there are some bands who just totally Outdo the original song they record and make it a more memorable rendition.Just for fun these are a few I can think of, but there's probably many more I haven't heard.
Joe Cocker: With a Little Help from Me Friends
Jimi Hendrix: All Along the Watchtower
Jimi Hendrix: Hey Joe
Ten Years After: Goin' Home
Johnny Winter: Highway 61
Edgar Winter: Tobacco Road
Led Zeppelin: You Shook Me
Grateful Dead: Morning Dew
Allman Brothers: Mountain Jam
After Midnight: Eric Clapton
Cocaine: Eric Clapton
Any others?
[Edited on 4/17/2016 by bettyhynes]
Jeff Beck: Going Down
Lynyrd Skynyrd: Call Me The Breeze
ABB: Statesboro Blues
Buckwheat Zydeco's "Hey Joe".
The Meters do a great version of "Down By the River".
I once saw the Mule with Chris Robinson absolutely own "Southern Man".
it's hard for me to say "better". The remakes I just mention are all "different". I love Gov't Mule's covers. But to really love a cover... don't you have to love the original as well?
down by the river-buddy miles live
hey joe-roy buchanan
Like A Rolling Stone - The Drive-By Truckers
T For Texas - Lynyrd Skynyrd
All Along The Watchtower - Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush
Johnny Cash - Hurt
Dan Baird does a mean version of Hush - not saying it is better than the original, but it is damn good.
Grateful Dead: I Know You Rider
Rich Robinson / Black Crowes : Oh Sweet Nuthin' (maybe not better, but as good as VU)
George Thorogood - One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer
Miles - Human Nature
Phish- Rock N Roll
Black Crowes- Oh Sweet Nuthin
Santana- Black Magic Women & She's Not There
Johnny Cash - Hurt
Came out of lurker mode just to second this. Not only a great song but one of the best videos ever made IMO...
Like A Rolling Stone - The Drive-By Truckers
Umm, I beg to differ...better than the original? I think not!
Ten Years After: Goin' Home
Alvin Lee wrote the song--it's the original. At Woodstock, when he says, "By helicopter", he was referring to how the band got there.
Some of mine:
Call Me the Breeze by Skynyrd
King Bee by Frank Marino
Summertime Blues by the Who
Summertime by Janis Joplin
Star Spangled Banner by Hendrix
Stagger Lee by Nick Cave
Elvis Costello-What's so funny about Peace, love and Understanding
Foghat - I just want to make love to you
Santana- Black Magic Woman
How about Originals that you like more than the more famous remake?
I'd take Otis Redding's "Respect," over Aretha's more famous version.
Cool thread! Versions I like better than original:
My Favorite Things - John Coltrane
all the Hendrix versions of everything, he had the Midas touch!
Big Iron - Bob Weir with Kingfish
Statesboro Blues - ABB
Originals that sound way better to me than the remakes (sorry Eric, no cigar, not impressed with your attempts to be JJ Cale)...
Please Be With Me - Scott Boyer
I Shot the Sheriff - Bob Marley
Cocaine - JJ Cale
The Breeze - JJ Cale
After Midnight - JJ Cale
a couple more came to mind
GD: Not Fade Away
Johnny Winter: Highway 61 Revisited
good call on Coltrane, My Favorite Things. You can also add Afro Blue
I forgot a few:
Cream - Crossroads
Van Halen - You Really Got Me (tough call, but that "brown" sound just barely trumps the original)
Ramones - California Sun
Talking Heads - Take Me to the River (it's tough to top Al Green!)
CSNY - Woodstock
X - Soul Kitchen
As a die hard Springsteen fan, here are two Bruce covers by Manfred Mann that I like better:
Blinded by the Light
For You
Bruce's are very raw, stripped down too much in my opinion. Manfred Mann really put teeth into both songs. Also made them way more commercially popular for whatever that is worth. In fact, growing up I didn't even know they were Bruce songs until I started collecting everything Bruce.
Blinded by the Light probably got more attention but For You is a beautiful song.
Everything in Moderation. Including Moderation.
As a die hard Springsteen fan, here are two Bruce covers by Manfred Mann that I like better:
Blinded by the Light
For YouBruce's are very raw, stripped down too much in my opinion. Manfred Mann really put teeth into both songs. Also made them way more commercially popular for whatever that is worth. In fact, growing up I didn't even know they were Bruce songs until I started collecting everything Bruce.
Blinded by the Light probably got more attention but For You is a beautiful song.
I can't agree with you Lee. I always thought Springsteen's version of both was much better. But to make up for that I'll give Manfred Mann props for Quinn the Eskimo, which I thought was better than Dylan's version.
Originals that sound way better to me than the remakes (sorry Eric, no cigar, not impressed with your attempts to be JJ Cale)...
Please Be With Me - Scott Boyer
I Shot the Sheriff - Bob Marley
Cocaine - JJ Cale
The Breeze - JJ Cale
After Midnight - JJ Cale
Seconded. JJ Cale is the man, Clapton put a little too much cocaine into his version of "Cocaine" and "After Midnight" for my taste.
I love J.J. Cale. I saw him at Old Man Rivers under the bridge in New Orleans back in the early 80's. His "Anthology" is in regular rotation for me.
Summertime by Janis Joplin
Absolutely right. And her Monterrey Pop performance of Ball & Chain is among the best covers of any song in the history of the universe.
I guess I have to thank Clapton for introducing me to JJ Cale. It is just weird how he tries to sound just like JJ Cale, rather than interpreting the songs in a Clapton way. Kind of vampiric.
I came to the conclusion that there really is no Clapton Way, that Eric is some kind of processor, has great taste and does amazing things with music and is certainly a virtuoso, however other than some of the Cream stuff he never struck me as a wellspring of new ideas.
After Midnight would be an exception with the background singers and the faster tempo isn't following the Cale template. It was a different take on the song.
