Ahhh the old cover issue again. I have been asked to revisit covers so here it is. I have stated in the pas that there are good, and there are bad, very bad. As I am writing this I am reminded of classic rock songs that are ruined by rap/hip hop artists. I am of the opinion that some artists cannot come up with something of their own so they cover an already successful song and others choose to pay homage to the artists which inspired them.

There are songs out there that achieved little or no attention by the original artists for example:

“I Love Rock ‘N Roll” which was written and recorded in 1975 by Alan Merrill and Jake Hooker of Arrows.

     And then there is the Joan Jett cover from 1982 which the world knows and loves.

  

     I am probably one of the few people who actually prefers the original but Joan stayed true to the original vibe of the song.

     “New York Groove” was written by Russ Ballard and first recorded by Hello in 1975.

     Then the world famous version by Ace Frehley of KISS in 1978.

     Ace stayed true to the original as well and, in this case, I prefer the Ace version.

     “Space Truckin'” by Deep Purple is one of my favorite songs in the world and was written in 1972.

     Tesla decided to take  on this hard charging track on their ambitious Real To Reel release in 2007.

     Tesla crushed this cover and kept to the original Deep purple vibe, but I still prefer the original.

     Now to the covers which leave me less enthusiastic. I have heard some people talking about these songs as if the covers were the original tracks which makes me nuts.

     Let’s go back to 1934 where Clarence “Tom” Ashley and Gwen Foster recorded an old folk song called “House Of The Rising Sun”

  

     This song was made popular by the Animals in 1964 and is probably the best known version of the track.

     which has led to the version Five Finger Death Punch recorded in 2013.

     While I happen to dig the vibe of the earlier versions I think the FFDP version is an abomination and shows no respect to the original song. I am embarrassed for the band and their version of it.

     “Good Times Bad Times” by Led Zeppelin was recorded in 1968 and was a blast to the ears and mind.

     While I was an early Godsmack fan their 2007 version was a miss for me.

     

     I think it’s obvious that the Led Zeppelin version wins out for me.

     Ok, so all of this is just a matter of opinion for me and I mean no disrespect to anyone. Please share your opinions with me and the readers as we would love to hear them.

     it’s loud, it’s dirty, it’s ROCK N’ ROLL!!!

     -the Hellion