Remakes/covers you like better than the original

[Chris D]

Just what the title says. List the version you like first, then the original artist, if you know it.

Anyone who lists Manfred Mann's "Spirits in the Night" will have to see the principal.

Dave Edmunds, "Girls Talk" (Elvis Costello)
Byrds, "My Back Pages" (Dylan)
Stones, "Little Queenie" (Chuck Berry)

[lazarus]

Jimi Hendrix, "All Along The Watchtower" (Bob Dylan)

[Chris D]

Patti Smith, "Because the Night" (Springsteen)

[Brian Olewnick]

Cat Power - Satisfaction (Stones)

Caetano Veloso - Billie Jean (King of Pop)

[Squaredancecalling Steve]

Maybe the only white cover of a great R&B song that's better than the original:

Wanda Jackson's version of The Clovers '"Riot In Cell Block #9", moved to a woman's prison.


They called the state militia
To help them win the fight
Drove up to the prison
In the middle of the night
Each and every trooper
He looked so tall and fine
All the chicks went crazy
Up in cell block number nine


°°°°°°°°°°°°°


Connie Smith's KILLER version of Marty Robbins' "Ribbon Of Darkness"

Van Dyke Parks' version of Donovan's Colors

[Chris D]

The Who, "Young Man Blues" (Mose Allison)

[Sherman]

Wilson Pickett - "Hey Jude" (The Beatles)

Aretha Franklin - "Spanish Harlem" (Ben E. King)

[Noj]

Originally Posted by Sherman

Wilson Pickett - "Hey Jude" (The Beatles)

I dig the Overton Berry Ensemble's version of this one.

[Chris D]

Fairport Convention, "The Ballad of Easy Rider" (Byrds)

[Squaredancecalling Steve]

Four Tops doing Left Banke's "Walk Away Renee"

[Squaredancecalling Steve]

I still like Marvin's version's of "I Heard I Through The Grapevine" better than Gladys Knight's. Most days of the week, anyway.

Stan Freeberg's "Heartbreak Hotel" (OK, OK, that's cheating, I take it back.)

[Enforcer]

Aretha Franklin, "I Say A Little Prayer" (Dionne Warwick)

[Pete C]

Aretha Franklin - I Say a Little Prayer (Dionne Warwick)
Al Green - I Say a Little Prayer (Dionne Warwick)
Wilson Pickett - Sugar, Sugar (Archies)
Spinners - Yesterday Once More (Carpenters)
Solomon Burke - He'll Have to Go (Jim Reeves)
Solomon Burke - Just out of Reach (?)
Aretha Franklin - Eleanor Rigby (Beatles)
Otis Redding - Satisfaction (Rolling Stones)
Otis Redding - Shake (Sam Cooke)
Chambers Brothers - I Can't Turn You Loose (Otis Redding)

[lazarus]

Robert Wyatt, "Shipbuilding" (Elvis Costello)

John Cale, "Pablo Picasso" (Jonathan Richman & Modern Lovers)

[Root Doctor]

Lots of great examples, folks!

Band: Don't Do It (Marvin Gaye)
Elvis Costello: Getting Mighty Crowded (Betty Everett)
Elvis Costello: I Wanna Be Loved (Teacher's Edition)
Graham Parker: You Can't Hurry Love (Supremes)
NRBQ: You're So Beautiful (Charles Wright)
Byrds: Spanish Harlem Incident (Bob Dylan)
Rolling Stones: She Said Yeah (Larry Williams)
New Bomb Turks: Jivin' Sister Fanny (Rolling Stones)
New Bomb Turks: Summer Romance (Rolling Stones)
Groovie Ghoulies: Trick or Treat (Chuck Berry)
Devil Dogs: Long Gone (Customs)
Barrence Whitfield: It's Not Unusual (Tom Jones)

[Chris D]

Johnny Winter, "Silver Train" (Stones)
Bangles, "Hazy Shade of Winter" (Simon and Garfunkel)
Harry Nilsson, "Without You" (Badfinger)

[Cornelis]

the Star Trek maine theme Palinckx on "Border-Live in Zürich"

[Squaredancecalling Steve]

Black Flag doing The Kingsmen doing Richard Berry's "Louie Louie"

[Douglas]

Junior Wells: Good morning little schoolgirl (Sonny Boy Williamson)
Siouxsie and the Banshees: Dear Prudence/Helter Skelter (The Beatles)
Anti Nowhere League: Streets of London (Ralph McTell)

and then there's ykw who did the great american songbook

[Sherman]

Patricia Barber "Norwegian Wood" (The Beatles)

[Gerardo A]

Ground Zero doing the Rahsaan Roland Kirk version of Burt Bacharach's "I say a little prayer".

Originally Posted by Chris D

The Who, "Young Man Blues" (Mose Allison)

Wow, I like The Who's version (which I heard much earlier), but Mose's original blew my mind...

[Squaredancecalling Steve]

Jerry Butler & Betty Everrett doing The Everly Brothers' "Let It Be Me", although it's a close call.

William Shatner's "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" (Only half-joking -- the original never did a thing for me)

[Gentle Giant]

Al Green's How Can You Mend a Broken Heart and For the Good Times come to mind.

How about Manfred Mann's Mighty Quinn?

Todd Rundgren bested himself with his hit cover of the Nazz's original Hello It's Me.

[Root Doctor]

Feelies: Dancin' Barefoot (Patti Smith)
Sir Douglas Quintet: Who'll Be the Next in Line (Kinks)
Sid Vicious: My Way (Frank Sinatra)
Ciccone Youth: Into the Groove (Madonna)
Aztec Camera: Jump (Van Halen)
Dinosaur Jr: Show Me the Way (Peter Frampton)
Dinosaur Jr: Lotta Love (Nicolette Larson)

[Dan G]

Gram Parsons/Emmylou Harris "Love Hurts" (Everly Brothers, others)
Neko Case "Soulful Shade of Blue" (Buffy Ste. Marie)
Shonen Knife "Top of the World" (Carpenters)
Ramones "Needles and Pins" (Searchers, others)
Devo "Satisfaction" (Rolling Stones)
Pet Shop Boys "Always on my Mind" (Elvis Presley)
Billy Bragg "Tracks of My Tears" (Smokey Robinson/Miracles)
Minuteman "Dr. Wu" (Steely Dan)

[Squaredancecalling Steve]

Diamanda Galas' bone-chilling version of The Supremes' "My World Is Empty Without You", really empty.


°°°°°

And Kudos to Chris for a great thread idea!!

[MRS]

Minutemen -- "Doctor Wu" (Steely Dan)

Raincoats -- "Lola" (Kinks)

Wilson Pickett -- "Hey Jude" (Beatles)

Jesus Lizard -- "Wheelchair Epidemic" (Dicks)

[Dan G]

Originally Posted by Root Doctor

Aztec Camera: Jump (Van Halen)
Dinosaur Jr: Lotta Love (Nicolette Larson)

The Aztec Camera version of Jump is great. And your earlier list reminded me of how much I like Barrence Whitfield's version of Gram Parsons' "Brass Buttons"

About Lotta Love, isn't Larson's version a cover? or did she and Young record/release pretty much the same time?

[Chris D]

It was pretty much concurrent ("Lotta Love"), although Neil's was out a little before that. Larson even sang on Neil's original.

[Chris D]

J. Geils, "Lookin' for a Love" (Bobby Womack?)