Cover Versions vs Originals - Week 10

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spiritualized
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Cover Versions vs Originals - Week 10

Post by spiritualized »

Lo and behold, here is the newest game in town, where you nominated the best cover versions in your musical culture and decided that the later version was far better than the original one.
Were your tastes in line with the general consensus, or is it just you ?
Time to find out !

The game will start with all 128 songs pitted against their original versions, in groups of 4, two per week. A couple of songs will not make the cut, as we have 130 unique nominations

You don't have to have nominated to participate.

Please feel free to add any comment, I hope there will be plenty to discuss.

Vote for who you think penned the best version of the song. If the original wins, the cover is eliminated.

In the second round, only cover versions will remain and they will be pitted against each other in a different voting format (to be determined by the number of songs going through the first stage.

The votes will close next Sunday @ 20:00 Western European, get your votes in early ! Good luck & Have FUN !

Group 19
All Grown Up - The Crystals vs The Gore Gore Girls (YT)
Trust in Me - Sterling Holloway vs The Dead Brothers
La Mer/Beyond the Sea - Charles Trenet vs Bobby Darin
I've Never Been To Me - Charlene vs Ned's Atomic Dustbin


Group 20
Hanging on the Telephone - The Nerves vs Blondie
Steal My Girl - One Direction vs Postmodern Jukebox
Twiggy Twiggy - Maki Nomiya vs Pizzicato Five (YT)
How Can You Mend a Broken Heart - Bee Gees vs Al Green


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Cadavaca
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Re: Cover Versions vs Originals - Week 10

Post by Cadavaca »

Maki Nomiya was the singer of Pizzicato Five — does this qualify as a cover, rather than a reworking?
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spiritualized
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Re: Cover Versions vs Originals - Week 10

Post by spiritualized »

I asked myself the same question, to be fair, but I haven't yer listened to both versions, so I'll leave it to the floor to decide.
luvulongTIM
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Re: Cover Versions vs Originals - Week 10

Post by luvulongTIM »

They got rid of “All Grown Up” by Gore Gore Girls on Spotify??? That must have been recent. I HATE when they do that. Still not over them getting rid of Germ Free Adolescents.
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Safetycat
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Re: Cover Versions vs Originals - Week 10

Post by Safetycat »

Group 19
All Grown Up - The Crystals < The Gore Gore Girls
Trust in Me - Sterling Holloway < The Dead Brothers
La Mer/Beyond the Sea - Charles Trenet < Bobby Darin
I've Never Been To Me - Charlene > Ned's Atomic Dustbin

Group 20
Hanging on the Telephone - The Nerves < Blondie
Steal My Girl - One Direction > Postmodern Jukebox
Twiggy Twiggy - Maki Nomiya < Pizzicato Five
How Can You Mend a Broken Heart - Bee Gees < Al Green
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Listyguy
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Re: Cover Versions vs Originals - Week 10

Post by Listyguy »

Group 19
All Grown Up - The Crystals vs The Gore Gore Girls
Trust in Me - Sterling Holloway vs The Dead Brothers
La Mer/Beyond the Sea - Charles Trenet vs Bobby Darin
I've Never Been To Me - Charlene vs Ned's Atomic Dustbin


Group 20
Hanging on the Telephone - The Nerves vs Blondie
Steal My Girl - One Direction vs Postmodern Jukebox
Twiggy Twiggy - Maki Nomiya vs Pizzicato Five
How Can You Mend a Broken Heart - Bee Gees vs Al Green
DaveC
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Re: Cover Versions vs Originals - Week 10

Post by DaveC »

Group 19
All Grown Up - The Crystals vs The Gore Gore Girls
Trust in Me - Sterling Holloway vs The Dead Brothers
La Mer/Beyond the Sea - Charles Trenet vs Bobby Darin
I've Never Been To Me - [/b]Charlene[/b] vs Ned's Atomic Dustbin


Group 20
Hanging on the Telephone - The Nerves vs Blondie
Steal My Girl - One Direction vs Postmodern Jukebox
Twiggy Twiggy - Maki Nomiya vs Pizzicato Five
How Can You Mend a Broken Heart - Bee Gees vs Al Green
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Cadavaca
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Re: Cover Versions vs Originals - Week 10

Post by Cadavaca »

All Grown Up: The Crystals vs. Gore Gore Girls
Trust in Me: Sterling Holloway vs. The Dead Brothers
La Mer/Beyond the Sea: Charles Trenet vs. Bobby Darin
I've Never Been to Me: Charlene vs. Ned's Atomic Dustbin

Hanging on the Telephone: The Nerves vs. Blondie
Steal My Girl: One Direction vs. Postmodern Jukebox
Twiggy Twiggy: Maki Nomiya vs. Pizzicato Five
How Can You Mend a Broken Heart: Bee Gees vs. Al Green
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Rob
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Re: Cover Versions vs Originals - Week 10

Post by Rob »

Group 19
All Grown Up - The Gore Gore Girls
Adding a garage rock feel while staying true to the sixties girl group sound turns out to be a good call. The Gore Gore Girls really bring the song up to date.

Trust in Me - The Dead Brothers
The song originates from the Disney classic The Jungle Book, where the Python Ka sings it while hypnotizing a boy for eating. I've heard the song once being called a paedophile song. It's not that bad a comparison, but in Disney's hands it doesn't get too creepy. It keeps having a playfulness. The Dead Brothers remove the innocence and in a style inspired by Cajun voodoo music they truly lean into the sinister potential of the original. I love the dark energy they bring to it. Scarlett Johanssons uncomfortably sexy version for the remake is great too.

La Mer/Beyond the Sea - Charles Trenet
I'm familiar with both records, but I have to admit in big embarrassment that I never noticed before that these were two versions of the same song. It's extremely obvious now it's pointed out to me. I think what put me on the wrong foot is that the main hook lays somewhere different. With Trenet it is the pause after La Mer, while for Darin it is the "sailing" melody. Both are great, but I give the edge to Trenet, whose song remains something of a unique example of the chanson.

I've Never Been To Me - Ned's Atomic Dustbin
There are some interesting parallels and contrasts with the sea songs above this one. Here too I would never have guessed that Ned's Atomic Dustbin covered the Charlene song. In this case, though, I'm hardly to blame, because outside of the lyrics there is nothing that ties the two songs together. Another contrast is that where I knew liked both Trenet and Darin I had never heard heard of these two, nor do I think I will ever listen to them again. I guess this song just has never been to me.

Group 20
Hanging on the Telephone - Blondie
At first I thought, "Man, the Nerves original sounds exactly the same as Blondie's famous cover", only to find out that they were in the wrong order on the Playlist. Still, when actually getting to the Nerves there turns out to be little difference anyway. Really, all that Blondie did was take an unknown song and add female vocals to it. I guess I like Debbie Harry's voice more, so it gets my vote, but there is little creativity here.

Steal My Girl - One Direction
It seems Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox is basically doing more or less the same thing as The Baseballs: taking modern hits and turning it into traditional pop. It's a gimmick, but The Baseballs made it work for a little while. Scott Bradlee... not so much, based on this song. At first I thought I would like the cover more, because it sounded less thin than the original, but it got on my nerves on the half-way point. I vote for One Direction, but I still am more likely to put on both versions of I've Never Been to Me than any Steal My Girl.

Twiggy Twiggy - Pizzicato Five
This is indeed something of a self-cover, albeit now with a band with a different band. I think it counts; it isn't one of those pointless re-recordings that some bands do. I think Pizzicato Five actually improve on the song with their swinging London tribute, complete with a reworking of the James Bond Theme.

How Can You Mend a Broken Heart - Bee Gees
Al Green does a brave attempt to make more of the Bee Gees original, but to me he drags it out to much. It becomes boring around the halfway point.

Three wins for the originals and five for the covers. The covers are now 6 points ahead in my tally.
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Re: Cover Versions vs Originals - Week 10

Post by Schüttelbirne »

15 | The Crystals | All Grown Up vs. 8 | Gore Gore Girls | All Grown Up
6 | Sterling Holloway | Trust in Me (The Python's Song) vs. 7 | The Dead Brothers | Trust in Me
3 | Charles Trenet | La mer vs. 1 | Bobby Darin | Beyond the Sea
12 | Charlene | I've Never Been to Me vs. 11 | Ned's Atomic Dustbin | I've Never Been to Me
5 | The Nerves | Hanging on the Telephone vs. 2 | Blondie | Hanging on the Telephone
16 | One Direction | Steal My Girl vs. 14 | Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox | Steal My Girl
9 | Maki Nomiya | ツイッギー・ツイッギー [Twiggy Twiggy] vs. 4 | Pizzicato Five | Twiggy Twiggy
10 | Bee Gees | How Can You Mend a Broken Heart vs. 13 | Al Green | How Can You Mend a Broken Heart
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bonnielaurel
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Re: Cover Versions vs Originals - Week 10

Post by bonnielaurel »

Group 19
The Crystals
Sterling Holloway
Charles Trenet
Charlene

4x original

Group 20
Blondie
Postmodern Jukebox
Pizzicato Five
Al Green

4x cover
De gustibus et coloribus non est disputandum.
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Miguel
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Re: Cover Versions vs Originals - Week 10

Post by Miguel »

Group 19
All Grown Up - The Crystals
Trust in Me - Sterling Holloway
La Mer/Beyond the Sea - Bobby Darin
I've Never Been To Me - Charlene


Group 20
Hanging on the Telephone - The Nerves
Steal My Girl - Postmodern Jukebox
Twiggy Twiggy - Pizzicato Five
How Can You Mend a Broken Heart - Bee Gees
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Re: Cover Versions vs Originals - Week 10

Post by SL3 »

Group 19
All Grown Up - The Crystals vs The Gore Gore Girls
Trust in Me - Sterling Holloway vs The Dead Brothers
La Mer/Beyond the Sea - Charles Trenet vs Bobby Darin
I've Never Been To Me - Charlene vs Ned's Atomic Dustbin

Group 20
Hanging on the Telephone - The Nerves vs Blondie
Steal My Girl - One Direction vs Postmodern Jukebox
Twiggy Twiggy - Maki Nomiya vs Pizzicato Five
How Can You Mend a Broken Heart - Bee Gees vs Al Green
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Re: Cover Versions vs Originals - Week 10

Post by Romain »

Group 19
All Grown Up - The Crystals
Trust in Me - Sterling Holloway
La Mer/Beyond the Sea - Charles Trenet
I've Never Been To Me - Charlene


Group 20
Hanging on the Telephone - Blondie
Steal My Girl - Postmodern Jukebox
Twiggy Twiggy - Pizzicato Five (YT)
How Can You Mend a Broken Heart - Bee Gees
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Re: Cover Versions vs Originals - Week 10

Post by mileswide »

Group 19
All Grown up: 9. The Crystals v. 12. The Gore Gore Girls
Trust in Me: 7. Sterling Holloway v. 10. The Dead Brothers
La Mer/Beyond the Sea: 8. Charles Trenet v. 16. Bobby Darin
I've Never Been to Me: 11. Charlene v. 5. Ned's Atomic Dustbin

Group 20
Hanging on the Telephone: 1. The Nerves v. 3. Blondie
Steal My Girl: 13. One Direction v. 15. Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox
Twiggy Twiggy: 6. Maki Nomiya v. 4. Pizzicato Five
How Can You Mend a Broken Heart: 14. Bee Gees v. 2. Al Green
All I got inside is vacancy!
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spiritualized
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Re: Cover Versions vs Originals - Week 10

Post by spiritualized »

Group 19
All Grown Up - The Crystals < The Gore Gore Girls
Trust in Me - Sterling Holloway < The Dead Brothers
La Mer/Beyond the Sea - Charles Trenet > Bobby Darin
I've Never Been To Me - Charlene < Ned's Atomic Dustbin

Group 20
Hanging on the Telephone - The Nerves < Blondie
Steal My Girl - One Direction < Postmodern Jukebox
Twiggy Twiggy - Maki Nomiya < Pizzicato Five
How Can You Mend a Broken Heart - Bee Gees < Al Green
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spiritualized
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Re: Cover Versions vs Originals - Week 10

Post by spiritualized »

Only 12 voters this week ?

Group 19
All Grown Up - The Crystals vs The Gore Gore Girls (8-4)
Trust in Me - Sterling Holloway vs The Dead Brothers (7-5)
La Mer/Beyond the Sea - Charles Trenet vs Bobby Darin (8-4)
I've Never Been To Me - Charlene vs Ned's Atomic Dustbin (8-4)


Group 20
Hanging on the Telephone - The Nerves vs Blondie (2-10)
Steal My Girl - One Direction vs Postmodern Jukebox (5-7)
Twiggy Twiggy - Maki Nomiya vs Pizzicato Five (3-9)
How Can You Mend a Broken Heart - Bee Gees vs Al Green (7-5)

So we have 3 covers moving to the next stage - Blondie / Postmodern Jukebox / Pizzicato Five.

Next round up soon !
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