Comments on: Song Remakes Way Way Way Worse Than the Original

By: niblettes

niblettes — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 00:42:15 +0000

I think the distinction for me between good and bad here is, is the remake remade because the artist has nothing of his or her own to say (Lenny Kravitz), or is the remake remade because the artist sees something else in the song still unexpressed (Devo’s Satisfaction–since I know you’re such a big Stones fan).

Gloria is song that has been remade so many times its hard to count, and many are really good (John Lee Hooker’s is one of my favorites–nicely understated).

Oh yeah, and if it took Rod Stewart to reveal Tom Waits, I guess his remake wasn’t a complete waste of decibels.

By: Steve Portigal

Steve Portigal — Sun, 25 Jun 2006 20:15:01 +0000

I never would have heard Tom Waits doing Downtown Train if it hadn’t been for Rod. There’s a context to what makes a cover relevant or interesting or tolerable.

I’ve amassed a pretty large set of Rolling Stones cover MP3s, and when you’ve heard the same song by the band you love a million times, you have to start exploring. One vector is looking for different live versions by the band, another is looking at covers. The Stones have been covered a lot, especially in live sets.

It’s not always whether a cover is intrinsically better than the original, but that sometimes it brings a different sort of pleasure. The cover includes the existence of the original in its context, so it’s a different story altogether.

Of the 55 or so versions of Paint It, Black, I think of The Quakes as an rockabilly version. And I’ll also add Izzy Stradlin’s smoking smoking live version of “Jivin’ Sister Fanny”

By: DT

DT — Thu, 11 May 2006 04:37:03 +0000

I hate remakes. Makes me feel that people are running out of ideas…

By: niblettes

niblettes — Sat, 29 Apr 2006 04:26:07 +0000

Sure, here are 2 and here are a few more

Sweet Jane
Remake: Cowboy Junkies
Original: Velvet underground
Might be the best remake ever; took a decent tune and without even knowing how to play their instrument, they turned it into something so sopping with melancholy your iPod cries every time you play it

Take me to the River
Remake: Talking Heads
Original: Al Greene
The Reverand is good, really good. But the Talk Heads managed to give it the New Wave something Al Greene’s old R&B just didn’t have. Very rare to see some white guys remake classic R&B better than the original.

By: jc

jc — Sat, 29 Apr 2006 04:16:08 +0000

But can you name three remakes that are way way way better than the original?

Blue Moon of Kentucky
Remake: Elvis
Original: Bill Monroe
Maybe not way way better, but good enough that ol’ Bill remade it again after hearing Elvis’s version.

Solitary Man
Remake: Johnny Cash
Original: Neil Diamond
Never liked Neil.

Easy
Remake: Faith No More
Original: Lionel Richie
I think this one is clear enough.