Covers that are better than the original

Lends itself, don't it?

Rappin too

I like REM's version of Wichita Lineman the best - I like the arrangement and his voice - but I wish I could find him (Michael Stipe) singing Galveston. I know he's done it in concert - and that is one beautiful rendition of that beautiful song.

Anyone familiar with the jam bluegrass band Cornmeal out of Chicago? They do great covers! Wonderful live!

I know I'm biased (because THE BAND is one of my favorite bands ever) - but I seem to always love the covers they do better than the originals.
Bruce Springsteen wrote this song - and I love him - but as far as I'm concerned this song belongs to the Band now:


Millions of people have done this song - but Bob and the Band do it best (in my opinion)

There is a new "music-bio" movie about The Runaways, the 1970's all-girl band where Joan Jett got her start. Here are the actresses in the film doing "Cherry Bomb."

Speaking of Joan Jett, she did a cover of Have You Ever Seen The Rain? (Creedence Clearwater Revival).

Snow Patrol's version of Beyonce's 'Crazy In Love'

Thanks for posting it . . . I don't know how to do that . . . and, yes, it was explained recently but I am still in the dark.

He really did this song in a traditional way. I happened to listen to Ralph Stanley sing Oh, Death then to Eddie sing MAsters of War and recognized the technique instantly.

Ralph is one of the few remaining links to shape note hymn singing which flourished in the Appalachians in the 19th century
Oh Death is believed to have been written by a Baptist preacher named Lloyd Chandler. Here he sings a similar song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9Q836VXOw8&playnext=1&p=845F7681655A0EAB&index=1&feature=PlayList&playnext_from=PL&ytsession=vbK7PMiokcg9qqqdUI00NmaPjj4lxS7bc7_lZ_xMqtGVV0yoM-y2BYwDdxzbnlo9TR1w-et-AcwvsEbboda5DDRIEy3xJISDmnOzK-1_6DypZCfA42KP3Uk_QB-FB3ujyWCVKO5Yc1OIN7UQfNy3uK06VYGzAza0BRnzI0v26xcdAH4hCVo_1hRCUYK4vAoxP7WKAqKWy7Uz3FFFx7hAdvsDrj61-cifAzoaioIjxIR2m_sQHnh2U-_-0GrDSGko4Y9aFOvDZQ0IiFttNSzuNXmiDPUvNXCbp-r00E4a52DEJa0FCmKv48Tsos1cTAW49lnNTWGOPU23X2mRGwgxt3wTPoxPEBTuIAENhUuDLnldnUVCrAxC6FduB855KlyHRbesMuRmQnnzFWZohMJSOCbk6eO8N7vxHUlmrKgw8Ls

have you ever done shape note singing? I've done it a couple of times and its fun

No disrespect POM, but that Cornmeal version was awful in my ears. See if you can find Little Feat's version.
I learned solfeggio singing in college so shape note was redundant. But at one time it helped many congregations to sing the newest hymns.

Panzade, shape note singing has a whole lot of links still existant. There are folkie groups all across the country who do it as a learned tradition, and I know teens- and twenties-almost professional musicians who've been doing it since they were little kids. And largely southern church groups like Southern Baptists still have people coming up thru Sunday-morning-singing-and-fried-chicken-on-the-ground. You might be interested in a group called "Olabelle" who've toured internationally who got their start at "Sunday School for Sinners" afternoon gospel singing for people who didn't have the religion but loved the music, at a very cool dive in NYC called Banjo Jim's on the Lower East Side.
http://fasola.org/

Did anyone mention the Pet Shop Boys' take on Willie Nelson's (or Elvis Presley's) Always On My Mind?


Didn't know their version of Go West was a cover of a Village People single.

i also love this Pet Shop Boys cover of two tunes

Great stuff Jack. I do remember Olabelle.

I'm not sure if it's possible for a cover version of an Edith Piaf song to be better than the original, but "If You Love Me" by the latest version of the Irish super-group De Dannan at least rivals the original. Can't find a video of it, tho, just audio. They do a mean "Here Comes the Sun" too. It turns into a jig (or is it a reel?)
http://www.dedannan.com/listen.php

I heard Cornmeal live . . . unlike some groups, Cornmeal does not post professionally produced music on YouTube . . . believe me, they are amazing live.

I can understand the excitement of posting a group on YouTube using your phone. The poster is filled with the immediacy of the performance but . . . ugh! the sound!