By a show of hands, how many of you are fans of Aerosmith’s “Come Together”? How many believe this 1978 release to be the original version? I wonder how often a cover, regardless of how well or poorly done, is thought to be the first release. It may not be a surprise to many of you that “Come Together”, recorded in 1969, is the first track on “Abbey Road”. The Beatles best album in my humble, sometimes accurate, opinion.
I know your age has everything to do with your introduction to music. The Aerosmith/Beatles comparison is a bad example, since both bands still receive many spins on every available device playing music today. My boys, twenty-three and seventeen respectively, are keenly aware of John, Paul, George, Ringo, Steve and Joe.
I, sometimes, enjoy hearing a different rendition of a “hit” song, especially when the arrangement is changed up, making it sound new again. Check out “One Way Or Another” a cover of Blondie’s classic by Until The Ribbon Breaks. I didn’t recognize it until the lyrics kicked it. Love it. Not so much the case with the cover versions, some original classics, featured today on bassbeat.
If you were a teenager in 2000, Cat Power could have been your introduction to “Satisfaction” – It is much in the same vein as the Blondie cover, however, has no ending – Chan Marshall simply stops singing. Weird. I’ll take the 1965 Stones classic!
In the early 70’s one of the best songs of that decade was recorded by Marvin Gaye and, for some reason, Cindi Lauper (at the height of her fame) decided to give it a go in 1986. Why?
It is my hope and prayer that your introduction to “Don’t Stop Believing” was NOT by the cast of GLEE. Nooooooo! Take a Journey back to 1989 and play the original. Please?
I am a fan of Fred Durst and Limp Bizkit. Why they chose to cover a pop song by George Michael is beyond me. I’m hoping they were just messin’ with us.
The most fun of these covers today is Phish. Formed at the University of Vermont, Trey Anastasio, Mike Gordon, Jon Fishman and Page McConnell have become one of the more successful touring bands to date. “Get Jiggy Wit It”. Enjoy.
I’ve included the originals of these songs on a playlist below. Compare for yourselves and let me know what you think. I really am curious. Regardless of when or where you may have heard these “remakes”, it is my hope that you don’t judge a song by its cover.
Gary
