Remakes - The good and the bad

[VersusBatman]

Which song remakes do you like and which ones just don't do the original justice? For me all the remakes the Beatles have done were pretty solid.

Others I like:

Landslide By The Smashing Pumpkins
You Lost That Loving Feeling by Hall and Oats
Take a Chance On Me By Erasure
Lay all Your Love on Me by Erasure
Voile Voiz By Erasure
Everlasting Love By U2
Route 66 by Depeche Mode

Ones I don't like:

Reggae versions of any songs. UB40 is a big offender of that. Songs such as "I Got You Babe", "Fools Rush In", "Red, Red Wine". This one isn't by UB40, but I didn't like the reggae version of "Baby I love Your Way".

Ticket To Ride By The Carpenters
Sweet Dreams By Marilyne Manson
Rocket Man by William Shatner
Lucy In The Sky By Elton John
Pinball Wizard By Elton John
I Love Rock And Roll by Britney Spears
Our Lips Are Sealed by Hilary Duff
I'm a Believer By Smashmouth
I think We're Alone Now By Tiffany
I Saw Her Standing There By Tiffany
You Really Got Me by Van Halen
Pretty Woman By Van Halen
Personal Jesus By Marilyn Manson
Smells Like Teen Spirit By Tori Amos
Big Yellow Taxi By Counting Crows

I'll think of some more later...

[sourmilkpinky]

I like:

Cake~~I Will Survive
Steve Carlson~~She's Not There

[BrazilianFlag]

I think Elton John's cover of "Pinball Wizard" is a hundred times better than the original, by The Who. And I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Who fan!

Simply Red has a nice version of "The Air That I Breathe". I like Mick Hucknall, so sue me :)

As for the bad covers, only one comes to my mind: Britney Spears killed "Satisfaction" a few years back. What's with these pop stars wanting to do rock songs? Is it for the recognition? For some creed?

[Roxy Starkey]

Cake~~I Will Survive


I agree on that one! I also like "A little respect" By Wheatus

[Clark Kent]

Amii Stewart's version of "Knock on Wood" is good. It's livelier and more dancy than the original.

[VersusBatman]

I like:

SOS by Erasure
It's My Life By No Doubt

[Georgie Girl]

Simply Red has a nice version of "The Air That I Breathe". I like Mick Hucknall, so sue me :)


I like most of the things I heard Simply Red/Mick Hucksall do.
I like his "You Make Me Feel Brand New" better than the
Stylistics' version. And Hall and Oates did "You've Lost That
Loving Feeling" pretty good, got to hear John Oates sing,
for once.

[Clark Kent]

Billy Idol did a good cover of "Mony Mony".

[VersusBatman]

I like that one.

Phil Collin's did a good cover of "You Can't Hurry Love", however I didn't like his version of "True Colors.

I don't like Madonna's cover of American Pie.

[Roxy Starkey]

oh I like that Phil Collins one too!

[VersusBatman]

I liked Cher's cover of "The Shoop Shoop Song".

[beatlebangs1964]

I agree with Bat's list. Add these:

Any Beatles' cover by the Carpenters. They bastardized the songs and the result was....ghastly. They should have been brought up on charges of Song Slaughter and Cruelty to Classics.

Jazz versions of Beatle songs.

I'm not sure who does it, but some jazzster does an execrable cover of "Can't Buy Me Love" and throws in a line from "She Loves You." He hurts two songs in one recording!

Any Rat Packer cover of a Beatle song!

Overly countrified covers of Beatle songs. I don't care for country music for the most part.

Harry Connick, Jr. doing Depression Era songs and even some Rat Packer covers. I think he sounds like a lounge lizard when he does these covers.

Reggae butcher jobs of Beatle songs. I hate reggae with the heat of 1000 suns.

I have never heard a woman doing a Beatle cover that I thought sounded good.

Devo's 1980 cover of "Satisfaction" stinks a big one.

Cyrkle's tired cover of "I'm Happy Just to Dance With You."

Ringo doing a Supremes' song. That and consider the fact that I don't like the Supremes.

Johnny Cash's version of "It Ain't Me Babe"

John's cover of "Mr. Moonlight" was never one of my favorites.

The Grateful Dead should NEVER have attempted to do a Young Rascals' song!

Good ones:

Dave Clark 5's cover of "Do You Love Me." They did it countless times better in 1964 than the Contours did in 1962!

Standells' good cover of "I Want to Hold Your Hand."

Beatles on "Shout!"

Beatles "Twist & Shout"

The Turtles' cover of "It Ain't Me Babe" and "Eve of Destruction"

Willie Nelson's "You Are Always On My Mind"

Although I never liked Paul Anka's sappy stuff and I still don't like "Puppy Love," Donny Osmond did a good job on his cover version. I still dislike the song, but the Osmonds did do a good job. The same applies to Donny & Marie singing a 1963 stinker, "I'm Leaving it All Up to You" in 1974. Hate the song, but they stayed true to the arrangement.

Various artists doing "Amazing Grace," which is one of my favorite songs under the sun

[VersusBatman]

I like Bananaramas version of "Venus". It says girl power.

[Clark Kent]

Toploader's cover of King Harvest's "Dancing in the Moonlight" is bad.

[VersusBatman]

When I heard Jessica Simpson's cover of "These Boots Were Made For Walking", a part of me died inside.

[Roxy Starkey]

When I heard Jessica Simpson's cover of "These Boots Were Made For Walking", a part of me died inside.

LOL!!!