Cover versions better than the original.

Jimi Hendrix - All Along The Watchtower (made it his own song - what a version)

Disturbed (again) - Land Of Confusion (much darker version of the original, but so much better for me)

Jack white - Love is blindness.    Maybe not quite "even better than the real thing", but he has a bloody well good go at it.

Sympathy For Devil - Skrew*

It's, um, different...

steve

* That's Skrew NOT that bunch of Nazi scum with a similar name I won't even type.

Kevin-W posted:

The only example I can think of of a cover of a Beatles' song that's better than the original is Earth Wind & Fire's version of 'Got To Get You Into My Life', in all its finger poppin' glory:

I've thought the same for years, then, heard now from your link, I realized that EW&F's version totally lacks that ineffable psychedelic something that McCartney managed to inject even in that song, and that makes it unique.

Pete Townsend’s version of Wayland D. Holyfield’s - Til the Rivers all Run Dry. 

YMCA by the Galactic Symposium (originally by the Village People).

From what I can gather, Galactic Symposium formed by mistake in 1979. Some may find their performance amateurish. The mighty John Peel used to play it and was rather taken by it. It's quite rare - I cannot even find it on you tube. However, the link below has it together with their unrecognisable version of Gerry Rafferty's Baker Street.

http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/...e-rock-classics.html

For some reason the link did not paste as anticipated. Here it is again (fingers crossed):

http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/...e-rock-classics.html

According to John Peel, their was true joy in their version of YMCA. He did invite them to record a session for his radio programmed but they could not be bothered. Probably something that would have appealed to Mr. Peel.

Leon Russell and the Shelter People - It's A Hard Rain Gonna Fall.

Infinitely superior to the Dylan original, (IMHO).

H

dave marshall posted:

 

Leon Russell and the Shelter People - It's A Hard Rain Gonna Fall.

Infinitely superior to the Dylan original, (IMHO).

I do like the Leon Russell version, but for  me the Dylan version is a desert island disc.

Not really better but funnier

I had just posted Steve Hillage 'L' on the what are you listening to thread and, to listening to the track Hurdy Gurdy Man, I saw this thread in the recent topics list. Well, I'd suggest that Steve's version is way better than Donovan's original, which sounds rather dull by comparison.

Eoink posted:

H

dave marshall posted:

 

Leon Russell and the Shelter People - It's A Hard Rain Gonna Fall.

Infinitely superior to the Dylan original, (IMHO).

I do like the Leon Russell version, but for  me the Dylan version is a desert island disc.

I applaud Mr. Dylan's songwriting strengths, but find his singing a bit Marmite ............. though I do quite enjoy Marmite! 

Eddie Vedder's version of Bruce Springsteen's One Step Up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ol1Q6aY9Xpw

25 years ago – Total Balalaika Show

Not perhaps actually better than original however something which might not be possible today…

osprey posted:

25 years ago – Total Balalaika Show

Not perhaps actually better than original however something which might not be possible today…

I saw them at Cropredy, a quick Google tells me 25 years ago, their quiffs were amazing, as was the energy of their music. Fantastic set, I saw them twice I know, either they played Cropredy twice or I saw them in London, not sure.