Cover > Original:
- "I Heard It Through the Grape Vine" - The Slits vs. Marvin Gaye: I know I'm probably in the minority on this one because Marvin's version is undeniably soulful and an absolute classic, but for me, The Slits win out in this one. Featured in my "year in review" a month and a half ago, I love this song for all of the reasons I listed there.
- "Diamond Dogs" - Beck vs. David Bowie: Those who know me know I am a huge David Bowie fan (so much so that I have a Bowie inspired tattoo on my arm) but, much to my surprise, I like Beck's version of this song (made for Moulin Rouge) a lot better than Bowie's. Whether it's because Diamond Dogs was never my favorite Bowie song, or because Beck just rocked the cover, I don't know, but this is one of my favorite covers of all time.
- "Femme Fatale" - Dramarama vs. The Velvet Underground: Some might find this one blasphemous but I prefer the Dramarama version of this song. I will say, that it was the first version of the song I heard so that might have something to do with it but, either way, as much as I like Nico's voice, for me, John Easdale wins out on this one.
- "Rock & Roll" - The Runaways vs. The Velvet Underground: This might make it seem as though I don't really like the Velvets, but that's not true, there are just some good covers of their music, which basically just comes with the territory of being a groundbreaking band I suppose. Anyway, my love of the Runways is just as well known among my friends as my love of Bowie and this cover is by far one of my favorite Runaways songs ever so really, the original just doesn't hold the same draw for me.
- "Do You Wanna Touch Me" - Joan Jett & the Blackhearts vs. Gary Glitter: Above all of my favorite musicians, Joan Jett is by far the closest to my heart and a good amount of the covers in my itunes library happen to be by her and the Blackhearts. Sometimes her covers win out and sometimes they don't but this one is one of the former. Though I do greatly enjoy Gary Glitters version, this is probably one of my favorite Joan Jett songs of all time so it's not much of a competition.
- "Androgynous" - Joan Jett & the Blackhearts vs. The Replacements: Here is another Joan Jett cover that I prefer to the original. Just as in the last pairing, I do really love the Replacements version, in fact it's one of my favorites off my favorite Replacements album Let It Be, but there's something about the Joan Jett version that resonates with me more, that's really all there is to it, but it's probably the closest race of all the ones up here. Like, as in, almost a draw.
- "Woodstock" - Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young vs. Joni Mitchell: As much as it pains me to admit this, I think I like the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young cover of this song better than the Joni Mitchell original. It is honestly my favorite cover of any song I've ever heard, and it has to be for me to say it's better than Joni Mitchell's. Both versions have a quality in and of themselves (Joni's haunting piano vs. CSNY's beautiful harmony), but I can listen to the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young version any day of the week and the just isn't the case with the original. See for yourself.
Joni Mitchell's original
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young cover
Original > Cover:
- "River" - Joni Mitchell vs. Sarah McLachlan: Had to give Joni a little recognition after doing her like that in the last category. Personally, I think her version of "River" was not surpassed by the Sarah McLachlan cover. Though Sarah has the beautiful voice that reminds me of my childhood, Joni has the unique voice that does the same. I feel like what it really comes down to is the fact that Sarah's version is too pretty. It's beautiful, soothing, holiday music to be enjoyed with cocoa by the fire but Joni's has heart, meaning and originality and for me it can't be beat.
- "With A Girl Like You" - The Troggs vs. Alex Chilton: While I do enjoy Alex Chilton's cover, the Trogg's version of this song is still better in my opinion. I think the biggest factor in this failure to surpass the original is the fact that it's too similar and the Troggs were better at it. I wish Alex had been a little more innovative with it, but still, I will gladly listen to both versions.
- "(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone" - Paul Revere and the Raiders vs. The Monkees: This is probably the first experience I ever had with cover songs as a small child. I used to listen to both versions in my elementary school days and have alway preferred the Paul Revere version. Just as in the last pairing, I feel like the Monkees made a cover that was far too similar to the original and unfortunately Mickey Dolenz couldn't bring it like Mark Lindsay.
- "Gloria" - The Shadows of Knight vs. Patti Smith: Hard to say whether this is actually a cover or if it's a completely different song that just shares some of the same lyrics but I'm using this as an indication that, despite what it seemed like from the last two comparisons, it's not just about changing up the original for me. Don't get me wrong, I love both versions and I understand and respect what Patti was doing, but personally, I enjoy the Shadows of Knight version a little more. It's a preference thing more than a quality thing here (and probably for this whole list), I just love the original.
- "Ask The Angels" - Patti Smith Group vs. The Distillers: I had to get Patti back here and show that although I don't prefer her "Gloria" cover, her originals are hard to (if not impossible to) touch. Neither the Distillers cover of this song nor the 10,000 Maniacs version of "Because the Night" come close to the original for me. That being said, I think it's an admirable cover, it's a lot of fun and if the Patti Smith version didn't exist it would be a great song. But the original is still better. *Side note: there is a version of this song that falls between the Patti Smith version and the Distillers one, though not quite as good as Patti Smith it is not just a valiant effort but a great cover that's a bit better than The Distillers' but it has yet to be recorder. So, as an honorable mention, here is Wild Flag's live version.
- "Be My Lover" - Alice Cooper vs. Joan Jett & the Blackhearts: As I said before, Joan Jett does a lot of covers and not all of them are better than the original, which is the case with this one. Though I do like her version and I do prefer the speed of hers, the original edges the cover out by a bit. Plus, there's a line in there somewhere about a girl asking "why the singer's name was Alice," which is a little too personalized to really fly in the cover and that has always bothered me.
- "I Wanna Be Your Dog" - The Stooges vs. Joan Jett & the Blackhearts: For this one, Joan had some crazy big shoes to fill, so I can't fault her too much for falling short. The Stooges version of this song is actually my favorite song ever recorded so, despite the fact that this is actually one of my favorite Joan Jett & the Blackhearts songs (and one of the best ones she does in concert), it wasn't gonna beat Iggy and the boys. That being said, I must note that even though sometimes Joan's covers do fall a bit short of the original, a good number of them improve upon the one that came before it and not a single one of her original songs can be touched by others. Or at least that's the way it seems based upon the fact that I have yet to hear a cover of a Joan Jett song that has done the original justice (in fact most are downright offensive). But, anyway, here are the two versions of this song for comparison's sake.
The Stooges original
Joan Jett & the Blackhearts cover
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