Category: The Original vs The Cover

The Original vs. The Cover – “All Along the Watchtower”

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For this month’s The Original vs. The Cover, we are tackling the classic song “All Along the Watchtower” written by Bob Dylan.  We are going to explore the Bob Dylan version and the Jimi Hendrix version.  The two versions of this song couldn’t be more different.  You have Bob Dylan’s version which is more Folk Rock and then the Hendrix version which is pure guitar rock.  Each version is a classic in its own right so how do you choose.  Let’s learn about each version first before we decide.

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan wrote and recorded the song back in 1967.  It was on the album John Wesley Harding which was released in December 1967.  The song itself wasn’t released as a single until November 22, 1968 which was actually after The Jimi Hendrix Experience released it as they released it as a single on September 21, 1968.  If we base the original and the cover based off single release date, then Hendrix’s is the original…right?  No, it isn’t but one could make an argument if they so choose.

The song itself is a slow, almost ballad like for part of the song.  Instrumentally, the standout is the harmonica which is the main driver of the song.  The guitar and drum parts were background and their simplicity is what makes it work.  The folksy sound and Dylan’s gritty voice were magical and he sings with such emotion.  This is one of the few songs I actually could understand what he was saying.

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The Original Vs. The Cover – “Hurt”

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This month’s ‘The Original Vs. The Cover’s focusing on the Nine Inch Nails Song “Hurt”.  The song is one of my favorite Nine Inch Nails songs and I am not a huge fan of the band, but this song always struck a chord with me.  However, it was the cover of this song by a gentleman who goes by the moniker of Johnny Cash that made me stop and pay attention to this song (maybe you have heard of him).  It was one of the most surprising song choices for Cash to cover, but damn! did he make it his own song.  Let’s start off with the Original version of “Hurt” by Nine Inch Nails.

NINE INCH NAILS:

The song, “Hurt”, was written by Nine Inch Nails front man Trent Reznor and is off their album ‘The Downward Spiral’.  For those not familiar with the band, their style is very industrial rock and has a very metalic sound.  This song is no different other than the slow, plodding pace of song.  It comes at you with such a sadness and a dark tone that you immediately feel the pain the singer is going through.  The opening lines define the song right out of the gate…”I hurt myself today / To see if I still feel”.

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The Original vs. The Cover – “Cum On Feel The Noize”

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For the third installment, I wanted to cover the Slade song “Cum on Feel the Noize”.  Yes, I said Slade.  If you didn’t know Quiet Riot did a COVER version of this song (any many others), they did not write it. As a kid, I thought they wrote it and it was their song.  They definitely made it their own, but it was years later I learned it was actually a cover of Slade’s song.

Of course, I am a huge fan of the Quiet Riot version as that is what introduced me to the band.  However, once I discovered the band Slade, years later, I became a bigger fan of them than Quiet Riot. I really enjoy the Glam rock era of the 70’s and the fact they are the ones that wrote these great songs, I now lean more towards their version.  Let’s talk a little about each version and then you can tell me which one you like best.

SLADE:

“Cum on Feel the Noize” was originally titled “Cum on Hear the Noize” until Noddy Holder changed it because he believed that at a Slade concert you felt the music and the crowd.*  The single went #1 in the UK in February 1973 and was their fourth #1 song.  It was also the first song to go #1 in its first week of release since the Beatles back in 1969.

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The Original Vs. The Cover – “The Sound of Silence”

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Welcome to the second edition of ‘The Original Vs. The Cover”.  This month we are highlighting the Simon & Garfunkel classic, “The Sound of Silence” and the best cover version I have ever heard of this song by the Metal band Disturbed.  Yes, I said a Metal band.  So the Folk version vs. the Metal version.

The song was originally recorded back in 1964 and was titled “The Sounds of Silence”. The song was a folk traditional version and it basically flopped.  The song was overdubbed in 1965 without Simon & Garfunkel’s knowledge and some electric instruments were added to give it more a folk rock sound which was big at the time.  The song became a hit and Simon & Garfunkel became famous.

The song everyone knows is actually the second version, the folk rock song.  Later the song was retitled for some strange reason to “The Sound of Silence” and the ‘s’ was dropped from “Sounds”.  Rather odd to me, but what do I know.

The song has one of the best opening lines of any song…”Hello darkness, my old friend / I’ve come to talk with you again”.  The way they sing that opening line is kind of eerie and seems to hold so much meaning.  And has always made me think about loneliness as that was the overall feeling I got from that verse.

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The Original Vs. The Cover – “Can’t Find My Way Home”

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Welcome to the new in yet another series that is called “The Original Vs. The Cover”.  Not a very original title, but it gets the point across.  Each month I will pick a song and compare the original to my favorite cover of the song.

And there is not a better way to kick off this series than with Blind Faith’s song “Can’t Find My Way Home”.  The song was written by Steve Winwood and on Blind Faith’s only album back in 1969.  Blind Faith was one of the earliest super groups as it consisted of Steve Winwood from the bands Traffic & The Spencer Davis Group, Ginger Baker and Eric Clapton from the band Cream and lastly, Ric Grech from Family.  Not a bad set of musicians.

Blind Faith’s “Can’t Find My Way Home” is a slow ballad with Eric Clapton playing acoustic guitar and Steve Winwood singing.  Of course Ginger Baker is playing percussion and Ric Grech is on bass, but the guitar work is of note.  The guitar work is fantastic as expected and it is rare you get Eric Clapton playing acoustic (at least back then).  The vocals have an eerie hollowness to them and I don’t know if that was Winwood’s intention or just the production of the song, but it works.  The overall production is simple and not much too it and I think that is why the song works so well. The overall tone fits the time period which was the end of the 60’s.

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