Is there a cover version of a song you like by the original artist that has been in your ears truly murdered by a covering artist? Mine is 'Everybody Knows' by Leonard Cohen, absolutely murdered by Barb Jungr.
Larry, in general I too dislike operatic covers of popular songs, and like you I don't think I've listened to the couple of Dame Kiri's crossover albums I have more than once or twice.
There are exceptions, though. One that I'd particularly recommend would be a 1985 album by Julia Migenes (then known as Julia Migenes-Johnson) entitled "In Love," in which she wonderfully performs a dozen or so classic Broadway show tunes. Of course, it's not entirely coincidental that in addition to opera she has a substantial background in the theatre.
Speaking of Dame Kiri, one of the most fantastic concerts I've been to was a recital of purely classical material that she gave in New Haven, Connecticut, about three decades ago. When she was in her element she was certainly a very special talent.
Also I have a cover that I do not like at all and in my opinion has lost all, and I say all the poetry and melancholy of the original version, it seems that the band took the music and the words without bothering or wondering what it meant and the 'have adapted to their style and the result is, for me, bad, unacceptable, I realize that the band has many fans and they will disagree and even think that everything has been improved, no, it is not so. I'm talking about "Knocking on hevens door" by Bob Dylan in the cover of guns & roses that have also done very nice things but not in this case.
Dylan wrote the song for the movie Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid, and is used to great effect in the scene in which Slim Pickens' character is dying. Dylan had a small role in the movie, playing a character named Alias.
"No Mr. Nice Guy," the Pat Boone album of metal done his way is a HIGHLY coveted album and hard to get without paying pretty big bucks. It is really quite a laugh listening to that one.
I have not heard the "House of the Rising Sun" mentioned above, but any version will find tough competition from Andy Griffith's version of that song.
As long as you are not in danger from laughing to death, you should then move on to Mae West singing "Twist and Shout."
Any version of "Unchained Melody" outside of the Platters. Lauren Hill with her idiotic warbling of "Killing Me Softly". Any remake of "What You Won't Do For Love" by Bobby Caldwell.
I love the Concrete Blonde "Everybody Knows." I have it on the soundtrack album for "Pump Up the Volume." There are LOTS of terrific covers of Leonard Cohen songs. Mostly because the songs are well written, but it is also probably the case that his performance will not fit everyone's taste, so his version does crowd out contenders.
I particularly like an R.E.M. cover of "First We Take Manhattan."
A great song is open to a lot of different interpretations/versions. I think "Unchained Melody" is a great song. There are more than 1500 recorded versions of that song, and MANY are worthy of being played even if the Righteous Bros. version is generally regarded as the standard bearer. I have a number of the Righteous Bros. albums, including original release vinyl, but, that does not mean I don't like other versions of their biggest hit. For example, I frequently listen to this version from 1960:
Anybody who tries to cover House of the Rising Sun. Very hard to beat Eric Burden and the Animals version. And, they were one of the first groups to have a top ten record, that played longer than 2 1/2 minutes on the radio format.
Great point, @Larryi, about the legitimacy and appropriateness of disparate interpretations of great songs. And the version of "Unchained Melody" by Sam Cooke is indeed very nice IMO.
FWIW, while I recognize and respect the fact that the version by the Righteous Brothers is to many people the standard bearer, the main reasons I prefer Al Hibbler’s version to it are two-fold:
1) To me, the Righteous Brothers’ recording comes across as excessively "mannered," defined in this context as "overelaborate in delivery." While many people may interpret that as contributing to soul, to me it just detracts from the beauty of the song. For that song, at least, I prefer a more straightforward and unembellished interpretation.
2) To me, Al Hibbler has a better and more appealing voice than Bobby Hatfield.
In any event, as N80 aptly said earlier, "... its music. People like what they like."
I mentioned earlier Jackie Wilson's "Danny Boy." I cannot begin to express how much of a contradiction is that performance--overwrought, corny, excessively showy and cheesy, and it doesn't help that the song is a tired warhorse--but, I cannot think of too many more amazing vocal demonstrations than this performance:
Oh this list is truly lengthy and in some cases made average songs totally abysmal:
Percy Sledge 'when a man loves a woman' - cue Michael Bolton; George Michael 'Last Christmas' - cue Wigfield (I think that's her name) Righteous brothers 'unchained melody' - Robson and Jerome Blondie 'tide is high' - Atomic Kitten Bee Gees 'Tragedy' - Steps
While I enjoy The Platters and love Sam Cooke, I have to say that Bobby Hatfield outsings them both without overdoing it (as is the current fashion) in this case. He just puts a lot more real emotion into it, IMHO, of course. I’m a strong believer that there’s no right or wrong answer in what music one prefers.
NPR use to have a regular, very short, program where the host looked for truly awful recordings. Some of them were collected and offered for sale on CDs (I don't know about current availability). I never got them, even though I am a connoisseur of terrible covers. Some particularly notable examples include a cover of a Beatles song by the sitting president of a South American country; the song so embarrassed the populace that a recall election was held and he was thrown out of office. Another one, which I thought was really amazing was Bob Dylan and Tiny Time doing a duet (they were good friends) of "I Got You Babe."
By the way, I bought that Dolly Parton CD just to have her version of "Stairway to Heaven."
My vote goes to Peter Frampton and The Bee Gees re-imagining of Sgt. Pepper’s in 1978 for the musical film of the same name. The album was so bad it’s impossible to pick a worst of.. The movie intro says it all.
“This musical, set to late-period Beatles hits, recounts the story of Sgt. Pepper's famed musical group, which found success during World War I bringing music to weary soldiers in the field. The band's leader has since died and now it's up to his grandson, Billy Shears (Peter Frampton), to carry on the group's traditions. To this end, he recruits the Henderson brothers (Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb) to help him defend the group's magic instruments from nefarious crook B.D. Hoffler.“
"To me, the Righteous Brothers’ recording comes across as excessively "mannered," defined in this context as "overelaborate in delivery." While many people may interpret that as contributing to soul, to me it just detracts from the beauty of the song. For that song, at least, I prefer a more straightforward and unembellished interpretation."
I get that and I agree to a certain point. But for me, the clincher that hooks me with the Righteous Brother's version is the vocal gymnastics which even they could not reproduce live that makes the song so special.
But, what you're speaking of here does ring true. The Joan Baez version of The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down is too smooth and polished....not to mention a woman singing a man's lines (which I don't mind except in this song....it just doesn't work). Some songs are best with all the rough edges in place. Probably all blues are better for the rough edges.....its what makes the blues what they are and a lot of what allowed rock to grow out of the blues.
I think we should start a thread about covers that are better or as good as the originals.
Never cared much for David Bowie’s take on “Across the Universe”, but on a positive note (no pun) Johnny Cash’s version of “Hurt” tramples Nine Inch Nail’s version. They did write a great song.
A little correction about The Tide Is High. It was originally by a Jamaican band from, if I remember correctly, 1960s. Blondie was some time in the early 1980s.
In response to bdp24 post in this thread in regard to the song ’Love Hurts’ I too appreciate deeply the talents of The Everly Brother. However I beg to differ and stick my neck out by confirming that Nazareth’s version was artisticly more poignant by the rough edgy voice of Dan McAfferty, the style he sang the song and how he bought out the core meaning of the song, pure gut wrenching stuff, a tearjerker, one could believe the singer went through the mill and back, relating his experience to the listener.
stargazer3, glad you like Nazareth's take on "Love Hurts". It's such a great song, there's more than one way to do it. Taste is too subjective and personal for everyone to agree on everything, so don't take offense when I say that I find the singer in Nazareth to be 'oversinging", the way some actors "overact". Then there is the stiff drumming, and the phased guitar sound, which I don't care for. But that's just me. Still a great song, which is the most important thing.
Oh my, this Yoko Ono performance of Someone like you by Adele really gives a full meaning to the title of this thread. Performance itself is electrifying. I looked that way once I accidentally held a wire plugged into the wall.
Aw geez, how could I have forgotten (I should be so lucky) The Who’s version of "Shakin’ All Over"? The Guess Who improved on the Johnny Kidd & The Pirates original, The Who quite the opposite. Daltry’s vocals set a new standard for hoariness. Absolutely unlistenable. I am aware that opinion is not universally shared ;-) .
Regarding No Doubt's cove of "It's My Life", I guess I have a different take. Frankly, I thought for the time it was released, it fit in very nicely. Certainly, it made younger folks aware of the song. I did not find it offensive in any way myself.
Maybe the difference between your take and mine is I find the positive attributes?
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