Topic: Originals that are better than cover versions

[Drinks Sangria]

Good shout Timbo, no idea that Rod's was a cover!

David Bowie's 1973 classic, Sorrow. Great tune and far superior to The McCoys' 1969 original. The real McCoy if you will.

[Buck Pete]

On the subject of Rod.   Both Cat Stevens and PP Arnolds versions of "First Cut is the Deepest" are great.

Even though Stevens wrote it, PP Arnolds was the first to be released, closely followed a few months later by Cat's.

Rod did a top version too to be fair, so its a question of taste.

I'd take Cat's version if I had to choose

[SamAteTheRedAcid]

Danny Whitten's superb melancholic offering

Nice choice! Like both versions but Whitten's is the original and best. Such a shame to think what else he may have written if he'd lived.

[FlashingBlade]

Think this covers the OP brief...

I had this girlfriend who decided it would be nice if we got together with her mates so all the boyfriends could meet ( awful idea)...so were all sat around in her house...awkward...and she puts on a Simply Red Lp ( could it get anyworse - yes!)...so her mates are eulogising about Hucknall and a song comes on..they all gush about it and chat about what great song writer Hucknall is...the song is called ' Heaven'.

So Im getting a bit peeved so pipe up..." actually its by Talking Heads .."...Im riduculed , so I pick up the record and show them the writing credit and explain who David Byrne is.

This is not well met as their gushing was ill founded.

A frosty atmosphere develeps. Later his chart succes ' Moneys too tight to mention'  comes on ... " Suppose your gonna say he didnt write this?" ..Girlfriend pipes up to their mocking Laughter...


Needles to say an Ex Girlfirend...

[Crosby Nick]

We’re you holding back the tears?

Sounds a fun evening!

[RedJim]

Maybe this one is more well known than I thought (before my time), but it was a surprise to me and I've started to prefer the original. Think it was on an advert fairly recently?

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/A1E6xvM7PeA" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/A1E6xvM7PeA</a>

Always thought this would make a good basis for an LFC song (I've got as far as 'it's gonna take Mané...'  )

A few have mentioned Rod Stewart above - he's my dad's favourite artist to the extent that it was literally the only music I listened to until I was old enough to go out and buy CDs for myself  . As I've got older and broadened my musical horizons I've got to the point where I assume every song he did is a cover unless proven otherwise!

My other offering was going to be "Dancing in the Moonlight", but that's already had a mention (again don't know how obscure that actually was). Mate turned me on to that a few months ago and the original is class.

[Buck Pete]

Maybe this one is more well known than I thought (before my time), but it was a surprise to me and I've started to prefer the original. Think it was on an advert fairly recently?

Cheers for this. Brilliant.

Sorry George but I prefer this original.

[SamAteTheRedAcid]

Think this covers the OP brief...

I had this girlfriend who decided it would be nice if we got together with her mates so all the boyfriends could meet ( awful idea)...so were all sat around in her house...awkward...and she puts on a Simply Red Lp ( could it get anyworse - yes!)...so her mates are eulogising about Hucknall and a song comes on..they all gush about it and chat about what great song writer Hucknall is...the song is called ' Heaven'.

So Im getting a bit peeved so pipe up..." actually its by Talking Heads .."...Im riduculed , so I pick up the record and show them the writing credit and explain who David Byrne is.

This is not well met as their gushing was ill founded.

A frosty atmosphere develeps. Later his chart succes ' Moneys too tight to mention'  comes on ... " Suppose your gonna say he didnt write this?" ..Girlfriend pipes up to their mocking Laughter...


Needles to say an Ex Girlfirend...

  never knew they'd covered Talking Heads...

[elbow]

Tom Waits has had a few covered by others mentioned already.

Downtown Train by Rod Stewart and Jersey Girl by Bruce Springsteen.

[Timbo's Goals]

Think this covers the OP brief...

I had this girlfriend who decided it would be nice if we got together with her mates so all the boyfriends could meet ( awful idea)...so were all sat around in her house...awkward...and she puts on a Simply Red Lp ( could it get anyworse - yes!)...so her mates are eulogising about Hucknall and a song comes on..they all gush about it and chat about what great song writer Hucknall is...the song is called ' Heaven'.

So Im getting a bit peeved so pipe up..." actually its by Talking Heads .."...Im riduculed , so I pick up the record and show them the writing credit and explain who David Byrne is.

This is not well met as their gushing was ill founded.

A frosty atmosphere develeps. Later his chart succes ' Moneys too tight to mention'  comes on ... " Suppose your gonna say he didnt write this?" ..Girlfriend pipes up to their mocking Laughter...


Needles to say an Ex Girlfirend...

Ha ha. Love that FB. I remember well when that album was on everyone’s coffee table along with Brothers in Arms!! Think we’ve all been there over the years in one form or another. Then again I bet there’s nobody on here who’s never been caught out themselves.

 

[Timbo's Goals]

Maybe this one is more well known than I thought (before my time), but it was a surprise to me and I've started to prefer the original. Think it was on an advert fairly recently?

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/A1E6xvM7PeA" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/A1E6xvM7PeA</a>

Always thought this would make a good basis for an LFC song (I've got as far as 'it's gonna take Mané...'  )

A few have mentioned Rod Stewart above - he's my dad's favourite artist to the extent that it was literally the only music I listened to until I was old enough to go out and buy CDs for myself  . As I've got older and broadened my musical horizons I've got to the point where I assume every song he did is a cover unless proven otherwise!

My other offering was going to be "Dancing in the Moonlight", but that's already had a mention (again don't know how obscure that actually was). Mate turned me on to that a few months ago and the original is class.

You got me there. Bloodyhell.  It actually sounds as if George wrote it. In fact it wouldn’t surprise if George (bless his soul and cotton socks) actually believed he did write it.

 

As for Rod. He’s forgiven anything as him and the Faces were just amazing plus he always covers great songs plus he did write the immortal Maggie May and a fair few others

[Timbo's Goals]

Tom Waits has had a few covered by others mentioned already.

Downtown Train by Rod Stewart and Jersey Girl by Bruce Springsteen.

I love Tom Waits and Swordfishtrombones is a must have. However have to say both those versions are just sensational especially Bruce’s live Jersey Girl.

One that I wish the original was the best version is half welsh/half scouse Badfinger’s Without You but it’s not because whist Pete Ham beautifully sings the verse poor Tom Evans can’t quite deliver what’s needed on the difficult killer chorus. Needless to say Nillson’s cover is perfect.

[RedJim]

You got me there. Bloodyhell.  It actually sounds as if George wrote it. In fact it wouldn’t surprise if George (bless his soul and cotton socks) actually believed he did write it.

He's got form for that   

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/rinz9Avvq6A" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/rinz9Avvq6A</a>

From wikipedia:

In I Me Mine, Harrison admits to having thought "Why didn't I realise?" when others started pointing out the similarity between the two songs.

Not exactly true to the premise of the thread, since it's not strictly a cover and either way it's not a patch on My Sweet Lord, but interesting nonetheless. Less interesting when you've had to sit through hours of copyright infringement lectures listening to that over and over - took weeks for the "doo-langs" to finally leave me head 

[Timbo's Goals]

He's got form for that   

Ha ha 

Nowt like a bit of proper wit

 

I wonder if he entitled his book I Me Mine to rhyme with He's So Fine, so that as well as making a statement about 'Lord' he also reinforced his ability to use werds that rhyme?   

[Stubbins]

As for Rod. He’s forgiven anything as him and the Faces were just amazing plus he always covers great songs plus he did write the immortal Maggie May and a fair few others

Well yes and no Timbo. Rod jointly wrote it with Martin Quittenton. Rod's career soared but Martin's career never really took off and he was beset by all manner of personal problems until his untimely death. And then to confuse things further, Ray Jackson of Lindisfarne fame was drafted in for the mandolin part (role taken by John Peel on TOTP) Jackson always contended that he wrote the riff and should have been credited and paid accordingly.

[Timbo's Goals]

Well yes and no Timbo. Rod jointly wrote it with Martin Quittenton. Rod's career soared but Martin's career never really took off and he was beset by all manner of personal problems until his untimely death. And then to confuse things further, Ray Jackson of Lindisfarne fame was drafted in for the mandolin part (role taken by John Peel on TOTP) Jackson always contended that he wrote the riff and should have been credited and paid accordingly.

Wow. Great insight Stubbs. Never knew either of those snippets. Just shows how these things can go sour for some and sweet for others. I always think of the awful Badfinger story where Pete Ham and Tom Evans were never able to get their songwriting royalties particularly for Without You and it affected them so grievously both ended up taking their own lives. Life sure can be horrible for some.

[So… Howard Philips]

The original by John Kongos was released in 1971 and even though I'll have heard it on the radio back then, it never registered with me, he wasn't that successful an artist and I wasn't a fan of the Mondays, bands like Guns N Roses, Metallica, Megadeth and then Grunge was what I was listening to/into back then, so paid no attention to them other hearing them on the radio, so it totally passed me by.

Wasn't the original called 'Tokoloshie Man', some type of South African revenant?

[liversaint]

Great stuff on this thread, some fantastic insights.

[rob1966]

Wasn't the original called 'Tokoloshie Man', some type of South African revenant?

No, Tokoloshe Man was his second single, He's Gonna To Step On You Again was his first single which Step On was based on

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/8wTxjJrn2g4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/8wTxjJrn2g4</a>

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/1W-0cREK2qA" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/1W-0cREK2qA</a>

[Buck Pete]

Founder member of Status Quo, Alan Lancaster,  died today aged 72. RIP.  As such, I went looking at some famous Quo tracks to see which of them Lancaster had written.  I always remember seeing his name on the track listing of "12 Gold Bars" album many years ago.

Anyway... Holy shit I never knew "Rockin' all over the World", Quo's anthem, was a cover!! John Fogerty did the original in 1975.

Just listened to Fogerty's original it and its pretty cool.  Not sure its as good as Quo's heavier version, which most of us older RAWKites will have drunkenly stood opposite (even drunker) elderly relatives and unashamedly done the dance known as the "grebo" (Legs apart, hands on your hips, you leaned forwards from the hip and twisted to the right, twice. Then repeat to the left)   

[AndyInVA]

Only found out yesterday that Aretha Franklins anthem Respect

was a cover of the original written and recorded by Otis Redding. The original by Otis in 65 is pretty hum drum but good song.

The cover by Aretha is 67 of course becomes the incredible song we know and love

[So… Howard Philips]

No, Tokoloshe Man was his second single, He's Gonna To Step On You Again was his first single which Step On was based on

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/8wTxjJrn2g4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/8wTxjJrn2g4</a>

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/1W-0cREK2qA" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/1W-0cREK2qA</a>

Blimey, both tracks are almost exactly the same! No wonder I was confused.

[Pistolero]

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/8pFiM0-gpYU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/8pFiM0-gpYU</a>

[markedasred]

The original of I don't want to talk about it was a killer Timbo. I bought a big collection off of a massive Rod fan a few years back, and I always remember thinking how his uncredited vocal on Python Lee Jackson's In a Broken Dream was probably for me the greatest vocal on a rock song I had heard.
Spent a good part of today listening to Laura Nyro stuff. She had songs from her first album "More Than a New Discovery" covered by the Allman Brothers, Barbara Streisand and the 5th Dimension, but the covers are all sub par. Her most profound lps New York Tendaberry and ELi & the 13th Confession are sublime, slightly dense on first listen masterpieces.

[RedSince86]

Pearl Jam amazing live cover of Mother Love Bone's, Chloe Dancer & Crown Of Thorns

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdiCLZOxB3Q

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/tdiCLZOxB3Q" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/tdiCLZOxB3Q</a>

[Timbo's Goals]

Needless to say, nothing could be better than Levi Stubbs and the Four Tops imploring Renee to walk away but the original version by an obscure band called Left Banke deserves a listen in here if only because the poor young guy who wrote it about the unrequited love he had for his bandmate's girlfriend Renee was only16 years old when he penned this classic. Amazing.

https://youtu.be/qDfrW5cWqMU?si=6GIax_O6BVBln-FO

[So… Howard Philips]

Needless to say, nothing could be better than Levi Stubbs and the Four Tops imploring Renee to walk away but the original version by an obscure band called Left Banke deserves a listen in here if only because the poor young guy who wrote it about the unrequited love he had for his bandmate's girlfriend Renee was only16 years old when he penned this classic. Amazing.

https://youtu.be/qDfrW5cWqMU?si=6GIax_O6BVBln-FO

I have vague memories of the Lefte Bank version of ‘Walk Away’ but it would have been instantly dismissed as it wasn’t the Four Tops, therefore not to be considered. The arrogance of 15 year olds.

There were a couple of all white male harmony groups in the mid to late 60s, the Association for example.

Obviously the Mamas and Papas were another and ‘Dedicated to the one I love’ was a cover version of the 1957 release by the 5 Royales.

And talking of cover versions………Cilla Black! Just watched a Dionne Warwick documentary on iPlayer and her version of ‘Anyone who had a heart’ is heart breaking and didn’t require a hooting fog horn unlike ‘our’ Cilla’s version.

[GinKop]

Not better than the original necessarily, but I like the Michael Jackson cover of Come Together.

[Timbo's Goals]

I have vague memories of the Lefte Bank version of ‘Walk Away’ but it would have been instantly dismissed as it wasn’t the Four Tops, therefore not to be considered. The arrogance of 15 year olds.

There were a couple of all white male harmony groups in the mid to late 60s, the Association for example.

Obviously the Mamas and Papas were another and ‘Dedicated to the one I love’ was a cover version of the 1957 release by the 5 Royales.

And talking of cover versions………Cilla Black! Just watched a Dionne Warwick documentary on iPlayer and her version of ‘Anyone who had a heart’ is heart breaking and didn’t require a hooting fog horn unlike ‘our’ Cilla’s version.

Dionne Warwick- Wow. What a voice. Walk on by is just perfection too.

Funny enough for some obscure reason I've got the Five Royales CD with that on.  Good as they are Mama Cass and the crew is miles better for me

[So… Howard Philips]

Dionne Warwick- Wow. What a voice. Walk on by is just perfection too.

Funny enough for some obscure reason I've got the Five Royales CD with that on.  Good as they are Mama Cass and the crew is miles better for me

My favourite Warwick track is ‘Don’t make me over’.

Perfection.

[Timbo's Goals]

My favourite Warwick track is ‘Don’t make me over’.

Perfection.

Exquisite. She sang some incredible stuff.eh Howard? Voice from heaven. And from a completely different place n the vocal spectrum uut equally from heaven we've got the incredible Bessie Smith

[Timbo's Goals]

Oops forgot link to Bessie

https://youtu.be/kxTyV_cBz7o?si=KvE_MkvT1i9YvblI

[SamAteTheRedAcid]

My favourite Warwick track is ‘Don’t make me over’.

Perfection.

Incredible track. good choice.

[Boston always unofficial]

I guess most folks know The Specials cover of this.
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/OXXOaecD52k" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/OXXOaecD52k</a>

[So… Howard Philips]

I guess most folks know The Specials cover of this.
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/OXXOaecD52k" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/OXXOaecD52k</a>

I think the original is better than the cover version in this case.

[Son of Spion]

Iggy Pop's China Girl is better than Bowie's cover version.

[jillcwhomever]

Dusty Springfield's version of Goin Back is better than the original by Goldie. It's not that the original is bad at all, but I just think Dusty's voice gives the song a more memorable vibe.

https://youtu.be/-gr_e07oMjI?si=RNlLHxjpMeiQXDL2

[Six Beardy]

Iggy Pop's China Girl is better than Bowie's cover version.

Definitely.

Erma Franklin's 'Piece Of My Heart' > Janis Joplin's screeching soul-less version of it (her voice makes my ears bleed). Joplin also murdered Loraine Ellison's 'Stay With Me Baby' (although Shirley Brown's version is my favourite one of that song)