Most people claim that The "ORIGINAL" is far superior from the remake, but I have to say, I can think of a LOT of remakes that were far better than the original. Name some remakes that are better than the original. Here are mine.

Lenny Kravitz "American Woman" Originally done by The Who/

Van Halen "You really got me" originally done by The Kinks

Guns n Roses "live and let die" Originally done by Paul Mccartney

UB40 "can't help falling in love" Originally done by Elvis

Nirvana "the man who sold the world" Originally done by David Bowie.

Sorry, I've got to disagree with you on most of these. While I like Van Halen's "You Really Got Me," it's most certainly not superior to The Kinks' version, which I still adore. Neither is GnR's "Live and Let Die." And, hate to say it, but I HATE Lenny Kravitz's "American Woman;" the version by The Guess Who (not The Who) is far superior.

One COULD argue that The Who's famous live version of "Summertime Blues" (when they were a KICK-ASS Band, WOW, "Live at Leeds" still stuns!) is superior to Eddie Corcoran's, though his simple version has its own charm for sure.

Yes, yes, I know, these are all opinion things, but still...

Andrew

American Woman was originally done by The Guess Who.

OOps..typing too fast. thanks!

Guess who?! Uh... um.... ...why not just tell us who?

Im not a Lenny Kravitz fan by anymeans, I think his current stuff is CRAPOLA, but I do agree with TIMBERFLAKE that his version of American Woman was WAAAAY better than the Guess Who.

OK so we can all agree that UB40 did a better job of covering "can't help falling in love" By Elvis.???

UGGGH....Both versions SUCKED! UB40 is the most pitiful cover band! If I have to hear "Red Red Wine"..... What a stupid-ass song!

Would you like some Mayo with your RED RED WINE~??

Lucy in the sky with diamonds. The Elton John version is actually better than the Beatles!

Herb

Agreed!

I also prefer the Hall and Oats remake of "That Loving Feeling" (or whatever it's called) originally done by the Rightous Brothers.

The best version of Your Really Got Me by The Kinks is on the first Mott The Hoople album, "Mott The Hoople" 1969 side 1 cut 1.
Their version is what Van Halen modeled when they covered it.

Bowie's The Man Who Sold The World with Mick Ronson on lead guitar was a hint of the future direction Bowie took with Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars and is a Bowie classic. If you still have the original vinyl with the cartoon cover before the "Oh By Jingo" was omitted, it's valuable. I can't recall Nirvana's version (I only own Nevermind and I know it's not on that) but based on what the original post's opinions are, I don't think I would concur.

I like Lenny Kravitz's version of American Woman, but like Mott's cover of the Kinks, it's radically departing from the original and comparing them is purely subjective. To objectively compare a cover, it has to be fundamentally the same sound.

Some collectors also define "cover" differently from "remake."
""cover version" means one made soon after the original to cash in on its success, while "remake" means one made much later, usually at least partially for artistic reasons or as an homage."

http://www.answers.com/topic/cover-version

So in the instant discussion, Mott The Hoople's 1969 remake of the Kinks 1965 original, which was releasead as a single in Aug. 1964 and spent a scant two weeks at #1 on the UK charts, would have been a remake, not a cover. And Van Halen's version many years later would also be a remake. In fact, if you subscribe to the definition that a cover has to come out quickly after the original to ride the wave of popularity, none of the songs in the original post are really covers, they are all remakes.

Guns and Roses? Surely you jest. OK, Slash was a decent axeman, but McCartney is a creative genius and his music is a lot more complex and often difficult to reproduce, even though he makes it sound so easy (like, e.g. Paul Simon). Looking for a great cover of a McCartney song? Check out Les Paul's recent release "American Made World Played" for Let Me Roll It with Ritchie Sambora (and I am not a Bon Jovi fan at all, but he does quite a job doing a true cover) capturing the aggressive lead work Denny Laine did for the Wings "Band On The Run" where it originally appeared. And Paul is said to have been trying to mimic Lennon's Yoko Plastic Band "hard edge" sound.

So I guess my point is there are covers meant to cover, and those that break different ground. IMHO you can't equate the two. Also there are cover bands like Dread Zeppelin whom covered Zep exclusively on their first album and the majority of their second album, taking everything to Reggae.

Natalie Merchant does two GREAT covers, one of Bowie's Space Oddity, one of Neil Young's After The Gold Rush. I love listening to her doing those songs, and they are well done, but I'd never claim they were "better than the original."

"Most people claim that The "ORIGINAL" is far superior from the remake, but I have to say, I can think of a LOT of remakes that were far better than the original."

I think that is an inaccurate statement. I think you would find it extremely challenging to come up with a "LOT" of remakes that would ever even have been noticed if it wasn't for the original.

Whatever, Its all subjective opinions. By the way who are Guns AND Roses?? Never heard of them.

Regarding "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'," Dionne Warwick's version is more passionate than the other two put together.

Righteous Bros #1 in 1965
Dionne Warwick #16 in 1969
Hall & Oates #12 in 1980