When is a cover song better than the original? Only you can decide. This week: Dinosaur Jr takes on the Cure’s “Just Like Heaven.” MAGNET’s Edward Fairchild pulls the pin. Take cover!
In 1989, Dinosaur Jr speared the weepy original with a wah-wah pedal and a warm blanket of Big Muff fuzz. J Mascis told Musician magazine, “We recorded it for a compilation album, but when we finished it we liked it so much we didn’t want to give it to them.” Reportedly, it’s Robert Smith’s favorite version as well: “Mascis sent me a cassette, and it was so passionate. It was fantastic. I’ve never had such a visceral reaction to a cover version before or since.” Like the ending? Supposedly Mascis didn’t know how to play the end of the song, so he just stops.
The Cover:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opGVdOIeuUQ
The Original:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkeDzUVq1BM
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9 replies on “Take Cover! Dinosaur Jr Vs. The Cure”
i dislike the cover. and the cure’s original version is a cult, no way.
No the greatest cover, but fun. Goldfinger does the best cover of Just Like Heaven.
Seriously? Absolutely no contest: Dinosaur Jr. They took song to a twisted level…the run off “hair,” the metal guitar and the abrupt ending. Seriously…better version is Dinosaur Jr.
I love them both, but I’d have to give the nod to the original.
Not even close. The Cure suck.
Both versions are good.the Cures version would be considered my favorite because its the original. but the dinosaur jr version J and crew made it like it was there’s with out disrespecting the cures version or overshadowing it in any way. the only question I had was why it ends so abrupt in every version dinosaur jr does.It couldn’t have been because J Mascis forgot how to play the rest,that’s bull. It had to have been a studio foul up like the tape ran out o,r the engineer fell asleep at the control.Either that or they wanted more of a garage feel.Whatever the case if there ever was a gripe about DJs version its the ending.
Even R. Smith himself has been quoted a saying that Dinosaur Jr’s version alters they way they play the song. There is not contest here -Dinosaur Jr!
Also, J (as one of the most respected guitarists of our time) can easily play the end of the song. This track was recorded on old gear and the tape ran out while recording.
You need to put up the original Cure version up and not a live version as Robert Smith himself said that they way they play it live has been altered by Dinosaur’s version. Basically, you are comparing Dinosaur Jr’s version to a Cure version heavily influenced by Dinosaur’s version.
Robert Smith’s personal favourite is the cover recorded by American alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr.,[1] which was released as a single in the UK in 1989 (and 1990 in the US). Dinosaur Jr.’s version has a faster tempo and showcases the band’s loud and distortion-heavy sound. The band’s frontman J Mascis explained, “We recorded it for a compilation album, but when we finished it we liked it so much we didn’t want to give it to them.”[13] Smith said, “J. Mascis sent me a cassette, and it was so passionate. It was fantastic. I’ve never had such a visceral reaction to a cover version before or since”,[1] and even said the cover has “influenced how we play it live”.[18] Dinosaur Jr.’s version is also featured on the 2005 CD reissue of their 1987 album You’re Living All Over Me.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_Like_Heaven_(song)#Cover_versions