Cameron's Cover Corner

[Slippin' Freddy]

So this is gonna be a new thing I'm gonna try out. It's a bit like Steel's sampling thread, only with covers. Here's the gist. I take one song and match it up with a more famous cover of that song. Here are some of the rules though:

1. No sampling. Samples do not count as covers.

2. I do not do fan covers. Only covers from legitimate musicians/bands.

3. No obvious ones. Come on, we all know that the cover versions of Total Eclipse of the Heart and Cruel Summer are both awful.

 

Winners so far:

Spoiler

Mad World - Michael Andrews/Gary Jules

Everybody Wants to Rule the World - Lorde

House of the Rising Sun - The Animals

Land of Confusion - Genesis

 

Anyway, let's get started with two songs from a band you may all know of. Tears for Fears.

 

I really like Tears for Fears. They are one of the best new wave bands I have ever heard. Three of my favorite songs from them would have to be Shout, Sowing the Seeds of Love, and of course, Everybody Wants to Rule the World which I will cover later. But for right now, let's talk about Mad World.

 

"Mad World" was the third single off of Tears for Fears' first album, The Hurting. Out of all the singles that were released on there, "Mad World" was the most successful. 21 years later in 2003, a cover of the song appeared on the Donnie Darko soundtrack which was done by Michael Andrews featuring Gary Jules. Wait, what? I thought it was only a Gary Jules song since he's the singer and all. Huh. I guess it's sort of like a Mark Ronson/Bruno Mars or Daft Punk/Pharrell deal where the guest is the main singer. And of course, we're going to tackle the original first.

 

The original

Spoiler

Now unlike the cover version, the original utilizes heavy percussion and synthesizers. It gives the song a very eerie and creepy tone. Now I'm going to be really honest here, I don't really hate it as much as other people on here do. Granted, I didn't like it as much as a kid, but now, I think it's okay. Not the best though.

 

The cover version

Spoiler

Now this is the cover song that everyone knows and loves. I don't exactly blame them either. Unlike the original version, this version of the song only utilizes the piano with only a few orchestral instruments in the background. And unlike the original which is done in an eerie tone, this version of the song is depressing and somber. And I think that's how the song should've been written.

 

Who gets the edge?

Spoiler

Sorry, Tears for Fears, but this is no longer your song. While your version is not exactly bad in a way, I LOVE the Gary Jules (and sure, Michael Andrews) cover. I've got to give it to them.

 

Now let's get to a Tears for Fears song I know everyone loves. Everybody Wants to Rule the World.

 

"Everybody Wants to Rule the World" was the third single off their 1985 album, Songs from the Big Chair. It was one of the most successful singles off of the album as it ranked above "Shout" and "Head Over Heels" on the 1985 Billboard Year-End Chart at #7. In 2013, Lorde released a cover of the song which, just like the Mad World cover, was on a movie soundtrack too. Let's find out which version I find better.

 

The original

Spoiler

See, it's songs like this, Shout, and Head Over Heels that make Songs from the Big Chair beat out The Hurting in terms of Tears for Fears albums. This song is one of the most upbeat of songs I have heard about wanting to take power over the world (or at least something like that). I really have no complaints about this song here, it's really great.

 

The cover version

Spoiler

Okay, as much as I don't care for The Hunger Games movies, this song off of the Catching Fire soundtrack was one of the few songs that actually caught my attention. Unlike the original, this version of the song sounds more dramatic and tense and feels like a song that actually comes from a Hunger Games movie. I love how the orchestra kicks in after the second chorus and the way it cuts off with the three stings at the end. It still gives me goosebumps every time. This cover does not disappoint me at all. Then again, no Lorde song ever disappoints me at all. Yet.

 

Who gets the edge?

Spoiler

This was a really hard decision to make. Both versions are pretty great in their own ways, but in the end, Lorde's version is a little bit better than the original. Even though it ends a bit short, that won't stop me from loving it. Again, sorry, Tears for Fears. I still think your version is great and a lot better than Mad World, but Lorde's version is just spectacular. At least you still have "Shout" and "Head Over Heels" to fall back on, which (I hope) didn't have any successful covers.

 

That's all for now. Next time, I'll try to cover "House of the Rising Sun", done by The Animals and covered by Five Finger Death Punch.

[Katniss]

Lorde's version of Everybody Wants to Rule the World is great. 

I don't know if you take requests but I'd love to hear you compare No Doubt's cover of "It's My Life" to the original version by Talk Talk.

 

Edited March 3, 2016 by Katniss

[Cha]

I haven't heard Lorde's version but I agree with you on Mad World. Tears for Fear's version was just too clunky and not serious enough, but each to their own style.

[Slippin' Freddy]

40 minutes ago, Katniss said:

I don't know if you take requests but I'd love to hear you compare No Doubt's cover of "It's My Life" to the original version by Talk Talk.

Oooooh, yeah, I forgot about that one. I'll get to it soon.

[Burgerpants]

please

[Slippin' Freddy]

Don't worry, I did not forget about this thread at all. Anyways, like I said, the next song I was gonna cover was House of the Rising Sun which was done by The Animals and covered by Five Finger Death Punch, but the choice was pretty much obvious anyways.

 

Spoiler

It's The Animals. Bye.

 

The Five Finger Death Punch version was okay, but it wasn't my cup of tea. This song kicks ass as a '60s song rather than a heavy metal song. The Animals version will be my favorite and always my favorite.

 

Also, I just learned that the song actually came out before The Animals even recorded it. Huh. I guess you learn something new every day.

 

Now that we took care of that, let's get to my next one. Originally, I was going to do Live and Let Die after Rising Sun, but I forgot about another song that was covered. A really awesome song. In fact, I would even say it was one of the best Genesis songs ever done.

 

......I gave it away, didn't I?

 

Yep. It's Land of Confusion. The original by Genesis was released in 1986 as the third single off of their Invisible Touch album. It is one of their more politically progressive songs and one of their best songs. 20 years after the song was released, the heavy metal band Disturbed, who is most known for their song "Down with the Sickness", covered it. The cover seemed to be well-acclaimed by most people so I'm gonna see if it's just as good as the original. Just as good? Probably. Better than the original? Doubt it. Let's find out.

 

The original

Spoiler

First of all, let's talk about the video. Holy fuck, this is one of the most iconic and timeless music videos I have ever seen. It mostly features Spitting Image puppet caricatures of political figures like Ronald Reagan, famous celebrities like Michael Jackson, and the band Genesis themselves. Fun little story behind that. After Phil Collins saw a caricatured version of himself on the show, he commissioned the show's creators, Peter Fluck and Roger Law, to create puppets of the entire band, as well as all the characters in the video. It's a really neat concept for a music video. Also, I really like the part of the video where Reagan runs in a Superman costume.

 

 

As for the song, well, what else is there to say about it? It's an awesome arena-rock song and one of Genesis' best songs. Definitely a timeless classic. Let's see if the Disturbed version is any better.

 

The cover version

Spoiler

 

The music video for this was pretty interesting too. This one was animated by Todd McFarlane who was known for working in comics like The Amazing Spider-Man and Spawn. He also did Korn's "Freak on a Leash" and Pearl Jam's "Do the Evolution". Instead of the original video featuring puppets of celebrities and world leaders, this one mostly features animated Nazis and planes and the military and stuff like that. The video does feature world leaders too like George W. Bush, Vladimir Putin, and Tony Blair. While this video does have a neat concept, I kinda like Genesis' video better. It might be because I find Spitting Image pretty intriguing, but whatever.

 

As for the song, it's okay, I guess. It's not a bad cover but I like it better as an arena rock song rather than a metal version. 

 

Who gets the edge?

Spoiler

Who gets the edge, you say? Who gets the motherfucking edge? WHO GETS THE EDGE?! YOU KNOW DAMN WELL WHO GETS THE EDGE! MOTHERFUCKING GENESIS!

 

Disturbed's version wasn't really all that bad, but nothing ever beats the original. No other cover can top the original. I probably shouldn't have done this one if I knew what the outcome would be because the original will always be my favorite Land of Confusion version ever. I should probably calm down now. This song was really fun to do.

That's all for now. Next time, I'll try to cover "Live and Let Die". Paul McCartney & Wings vs. Guns 'n' Roses. Which one will live and let live and which one will live and let die? Find out soon.

 

[Wumbo]

Joe Cocker vs Beatles on "With a Little Help from My Friends" s'il vous plait

[Steel Sponge]

Surprised to see inspiration from one of my past reviews thread.

I also have a few suggestions in mind:

Creedence Clearwater Revival & Ike and Tina Turner - Proud Mary
Umberto Tozzi & Laura Branigan - Gloria
Stevie Wonder & Red Hot Chili Peppers - Higher Ground

 

[Slippin' Freddy]

Just so you know, I may be switching to the weekly format sometime during the summer since I'll have more time. Only reason why I did it monthly was because like Styx, I had too much time on my hands. Plus, doing these things aren't as complicated and doesn't really take much time as doing Billboard Year-End Chart rankings. You just have to analyse two great cover songs and decide which one is better. I also took some of your suggestions into consideration. Well, at least the ones I'm more familiar with. But for right now, we're going to be talking about Bond themes. James Bond themes.

 

 

I don't think I have ever hated a James Bond theme before. Even if the movie was shitty (not saying they are, but if there was a future movie that was shitty), I bet the theme song would still be excellent. If you know of a James Bond theme that sounds bad, you talk to me about it. Granted, the only ones I've listened two are the one above, Duran Duran's "A View to a Kill", Adele's "Skyfall", and obviously Paul McCartney and Wings' "Live and Let Die". In fact, we are gonna take a look at the original version and the cover version of that song right now. One of them will live twice and one of them will die another day. 

 

The original by Wings was released in 1973 (obviously around the time the movie came out). It was written by Paul and Linda McCartney and actually produced by The Beatles' producer, George Martin (may he rest in peace). The Guns 'n Roses version was released 18 years later in 1991 for their album, Use Your Illusion I. Don't really know if the Guns 'n Roses version was as critically acclaimed as the original. Though the song was nominated for  "Best Hard Rock Performance" at the 1993 Grammy Awards so I'm going to say yes. I do like me some Guns 'n Roses and "November Rain" is a GOAT song, but let's see if I like this song just as much as their others.

 

The original

Spoiler

Okay, first of all, I think Wings is a pretty underrated band. I mean, sure, they're obviously not as good as The Beatles, but I don't see them being a hate-able band. I guess the blame would probably go towards their 1979 album, Back to the Egg, which I agree doesn't look very impressive. I guess people have had enough of "Silly Love Songs". Though who would hate songs such as "Band on the Run", "Jet", "Silly Love Songs", and "Live and Let Die"? I bet even the most hardcore Wings haters would agree that this song is great. Some of those haters would probably like James Bond films too so what the hell am I saying. I think I've said enough. This song is awesome. Let's move on to the Guns 'n Roses cover now.

 

The cover version

Spoiler

This cover is okay at best. I'm not really biased or anything, but it just doesn't really impress me as much. It sorta feels weird hearing the orchestra replaced with an electric guitar, but after all, it is a hard rock cover so I shouldn't let it bother me It's a great cover though and it still stays faithful to the original so I'll be fair and give it points for that. 

 

Man, I think this is the shortest review I've ever made on this thread.

 

Who gets the edge?

Spoiler

Okay, I swear I'm not biased or anything, but I have to pick the original. It's an honest to God classic Wings song and if I picked the GnR version over this, I probably wouldn't have a soul. I just love how the song sounds altogether. Plus, this thread isn't even very competitive. Think of it as more like a tribute to these songs and showing that they're not too bad.

That's all for now. Let's see which cover I'm going to review next.

 

"99 Red Balloons – Nena vs. Goldfinger"

 

Alright, this will be fun. Time for me to study up on German then.

[Slippin' Freddy]

Guten tag and welcome back to Cameron's Cover Corner. Now that my summer vacation has officially begun, I might start doing these on a weekly basis. Fun story about why I decided to do this review today. I was driving home from my volunteer job and listening to 80s on 8 on SiriusXM. While I was driving, I thought to myself about doing my next Cover Corner on "99 Red Balloons" today. After "Vacation" by The Go-Gos played, the specific song that played after that was, no joke, "99 Luftballoons". That was just fate telling me "Cameron, you should really get started on that '99 Red Balloons' review." Now here I am, sitting on my laptop, and typing up a review for one of the most iconic songs of 1984 and its cover. Let's rock it, Amadeus.

 

The song was first released in West Germany on February 1983 and its popularity grew when it was released on January 1984 in the United Kingdom and worldwide. An English version was released too, but it wasn't as acclaimed as it is in German. In 2000, a punk rock band named Goldfinger covered it and their version appeared in many films. Such films include EuroTrip, Not Another Teen Movie, and, I shit you not, a Rocket Power movie. No, seriously, look it up. Search "rocket power race across new zealand", find the movie, and go to, like, the 30 minute mark and you'll hear it. Now that I've summarized both of these versions, let's talk about the original.

 

The original

Spoiler

I chose the English version of this song since I can barely understand a lick of German. I mean, I can barely understand a lick of "Rock Me Amadeus". The only words I know from that song are the three words from the title and "oh". There was no English version released for that song ever. But just because I can't understand a song doesn't mean it's terrible.

 

Also, here's a bit of history behind the English version. They made Nena sing an English version of the song which didn't really translate well from the original German version and they hated it. They thought it sounded too protest-y and they didn't want to be seen as a protest band. They only performed the German version at concerts instead. German or English, it's still a kick-ass song with a very infectious synth riff.

 

The cover version

Spoiler

I honestly was expecting this cover to not age well with me like Alien Ant Farm's "Smooth Criminal" cover, which I pretty much scrapped in my series since we all know MJ is superior, but this cover surprisingly did. Instead of being an '80s synthpop song, it becomes a pop punk song similar to that of Bowling for Soup or some other band in that genre. One of the things I do like about this is how the 3rd verse is in German, while the rest of the song is in English which I find pretty unique. 

 

Who gets the edge?

Spoiler

Both versions are great in their own different ways, but I think synth pop trumps over pop punk here. The original by Nena will always remain a classic to me. Still love the fact that Goldfinger acknowledges both the German and English versions in their cover so I probably should give it more points for that, but I definitely like the original better. Nena wins.

 

In my next review, I'll be pitting industrial rock versus country. I hope that's a good clue as to what the song is going to be.

[Slippin' Freddy]

Yeah, I think I might start doing these reviews on a weekly basis now. Since it's summer break and I didn't volunteer today, I figured that the only way to kill time today would be to do another of these things. Since I did my previous one last Tuesday, it's only right for me to do it this Tuesday too. Anyway, get your tissues and the bucket to fill your tears in ready because we're going to be tackling one of the most saddest songs I've ever heard. That song is "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails and covered by Johnny Cash.

 

The original by Nine Inch Nails was released in 1995 for for their album, The Downward Spiral. I know NIN more for their other hits like "Closer" and "Head Like a Hole", but this one, I know well too. It was also used in the Rick and Morty Season 2 finale, which was where I first heard it so that sort of helps me with my interest into the song. The cover by Cash was released in 2003 for his final album, American IV: The Man Comes Around, before his 2003 death. Both that album and the one before it were released when Cash was in failing health and near death. In fact, both of those albums have some other covers too. I Won't Back Down, Personal Jesus, One, I'll need to jot some of these down for future reviews. Now that I've talked about that, let's review both of these songs.

 

The original

Spoiler

I'll just be short and sweet to the point here. I have much more to say about the cover than I do the original. I will say that it's a pretty decent song. It's not really a song I would hear out of the industrial rock genre, not at least until the 2nd half where the distorted guitars come in, but it still makes a great Nine Inch Nails song and it's starting to become one of my favorites.

 

The cover version

Spoiler

This version, though, I believe is a more fitting interpretation of the song. It's more emotional and depressing. Plus, the singer, Johnny Cash, really sounds like he's hurt. Like he's really anguished at what has become of him. The music video also depicts an old and fraile Johnny Cash playing a piano which is accompanied by early memories of Cash's life. It's.............really hard to look at without crying.

 

I should also mention that even Trent Reznor himself was moved by this cover himself. He was really skeptical about Cash covering his song because it sounded like it would be "too gimmicky". After he watched the video, he started to like it more than his own version. Just goes to show how much of a legendary artist Johnny Cash is.

 

Also, I should point out that there is one small lyric change in this cover. The lyric "crown of shit" was changed to "crown of thorns" not just to remove profanity from the song, but it's also a reference to Jesus Christ and Johnny Cash's belief in Christianity.

 

Who gets the edge?

Spoiler

Well, Trent Reznor is definitely right. I do think the Johnny Cash version is better. It is definitely more powerful and emotional than the original. Really glad to see that even in his final days, Johnny Cash can still make great music. One of the few country artists I can definitely respect.

 

Next week, I'll talk about "All Along the Watchtower". Originally by Bob Dylan, covered by Jimi Hendrix. See you there.

 

(Also, despite the post time, I'm still counting this as a Tuesday since I haven't got to sleep yet.)

[Fa]

I've never been a huge country fan, but Johnny Cash was always one of the ones I found to be great. I thought him covering an industrial rock song was ridiculous when I first heard of him covering NIN of all things, but honestly I'd say Hurt became one of my favorites by him after I heard it. Good reviews.

[CyanideFishbone]

Do you take requests? If so, do AFI vs. The Offspring on Totalimmortal.