Music Covers You Like Better Than The Original

[Elwin]

I’ve always liked rock/metal versions of songs that originally weren’t, or artists’ own take on heavier songs. A few of my favorites:
Ghost - Enter Sandman

Agreed on metal covers, and also I didn’t know that Ghost covered Enter Sandman (I’ve kindof lost track of them since loving Meliora and not at all loving Prequelle), but without looking up I can already hear it - that song was practically made for them to cover.

I basically came here to mention the already-mentioned Metallica cover of Turn the Page. I don’t even like Metallica that much but that’s one of the first things I think of for “cover I like better than the original.” Also a perfect example of one of the great things about a metal cover of a non-metal song - you don’t have to decide is one is better than the other, since they’re so damn different.

[Erik]

[Clusterfrack]

Guns 'n' Roses doing "Live and Let Die" is way better than Wings, and their cover of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" is maybe not better than Bob Dylan's original, but it is really good in a different way, and is much, much better than Clapton's cover of the song.

The thread title says "like better than the original". That doesn't require me to love the cover song--I might just really hate the original. And, that's the case in your examples. You don't have to work hard to improve a Wings song. Maybe the original is good in a different way, but no one has been willing to pay me the $100 it takes for me to listen to Bob Dylan sing. And don't get me started on Clapton. I almost got out of a car halfway between the Trinity Alps and Redding because the driver wouldn't stop playing Cream. At the time, walking while carrying a heavy, wet backpack seemed better than listening to that crap.

[JTQ]

I almost got out of a car halfway between the Trinity Alps and Redding because the driver wouldn't stop playing Cream.

With the college football season beginning tonight, your comment made me think of this...

[Erik]

And don't get me started on Clapton. I almost got out of a car halfway between the Trinity Alps and Redding because the driver wouldn't stop playing Cream. At the time, walking while carrying a heavy, wet backpack seemed better than listening to that crap.

Eric Clapton is right up there with Yngwie Malmstein - two guys who can play the hell out of guitar and make it entirely un-listenable by opening their damn mouths. I think Frank Zappa said it best when he said, "Shut up and play yer guitar."

[MountainRaven]

Anybody's cover of Hurt is better than the original, but Mumford and Sons' is the best.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jeJohmL-0U

Disturbed, The Sound of Silence

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jeJohmL-0U

Eddie Vedder, My City of Ruins

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tREciWArC2s

Paula Nelson, Have You Ever Seen the Rain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hRsTysBDq8

Your second video is the same as your first video, which IMO is Divine Providence signalling to us the depths of your blasphemy in the second part of your opening sentence.

[RJ]

Chris’s live studio version is pretty hawt, but I really like this remake.

[Skinner Precision, LLC]

Some may consider it blasphemy but somehow The Hu's Mongolian throat singing version of sad but true is more metal than Metallica IMO

[Joe in PNG]

Of course, one could fill the whole thread with Robert Johnson covers. My favorite album of such is Peter Green's "Hot Foot Powder" with Nigel Watson.

Conversely, I prefer Greeny's original of "The Green Manlishi" to Judas Priest's version, but think Santana did a better job of "Black Magic Woman".

[Clay]

linky no worky sorry