When the Cover Is Better Than the Original
In this case, we're talking about a complete transformation.
I was not particularly thinking about writing one of these just now, but then something showed up yesterday on YouTube that demands it.
I would say covers generally fall into one of three buckets. The first bucket are covers where the performer is trying to sound as much as possible like the original. This is what bands that play at weddings do. If they’re really good, they can almost fool you, which gets spooky if the original performer happens to be dead!
The second bucket includes covers in which the performer is faithful to the original but tries to make it their own. They can do this through unique voicing or phrasing or a change in instrumentation, tone, or emphasis. Many of Elvis’ recordings fall into this category. David Draiman’s cover of “Sound of Silence” and Hendrix’ cover of “All Along the Watchtower” are iconic examples.
The third bucket is when the performer transforms the original song completely. This can mean rewriting whole passages, changing the lyrics, or changing the piece's structure. In extreme cases, the performer re-casts the song or piece of music in a different genre. This is probably the hardest cover type, and successful examples are rare.
The song in question here is “Eagle Fly Free,” perhaps the best-known song by the power-metal band Helloween. It is full of fast guitar riffage and drum and bass solos. Personally, I think it’s ok, but it’s not a favorite of mine, mainly because of the vocals — the lyrics are corny, and I don’t care for the lead singer’s voice. But it’s a technically impressive bit of metal.
Here is the original audio:
…….
Miyako Watanabe is one of the two monster lead guitarists in the heavy-metal band Lovebites. She is known both for her ferocious shredding and for her bluesy, emotion-drenched guitar solos. She is also a virtuoso classical pianist with a fondness for Chopin and Rachmaninoff.
She composes much of the band’s music, incorporating classical motifs into her songs. She has re-imagined “Eagle Fly Free” as a solo piano piece filled with Baroque, Classical, and Romantic accents. In doing so, she has revealed the piece to be something entirely different from what the original composers probably thought they were writing.
What do you think? Do you have any favorite covers that are complete transformations of the original? Post in the comments.