This thread is an idea I had for a long time now and it seems like a radio DJ had it too! Since I heard it being held on the radio, I thought it was finally time to introduce it to the music loving users of ArmorGames! Presenting...
Throughout the history of music, artists have recorded numerous songs for people to enjoy, but sometimes... another artist thinks he/she/they can perform that same song better or think of a different approach/interpretation of it! This can produce a completely different song, sometimes with a big improvement, sometimes it's a complete failure and every now and then... a true (new) gem is made!! =)
This battle thread is all about comparing those songs and the rules of engagement are pretty simple... I post a battle between two songs, one is the original version and one is the cover version. You can vote (once only per battle) for either of the two artists featured in battle, giving them 1 point for your preferenced vote! And an elaborated reasoning is of course required for your vote to be counted in the score roundup, we don't want this thread to be flooded with spam posts after all...
Note this : on several occasions some songs have actually been covered by more than one single artist, therefor battles with more than two artists featured may occur sometimes; the rules will always stay the same though! To clarify once more...
Short list of rules :
1) I will post a new battle ('every week'; 2) Only one vote per user, per battle; 3) A reasoning is required to count your vote.
Plain, simple and fun! =)
And if you feel that a certain song needs to be presented in a battle in this thread, please post the battle suggestions on my profile, do NOT post them in this thread as this will only become confusing about which battle is currently featured!
Hope you will like this idea and participate in it! =)
All three versions are nice in their way, though the only part from AAF I liked is the refrain; the beginning sounded weird. Garrett made a nice version too, fast and precise. However, that's also what I don't like in the two cover versions: they're too fast, they don't have the rhythm and style of MJ's song. It just sounds so much more classy than the two covers. Besides, his choreography is unbeatable; silly yet incredible.
ow mrdaycee, what are you doing to me? making me choose between 2 perfect songs. =/
so yea. 3rd is david, nice try but it doesn't hit it.
but MJ or alien.... seriously i don't know wich to choose. MJ is classic, it's a creepy guy but his music is almost always perfect.(like MM) and so is this song. alien made 1 of the best covers out there. really toke the song apart, repainted it, and glued it back together perfectly. the song is more my style then MJ's version. so i think i'm going for alien here. in numbers it would be a 9,9 for alien. and 9,8 for MJ.
Leaving my personal musical tastes aside, I think Alien Ant Farm does a good job with the cover of such an iconic song. I admit the band deserves some credit for that. However, I'm not really sure if I like the fast rhythm of this version. I don't dislike it, but for me it doesn't fit properly with the lyrics. Besides, the electric guitars are excessively noisy and that's too much for me.
There's nothing much left to say about the original song. It's just great. In my opinion, the slower rhythm suits the lyrics of this song much better and the way he sings adds more drama to the song. MJ was a really talented person and, obviously, an amazing dancer.
I've always been fascinated by the violin. I don't know why, but I love its sound. This is why I knew beforehand that I would enjoy David Garrett's version. It is amazing to listen to a song like this played by a whole orchestra. Needless to say, he's an extraordinary violin player. I admit that I was about to vote for this version until I replayed it a few times and realized something: though I like the energetic spirit of this version, somehow it tires me (if that actually makes any sense). Maybe this shouldn't be the main reason why I don't vote for his version, but that is the way things are...
So once again, my vote goes to the original one: Michael Jackson.
Michael: Just cool seeing him rock the fedora. I could do without the pause in the video, but that's not part of the song so I'll disclude that in my reasoning... Have always liked this song, have never really understood it. I mean I get the "story" but, why is it a song? lol.
Alien Ant Farm: I love the Michael tributes throughout the song. I really like what they did with the song as well. However if I need to find reasons to vote for one rather than the other, I'm not sure I like this guy's voice..
David Garrett: Very pleasantly surprised.. I like people like him that take a very large step outside of their proposed musical box. It keeps music fun and fresh when you can still be surprised after all these years. That's the kind of music I can get into.
Voting:
3) Alien Ant Farm - Nothing at all against them, but someone has to be 3rd, and they are it. Mostly I guess because I don't care for the lead singer all that much. Still love the song though.
2) Michael Jackson - I think the only reason I'm voting him in 2nd is because I guess I'm just not a fan of the lyrics. You could have the same lyrical flow and have a song that makes a bit more sense to me. Still love the song though.
which means my vote goes to
1) David Garrett - what better way to improve a song I don't like the lyrics to than to not do any lyrics at all. I'm voting for Garrett due to the freshness and open mindedness of what he did. He didn't take anything away from the song, still changed it to make it his and still nailed it.
So my vote - David Garrett (Drat you DayCee! lol)
Excuse me while I go look up some more David Garrett songs..
really toke the song apart, repainted it, and glued it back together perfectly.
This is the perfect way to describe Alien Ant Farm's cover. It's similar enough to the original so that you know it's the same song, but it's different enough from the original so that at the same time it's a completely different song. The group does a better job with giving the song a tense and ominous feel than Michael does.
David's version also shows tension well, but it sounds to me like he's narrating the story too objectively. I don't know how I got that just from violin music, but maybe my musical ear is more powerful than I know.
I didn't like the sound of the lyrics. Actually, I couldn't stand them at all. I actually was not going to vote if there wasn't an instrumental, that is how bad it was to me. So David Garrett's one by far for me. His was the only one I could stand.
I really liked AAF's version when it came out, I was quite impressed. They seemed quite real and enjoyed making the music, you can tell.
The Garrett version was pretty cool, seemed very much like a gimmick and was more for the audience, but it was well pulled off nonetheless.
Michael wins for me, the dance, the moves, sheer captivating awesome. I never liked the blue bit in the middle, its like an uncomfortable silence for me, but I think thats one intended effect.
So many votes!!! 14 in total!!! (O.o) Let me take a second to treasure this moment...
... ...
Oh my... Thanx to all voters for your continuing participation! This really keeps me excited to keep this thread going when seeing so many people contributing to it in the way they do!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! *bows humble*
@ Cranium80 : I'll count your vote this time around, but try to elaborate a little on why you vote for a certain artist the next time around, ok?
Allright, on with the score count! ____________________________________________________________
5 - Michael Jackson (Original version) -VS- 5 - Alien Ant Farm (Cover version) -VS- 4 - David Garrett (Cover version) ____________________________________________________________
Sooooo close!!! All three artists have a go for the win in this battle, each with their own style and interpretation of the original MJ song, but only one can win...
So take the opportunity to decide this battle and state your votes people! =)
Will Michael Jackson take the lead? Will Alien Ant Farm then make it a tie again or take over themselves?! Or will David Garrett surprise us all and surpass the two of them to go home victorious in the end?!
Simply for the fact that this battle deserves it, I'll give my vote to David Garrett and his great version of the original MJ song! I stumbled upon his version when looking for covers and listened to it completely up to the end! A wonderful interpretation of an MJ classic! =)
And with my personal vote in, this battle has ended in a tie! And that's a deserving ending for it! ____________________________________________________________
5 - Michael Jackson (Original version) -VS- 5 - Alien Ant Farm (Cover version) -VS- 5 - David Garrett (Cover version) ____________________________________________________________
On with the next one!
Battle # 11 : Roll Over Beethoven (Suggested by waluigi, thanx!)
Now here's an interesting battle... this song is vibrant, alive and kicking, pounding and grounding your ears when you hear it! But the big question is... which artist/band made the best version?! Each have their own feel to it, but the core of the song stays alive with every single one of them! You decide... poster please!
My vote goes to The ELO version, although rather unfairly because that hair is just too awesome. I also think they did a fantastic version.
In fact, all the versions are good. None of them have the chuck berry attitude but hey, no-ones perfect.
In order and a short explanation for each
4:Beetles version. It sounds good, but I dont feel the rock vibe here, more like a boy band of its day cover.
3:Status Quo. Good ol rockers, they know how to do it and pull it off well.
2:Chuck Berry. Its got that old sound and old rock and roll vibe, fantastic. Would have won by a country mile but...
1:Electric Light Orchestra. I was blown away by how much rock they put in considering they are using some classical instruments. Its a little less rocky than number 2 or 3, but thats cause its from the 70's and everyone was smashed.
Chuck Berry - this was a very poor quality video.. but luckily I know the song well as I have the Great 28 Cd. I've always liked this song, though I wouldn't call it a favorite.
The Beatles - This is a much better video. I like the way the words sound better here, but the guitar just doesn't match up to Berry's version.. Overall a very good remake.
ELO - Very cool cover. I like the orchestral intro to it. I also like the violin solo in place of the guitar solo. I think it makes a lot a sense given the lyrics. I don't care for the singing here though. The quality of the video again isn't great, so I have a feeling I'm missing something because it sounds kind of muddled.
Status Quo - (guessing this isn't going to be the rapper in Shady's "stable" - Good cover, nothing exciting. I don't know what else I can add to this one. Video quality was good though!
Ok, the results are in:
4 - Status Quo - Just didn't seem to really do anything with it except play it (and play it well).
3 - The Beatles - I like the sound of the lyrics, but the music didn't really excite me all the much (and that's what I want, bottom line) They go ahead of Status Quo because it just sounded a little different. It sounded, uh, Beatle-ish.
2 - ELO - If the sound was better they would have had a chance to make this a tougher decision, but alas no. I dig what they did with the violin and cello. The singing wasn't fantastic though.
which means the winner is:
1 - Chuck Berry - Though not based on this video. I just like Berry's guitar work and that's always my go to instrument when I'm listening to music. Break out a great guitar solo and you got me hooked every time.
now, if you'll excuse me Beethoven has to take a seat because Johnny B. Goode is going on the stereo!
I have to give my vote to Chuck Berry. The other three were good but in their time they were nothing special. They also don't sound much different from one another, while Chuck Berry's sound is unmistakable.