5 covers that are better than the original songs (I)

Slash, Bob Dylan, Joe Cocker, James Hetfield, Whitney Houston, Phil Lynott
Well, I definitely stretched on the summer break a little too much. But with the arrival of November, I resume the activity of the blog. And I do it with a short list of songs, so you may be entertained during these cold days.

I’m sure there are songs you love, and you don’t know they’re actually covers of another artists’ songs. Or the other way round: very well-known themes which have some better cover you don’t know. So, in this and future posts I will introduce you to covers which, in my opinion, are better than the original songs. The rule (which should be obvious) is that the cover must be essentially different from the original. That is, the interpretation is not enough to make the difference.

I’m starting with a list of five well-known songs, so no-one gets their brain fried. Any disagreement (or agreement) will be welcome in the comments, below this article or on Facebook or Twitter. I encourage you, as well, to leave suggestions for the next one.

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5 + 1 anti-bullfighting songs

5-1-anti-bullfighting-songs

This time I’ve been quick in order to arrive in time for the “txupinazo” of San Fermin. The things is that the topic I’ve chosen has a lot to do with this festival and with… well… “La Fiesta”. Every year, Pamplona (like many other towns and villages) is involved in controversy due its main activity.

Luckily, every year’s protests have begun to leave a mark, and voices that not long ago claimed San Fermin not to have sense without bullfight, are starting to soften, and now we can hear options that don’t imply any bull’s torture or death.

Like in Pamplona, in many other places steps towards most civilized celebrations are being taken. Unfortunately, not in all the cases is this goal being reached trough the way of the reason, but but the exercise of the law.

Until not very long ago, this scene seemed quite imposible, and many bands and soloists have expressed in their lyrics the incredulity and anger that bullfighting produced on them. The repertoire could be very long, but I’ve selected six. Some of them, because they’re the ones I like most. And also a pair of song that have surprised me, and they may surprise you too.

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Searching for Sixto Rodriguez

“PosterSixto Rodriguez is a songwriter that many have compared to Bob Dylan, but he’s rawer than him. He is more popular than Elvis and The Rolling Stones in some countries, but he is living a much humbler life. A forgotten artists who’s been mistreated by history and had to wait almost thirty years to get the recognition he deserved. Or rather, to know about the recognition he had thousands of kilometres away from his home, where strange stories about his suicide on stage were told. In 2012, the documentary Searching for Sugar Man told his fascinating story.

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Bear Creek: an album I listen to all in one go

“Front

Although I am a fan of the suffle mode, when I listen to an album for the first time, I like doing it in the order that’s been published. I guess that it’s been chosen following a deep reflection, thinking of a progression of intensity, and I like preserving that. Al least the first time.

However, there are very few works that pass this first test. Immediately, we identify our favorite songs and the ones we skip directly. This section has been created with the intention of introducing albums that, in my opinion, not only pass the test, but also deserve to be listened to from beginning to end without skipping any track.

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