Do you think people in general are more prone to like the original of any given song or tune better than covers? What about you personally?
Do you know of any covers (of any genre) which are regarded as better than the original? The most obvious one I know if is Sinéad O’Connor’s Nothing Compares 2 U, originally done by Prince. O’Connor eventually came to regard that song as a mixed blessing–she was well known for it, but as an artist who writes a large portion of her own work, she would prefer for people to pay attention to her own work as much as they did that one song.
A couple of examples I can think of off hand are Patsy Cline’s cover of Willie Nelson’s “Crazy”.
And Jerry Jeff Walker’s cover of Guy Clark’s “L.A. Freeway”.
And I liked Linda Rondstadt’s “Poor Poor Pitiful Me” better than Zevon’s version.
As you can see, my interest and knowledge of popular music after 1980 is slim to none.
Oh, and Janis Joplin’s version of “Me and Bobby McGee” is better than Kristofferson’s IMHO.
I liked Glen Campbell’s “Gentle on My Mind” better than John Hartford’s version.
Ewan McColl’s The First Time Ever I saw your face, a song he wrote (during a transatlantic phone call, when she told him she needed a short, lyrical love song to open a concert) for his wife, Peggy Seeger, sounds better when anybody else sings it: Roberta Flack got the hit, but a long line of singers from Elvis on down took a run at it. I have a lot of respect for Peggy, but her voice isn’t my favorite.
Even Bob Dylan acknowleges the superiority of Jimi Hendryx’s All Along the Watchtower. I believe in the notes to Biograph (Dylan box set) Bob states that he plays Hendrix’s arrangement thses days.
I was just thinking about this the other day. Not in the terms Jack put it, but what are some great covers? One thing that’s in the definition of a cover is that the original has to be well-known. Just that someone else wrote it is insufficient to make it a cover.
Anyway, I think Hendrix’s version of Watchtower certainly qualifies as one of the best – he stayed in many ways true to the song, but at the same time made it something completely different. It’s incredibly creative.
But one that might not meet some people’s definition of a cover is Clapton’s unplugged version of Layla. Yeah, he co-wrote it, but you gotta admit that it’s a totally different version of the song than Derek and the Dominoes. It still isn’t in the same league as the original in my mind, but it’s still really cool and worth many listens.
Jose Feliciano’s version of Light My Fire, while not one of my favorites, is another great example of someone taking a song and really really running with it.
So, do I like covers better? Not in general, but it depends – there are tons of uncreative covers that are basically worthless. I think at the grocery store I heard the second version of Big Yellow Taxi in the last couple of years – neither of which had anything more to say than Joni. OTOH, CSNY’s version of Woodstock was totally different than Joni’s, so it was worthwhile. I’ve heard a dozen versions of Born to be Wild, none of which were in the same league as Steppenwolf’s. I’m probably one of the few who owns the original (on vinyl and on CD) by Mars Bonfire, who was a member of the proto-Steppenwolf (Sparrow).
I don’t think anyone who has thought about it can say yes or no as to whether covers are better, because it all depends on the original and the cover.
I think I tend to like the versions I hear the most often and get the most comfortable with. Even when I hear the original artist performing their own songs, if they veer too far from the original, give it the “lounge lizard’s treatment”, as it were, I find myself objecting.
If I hear something I like and it gets ingrained in my little brain, it is because there was something about that tune/version that suited me in the first place. When someone else changes it, they usually rob the song of whatever it was that first appealed to me.
Examples? Anything live by Led Zeppelin - can’t stand Zep live, and Jimmy Page could only create those guitar orchestras in the recording studio.
When Jewel performs live, she does all sorts of crazy vocal things to her songs, including jodeling for long periods of time during her songs. She’s really gifted vocally, and I understand from an artist’s standpoint why she embellishes her own songs sometimes live, but I also understand from the listener’s standpoint that oftentimes it doesn’t even sound like the same song! She has especially done this on “Who Will Save Your Soul?” I’ve heard probably 20 different live versions of that song, all from her.
I like Eddie Harris’ “Goin’ Home” better too. (no idea where it came from, EH & SRV both claimed it)
'course it was SRV’s version on the radio that got me listening to his stuff…
Joe Cocker’s version of A Little Help From My Friends beats the Beatles’. But I think it’s about the only Beatles cover that’s better than the original.
I guess it depends on what you consider a “cover”.
Steve Goodman wrote “The City of New Orleans”, and Arlo Guthrie put it
(and Goodman) on the map. I recently heard Steve Goodman’s recording
of the same song, and I didn’t like it at all. So, which version is the cover?
I’m not sure. But Arlo’s is definitely better…
okay!