Cover Songs.

[Mulletino]

Re: Cover Songs.

It's also interesting to discover that songs you thought were originals are actually covers.

The Wonder of you, I thought Elvis Presley sang the original, only found out it was a cover (that had also been covered before his release a few times) earlier this year!

[George 1978]

Re: Cover Songs.

One of my favourite covers is Al Green's version of The Bee Gees How Can You Mend A Broken Heart?

Speaking of the Bee Gees, I have always preferred their version of "More Than a Woman" rather than Tavares' version even though their version is played on the radio a lot more often. I know it's a chicken and egg thing, but did Tavares' version come first - I know that radio stations favour original versions so I assume that would be the case.

Also, I preferred the La Belle Epoque's 1977 disco version of "Black is Black" with the sub-5000 Volts' I'm On Fire-alike tune introducing it rather than Los Bravos' version from 1966 with the Gene Pitney-alike singer. It only seems to be heard on Pick of the Pops-alike programmes these days.

[George 1978]

Re: Cover Songs.

The beatles did a lorry load of covers?

I have always thought of the Beatles as being original, but providing songs for others to cover such as the Overlanders' Michelle.

[Richard1978]

Re: Cover Songs.

One of my favourite covers is Al Green's version of The Bee Gees How Can You Mend A Broken Heart?

[tex]

Re: Cover Songs.

The beatles did a lorry load of covers?

Sorry this is a statement NOT a question

[tex]

Re: Cover Songs.

I always thought that doing a cover version is sometimes better than doing an original because of the risks that artistes take when singing a hit that no one else has done before. I don't think that a cover version is a rip-off of the original as such - on the contrary - it can be a tribute to the original performer, and it can save on getting songwriters in. One cannot imagine songwriters such as McCartney or Elton John themselves doing cover versions - why should they when they can write new material themselves?

A lot of Shakin' Stevens' hits were cover versions of 1950s songs, and he helped to bring those hits up to date for the 1980s and made them fashionable again - could one imagine teenagers of the 1980s bopping around to Frankie Vaughan or Rosemary Clooney hits at the school disco? I think not. I was listening to a radio programme that played 1950s rock and roll songs about a year or so back and there were at least three songs on there that were original versions of songs that Shaky covered nearly 30 years later.

There can also be cover versions that have a slightly different title to the original - a change of gender meant that a cover version of Madness' My Girl became Tracey Ullman's My Guy, which of course was a different song to Mary Wells' hit.

My motto towards cover versions is "better the devil you know".

The beatles did a lorry load of covers?

[George 1978]

Re: Cover Songs.

I always thought that doing a cover version is sometimes better than doing an original because of the risks that artistes take when singing a hit that no one else has done before. I don't think that a cover version is a rip-off of the original as such - on the contrary - it can be a tribute to the original performer, and it can save on getting songwriters in. One cannot imagine songwriters such as McCartney or Elton John themselves doing cover versions - why should they when they can write new material themselves?

A lot of Shakin' Stevens' hits were cover versions of 1950s songs, and he helped to bring those hits up to date for the 1980s and made them fashionable again - could one imagine teenagers of the 1980s bopping around to Frankie Vaughan or Rosemary Clooney hits at the school disco? I think not. I was listening to a radio programme that played 1950s rock and roll songs about a year or so back and there were at least three songs on there that were original versions of songs that Shaky covered nearly 30 years later.

There can also be cover versions that have a slightly different title to the original - a change of gender meant that a cover version of Madness' My Girl became Tracey Ullman's My Guy, which of course was a different song to Mary Wells' hit.

My motto towards cover versions is "better the devil you know".

[Clare]

Re: Cover Songs.

It's also interesting to discover that songs you thought were originals are actually covers.

[zabadak]

Re: Cover Songs.

Wow, such a big topic! Most acts - Beatles, Sinatra, Sex Pistols, Nirvana, Glenn Miller, Adele, you name them - have done cover versions in their time!

[Clare]

Re: Cover Songs.

Yep same here couldn't post Personal Jesus by Jonny Cash and the cover by Depeche mode... Two great songs but very different.

I believe Johnny Cash's is the cover, and Depeche Mode's the original.

[Caitlyn]

Re: Cover Songs.

Use me, by Bill Withers. Classic song and great cover by Raw Stylus, love them both for their own merits.

(the one video limit means i couldn't post both as vids)

Yep same here couldn't post Personal Jesus by Jonny Cash and the cover by Depeche mode... Two great songs but very different.

[Mulletino]

Re: Cover Songs.

Use me, by Bill Withers. Classic song and great cover by Raw Stylus, love them both for their own merits.

(the one video limit means i couldn't post both as vids)

[Caitlyn]

Love them or loathe them there have been some interesting covers made of classic songs so here we are looking at posting the new version against the old version... Which is best?