Cover versions the good, the bad, the "That's a cover?!"?

Question

Give me:

10 songs were you most shocked to discover were merely covers or heavy samples of older songs.

10 covers you like as well as or better than the originals.

10 cover you loathe of originals that you feel never should have been touched.

In my life I really started to catch wise in the early 90s from all the 80s leftovers and my first wake up call was with Tiffany's cover of 'I Think We're Alone Now' and MC Hammer's total rip of the riff from 'Super Freak' by Rick James for 'U Can't Touch This'. But since then I still find myself getting shocked or maybe disheartened is a better word because so many mainstream hits are/were not new at all. We all know Rhianna ripped from Soft Cell's 'Tainted Love' by how many know Soft Cell ripped from Gloria Jone's original 'Tainted Love'. Anyway it it is not that all covers are bad just that there are so bloody many of them.


Shocking covers/sample discoveries (mainly because I thought a lot of the artists were too talented and classy to do covers)

1. China Girl - David Bowie (originally recorded by Iggy Pop but written by Iggy and David)
2. The Tide Is High - Blondie (originally by The Paragons)
3. Mickey - Toni Basil (originally 'Kitty' by Racey)
4. Kandi - One Eskimo (originally 'He Calls Me Baby' by Candi Stanton)
5. Under The Influence Of Love - Kylie Minogue (originally by Love Unlimited)
6. Alone - Heart (originally by I-10)
7. Oye Como Va - Santana (originally by Tito Puente)
8. Twisted - Joni Mitchell (originally by Lambert, Hendricks & Ross)
9. Watermelon Man- Mongo Santamaria (orginally by Herbie Hancock)
10. Time Is On My Side - The Rolling Stones/Irma Thomas (originally by Kai Winding a double shock because The Stones led me to Thomas and so I thought Thomas did it first but no...)


Covers I Heart

1. Walk Like A Egyptian - The Puppini Sisters (originally The Bangles)
2. Hazy Shade Of Winter - The Bangles (originally Paul Simon a sin I know)
3. Where The Streets Have No Name - Pet Shop Boys (originally U2)
4. Ballroom Blitz - Tia Carerre (originally by Sweet)
5. Days - Kirsty MacColl (originally by The Kinks)
6. Let It Be - Tito Nieves (originally by The Beatles another sin I know)
7. Jump - Paul Anka (originally by Van Halen)
8. Like A Virgin - Lords Of The New Church (originally by Madonna)
9. The Passenger - Siousxie Sioux & The Banshees (originally by Iggy Pop)
10. Kiss - Art of Noise feat. Tom Jones (originally by Prince)


Covers I Hate (so many easy targets)

1. What'd I Say - Ray Charles (originally by Ray Charles his own remake was the 10 deadly sins)
2. Smooth Criminal - Alien Ant Farm (originally Michael Jackson)
3. American Pie - Madonna (originally Don McLean)
4. River Deep Mountain High - Celine Dion (originally Tina Turner)
5. Lady Marmalade - Christina etc. (originally by Labelle)
6. Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay - Michael Bolton (originally by Otis Redding)
7. Crazy Train - Forever the Sickest Kids (originally by Ozzy)
8. One Word - Kelly Osborne (originally 'Fade To Grey' by Visage)
9. Ohio - Devo (originally by Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young Note: I like Devo usually)
10. Umbrella - All Time Low (originally a mediocre song by Rihanna, well at least they got their band name right)

Answer 1

I do not have a short attention span, thank you.



Surprising covers



1. I Fought The Law - The Clash

2. I Love Rock 'n' Roll - Joan Jett

3. Steal My Sunshine - Len mostly cause they sampled that disco song

4. I Can't Live - Mariah Carey

5. If You Could Read My Mind - Stars on 64

6. I Want Candy - Bow Wow Wow

7. Little Wing - The Corrs

8. Thing Called Love - Bonnie Raitt

9. I Put A Spell On You - Nina Simone

10. Black Magic Woman - Santana





Covers I love



1. Burning Love - The Porkers

2. Viva Las Vegas - ZZ Top

3. Stairway To Heaven - Rodrigo y Gabriela

4. Knocking On Heaven's Door - GNR

5. Don't Be Cruel - Cheap Trick

6. I Love Rock 'n' Roll - Joan Jett

7. Angel From Montgomery - Bonnie Raitt

8. I Drove All Night - Roy Orbison

9. Pink Cadillac - Natalie Cole

10. Everlasting Love - Gloria Estefan



Covers I Hate



1. Satisfaction - Speares

2. I Love Rock 'n' Roll - Speares

3. Take My Breath Away - Jessica Simpson

4. I Want Candy - Aaron Carter

5. You Spin Me Round - Jessica Simpson

6.You Spin Me Round - Flo Rida stupid *** song

7. You Spin Round - Dope people think this was Marylin Manson

8. Disco Inferno - Cyndi Lauper

9. Drop The Pilot - Many Moore

10. You Can Leave Your Hat On - Ty Herdon

Answer 2

10 songs were you most shocked to discover were merely covers or heavy samples of older songs.



1. No More White Horses by Please, a 60's psych rock song, T.2. did a great cover of the song, more heavy, and more instrumentals.

T.2.'s version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkSqHiTthfk



Please's version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8Lk0-BDkAA



2. Black Sabbath's War Pigs has been made into an epic psychedelic trip by Suck.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBRtgAM_fQ4



3. Iron Butterfly's Real Fright was sampled by Exile, in Blue and Exile's The Narrow Path.

Iron Butterfly's Real Fright

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7fln_2XMcA



Blu and Exile's The Narrow Path

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=folUIf__AaQ



4. I thought it was funny how Kanye West did a little tiny sample from King Crimson's 21st Century Schizoid Man in his new album.



5. Primus did a WONDERFUL cover of INXS's Making Plans For Nigel, probably my favorite cover of all time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WbzdqwkHAk&playnext=1&list=PL0BAFD84C5BC3349E&index=12



6. Primus does another cover of The Resident's Sinister Exaggerator.



7. and once more, another Primus cover of Peter Gabriel's Intruder.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlriAmWKk64



8. Tera Melos does a cool cover of Tame by Pixies



9. A Tribe Called Quest's sample of Lou Reed's Walk On the Wild Side

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDoeswoiAuw&feature=related



10. The Bled does a great cover of Bad Brains' House of the Suffering.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwYpQwc_lB4



those 10 covers and samples i listed are also as well under covers i found just as good or better than the originals, the exception is the King Crimson sample from Kanye West, it was pretty lame tbh, but it was good for some lulz. its still a good song overall



** ohh dayum, your right on that one, ive always been getting INXS and XTC mixed up, i was seriously about to type XTC, but i thought i was wrong lol

Answer 3

Covers I was shocked: (there was only one)

Tainted Love- Soft Cell



Covers I love

Sweet Dreams are made of these- Marilyn Manson

Hurt- Johnny Cash

Hallelujh- Jeff Buckley

You spin me right round- Dope

Personal Jesus- Marilyn Manson



People have already mentioned the covers I hate.

Answer 4

i wonder if any one other then me will answer this long question.... lol. too much effort!