Bands who remake their own songs...

[Allie Kitsune]

I don't mean rough versions that later show up modified in a more complete form, but when they put out a different song on a different album which is basically the same song, but with slightly different instrumentation, and entirely new lyrics.

Not going to post videos here, but I have two examples.

1. Big Mother Thruster's "Tattoo" becoming "Memory" (with completely different lyrics) after the band re-tooled and changed their name to Mercy Drive.

2. Carpark North had a song called "Human" on their album "All Things to All People", and then re-released it with more distortion and more "bitter" lyrics on their album "Lost" a few years later under the title "Just Human".


Any other notable examples of this?

[Deleted]

Not a band, but Mike Doughty readily admits he makes the same 4 songs over and over again.

[Cela]

Smashing Pumpkins did a song for Batman and Robin, and then did a cool version for Watchmen.

[Orange]

Stevie did this, and I think I actually prefer "I'm Cryin'"

[alabastergrim]

Michale Graves did Fountains of Heroin that changed to Almost Home, also took on a softer sound and a quick chorus.

[hypnoticgenes]

Didn't Tag Team make like 4 different versions of "Whoomp There It Is" ?

[Dr. T is an alien]

This


became this


after Bono concluded that he was uncomfortable with the notion of actually singing a song partially inspired by Leonard Peltier in front of an audience. I honestly don't know if he actually did some homework on the guy and concluded that he did not deserve the support or what the deal was, but in the end it worked out for the band. Funny thing is, while I don't care for the inspiration of the original, it is the better song in my opinion.

[Deleted]

Feb 11, 2012 1:47:49 GMT -5 Cela said:

Smashing Pumpkins did a song for Batman and Robin, and then did a cool version for Watchmen.

No they didn't. They did a song for Batman & Robin, and when they put out the EP for it in 1997, it have several remixes/versions.

They simply used one of the remixes for Watchmen.



However, Iced Earth has done TONS of covers for their own stuff. In fact they even did a double album remaking their own material.

I think Kid Rock re-recorded some of his own stuff for History of Rock too.

Oh, and ICP re-did Red Neck Hoe with Twiztid.

And Stan Bus has done 4 million version of The Touch. (4 million-get it?)

[Burst]

There's three very distinct versions of "Here I Go Again"by Whitesnake, but I actually can appreciate all three of them for their different moods.

You have the slower, original more bluesier version, the upbeat radio pop-sounding version, and the happy ground classic rock-sounding version with the long instrumental intro. They pretty much do fit three different moods.

[FALLOUT Goldashausen #BLM]

Blue Oyster Cult remade a quirky song from their debut album, "I'm On The Lamb But I Ain't No Sheep", into a faster paced version with a much better riff on their second album. The end result was named "The Red and The Black", after the official colors of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (a.k.a. Mounties). I wish I was making this up. Song's awesome, though.

Josh Homme remade many of his songs from his "Desert Sessions" albums (most notably the songs "Make It Wit Chu" and "In My Head") into more polished versions on Queens of the Stone Age records. Most of the original versions, in comparison, feature QOTSA members.

Not sure if this counts, but Lemmy Kilmister originally wrote the song "Motorhead" for his earlier band Hawkwind. The original version was long and psychedelic. The song was rerecorded for the first Motorhead album at twice the speed and heavyness, and IMHO is the far superior version.

Finally, many bands and artists seem to update famous songs later in their careers with mixed results. Elton John, for example, put a good spin on "Candle in the Wind" in the wake of Princess Diana's passing in 1997. Many "updates" are really bad, though. Prime example is the hackjob The Police did when they recorded "Don't Stand So Close To Me '86" which is one of the worst covers a band ever did of its own material.

[G✇JI☈A]

Muse have a song called 'Hyper Music' on their 'Origin of Symmetry' album. Later on the 'Hullabaloo Soundtrack' they have a song called 'Hyper Chondriac Music' which is a slowed down and more mellow version of the same song. It was originally released as a B-Side for 'Bliss'.

Nirvana did quite the opposite with their track 'Polly' from 'Nevermind'. On 'Incesticide' is a track called '(New Wave) Polly' which is a faster tempo version of the original. It was recorded for a BBC Evening Session in 1991.

[Confused Mark Wahlberg]

Radiohead did different versions of 'Morning Bell' for both kid A and Amnesiac.

U2's 'Lady With the Spinning Head' had the elements of The Fly, Until The End of The World and Ultraviolet from Achtung Baby.

[Pgarodactyl]

[Deleted]

Blondie - Debbie Harry, actually - re-recorded some of the band's old hits for a remix dance album in 1995. (Dance/techno was starting to gain a buzz around that time.)
That actually got the ball rolling on a "one-night only" reunion show.
Then they decided to try an album. We got "No Exit" in 1999.

(Thank you, Behind the Music Remastered.)

[theryno665]

Dir en grey will usually redo older songs for B-sides of singles. One of the newer singles had a different version of "Obscure", which unfortunately wasn't nearly as good as the original.

[Magnus the Magnificent]

Feb 11, 2012 7:22:49 GMT -5 @therealoblivion said:

However, Iced Earth has done TONS of covers for their own stuff. In fact they even did a double album remaking their own material.

Nah, not really. They just replaced the vocals and drums/bass of the old songs with their current line-up. The songs were the same.

[Clash, Never a Meter Maid]

Benny Mardones re-recorded his 1980 hit "Into The Night" in 1989, in response to the original (and better, IMO) version charting on the Billboard Top 20 twice.

[Urethra Franklin]

K'naan has done two versions of "If Rap Gets Jealous": one on his first album and then he re-recorded it with Kirk Hammett for his second record.

[Apricots And A Pear Tree]

[Bones58]

Oasis's D'you Know What I Mean? using almost the exact same chords as Wonderwall.