Covers That Outdo the Original

a reply to: zosimov


He can’t break you heart again…

originally posted by: ColeYounger2

Social Distortion also covered Johnny Cash's 'Ring of Fire'. Although it doesn't outdo Johnny's song, it's a great cover.

Social D make everything sound great!

The original will never be outdone - one option is to morph it into a completely different animal like Wall of Voodoo did in 1980.


Yes they're the "Mexican Radio" guys

21 Pilots never sounded so good!

I am fairly sure that everyone has heard All Along The Watchtower in some format over the years.

Hendrix put out the version that most people consider to be the best or it is at least the version that is the most well known..




Unless you are or were a fan of BSG then most likely the Bear McCreary plot line version is your gospel. This live version with Katee Sackhoff is just as powerful even if you never cared who the final 5 cylons were.

a reply to: underpass61

Thanks! I love Wall of Voodoo. I haven't heard that in years. I had that EP, and wondered if Johnny Cash ever heard that version, and what he thought of it!

I love these two Bob Dylan covers. Kudos to Dylan for writing them, but I think these outdo.

Mary Ann Faithful, 'It's All Over Now, Baby Blue'



The Byrd's 'My Back Pages'

'Ahh..but I was so much older then. I'm younger than that now.'

a reply to: opethPA

Have you heard Hendrix's 'Watchtower' from the Isle of Wight festival? He was kind of in his 'last days' so to speak, and there was a sort of sonber tiredness to his performances, which imo added an almost otherwordly vibe to them.
A sound engineer that was working the festival tells a story of how it was raining off and on, and they were experiencing equipment failures. Undaunted, Jimi 'channeled the spirit of music', and began manipulating his Stratocaster's pickup switch and tone knobs, and produced a solo that is just mind-blowing. The sounds he's getting at around the 2:15ish mark of the solo are just wild.

A great cover of one of the most beautiful instrumentals of the 20th century "Sleep Walk"

And of course Bruddah Iz made this song his

a reply to: zosimov

That's a great cover of 'Sleepwalk'. ATS member underpass61 and I participated in a great thread about surf music many moons ago. Here we go again.

Agent Orange did a kick-ass cover of 'Pipeline'. It doesn't outdo the amazing original, but it's great.





The original, by The Chantays. I'll submit that the electric piano at 1:10 mark is one of the coolest pieces of music ever recorded, with the reverb-drenched guitars, pulsating bass, and the precision drum riffing.

a reply to: ColeYounger2

Love it! Good cover, and an amazing song. Very cool.

Type 0 Negative covers "Summer Breeze"

a reply to: zosimov

Dreams can last forever…

originally posted by: angelchemuel
Going all the way back to Christmas 1779 when the song was first composed by British/American John Newton, this is one of my all time favourite versions by Dan Vasc..... please watch....... this is how this hymn should be sung....

I. Am. Floored. Awesome.

Ben Folds usually knocks it out of the park on covers. Tiny Dancer and Careless Whisper comes to mind.

Post Modern Jutebox has nothing but bangers and makes anything including R Kelly listenable (their cover of his song Ignition is crazy).

And out of left field, it doesn't matter what you think of the guy and I don't really think much of him, but former Project Veritas front man James O'Keefe does a mean cover of House of the Rising Sun.

originally posted by: ColeYounger2
a reply to: zosimov
That's a great cover of 'Sleepwalk'. ATS member underpass61 and I participated in a great thread about surf music many moons ago.

FYI I'm still adding tunes in that thread regularly (11+ pages so far) - "drop in" if any of you feel the urge:
ATS: Instrumental Surf Music - Origins to the Present Day

How about another Surf/Instro cover from my friends The Tomorrowmen

A lot of people have heard Mortal Coil's beautiful cover of Tim Buckley's "Song to the Siren"
Here's another by John Frusciante (Red Hot Chili Pepper's guitarist)

a reply to: zosimov

Hauntingly beautiful, thanks zosimov. I had never heard that song.

John's way of singing reminds me of rustling autumn leaves. Funnily enough, Frusciante is Italian for rustling, amongst other similar definitions. So, it's marvellous how destiny gave him a surname that ended up reflecting his artistry or his art personified in his name, if that makes sense.