NWR Cover songs that are better than the original

I recently happened across Fripp and Mrs Fripp performing Enter Sandman on Youtube - quite, quite something. I think the word which came most readily to mind was "unrestrained" :)

The entire Vyvyan family are quite obsessed with their Sunday Lunch videos. We watched this one loads at Christmas.


If you like Toyah being 'unrestrained' can I particularly recommend last weekend's performance of Welcome to the Jungle
 
The entire Vyvyan family are quite obsessed with their Sunday Lunch videos. We watched this one loads at Christmas.


If you like Toyah being 'unrestrained' can I particularly recommend last weekend's performance of Welcome to the Jungle
Yes, I've heard only good things about them Dan, and Toyah seems in great nick (voice not least). I think they did one in the garden and got a round of applause from the neighbours... The one I mentioned doesn't seem over family-friendly but it seems to be done with childish innocence!
 
That kind of brings up the thread drifty subject of plagiarism, which is rife in the music industry and a sincere form of flattery. One egregious example is the Eagles who plagiarised Jethro Tull’s ‘We Used to Know’ for their signature anthem ‘Hotel California’. While the Eagles have an impressive catalogue this was by far their biggest hit and made them wealthy, let’s say by borrowing Ian Anderson’s intellectual property/genius. Ian Anderson is magnanimous about it even though the two bands did not get along, but when you listen to Jethro Tull’s ‘We Used to Know’, which Ian Anderson wrote around 1969, there is more than just a hint of plagiarism.

 
I preferred “Word Up” performed by Gun. I recall seeing the band live a few times in Glasgow in the mid 90s in tiny venues that I can’t recall the name of. Small rooms, sticky floors, live band playing hard rock, packed out to fire hazard standards… those were the days.

 
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I preferred “Word Up” performed by Gun. I recall seeing the band live a few times in Glasgow in the mid 90s in tiny venues that I can’t recall the name of. Small rooms, sticky floors, live band playing hard rock, packed out to fire hazard standards… those were the days.
just listened to this. Awesome. Thank you. Not quite as joyous as the fake Dire Straits but close...
 
I'm loving this thread. I stopped contributing here a good while ago because there's so many people with vast amounts of knowledge of all things wine that I don't feel there's a lot I can add. This is a great thread, as it shows such diverse musical tastes amongst the contributors.

Personally, I can't believe Jose Gonzalez's version of Heartbeats hasn't been mentioned. That is just about the only cover that everyone who I know that has heard the original and the cover, prefers the cover. As others have said, it's subjective most/all of the time.

There's a lot here I'd forgotten about. Tricky's version of Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos being one. A great cover, although perhaps not better than the original for me, just different. Also, the Shipbuilding cover is a great one that had slipped my mind completely. Suede ( I think ) did a really good version of that on the Help album in the 90s. The 60s was probably the ultimate decade for covers though. Loads of world class artists just picked up others songs and played them for the fun of it. Hendrix and Nina Simone were probably my favourites.
 
Bending the theme a bit
Here’s one that is nowhere near so good as the original.
Will Young’s new album features a cover of
London Grammar’s Strong which has a wonderful and atmospheric vocal which would be difficult to imagine being surpassed.
I do like Will Young and he has a decent pop voice, but really he should have left this alone.
 
That kind of brings up the thread drifty subject of plagiarism, which is rife in the music industry and a sincere form of flattery. One egregious example is the Eagles who plagiarised Jethro Tull’s ‘We Used to Know’ for their signature anthem ‘Hotel California’. While the Eagles have an impressive catalogue this was by far their biggest hit and made them wealthy, let’s say by borrowing Ian Anderson’s intellectual property/genius. Ian Anderson is magnanimous about it even though the two bands did not get along, but when you listen to Jethro Tull’s ‘We Used to Know’, which Ian Anderson wrote around 1969, there is more than just a hint of plagiarism.


Had a drink a few weeks ago with old pal Bobby Bluebell, songwriter/guitar/vocals for The Bluebells. He was telling me about the long-running dispute he'd had with the session musician who played fiddle on their massive hit Young at Heart. The session player eventually won £100,000 in unpaid royalties after the judge decided the violin part he added was sufficient to consider him a co-writer of the song.
 
Had a drink a few weeks ago with old pal Bobby Bluebell, songwriter/guitar/vocals for The Bluebells. He was telling me about the long-running dispute he'd had with the session musician who played fiddle on their massive hit Young at Heart. The session player eventually won £100,000 in unpaid royalties after the judge decided the violin part he added was sufficient to consider him a co-writer of the song.
Very Smithsonian, but on a slightly smaller scale, although Rourke and Joyce were claiming royalties on more than just one single.
That song (Young at Heart) is now buzzing round my head and I can clearly 'hear' the violin part, so it was probably justified ;)
 
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