Covers that are better than the originals... or just covers

Perun said:
I wouldn't have believed that Rime of the Ancient Mariner could be improved.

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I'm not really a fan of the black metal vocal style, but it works! On the other hand, Bruce's original "rain" scream is much better.
The best thing about this cover is the instrumentation.
 
Black Bart said:
I don't know if it is better than the original (probably not) but it is at least gayer and jollier. Prancing doilies rule! :)

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It's certainly the equal of the Elvis original - both go for completely different approaches though so are not really comparable (they are not attempting the same thing). I think I prefer this one (I can hear my Dad turning in his grave :bigsmile:) but one thing I'll say definitely: both the Elvis version and this one knock the UB40 version into a cocked hat :D
 
Nothing wrong with the Simon and Garfunkel version, but The Bangles injected kicked new life into this one. Sodom are among other bands to cover this, but the Bangles girlies did this best IMO.

 
Don't know if any of these have been mentioned already.

Elton John - Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds 1974 ( The Beatles 1967)

Elton John - Pinball Wizard 1975 (The Who 1969)

Disturbed - The Sound of Silence 2015 (Simon & Garfunkel 1964)

Soft Cell - Tainted Love 1981 (Gloria Jones, 1964)

Grand Funk - The Loco-motion 1974 (Little Eva, 1962)

W.A.S.P. - The Real Me 1989 (The Who, 1973)

Rock and Roll Music - The Beatles 1965 ( Chuck Berry 1957)


And yes, the Bangles' version of Hazy Shade of Winter crushes the original. They don't change the song at all, but made it crunchier and absolutely kill it on the harmonies.
 
Black Bart said:
I don't know if it is better than the original (probably not) but it is at least gayer and jollier. Prancing doilies rule! :)

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I absolutely LOVE Blackmore's Night! This is great! I like that it's different. There's something about Elvis' slower, almost melacholic version, love his voice in it, but this makes me bob up and down lol.

I recently took my GF down an 80s/90s rabbit hole and showed her some powerful women of music classics, like Madonna's Like a Prayer, several Bonnie Tyler hits and of course.... Celine Dion's It's All Coming Back to me now:

As I often do when I get excited I got sidetracked and started telling her about Meatloaf and his relationship with his hit maker, Jim Steinman. Steinman wrote this little gem and Meatloaf wanted it, Steinman said no and gave it to Dion instead. It was the beginning of the end of their working relationship. But many years later in the early 2000s and after a long legal battle with Steinman over the name "Bat Out of Hell," Meatloaf released Bat Out of Hell III and on it... this cover:

There is no denying Dion's vocal prowess, but Meatloaf is no slouch in that department and I think it just works better as a duet. beautiful.
 
Onhell said:
There is no denying Dion's vocal prowess, but Meatloaf is no slouch in that department and I think it just works better as a duet. beautiful.
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A lot of people tend to agree with that! Personally while I respect Meat’s version, Dion’s is the one I really really love and go back to a lot. After Welcome To The Neighborhood Meat’s vocals became very hit or miss, and don’t really compare well to the original. But that’s just in my opinion!
 
Onhell said:
this makes me bob up and down lol.
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I think this -as well as buying beer- is the effect they were after. ;)

Daedalus said:
Disturbed - The Sound of Silence 2015 (Simon & Garfunkel 1964)
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I really don't understand why this version is so popular.

Sorry if they have been mentioned before but, here is an example of a cover which is -in my opinion- better than the original:
The original
The cover
 
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Saxon - Ride Like The Wind
Joe Cocker - With A Little Help From My Friends
Therapy? - Isolation
Soft Cell - Tainted Love
 
Onhell said:
I absolutely LOVE Blackmore's Night! This is great! I like that it's different. There's something about Elvis' slower, almost melacholic version, love his voice in it, but this makes me bob up and down lol.

I recently took my GF down an 80s/90s rabbit hole and showed her some powerful women of music classics, like Madonna's Like a Prayer, several Bonnie Tyler hits and of course.... Celine Dion's It's All Coming Back to me now:

As I often do when I get excited I got sidetracked and started telling her about Meatloaf and his relationship with his hit maker, Jim Steinman. Steinman wrote this little gem and Meatloaf wanted it, Steinman said no and gave it to Dion instead. It was the beginning of the end of their working relationship. But many years later in the early 2000s and after a long legal battle with Steinman over the name "Bat Out of Hell," Meatloaf released Bat Out of Hell III and on it... this cover:

There is no denying Dion's vocal prowess, but Meatloaf is no slouch in that department and I think it just works better as a duet. beautiful.
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I don't either of those versions top the original that Steinman did with his Pandora's Box project. That album also contains a few tracks that Meat Loaf recorded on the Bat out of Hell 2 album. Had Pandora's Box been successful, Meat Loaf may never have resurrected his career in the early 90s.

 
Onhell said:
I'll never know as the uploader didn't make the video available in my country. #ThanksObama
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It’s not available here either. I’ve been trying to listen to the Pandora’s Box album for ages but I’m blocked at every turn.
 
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