Original vs Cover

This might be just nostalgia speaking, but I think PMJ's cover overcomplicates things and thus removes a huge part of the charm the original had.

"Как на войне" (Like at War)

The original, by Агата Кристи (Agatha Christie)

A metal cover by Alexander Pushnoy

Another one by Sabina Akhmedova

While the metal cover was competently performed, it lost quite a bit of the unique sound present in the original. Sabina's cover, on the other hand, seemed a bit over her paygrade as she couldn't really handle the high parts. Giving it to the original.

"Is It Like Today"

World Party original

Eliza Gilkyson cover

Eliza's cover is great (unsurprisingly it benefits from far better production as well) and it illustrates the guitar work better. Yet what makes it inferior to the original is what feels like the decreased prominence of the rest of the instrumentation, taking their spotlight but in turn feeling somewhat more sparse in how it shifts the focus towards her voice.

Crematory (Sweden) - Beneath the Crypts

Chthe'ilist cover

Edited by StillbornMachine on Jun 30th 2022 at 7:35:15 AM

I guess the cover, as it seems to have more instruments involved, and you can make the individual sounds out somewhat.

"Drift Away"

Original by John Henry Kurtz

Cover by Rod Stewart

Edited by Brandon on Jul 1st 2022 at 10:22:05 AM

I like John Henry Kurtz's voice better as it sounds deeper.

Original: "Dāvāja Māriņa" by Aija Kukule

Russian cover: "Миллион алых роз (Million Roses)" by Alla Pugacheva

Korean cover of the Russian cover: "A Million Roses" by Sim Soo-bong

The covers have more going on musically, but the Russian one slightly overstays its welcome and the Korean one lacks a bit of vocal power… I actually think the original’s minimalism works in its favor, since it puts the enchanting voice front and center. So my vote goes there.

Now I’ll pick a low-hanging fruit for once if you don’t mind. "If I Can Dream".

Elvis Presley

Georgia Crandon

Måneskin

• the original is a classic, of course; i like how the thing builds up to a massive crescendo, and i LOVE how desperate(?) elvis' vocals sound.
• for georgia crandon's cover, the crescendo is accentuated by it starting off as super-minimalist and growing into something even bigger. crandon's vocals are also brilliant, though i do prefer elvis' vocals slightly more.
• for maneskin's cover, the elements are all there but it lacks the punch the original and crandon's take have. it's easily my least favourite of the three.

overall i think i'm gonna have to go with crandon's take for this one, though the original is very close.

helter skelter

• original by the beatles
• cover by oasis

Edited by Routeferret on Jul 6th 2022 at 9:28:21 AM

The internal struggles between the Beatles really showed on and affected the song quality of some parts of their last two albums. The arrangement and mess of vocals did not really do the original Helter Skelter many favors. Oasis offer a cleaner take and a very good singular vocal performance, so giving it to them.

"Dancing in the Dark"

Bruce Springsteen original

Ruth Moody cover

Ruth Moody's version is interesting, and it's good that it tried to do its own thing instead of just emulating Springsteen, but...the music feels too melancholic for dancing. I get that the lyrics aren't supposed to be just your typical dancing song, but the contrast between them and the animated music are the best part of the original for me; plus, you can't beat The Boss singing.

Good cover, but I'm gonna go with the original.

Next: Not Fade Away

Buddy Holly's original version

The Rolling Stones version

The Grateful Dead version

Grateful Dead is a little slower in its tempo, but the music sounds good in a simple way, and the vocals are clear.

"Get Together"

Kingston Trio (original)

The Youngbloods (cover)

Bonn E. Maiy (cover)

Again, the original is definitely showing its age, with the Youngbloods version being far more substantial and I have a personal love of 60s soft rock. Bonn's cover is fine but she's definitely faltering a bit in the vocal department at some points. Giving it to the Youngbloods.

Let's do a true classic, "Le Feuille Mortes/Autumn Leaves".

Yves Montand original

Frank Sinatra cover

Eric Clapton cover

I love the intimacy of the original and Sinatra's version. The paired down arrangements really bring the melancholy mood forth. Clapton's version loses the melancholy feel with the blues shuffle underlying his version. The guitar solo is a nice touch though. I'll go with Sinatra's version by the slimmest of margins.

A Forest:

The Cure original

Carpathian Forest Cover

The original has a nice atmospheric tone that feels like the opening to a mystery flick set in, well, a forest. The cover sounds a little too jazzed up.

"The Tide Is High"

The Paragons (original)

Blondie (cover)

Twiggi (cover)

The original sounds better. The vocals are richer, the instrumental sounds are more varied, and it doesn't sound forced. "Life on Mars"

David Bowie (Original)

Aurora (Cover)

I guess it might be because I've never been able to get into Bowie, but I like the cover better. Aurora's vocals are just more emotional, gripping and memorable, perfectly conveying the feeling of melancholy and perceived futility of the real world. Bowie himself was going for a more detached-sounding approach, I guess, which fits the theme of escapism, but he just sounds like he's not very interested in his own song.

"The Nurse Who Loved Me"

Original by Failure

Cover by A Perfect Circle

I liked the airy strings in the cover well enough, but it felt positively mushy and one-note compared to the original. The way the wistful, understated acoustic guitars transition into bombastic, tripped-out space rock in the latter simply blows the competition out of the water.

Not an original vs cover comparison, but two iterations of the same folk song:

Khun Galuu/Hong Galou

Cover by D. Otgonjargal

Cover by Hanggai

As great as the rock cover was, the ethereal beauty of the Otgonjargal version just can't be beat.

A kinda unique take on an oft-covered song, "Honky Tonk Women":

Rolling Stones original

The Pogues cover

The Pogues' version definitely kept the energy and general vibe, but I preferred the original.

"Painkiller"

Original: Judas Priest

Cover: Death

I can't decipher the lyrics much in the cover, so I pick the original.

"Cuban Pete"

Desi Arnaz (original)

Jim Carrey (cover)

The original had a fuller sound, and Desi's performance was a lot more natural.

"Live and Let Die"

Wings original

Guns n' Roses cover

Edited by FirstSnow on Aug 15th 2022 at 2:33:10 PM

I like the GNR cover. It's got more *omph* to it. They do a good job of combining the orchestral elements with the rock ones. Although this might be sentiment talking since I heard this version before I heard the original or saw the movie.

Gold Dust Woman:

Fleetwood Mac original

Hole cover

The cover is a pretty iconic piece of music in its own right, but I've always felt that its minor key elements play out a little too harshly and don't mesh terribly well with the original melody, especially towards the end. The original is a straight-up masterpiece, twangy guitars and thumping drums lending their punch to Stevie Nicks' velvety vocal work rather than threatening to overwhelm it.

Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower (Bloodborne OST)

Original by Yuka Kitamura

Cello cover by Marcus Jones

The song isn't the same without the vocals, and so I prefer the original, as it suits the scene better. The cover is a good song in its own right, though.

"Only my Railgun" (A Certain Scientific Railgun opening theme)

• Original by fripside
• Cover by Narae

The main differences are Narae's more mature sounding vocals and some added guitar licks and a solo. I do think her vocals are more on point with the arrangement and I enjoyed the guitars, so I'll give it to the cover.

"Rubin and Cherise"

Jerry Garcia original

Bonnie "Prince" Billy cover

Edited by FirstSnow on Sep 16th 2022 at 1:04:25 PM

bump