[Vote] Originals vs. Covers - which do you prefer? (Current Vote: Songs 191 and 192)

[Majsju]

3xoriginal.

 

Last Christmas is a classic. as for the other two, I do not even have to listen to vote against so called "artists" from idol/x-factor.

[Corki]

So, that is 3 victories for originals, with Biffy Clyro beating Matt Cardle 4-0, Celine Dion triumphing over Clay Aiken 3-1, and a similar 3-1 result for Wham! over Cascada.

 

Another two songs are on the way - one festive, and one non-festive song.

[Corki]

Song 107: Last Christmas

 

The latest song features the song from that last "Original vs. Cover" - and that is Last Christmas. Again, Wham's version is the original, but this time the original has a country feel to it courtesy of Taylor Swift.

 

ORIGINAL: Wham!

The song was written by George Michael, and first released in 1984. It was a battle between Wham! and Frankie Goes to Hollywood (with The Power of Love) for the 1984 UK Christmas number 1 - until Band Aid appeared! Wham! had to settle for number 2 in the charts. Selling over 1 million singles, it became the biggest selling single in UK chart history not to reach number 1. Since 2007 (and 1997 in Germany!), the song has regularly appeared in the top 40 of the UK charts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1zWafQF1hc

 

vs.

 

 

COVER: Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift is a Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter. With 3 studio albums out, Swift is one of the biggest country stars out there at the moment, with over 16m album sales worldwide. Swift covered Wham!'s classic in 2007, and it peaked at number 28 on U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IF6mF0ebX6Q

 

Voting ends Thursday 23rd December 2010 at 10pm (BST)

[Corki]

Song 108: Wishmaster

 

I stumbled across this cover about a month ago, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Now I am sharing it with you. The original is Nightwish's Wishmaster, and the cover by a group called Van Canto, with their cover song a cappella.

 

ORIGINAL: Nightwish

Nightwish are Finland's most successful band, selling over 7 million albums and singles worldwide. Wishmaster comes from the group's third studio album, which is also called Wishmaster. The song has proved to be one of Nightwish's greatest hits. Despite the change of lead female vocalist from Tarja Turunen to Anette Olzon, the song is still played live.

 

vs.

 

 

COVER: Van Canto

I accidently stumbled across this group about a month ago. They call themselves an "a cappella metal band". The group consists of five singers and a drummer. A true a cappella group has no musical instruments, but drums are used instead of vocal percussion or beatboxing. Only two of the singers sing the lyrics to songs, with the remainder using their voices to imitate the guitars and the bass, helped by amplifiers, in an attempt to sound closer to the original instruments. The group have performed guest vocals on Blind Guardian's album At the Edge of Time and Tarja Turunen's latest album What Lies Beneath. Van Canto covered Wishmaster in 2008.

 

Voting ends Thursday 23rd December 2010 at 10pm (BST)

[Corki]

107 - definitely Wham!

 

108 - although I am a Nightwish fan, I love the a cappella cover version, so Van Canto.

[Krakalakachkn]

107. Wham

108. neither

[Majsju]

107. Wham

108. neither

 

This.

[Imperium]

107 Wham

108 Neither

 

Have to agree with the ones above

[Corki]

Time to wrap this up and start again for 2011!

 

Song 107 saw an easy 4-0 win for the original by Wham!

 

With 3 no votes, the cover by Van Canto beat Nightwish's original by 1 vote to nothing.

 

2 new songs are on the way!

[Corki]

Song 109: Nothing Else Matters

 

I hadn't realised that this song had featured in this thread previously (see song 56 by Imperium), but it is making a second appearance, and with a different cover. Bif Naked failed to topple Metallica and Nothing Else Matters. Can Aliqua fear any better?

 

ORIGINAL: Metallica

Metallica released Mothing Else Matters as the fourth single from their fifth album Metallica. Released in 1992, it achieved several top 10 placing in charts across the world, with a highest of 3 in Norway. It has proved to be a popular song to be covered, with well over 40 known versions.

 

vs.

 

 

COVER: Aliqua

Aliqua are a large (ten) Canadian all-female singing group. The group covered Metallica's original and released it on their March 2009 album Aliqua. According to their website, Aliqua are "hell bent on defying the genre of choral music...[and] are intent on searching the globe to find and share the most engaging music that the world has to offer".

 

 

Voting ends Monday 10th January 2011 at 10pm (GMT)

[Corki]

Song 110: Everybody Needs Somebody To Love

 

Our next song sees us head back to the 1960s in order to listen to the original, with the cover coming from a well-known blues group. The song is Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, and pits The Blues Brothers against Solomon Burke.

 

ORIGINAL: Solomon Burke

Solomon Burke was an American singer/songwriter, and known as "King of Rock and Soul", and as the "Bishop of Soul". Released in 1964, Burke's original did not make the US top 40, peaking at number 58 only. The song is ranked #429 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

 

vs.

 

 

COVER: The Blues Brothers

Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi (The original Blues Brothers) perform the song in the film The Blues Brothers. Aykroyd and Belushi formed the group as part of a musical sketch on Saturday Night Live. The song was also included on their Definitive Collection album in 1992.

 

 

Voting ends Monday 10th January 2011 at 10pm (GMT)

[Corki]

For song 109, Metallica's version has grown on me since when Impy posted it, but I am voting for the cover by Aliqua.

 

For song 110, I'm voting for The Blues Brothers. There is more to this version than the original.

[Majsju]

109. Neither

110. Tough call, but original.

[Imperium]

109 : Metallica

110 : Blues Brothers

[Corki]

So, voting has now closed, and the results are as follows:

 

For song 109, which was Nothing Else Matters, it ended up being a tie with 1 vote each, and one "no vote".

 

Everybody Needs Somebody To Love was up as song 110, and The Blues Brothers' cover edged Solomon Burke's original by 2 votes to 1.

[Corki]

Song 111: Faith

 

Song 111 sees one half of Wham! (George Michael) take on the American rockers Limp Bizkit over the song Faith.

 

ORIGINAL: George Michael

Released in 1987, Faith reached number 2 in the UK chart. It managed to reach number 1 in the US, and ended up being the biggest selling single in the country in 1988. With Wham! splitting in the previous year, George Michael embarked on a solo career, and Faith has become one of his most popular and enduring songs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqepCssCPT0

 

vs.

 

 

COVER: Limp Bizkit

Limp Bizkit (what awful spellers!) covered the song as part of their 1997 debut album Three Dollar Bill, Yall$. The cover is a lot shorter than the original. While starting off in a similar style, the vocals deviate substantially as the song reaches the middle - and probably for the worse. The video features scenes of Limp Bizkit by its tour bus at the Family Values Tour 1998.

 

 

Voting ends Thursday 13th January 2011 at 10pm (GMT)

[Corki]

Song 112: A Whiter Shade of Pale

 

With over 900 known covers, I am spoilt for choose with Procol Harum's A Whiter Shade of Pale. Notable covers artists include Annie Lennox, Joe Cocker, Sarah Brightman and The Shadows, who may feature at some stage in the future. I have opted for the version by Doro, former lead singer of Warlock.

 

ORIGINAL: Procol Harum

This was Procul Harum's debut single back in May 1967. The song charted at number 1 for the British group, where it stayed for 6 weeks. It also managed to reach number 5 in the US. I find this hard to believe, but it is one of a select band of all-time singles (they number less than thirty) to have sold 10 million (or more) copies worldwide. You'll recognise it instantly with its haunting Bach-flavoured instrumental melody and soulful vocals.

 

vs.

 

 

COVER: Doro

Doro was the lead singer of the German metal group Warlock, before renouncing the name to start a solo career after a legal dispute following members leaving the band. A Whiter Shade of Pale was the first song on her début album, Force Majeure. The album was aimed as a radio-friendly pop metal release than to the European power metal of Doro’s earlier works for the US market, but didn't really succeed.

 

 

Voting ends Thursday 13th January 2011 at 10pm (GMT)

[Adrian44]

111: Limp Bizkit

112: Original

[Corki]

111: George Michael's original by a country mile!

 

112: A tough call, as I like both. But I think the cover by Doro scrapes it.

 

And as always, if anyone is interested in hosting "Original vs. Cover" for a week (a minimum of 2 songs, a maximum of 4), just drop me a PM and I will be in contact.

[Krakalakachkn]

111. Original

112. Original

[Majsju]

2xOriginal.

 

Corki, Pms have been funky since the move, so I use this space to point out that I am always up for posting some interesting covers.

[Imperium]

111. Neither

112. Original

 

At some point I will do some more as well

[Corki]

So, George Michael's version of Faith beats Limp Bizkit's cover by 3 votes to 1, with one abstainer.

 

And Procol Harum's original of A Whiter Shade Pale eases to a 4-1 victory over Doro.

 

Time for the next two songs!

 

And thanks to those who want to volunteer. I know there will definitely be a week in early February since I am away due to work, and next week is a possibility.

[Corki]

Song 113: Because the Night

 

Time to head back to the late 1970s and Because the Night by Patti Smith Group. The 10,000 Maniacs cover is a critically acclaimed version, but slightly too similar. So, making their third outing as a cover, and with a 50% success rate so far, it's Cascada.

 

ORIGINAL: Patti Smith Group

Written by Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith, the single was taken from Smith's album Easter in 1978. It peaked as high as number 5 in the UK and number 13 in the US. It also managed to propel the album Easter to mainstream success - even if Smith was deciding to retire from a life of constant touring. To date, it remains one of Smith's best known songs from her catalogue.

 

 

vs.

 

 

COVER: Cascada

Eurodance group Cascada released their version in the summer of 2008, and it comes their second album Perfect Day. It charted in the UK at number 28. The music video was released during the spring of 2008.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUH-xk2MxAE

 

 

Voting ends Monday 17th January 2011 at 10pm (GMT)

[Corki]

Song 114: Car Wash

 

One song - two films, just 26 years apart. Song 114 pits Car Wash by Rose Royce against Christina Aguilera and Missy Elliott.

 

ORIGINAL: Rose Royce

Car Wash was the début single for the group, and one of the most notable successes of the disco era. Released for the mover Car Wash in 1978, this was Rose Royce's most successful hit single. It topped the US Billboard and reached number 9 in the UK.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4c8cdDddHA

 

 

vs.

 

 

COVER: Christina Aguilera and Missy Elliott

Covered in 2004, this version also appeared on a film - Shark Tale. The original disco version was given a more modern pop feel with rapped verses from Elliott. The single failed to reach the top 40 in the US, but had excellent success across the globe, including number 4 in the UK.

 

 

Voting ends Monday 17th January 2011 at 10pm (GMT)