Music fans: a cover vs. a version, vs. a remake

[Lady Day]

I have always, in the world that is my mind, made a list of the criteria that makes these three things different in the world of music.

Cover
When you think of cover band, I think that sums it up. A group or band taking a song, made famous by another group or band, and singing it in the way the original group made it famous.

Version
To me I think of a version of a song this way: a song that is released by two different groups/people around the same time. OR a song that is done by two artists that have in a way 'made it their own'

Remake
Alright, not this gets complicated (at least in my mind). To me this is a cover/and or version, done at a later date. Generally 20+ years later. I feel if a song is done less than that, then the group is doing a cover.


Now I do feel there are some songs that should just NOT be touched by other artists period. Some that come to mind:

Bill Withers' 'Aint No Sunshine'
Marvin Gaye's 'Lets Get it On' DUH!!
The Eagles' 'Hotel California' (Altho Alabama 3 did do a pretty nifty remake of that one)
Peter Gabriel's 'In Your Eyes' (Im looking at the Movie 'Say Anything' on my book shelf right now)
Etta James 'At Last'
The Dixie Cups 'Iko Iko'


So given this is constantly on my mind, what yo you all think? Are there songs out there that should NEVER have been remade? Id love to know.

Thanks all,

LD

 

[funneman]

I Are there songs out there that should NEVER have been remade?

"You Can't Hurry Love" by Phil Collins comes to mind. I don't know which was more annoying the song or the video.


However, I think anytime an artist can re-record a song and make it all thier own it's a good thing. I've heard some dandy remakes of Bill Withers' songs.

Having said that, I think it would be just about impossible to top "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel or "At Last: by Etta James, she sings the @#$ out of that one.

 

[ortega76]

Now I do feel there are some songs that should just NOT be touched by other artists period. Some that come to mind:

Bill Withers' 'Aint No Sunshine'
Marvin Gaye's 'Lets Get it On' DUH!!
The Eagles' 'Hotel California' (Altho Alabama 3 did do a pretty nifty remake of that one)
Peter Gabriel's 'In Your Eyes' (Im looking at the Movie 'Say Anything' on my book shelf right now)
Etta James 'At Last'
The Dixie Cups 'Iko Iko'

I liked the Gypsy King's cover/remake of "Hotel California" on the "Big Lebowski" soundtrack. It's in Spanish! I also kinda dug Jack Black's cover of "Let's Get It On" but that had a classic sound to it!

Speaking of versions, I like Mary J. Blige's duet of "One" with U2 but would much rather have had her cover it alone. The new arrangement has a little soul music flourish that I'm digging.

 

[Benny Holiday]

One that immediately springs to mind is Madonna doing 'American Pie.' I can't see why anyone would attempt to re-do that Don Maclean song, it's a classic and I don't think anyone else could do it justice.

 

[Vladimir Berkov]

I dislike the term "cover." It has real negative connotations, like when someone says a band is just a "cover band" they usually mean it in a negative way.

The strange thing is that for the first half of the popular-music-era, basically all bands played songs not written by them or which were not made popular by them.

Somehow it has become the musical ideal for a song to be written, arranged, performed and recorded by the same group. And in a way, this is a shame because most people simply don't have the talent spread across such diverse musical areas.

 

[Benny Holiday]

Somehow it has become the musical ideal for a song to be written, arranged, performed and recorded by the same group. And in a way, this is a shame because most people simply don't have the talent spread across such diverse musical areas.

Very much agreed Vladimir. Not every musician is a great songwriter, just as not every songwriter is a great musician. And arranging is a talent all of its own.

 

[magneto]

I thought a "remake" implied the original artist recording the song anew, perhaps in a different idiom or style (I'm thinking of Duke Ellington's remaking of 1940s' "Ko-Ko" in the late 50). (But that's just me, I could be wrong).
One stunning "version" off the top of my head which comes to mind is Linda Tillery's (when she was with soul/rock band The Loading Zone) doing a version of James Brown's "The Bells". A amazing performance that blows away the original, she sounds like an off-the-hook Nina Simone.

 

[ortega76]

fftopic: Slightly off-topic (maybe). Here's a short list of covers/remakes that I like more than the original

1. "All Along The Watchtower" by Hendrix is much more raw, powerful and passionate than the Bob Dylan original.

2. "Think" by Aretha Franklin. The sped-up Blues Brothers version does the song more justice than the original.

3. "Hurt" by Johnny Cash. You just feel the weariness in his voice and you have to stop for just a moment.

4. "Personal Jesus" by Johnny Cash. Easily one of the most personal, devotional songs of faith to come out of mainstream music.

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Being a music purist, I don't much take to covers.

Why mess with perfection? How could anyone improve on Frank Sinatra's tunes for instance? How could "Once in a Lifetime" by The Talking Heads be improved upon? Or Benny Goodman's, Sing, Sing, Sing? Or Emerson, Lake, and Palmer's Trilogy?
I say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
I just read an article online last night of an interview with jazz guitarist Pat Metheny. In the interview, Pat was asked his thoughts on jazz and jazz artists in general, and he mentioned a Louis Armstrong tune that was redone with overdubs added to the original track by Kenny G. He was furious at Kenny, (The Noodler) G's trashing of a Louis Armstrong recording, comparing it to a modern day painter painting over parts of a Da Vinci, in order to take credit for it and make a few quick dollars! :rage: And I see his point. I'm sure there are a few tunes out there that were maybe improved upon at a later date when recording technology improved, but they are few and far between and I'm really quite hard pressed to think of one right now. :eusa_doh:

 

[The Wolf]

Some slightly related thoughts

Nice topic, lady day.:eusa_clap
After hearing so many songs being re-done I realized that I prefer an artist doing a song their own way instead of trying to copy the song.

I miss the days when an artist would release a song that could break into the top twenty and some else would remake it a few months later and become a number one hit. I think more musicians should do it. Many of you might disagree but I hold firm.

I can't think of a song that I don't want remade only because I've been surprised by some remakes I like.

Sincerely,
The Wolf

 

[ortega76]

Why mess with perfection? How could anyone improve on Frank Sinatra's tunes for instance? How could "Once in a Lifetime" by The Talking Heads be improved upon? Or Benny Goodman's, Sing, Sing, Sing? Or Emerson, Lake, and Palmer's Trilogy?
I say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
I just read an article online last night of an interview with jazz guitarist Pat Metheny. In the interview, Pat was asked his thoughts on jazz and jazz artists in general, and he mentioned a Louis Armstrong tune that was redone with overdubs added to the original track by Kenny G. He was furious at Kenny, (The Noodler) G's trashing of a Louis Armstrong recording, comparing it to a modern day painter painting over parts of a Da Vinci, in order to take credit for it and make a few quick dollars! :rage: And I see his point. I'm sure there are a few tunes out there that were maybe improved upon at a later date when recording technology improved, but they are few and far between and I'm really quite hard pressed to think of one right now. :eusa_doh:

Hmm, I don't know that I would say that Pat Methany is completely right. Jazz, in particular, has a long history of artists covering/remaking songs. To use your example- I love both Sinatra's and Ella Fitzgerald's versions of "The Lady Is A Tramp". I think that music is ultimately an art form that can and will continue to grow and turn in on itself. Hip hop's use of samples can be horrible at times, but sometimes it can breathe new life into an old tune or find an innovative use for a song that people did not think possible. I think we rage (rightfully so) at bad covers or remakes or samples but let's not forget that there is some good to come out of it.

 

[Absinthe_1900]

fftopic: Slightly off-topic (maybe). Here's a short list of covers/remakes that I like more than the original

1. "All Along The Watchtower" by Hendrix is much more raw, powerful and passionate than the Bob Dylan original.

Even Bob Dylan likes Jimi Hendrix's version of "Watchtower" better.

I prefer Jimi's versions of Like A Rolling Stone, Please Crawl Out Your Window, & Drifters Escape as well as All Along The Watchtower.


Another one:

Then of course there was that Hendrix cover of Hey Joe that started something big.

 

[Lady Day]

Thanks The Wolf,
Im glad yall' like the topic, I thought it was gonna be a strange one.

I miss true artisins as well. Those that sang the song, those that played the tunes, and those that wrote the song. They are all crafts in and of themselves. I dont know what it is with this economizing of all these professions into one that counts as a 'true' artist.


LD

 

[Lauren]

I like Cake doing "I will survive." But then again, it's Cake. What's not to like?

Slightly off topic, but did anyone catch it when TCM did a film montage of couples fighting in Classic film in their divorce themed month with Cake's version of the song? It was brilliant. Even a door slam at just the right (or wrong) word.

 

[VintageJess]

Christmas in July

Okay, my "Christmas in July" suggestion for a song that should not be re-made:

Bing Crosby's ""White Christmas"

No matter what you do, it will just not measure up to Mr. Crosby's crooning. A classic.

 

[Lady Day]

I like Cake doing "I will survive." But then again, it's Cake. What's not to like?

Slightly off topic, but did anyone catch it when TCM did a film montage of couples fighting in Classic film in their divorce themed month with Cake's version of the song? It was brilliant. Even a door slam at just the right (or wrong) word.

I dig Cake's version of that song too, but 'I will survive' is a chick anthem, and therefore, the estrogen impaired half of the human race needs to leave it alone

Cake did great versions of 'Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps' and 'Mahna Mahna'


LD

 

[Lady Day]

fftopic: Slightly off-topic (maybe).3. "Hurt" by Johnny Cash. You just feel the weariness in his voice and you have to stop for just a moment.

4. "Personal Jesus" by Johnny Cash. Easily one of the most personal, devotional songs of faith to come out of mainstream music.

Dude, its Johnny Cash! He brakes all rules. Why? HES JOHNNY CASH!

LD

 

[funneman]

Remakes, covers, etc.

In it's heyday, Motown would have every artist in it's stable record a song written by it's staff.

The thought was, if the audience didn't like one artist's interpretation of a song, it might like it by another. Barry Gordy has also stated that this created a sense of competition within the organization, which forced everyone to always be at the top of their game.

Sometimes, more than one version of a song became a hit. The example that comes to mind is "Heard it Through the Grapevine," a hit for Aretha and the Temps.

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

...and Creedence Clearwater Revival. I love their version. :eusa_clap

 

[funneman]

CCR

Good call Tony! Perfect example of a fine remake, they really made it their own.