Best Cover Songs

[Elevens]

Cover songs most often done by unknown bands trying to please live audiences with songs that most people are familiar with. Typically, if you've ever been to wedding with a band, all they typically do is cover songs, as made popular in the movie, "Wedding Singer".

Sometimes they are good, sometimes they are bad. I think the best ones are when both the original and follow-up version(s) are good. A good example is Lenny Kravitz's version of "American Woman" (original by The Guess Who). Lately I've taken more of an interest in them, because it's often amazing how one artist/band can make such drastic changes to a song, yet it's still the same. I believe that Marilyn Manson has also done a number of cover versions that meet this requirement.

Anyway, my hands down favorite is the song, "Hurt" by Johnny Cash that became extremely popular before his death, especially because of the touching music video that accompanied it. The original version was performed (to many people's surprise) by Nine Inch Nails.

However, I do have a dark horse favorite. And, there are three versions of this song, all of which are good in their own ways. The first version came out in 1988 by New Order. The song is "Blue Monday".

The next version was released ten years later by Orgy.

And here's the dark horse...

In 2002, a little known Norwegian band called Flunk, who is mainly known for their electronica music, release their take on "Blue Monday". The lead female singer sounds amazingly like Byork, but thankfully, their music is much better. This song gained some notoriety in the movie, "Walking Tall" starring The Rock.

What are your favorites?

NOTE: All music links are Amazon.com Windows Media Player sample versions.

[MrDaveyHavoc]

Personally, I am amazed when a cover song is BETTER than the original, as with "Haloween"- first by the Misfits, later by AFI. Come to think of it, every AFI cover of the Misfits is better, IMHO.

Blue Monday by Orgy....wow I didn't think anyone else listened to them.

[Runkmud]

At the risk of getting mauled by OOT, I always preferred U2's version of Helter Skelter over the original Beatles song. It seems to have a bit a heated edge over the original. Whether or not this had anything to do with the events of Chuck Manson, I have no idea.

[TheHusky]

Try to find the cover of stairway to heavean done by the Leningrad Cowboys, i love that song.

[zephed]

Bob Dylan covered an old blues song "In My Time Of Dying", also titled as "Jesus Make up my dyin' bed" or some other variation when performed by delta bluesmen. I'm not sure the real author of the song is known, although it can be traced to a few guys. I also have the Blind Willie Johnson version as well, but can't really say which is better because they aren't in front of me now.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_My_Time_of_Dying

Led Zeppelin later covered this on Physical Grafitti, turning it into a hard electric blues jam. Phenomenal performance by the whole group, but Bonzo really stands out here. This is easily better than any other version.

[Roy Munson]

Jose Feliciano's version of the Doors "Light My Fire" is a great cover song by the man who may be the master of cover songs.

[kitaristi0]

[ QUOTE ]
At the risk of getting mauled by OOT, I always preferred U2's version of Helter Skelter over the original Beatles song. It seems to have a bit a heated edge over the original. Whether or not this had anything to do with the events of Chuck Manson, I have no idea.

[/ QUOTE ]

Prepare to get mauled.

[pryor15]

i've always considered Jeff Buckley's version of "Hallelujah" to be one of the best covers ever.

[diebitter]

There's another New Order song that has a brilliant cover: It's Bizarre Love Triangle, by Frente.

I also really like 'Who wants to live Forever' (the Queen song) done by Dune(?)

Also, 'There She Goes' (by the LAs) had a good cover by Sixpence none the Richer (the LAs one is one of the best songs ever, but this cover is quite sweet).

Actually, the above don't bear me out (except the Frente one), but I usually only like covers that are significantly different. Stuff like 'I heard it through the Grapevine' by the Slits, Prince's 'Kiss' by the Age Of Chance, and stuff that tends to be very different.

Strange I listed ones that are similar in composition/play, but with different singers.

[New001]

I really like Pearl Jam's acoustic cover of Bob Dylan's Masters of War. That's the first one that comes to mind.