, just because I thought it worthy of mention).

But I don't think a cover has to be totally different, to be great; consider my posted cover of, "Landslide," by the Dixie Chicks (which I paired w/ the metal band Shinedown's cover of, "Simple Man")--

http://www.politicalforum.com/index...over-songs-yay.404230/page-15#post-1072649707

-- or either of the two in my 2nd post, Tracy Ulmann's cover of Kristy McNichol's original, "They Don't Know About Us," or Soul Asylum's cover of, "Runaway Train."
http://www.politicalforum.com/index...over-songs-yay.404230/page-15#post-1072649723

I'll have to check out the Judas Priest cover of Joan Baez, my next visit to you tube. Or did you post it? I don't know if I'm familiar with the original. Did you already know it, or have you heard it, after hearing the cover? It's interesting that sometimes foreknowledge of a song may make it harder to appreciate a cover, and other times, make it easier-- do you think this is so? Are there any generalizations you think can be made, about a listener to an original, who's heard the cover, first?

While it seems like it shouldn't make a difference, I know that it does, with films. After seeing the original Planet of the Apes, there's no way I could watch the newer version, which (for the few minutes I caught) seemed silly & sterile. Yet the younger generation, for whom this updated "cover," was their first exposure, I think lacks any interest in the original, seeing it as primitive, or as hokey, because of the ape masks. Just so I'm not too off-topic, the music in the original film was very good, as far as building tension, and pretty cutting-edge. (They used something similar, in the tv series, based on the movie).

 

Now that I've checked it out, I have heard this cover before (I just didn't know the title; I don't generally pick up lyrics unless I listen often to a song), and even though I'm not a Judas Priest fan, I concur that it's a good cover of the song. I'd actually also heard the Judy Collins cover, which is much more akin to the original, but well sung, and with its own flavor.




The Blackmore's Night version is also good.

For some reason, it makes me think of Jewel's, "Foolish Games."

 

I heard the Judas Priest cover first and years later when I found out it was a Joan Baez song I checked out the original. I'm not a Joan Baez fan but it's a pretty good song for her.

I generally am not into cover songs and I especially don't care for cover bands, but it seems that today's bands are being more innovative with cover songs than bands were in the past. In previous decades we saw Rock bands covering Blues tunes left and right but now there's a lot more variety - Post #366 above is a good example.

 

The vocals overflow with piercing emotion, from a voice on the tremulous edge between power & fragility, in this beautifully sung Papa Roach cover, by Madilyn Bailey.

 

Falco did a half way decent job with this. Would have been nice if it was in German

 

Original.



Covers.

 

Bumpski - heard this on the radio last weekend:



...and here's the cover:

 

One more while I'm here...

Ramsey Lewis' original version of "Brazilica"



Alexandra Jackson's cover:

 

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I don't really like the original, but I really like this cover!

...and WOW at this lady's voice! at 2:27

 

I havn't heard the original, its from a video game.

More literal cover (really good):


More interpretive cover (just as good):

 

LOL...
original:

cover:

 

I'm sure we all know the original...

 

Lenny.



Larkin Poe



Lenny Kravitz's video is great, but Larkin Poe creates something special. Sad. Tragic. The ending still gives me chills. Don't know if you'll catch it, but it grips me.

 

I'm going to start with the cover, which is off of In This Moment's new album. I hadn't heard the original until last week and I probably never will again lol

COVER:


ORIGINAL:

 

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