Preferring The 'Wrong' Version

[Mykesbass]

Anyone else find themselves on the wrong side of popular opinion when it comes to original versions vs cover versions? Three examples for me that I've had to play:

Ain't no Love in the Heart of the City - brought the Bobby Bland version to a band, everyone else wanted to do the White snake version.

Too Hard to Handle - can't find anyone else who wants to play it in the Otis Redding style.

Knocking on Heaven's Door - we played mainly Dylan covers, and the drummer insisted on ramping it up like the awful GnR version. 

[Len_derby]

This is exactly what’s happened in my covers band with ‘Ain’t No Love’ and ‘Knockin’. Although, to be fair, I don’t think anyone ever lost money in the UK entertainment business through camping things up.

[Passinwind]

13 minutes ago, Mykesbass said:

 

Too Hard to Handle - can't find anyone else who wants to play it in the Otis Redding style.

 

Heathens! Any version but the Black Crowes' would be my strong preference though.

[neepheid]

I think it's the version the audience would want that's the most important, regardless of whether or not my preference correlates with that.

[Barking Spiders]

42 minutes ago, Mykesbass said:

Anyone else find themselves on the wrong side of popular opinion when it comes to original versions vs cover versions? Three examples for me that I've had to play:

Ain't no Love in the Heart of the City - brought the Bobby Bland version to a band, everyone else wanted to do the White snake version.

Too Hard to Handle - can't find anyone else who wants to play it in the Otis Redding style.

Knocking on Heaven's Door - we played mainly Dylan covers, and the drummer insisted on ramping it up like the awful GnR version. 

You're right and your band mates are just so, so wrong! 

[Mykesbass]

11 minutes ago, Barking Spiders said:

You're right and your band mates are just so, so wrong! 

[TheGreek]

Soft Cell's version of "Tainted Love" is probably now considered the "go to" version with the majority of the population not knowing it was by Mrs Marc Bolan.

[Lozz196]

I know I’m a heathen and that the punk police will give me a kicking in the cells for this but I’m afraid I prefer Guns N Roses  version of Down on The Farm to the original by The UK Subs.

[nilorius]

I could play a lot of covers in different versions, no problem for me, but at the bands i played covers, mainly the one who choosed the exact song, gave a link or sent mp3 to how he likes it. When i choose the song, i preffer the original version to make cover of it the same way, with my own bass lines.

[Happy Jack]

18 hours in and nobody has yet mentioned Valerie?

 

 

[Henrythe8]

Well. I came to the band with the intention to play Woman From Tokyo, but it was the TM Stevens Version. 

 

 

 

12 hours ago, TheGreek said:

Soft Cell's version of "Tainted Love" is probably now considered the "go to" version with the majority of the population not knowing it was by Mrs Marc Bolan.

It's actually Marylin Manson's version that is the Go To nowadays. 🙂 

[NancyJohnson]

Possibly part of the OPs question is largely down to the case being that the first version you hear of something sticks more-so than the (unheard/unknown of) original.

 

By way of example, when I was a mere teen, I remember my mum (very musical) singing along to Japan's version of Don't Rain On My Parade.  I mean, at that age I knew nothing about musicals as such (we had The King & I original soundtrack, but that was about it), so why would I know any different?  As time went on my record collection was peppered with loads of covers that I knew nothing better about until I started scrutinising the record label or reading the liner notes.

 

Also going back to my late mum, she was at mine one time and I had an album playing by Shudder To Think (US post-hardcore/math rock band) and she said, 'This is 'So Into You' by Atlanta Rhythm Section.  I was like, 'What?  Whaaaat?'  😂

[TheGreek]

One of my ex girlfriends (Goth/ Punk) turned up with a mixed tape to listen to. Mid way through the tape there was a version of Purple Haze which I commented on. She was amazed as I rarely knew any of the music she played. She didn't realise Hendrix had recorded it many years earlier.

[Graham56]

Does any covers band do the original version of Proud Mary after Tina took possession of it?

[Cat Burrito]

3 minutes ago, Graham56 said:

Does any covers band do the original version of Proud Mary after Tina took possession of it?

 

I was in a Creedence Clearwater Revival tribute for 6 years so we didn't have a choice. 

 

18 hours ago, Mykesbass said:

Anyone else find themselves on the wrong side of popular opinion when it comes to original versions vs cover versions? Three examples for me that I've had to play:

Knocking on Heaven's Door - we played mainly Dylan covers, and the drummer insisted on ramping it up like the awful GnR version. 

 

I grew up with the Sisters of Mercy version so never liked the GnR version and I must confess I heard the Sisters before Dylan's original. 

[tobiewharton]

Heard it Through the Grapevine - Gladys Knight

All Along the Watchtower - Bob Dylan

No Woman, No Cry - album version

[TheGreek]

Don't turn around  - Aswad 

[TheGreek]

..and I actually prefer the UB40 version of Strange Fruit 

[Paul S]

No such thing as 'wrong' or 'right' versions.  There are orginal versions and covers - the judgement calls are down to personal preference.  My preference, all day long, is the Whitesnake 'Ain't No Love', but that is me.

 

So 'ere's a song for yer'... Hush.  Written by Joe South and and recorded by Billy Joe Royal in 1967, yet almost universally described as a Deep Purple song.  Then there is the popular Kula Shaker version.  And the slower, heavier Gotthard version.  Plus myriad second tier covers by the likes of the Partridge Family, Love Affair, Milli Vanilli - etc.  Which one would you call the 'Wrong' or 'Right' one?

 

 

[tobiewharton]

Jeez - it's about preference 🙄

 

So many of these threads seem to unnecessarily descend into discussion about the pseudo-philosophy of creating and performing music; it's supposed to be fun. 

 

It's fine to love and hate things with no justification and it's also fine to call something crap whilst not meaning it's objectively and universally bad.

[Mykesbass]

1 hour ago, Graham56 said:

Does any covers band do the original version of Proud Mary after Tina took possession of it?

Funnily enough, that was one that broke the mould - we did do the Creedence version.

[Mykesbass]

17 minutes ago, tobiewharton said:

Jeez - it's about preference 🙄

 

It is indeed - just that I often find my preference to be at odds with public opinion!

Let's hope the rest of your post doesn't come to fruition...

[Mykesbass]

29 minutes ago, Paul S said:

 

So 'ere's a song for yer'... Hush.  Written by Joe South and and recorded by Billy Joe Royal in 1967, yet almost universally described as a Deep Purple song.  Then there is the popular Kula Shaker version.  And the slower, heavier Gotthard version.  Plus myriad second tier covers by the likes of the Partridge Family, Love Affair, Milli Vanilli - etc.  Which one would you call the 'Wrong' or 'Right' one?

 

 

Many examples like this, particularly when the original version is a bit obscure - Tainted Love mentioned earlier, which apart from Northern Soul afficionados was pretty much unknown before Soft Cell, I Will Always Love You was pretty much unknown as a Dolly Parton hit (at least here in the UK) before Whitney. So I would say Deep Purple is 'right' and Kula Shaker 'wrong', and the others don't count. But that's purely MY objective opinion.

[tobiewharton]

3 minutes ago, Mykesbass said:

It is indeed - just that I often find my preference to be at odds with public opinion!

Let's hope the rest of your post doesn't come to fruition...

Which is exactly what I took your opening post to mean - something I experience too! Perhaps we're just contrary...🤣

Funnily enough, I was having a similar conversation with my partner just yesterday. We were recalling that it's sometimes argued that the original must be superior simply because it is the archetype. Personally, I find that argument interesting but ultimately futile. 

[Barking Spiders]

3 minutes ago, tobiewharton said:

Which is exactly what I took your opening post to mean - something I experience too! Perhaps we're just contrary...🤣

Funnily enough, I was having a similar conversation with my partner just yesterday. We were recalling that it's sometimes argued that the original must be superior simply because it is the archetype. Personally, I find that argument interesting but ultimately futile. 

I prefer classic Soul to classic rock and so to my ears two of the three original tunes mentioned by the OP are far better than the covers. As for Knocking...to my ears G n 'R's version is a lumpen, clodhopping monstrosity.