Favorite/Worst Cover Songs

[HFCS]

Favorites:
Waylon Jennings version of Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice"
Hendrix version of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower"

Least Favorite:
The Wallflowers version of David Bowie's "Heroes"

Basically covers = all Bob and Jacob Dylan

 

[Carl1977]

Best: (I'm a bit Older than Dirt)

Jimi Hendrix - All Along The Watchtower
Johnny Cash - Sunday Morning Coming Down/Hurt
Joan Baez - The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
Neil Young - Imagine/A Day In The Life
K.D. Lang - After The Gold Rush/Helpless
Wilson Pickett - Hey Jude
Wes Montgomery - A Day In The Life (Jazz Guitar)
Vanilla Fudge - You Keep Me Hanging On
Al Kooper - Sam Stone
Sarah Brightman - First of May

Worst:
William Shatner - Lucy in the Sky

 

[Psiclone]

The Grunge music thread got me thinking about music styles and tastes. It is great to hear a band cover a song that is usually out of their comfort zone, but it can also be a complete disaster. I am wondering what everyone's favorite cover song is and what is the worst they have heard.

My favorite: "I Will Survive" by Cake. They just make this work in their own way. The bass line is great.

I also enjoy STP's version of "Dancing Days", but that is just because I am an STP homer.

Least Favorite(s): "Bad Company" by Five-Finger Death Punch. They took a beautifully subdued song and turned it into a growly hard emo-rock mess.

I have also stumbled upon 30 Seconds to Mars cover of Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance". I think she is the best pop artist out there and would consider myself a fan, but 30 Seconds to Mars just butchered the song as only Jared Leto and his over-dramatic and over-produced band could do.

Velvet Underground's "Venus in Furs" covered by Devotchka.

 

[cyclones500]

You forgot The Circle Jerks - Jerks on 45 where they do the medley covers of Love Will Keep Us Together, DIVORCE, Afternoon Delight, etc.

Wow, I forgot about that disc.

Jerks on 45 was a perfect balance of mockery and also doing the originals justice.

 

[Tarbox]

Favorite:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzHq336EdVw]Jane's Addiction - Ripple (The Grateful Dead) - YouTube[/ame]

 

[cyclones500]

Hayseed Dixie!

Hayseed Dixie - Highway to Hell - YouTube

That's excellent.

Had not actually heard Hayseed Dixie. I remember reading about it, though, and thinking how brilliant that name is for a bluegrass AC/DC tribute.

That's a separate subject, really ... but as tribute band names go, AC/DC has a few gems, including two all-female versions with great monikers: AC/DShe and Hell's Belles.

Best tribute act name: Bjorn Again (ABBA tribute)

 

[GrindingAway]

Pearl Jam's Baba O'Riley

How did I leave out Baba O'Riley?

Someone else mentioned STPs Dancing Days. The Enconium tribute album has several good ones.

 

[HARMCYN]

This might do it for me, a really interesting twist makes it a completely different song:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuxCOjoFp7Y]Matchbox Twenty - Time After Time (Live) - YouTube[/ame]

 

[uro cy]

Ring of fire, social distortion. You were always on my mind, the pet shop boys, crimson and clover, joan jett

Nice to see this one mentions....can't believe it forgot it earler

Personally, i really like this cover...

Obadiah Parker - Hey Ya [HD] - YouTube

Booker T, back by the DBT also do a nice cover of this.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMVmlSVcBR4"]Booker T & the DBTs, "Hey Ya!" - YouTube[/ame]

Ben Harper - Sexual Healing - Live in Milan - YouTube

I used to listen to Soul Asylum's version from the "No Alternative" album in the 90's..

Favorite:
Jane's Addiction - Ripple (The Grateful Dead) - YouTube

I was just about to add this one


On a side note....I'm not going back to re-read all the posts, but has anyone seen Al4State? Is he OK? Not like home to let a music thread go on this long and not chime in.

 

[State43]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHpU0ZfXZ_g]Reel Big Fish - Take On Me - YouTube[/ame]

 

[marothisu]

Oh and Black Magic Woman by Santana... Did nobody have that one yet?

99.98% of people who know Black Magic Woman probably have no idea it's a cover. The original by Fleetwood Mac is great. Love both versions of it...I'm sad Santana didn't preserve the one fast part of the FM version, but whatever.

Both are great.

 

[DJSteve]

Johnny Cash's Hurt and the Goldfinger version of 99 Red Balloons were two that immediately came to mind but have already been mentioned. Here are a couple that I didn't see:

Metallica - "Turn the Page". (There are some other pretty decent covers on Garage Inc--and IIRC some pretty terrible ones.)
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPOTEs_yTJo"]Metallica - Turn the Page [Official Music Video] - YouTube[/ame]

Adele - "Make You Feel My Love" I didn't realize this was originally a Dylan song--so the Garth Brooks version also counts--though I think I slightly prefer Adele.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fnn9JlqqTE4"]ADELE - MAKE YOU FEEL MY LOVE FULL LENGTH + LYRICS - YouTube[/ame]

 

[CYCLNST8]

Can't forget Bobby Darin's version of "Mack the Knife." The song originated in German opera at the end of the 19th century.

Worst? I hate Shinedown's version of Simple Man. Might have something to do with the fact that I just really hate Shinedown...

 

[State43]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WA2jBMk-Pk"]HIM wicked game - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQYzBm8J4M4&feature=related"]HIM- Enjoy the Silence (Video) - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-0MXklxHlQ"]Tainted Love - Marilyn Manson (Music Video + Lyrics) - YouTube[/ame]
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3yu6kuCkWg&feature=related[/ame]

 

[marothisu]

Some of my faves:

Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen) --> JB wrote it for guitar though
Pearl Jam - Love Reign O'er Me (The Who)
Aretha Franklin - Respect (Otis Redding)
Big Brother and the Holding Company - Piece of my Heart (Erma Franklin)
Santana - Black Magic Woman (Fleetwood Mac)
Jefferson Airplane - Somebody to Love (The Great Society)
Jefferson Airplane - White Rabbit (The Great Society)
The Byrds- Turn, Turn, Turn (Pete Seeger)
CCR - I Put a Spell on You (Screamin' Jay Hawkins)
Cream - Crossroads (Robert Johnson)
Cream - Born Under a Bad Sign (Albert King)
Cream - Spoonful (Howlin' Wolf)
Eric Clapton - Cocaine (JJ Cale)
Jimi Hendrix - All Along the Watchtower (Bob Dylan)
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Woodstock (Joni Mitchell)
Led Zeppelin - Babe I'm Gonna Leave You (Joan Baez)
The Beatles - Twist and Shout (The Isley Brothers)
Steve Ray Vaughan - Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) (Jimi Hendrix)
Manfred Mann - Blinded By the Light (Bruce Springsteen)
Joe Cocker - With a Little Help From My Friends (The Beatles)
Gary Jules - Mad World (Tears for Fears)
Faith No More - Easy (The Commodores)
Johnny Cash - Hurt (Nine Inch Nails)
The Who - Summertime Blues (Eddie Cochran)
Black Crowes - Hard to Handle (Otis Redding)
Rod Stewart - I Know I'm Losing You (The Temptations)
Jimi Hendrix - Killing Floor (Howlin' Wolf)
The Byrds - My Back Pages (Bob Dylan)
Fats Domino - Blueberry Hill (Gene Autry)
Elvis Presley - Hound Dog (Big Mama Thornton)
Ike & Tina Turner - Proud Mary (CCR)
Elvis Presley - Blue Suede Shoes (Carl Perkins)
Van Halen - You Really Got Me (The Kinks)
The Clash - I Fought the Law (Bobby Fuller Four)
A Perfect Circle - When the Levee Breaks (Led Zeppelin)
Metallica - Turn the Page (Bob Segar)
The Animals - Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood (Nina Simone)
The Byrds - Mr. Tambourine Man (Bob Dylan)
Sugar Ray - Abracadabra (Steve Miller Band)
Uncle Cracker - Drift Away (Doby Gray)
Aerosmith - Come Together (The Beatles)
Pantera - Planet Caravan (Black Sabbath)
Quiet Riot - Cum on Feel the Noize (Slade)
Judas Priest - Green Manalishi (Fleetwood Mac)
Richie Havens - Here Comes the Sun (The Beatles)
Jimi Hendrix - Hey Joe (The Leaves)
Foghat - I Just Want To Make Love To You (Muddy Waters)
Jeff Buckley - Kick out the Jams (MC5)
Jose Feliciano - Light My Fire (The Doors)
Jose Feliciano - California Dreaming (Mamas & the Papas)
Smashing Pumpkins - Landslide (Fleetwood Mac)
Guns N Roses - Live and Let Die (Paul McCartney)
Tool - No Quarter (Led Zeppelin)
Marilyn Manson - Suicide is Painless (Johnny Mandel)
Marilyn Manson - Tainted Love (Soft Cell -> Which was a cover too I believe)
Marilyn Manson - Sweet Dreams (Eurythmics)
And many more. Lot of good/popular songs from the 60s and 70s were covers or based heavily off of older blues songs.

 

[CloneFan65]

There have been a lot of great covers mentioned, but I don't think I've seen this one mentioned yet:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lML2N4xB9GU]Creep by The Pretenders - YouTube[/ame]

 

[MeanDean]

Some of my faves:

Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen) --> JB wrote it for guitar though
Pearl Jam - Love Reign O'er Me (The Who)
Aretha Franklin - Respect (Otis Redding)
Big Brother and the Holding Company - Piece of my Heart (Erma Franklin)
Santana - Black Magic Woman (Fleetwood Mac)
Jefferson Airplane - Somebody to Love (The Great Society)
Jefferson Airplane - White Rabbit (The Great Society)
The Byrds- Turn, Turn, Turn (Pete Seeger)
CCR - I Put a Spell on You (Screamin' Jay Hawkins)
Cream - Crossroads (Robert Johnson)
Cream - Born Under a Bad Sign (Albert King)
Cream - Spoonful (Howlin' Wolf)
Eric Clapton - Cocaine (JJ Cale)
Jimi Hendrix - All Along the Watchtower (Bob Dylan)
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Woodstock (Joni Mitchell)
Led Zeppelin - Babe I'm Gonna Leave You (Joan Baez)
The Beatles - Twist and Shout (The Isley Brothers)
Steve Ray Vaughan - Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) (Jimi Hendrix)
Manfred Mann - Blinded By the Light (Bruce Springsteen)
Joe Cocker - With a Little Help From My Friends (The Beatles)
Gary Jules - Mad World (Tears for Fears)
Faith No More - Easy (The Commodores)
Johnny Cash - Hurt (Nine Inch Nails)
The Who - Summertime Blues (Eddie Cochran)
Black Crowes - Hard to Handle (Otis Redding)
Rod Stewart - I Know I'm Losing You (The Temptations)
Jimi Hendrix - Killing Floor (Howlin' Wolf)
The Byrds - My Back Pages (Bob Dylan)
Fats Domino - Blueberry Hill (Gene Autry)
Elvis Presley - Hound Dog (Big Mama Thornton)
Ike & Tina Turner - Proud Mary (CCR)
Elvis Presley - Blue Suede Shoes (Carl Perkins)
Van Halen - You Really Got Me (The Kinks)
The Clash - I Fought the Law (Bobby Fuller Four)
A Perfect Circle - When the Levee Breaks (Led Zeppelin)
Metallica - Turn the Page (Bob Segar)
The Animals - Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood (Nina Simone)
The Byrds - Mr. Tambourine Man (Bob Dylan)
Sugar Ray - Abracadabra (Steve Miller Band)
Uncle Cracker - Drift Away (Doby Gray)
Aerosmith - Come Together (The Beatles)
Pantera - Planet Caravan (Black Sabbath)
Quiet Riot - Cum on Feel the Noize (Slade)
Judas Priest - Green Manalishi (Fleetwood Mac)
Richie Havens - Here Comes the Sun (The Beatles)
Jimi Hendrix - Hey Joe (The Leaves)
Foghat - I Just Want To Make Love To You (Muddy Waters)
Jeff Buckley - Kick out the Jams (MC5)
Jose Feliciano - Light My Fire (The Doors)
Jose Feliciano - California Dreaming (Mamas & the Papas)
Smashing Pumpkins - Landslide (Fleetwood Mac)
Guns N Roses - Live and Let Die (Paul McCartney)
Tool - No Quarter (Led Zeppelin)
Marilyn Manson - Suicide is Painless (Johnny Mandel)
Marilyn Manson - Tainted Love (Soft Cell -> Which was a cover too I believe)
Marilyn Manson - Sweet Dreams (Eurythmics)
And many more. Lot of good/popular songs from the 60s and 70s were covers or based heavily off of older blues songs.

The original was actually the Crickets, recoreded some years after Buddy died. I am a fan of Sonny Curtis who wrote it. He also wrote and performed the Mary Tyler Moore theme song (Love is All Around). He also wrote Rock Around With Ollie Vee - that is in the original Buddy/Crickets legacy.

Of course practically no one heard I Fought the Law until the Bobby Fuller Four version came out. I think Bobby was a West Texas guy so was more in tune to the rest of the music from that region.

You certainly covered a ton of great covers so hats off, my friend.

 

[Fishhead]

Some of my faves:

Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen) --> JB wrote it for guitar though
Pearl Jam - Love Reign O'er Me (The Who)
Aretha Franklin - Respect (Otis Redding)
Big Brother and the Holding Company - Piece of my Heart (Erma Franklin)
Santana - Black Magic Woman (Fleetwood Mac)
Jefferson Airplane - Somebody to Love (The Great Society)
Jefferson Airplane - White Rabbit (The Great Society)
The Byrds- Turn, Turn, Turn (Pete Seeger)
CCR - I Put a Spell on You (Screamin' Jay Hawkins)
Cream - Crossroads (Robert Johnson)
Cream - Born Under a Bad Sign (Albert King)
Cream - Spoonful (Howlin' Wolf)
Eric Clapton - Cocaine (JJ Cale)
Jimi Hendrix - All Along the Watchtower (Bob Dylan)
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Woodstock (Joni Mitchell)
Led Zeppelin - Babe I'm Gonna Leave You (Joan Baez)
The Beatles - Twist and Shout (The Isley Brothers)
Steve Ray Vaughan - Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) (Jimi Hendrix)
Manfred Mann - Blinded By the Light (Bruce Springsteen)
Joe Cocker - With a Little Help From My Friends (The Beatles)
Gary Jules - Mad World (Tears for Fears)
Faith No More - Easy (The Commodores)
Johnny Cash - Hurt (Nine Inch Nails)
The Who - Summertime Blues (Eddie Cochran)
Black Crowes - Hard to Handle (Otis Redding)
Rod Stewart - I Know I'm Losing You (The Temptations)
Jimi Hendrix - Killing Floor (Howlin' Wolf)
The Byrds - My Back Pages (Bob Dylan)
Fats Domino - Blueberry Hill (Gene Autry)
Elvis Presley - Hound Dog (Big Mama Thornton)
Ike & Tina Turner - Proud Mary (CCR)
Elvis Presley - Blue Suede Shoes (Carl Perkins)
Van Halen - You Really Got Me (The Kinks)
The Clash - I Fought the Law (Bobby Fuller Four)
A Perfect Circle - When the Levee Breaks (Led Zeppelin)
Metallica - Turn the Page (Bob Segar)
The Animals - Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood (Nina Simone)
The Byrds - Mr. Tambourine Man (Bob Dylan)
Sugar Ray - Abracadabra (Steve Miller Band)
Uncle Cracker - Drift Away (Doby Gray)
Aerosmith - Come Together (The Beatles)
Pantera - Planet Caravan (Black Sabbath)
Quiet Riot - Cum on Feel the Noize (Slade)
Judas Priest - Green Manalishi (Fleetwood Mac)
Richie Havens - Here Comes the Sun (The Beatles)
Jimi Hendrix - Hey Joe (The Leaves)
Foghat - I Just Want To Make Love To You (Muddy Waters)
Jeff Buckley - Kick out the Jams (MC5)
Jose Feliciano - Light My Fire (The Doors)
Jose Feliciano - California Dreaming (Mamas & the Papas)
Smashing Pumpkins - Landslide (Fleetwood Mac)
Guns N Roses - Live and Let Die (Paul McCartney)
Tool - No Quarter (Led Zeppelin)
Marilyn Manson - Suicide is Painless (Johnny Mandel)
Marilyn Manson - Tainted Love (Soft Cell -> Which was a cover too I believe)
Marilyn Manson - Sweet Dreams (Eurythmics)
And many more. Lot of good/popular songs from the 60s and 70s were covers or based heavily off of older blues songs.

The Clas one reminded me of their cover of Police and Thieves

 

[Rural]

Worst: Guns'n'Roses are just awful.

Best:

Led Zeppelin - Babe I'm Gonna Leave You (originally Joan Baez)
David Bowie - Sorrow (originally The McCoys)
The Band - I Shall Be Released (originally Bob Dylan)
Sinead O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2 U (originally Prince)
Soft Cell - Tainted Love (originally Gloria Jones)

And my personal favorites, the Flying Burrito Brothers' covers of "Do Right Woman" and "Dark End of the Street" by Moman and Penn. These two songs were Motown tunes that got wonderfully countrified, and appear back-to-back on their first album. They go great with a glass of neat bourbon.

THE FLYING BURRITO BROTHERS /// 3. Do Right Woman - (The Gilded Palace Of Sin) - (1969) - YouTube

THE FLYING BURRITO BROTHERS /// 4. Dark End Of The Street - (The Gilded Palace Of Sin) - (1969) - YouTube

There.

 

[Maplewurst]

The Black Crowes doing Velvet Undergrounds "Oh Sweet Nuthin"

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf9-BCix4io"]The Black Crowes - Oh Sweet Nuthin' - YouTube[/ame]