ALL COVERED MUSICALLY: FROM AEROSMITH TO RUN-D.M.C.

Aerosmith:

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In my recent ALL COVERED MUSICALLY: FROM EWAN MacCOLL TO ROBERTA FLACK blog post/poll, I argued that Roberta Flack's cover version of The First time Ever I Saw Your Face was far better than Ewan MacColl's original version. 25 people preferred Roberta Flack's cover version and no one preferred Ewan MacColl's original version. Hands down to Roberta Flack.

Following my ALL COVERED MUSICALLY: FROM BOB DYLAN TO JIMI HENDRIX and ALL COVERED MUSICALLY: FROM EWAN MacCOLL TO ROBERTA FLACK blog posts, next and third in my series of five blog posts in which I argue that a cover version is better than the original version is the Walk This Way song.

Released in 1975 (and re-released in 1976) and co-written by Steve Tyler and Joe Perry, Walk This Way was a hit single for the American rock band, Aerosmith.

Aerosmith's Walk This Way:

Though not a rocker, Aerosmith's Walk This Way is one of my favourite rock songs. However, I prefer Run-D.M.C.'s hip hop cover of Aerosmith's original rock song.

Run-D.M.C. ft Aerosmith's Walk This Way:

While and perhaps because Run-D.M.C.'s cover features Aerosmith, their version keeps and even accentuates the brilliant guitar riff of the original song and their New York rap vocals give the song a hip hop edge. It's fusion music at its best in my opinion. It brought rock music to the attention of hip hop fans and hip hop music to the attention of rock fans. Released in 1986, Run-D.M.C.'s cover was a big hit in America, Britain, Canada and many other countries. Everyone was a winner with this cover. The cover prolonged Aerosmith's career and saved hip hop which was then in the doldrums.

Which version of 'Walk This Way' do you prefer, Aerosmith's or Run-D.M.C.'s?
Are you a fan of the music of Aerosmith and/or Run-D.M.C.?

Below is a poll where you can anonymously select your most favourite version of the Walk This Way song. Multiple selections are allowed for the poll.

Much hip hop and dance music uses beats, riffs, tunes and words from other songs. Hip hop and dance music, arguably, are the ultimate genres in cover music.

Special mention needs to go to The Avalanches, an Australian electronic music band, and their album Since I Left You released in 2000. The album contained about 3,500 sampled pieces of music, nearly 200 samples per song on the album. The credits just about were included on one side of the CD cover. The Avalanches, like many dance/electronic bands, are possibly the ultimate cover band. But big credit to the band for acknowledging and presumably paying for their samples.

In stark contrast, George Harrison released his My Sweet Lord song as a single in 1970. In 1976, a court ruled that the ex-Beatle had plagiarised his hit song given its similarity to Ronnie Mack's song He's So Fine which was a hit for The Chiffons in 1963. My Sweet Lord is a bad and naughty cover!

Just as it's not easy to determine what the original is, it's not easy working out what a cover version of a song is.

Run-D.M.C.:

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