Original vs. Cover: Over The Hills & Far Away

[Viola Moonlight]

Gary Moore is an English guitarist/singer who has played for such bands as Skid Row & Thin Lizzy. For the most part, Moore undertook a solo career that launched many albums & singles into the charts. One of his most infamous songs is known as "Over The Hills & Far Away." For those who don't know, here is a clip:

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Nightwish is one of the pioneering bands of the symphonic metal genre, being the first band to be apart of what is now known as symphonic power metal, whose former leader singer Tarja Turunen was deemed the voice of Finland. They recorded their cover in 2001:

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Original or Cover?​

For me, I shall vote the Cover seeing as I am a hugely influenced by the symphonic/gothic metal genre. Seeing as how Gary Moore's song is focussed on his singing & his guitar abilities moreso than the song, as per being a solo artist... there is a lack of definition to the song that Nightwish seems to fulfill, mainly with the keyboards & the bass being introduced more heavily into the song. I also appreciate the vocal range of Tarja ranging from her operatic sound in the chorus & interludes alongside her "normal" symphonic/gothic voice, as opposed to Moore utisling the one range.

Any thoughts?

 

[Harthan]

Yeah, Nightwish all the way here. Tarja might be an easily influenced gold mongering bitch, but god damn it she has a gorgeous voice. Enrapturing. She could charge 20 bucks for an album of her singing the ABCs. She's fantastic.

Moore's version is very nice, most definitely, and it even contains, slightly, some symphonic elements in it that lends it wonderfully to a full out symphonic metal revision. Moore has great vocals in his own right, and its the vocals that overpower his version - which I think is where Nightwish ups the ante (as they do with all their songs, really) in that they go full-bore on the guitars, drums, and keyboards, and yet, Tarja's voice comes on just as strong. This is really more of a testament to the power of her voice, but nevertheless.

It's really noticeable in the chorus, where Moore is strong, surely, but Tarja's operatic voice just demands attention. Really, this is where Nightwish improves the song - they make everything about the song more powerful, more impactful, more meaningful. On a literal level, the song is powered up by becoming metal, but it's overall meaning increases with the power Nightwish lends to it.

I think I must admittedly confess a bias toward symphonic metal as I am a great fan of the genre, but nevertheless, I think Nightwish has improved upon the original here.

 

[The Doctor]

I'm going with Nightwish. Gary Moore's version is quite good, but Tarja has a beautiful voice, and I'm a huge fan of symphonic metal.
Nightwish's version, in my opinion, gives the song more power, emotion, and story. The part where the music cuts off to leave the band singing gives me chills when coupled with the great lyrics. The same section in the original is an extremely powerful section, but Tarja's beautiful voice coupled with the harmonies and voices of the rest of the band truly makes it better.
Moore's version is an extremely good listen, but the Nightwish cover just does more for me.