Cover is better than the original

[73jbass]

Rare Earth's 20 minute version of Get Ready.

[IronLung1986]

tony rice has recorded a ton of gordon lightfoot covers over the years. i'm not sure they're objectively better than the originals, but his versions of "Go My Way", "Shadows", "Whispers of the North", and "Walls" are fantastic and very tasteful.

[belzebass]

Brian Setzer is definitely a cover song meister. His Sun Studios tribute is smoking. The Brian Setzer Orchestra is great with covers too.

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy did quite a lot of astounding covers. A much better recording quality is int for something too.

I'll also take Sinatra's version of whatever over the original any day of the week.

"Tainted Love" and "Sweet dreams" in original are quite "meh", but in Marilyn Manson's version, they rock!

And, personnally I prefer Lou Vega's "Mambo Number 5"

[bassfran]

3 instrumental entries-

Booker T and The MG's version of "Hang 'Em High".

Danny Gatton's take on "Harlem Nocturne".

Roy Buchanan's version of "Sweet Dreams".

What can I say? I love great tele players.

[Roscoe East]

This is a qualified vote -- I haven't yet heard the entire tune, so I reserve the right to reverse my decision once I have -- but just the other night I heard a brief excerpt of Placebo's cover of Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" and from what I could tell, it added a sense of intimacy and humanity that the original was lacking. Certainly made me want to hear the whole thing.

[JimK]

Originally Posted by BadJazz

Vanilla Fudge's "You Keep Me Hangin' On".

...does it get any better than that!?

[ffutterman]

Originally Posted by CrewsControl

Speaking of Cee Lo, his cover with Daryl Hall on Live From Daryl's House, of Hall & Oates "I Can't Go For That" put the original to shame.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bF8wIjtPcfs

Speaking of Cee Lo (again), have you seen Gnarls Barkley's cover of Radiohead's Reckoner?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUmmsMeHAaE

It's so powerful and haunting, and has a completely different feel than the original. More than anything, that's the video that got me into Gnarls Barkley.

[Tampabass]

I'm not sure if I like these better than the origiinals but I like 'em lots

Bonnie Raitt -- "Right Down the Line" (Gerry Rafferty) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6rwIQKawfU

Tedeschi Trucks Band -- "Everybody's Talkin' " (Harry Nilsson had a hit with it, though Fred Neil wrote and first recorded it)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiWbBC0SouU

[Nev375]

Dirty Loops.

Their entire repertoire to date.

[WJGreer]

I love Bob Dylan, and never more than when someone else is singing his wonderful songs. Pretty much in general.

[baileyboy]

IMHO Van Halen's "Ya Really Got Me" and "Dancing in the Streets"

[k-Plunk]

Peter and Gordon's version of Buddy Holly's "True Love Ways".

[Turock]

Joe Cocker - The Letter

[Richland123]

In some cases, the originals are also good; but, here are some good covers

Unchained Melody - original by Todd Duncan - covers by many others before The Righteous Brothers
Mustang Sally - original by Sir Mack Rice - cover by Wilson Pickett
Big Ten Inch Record - original by Bull Moose Jackson - cover by Aerosmith
Train Kept A Rollin' - original by Tiny Bradshaw - covers by The Yardbirds and Aerosmith
Some Kind Of Wonderful - original by Soul Brothers Six - cover by Grand Funk Railroad
Good Lovin' - original by Lemme B. Good - cover by The Young Rascals
Hanky Panky - original by The Raindrops - cover by Tommy James & The Shondells
Tainted Love - original by Gloria Jones - cover by Soft Cell
One - original by Harry Nilsson - cover by Three Dog Night
Liar - original by Argent - cover by Three Dog Night
I Love Rock & Roll - original by The Arrows - cover by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
Hang On Sloopy - original called My Girl Sloopy by The Vibrations - cover by The McCoys
Wild Thing - original by The Wild Ones - cover by The Troggs
I Got My Mind Set On You - original by Rudy Clark - cover by George Harrison
Black & White - original by Pete Seeger - cover by Three Dog Night
Mr. Tambourine man - original by Bob Dylan - cover by The Byrds
Morning Has Broken - original is a Christian hymn - cover by Cat Stevens
Another Saturday Night - original by Sam Cooke - cover by Cat Stevens
First Time Ever I saw Your Face - original by Peggy Seeger - cover by Roberta Flack
Killing Me Softly with His Song - original by Lori Lieberman - cover by Roberta Flack
Black Betty - original is a traditional folk song from the 1800s - first recording was by convict James Baker (also known as Iron Head) and a group at Central State Farm, Sugar Land, Texas (a State prison farm). - cover by Ram Jam
Papa Was A Rollin' Stone - original by The Undisputed Truth - cover by The Temptations

[robd]

Crease covers jenny jenny

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YqZDb-dfS0

2 Elanor Rigby covers

Stanley Jordan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-l-IukRxxs

and Rick Springfield

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iptr7i7sFkM

[vlado]

Vedder/McCready version of Dylan's Masters of War

[HolmeBass]

Originally Posted by CrewsControl

Johnny Cash's covers of A Boy Named Sue, Hurt, Personal Jesus, The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, Folsom Prison Blues, I Hung My Head, Desperado, I'm On Fire, One, Redemption Song, Ring of Fire, Streets of Laredo, Sunday Morning Coming Down, The Gambler, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, just to mention a few......

Johnny Cash *wrote* Folsom Prison Blues, and wrote the music for 'A Boy Named Sue', which was based on a Shel Silverstein poem. His wife co-wrote 'Ring Of Fire' and I'm not sure but Cash's version may have been the first recording of it. So those wouldn't be covers.

[naufal6161]

MUSE - Can't Take My Eyes Off You (originally by Frankie Vally)
MUSE - Feeling Good (famously performed by Nina Simone)

[gt96g]

Reel big fish - Take on Me (Aha), Another Day in Paradise (Phil Collins)

[carpcutter]

Frank Zappa et al - Happy Together (Turtles)