The covers I have liked recently have been “Take On Me” and “Hungry Like The Wolf” by Reel Big Fish…
Cartman rocks, the southpark version of “Sail Away” is too funny.
Death can be the only punishment for Madonna’s cover of American Pie.
Has anyone ever heard Garth Brooks do Kiss’ Hard Luck Woman? It is amazingly good and most people wouldn’t know it was Garth.
Even my 5 year old daughter and her friend agreed that that Stones are far superior to Brittney when played side-by-side (OK, maybe it was a bit much to force them to listen to them, but I wanted to know). Burst her breast implants for doing that–to paraphrase another doper who I don’t remember, the one foot Keith Richards has in the grave is spinning.
Whatever dead teenager song that Pearl Jam just redid, with identical instrumentation but worse vocals.
Anything Bonnie Raitt has done to a John Hiatt song, except the Buddy Guy version of “Feels Like Rain” where she only sings backup–and I like most BR.
Good covers: The SRV tribute album. The Janis Joplin tribute, though many of Janis’s songs were covers. Most covers Aaron Neville’s done.
I’m the opposite of the earlier poster who called for note-for-note cover versions. As a musician, I won’t be able to express myself by playing, say, Eddie Van Halen’s solo exactly. Looking back, it wasn’t long ago that songwriters and performers were usually separate entities. The era of the singer/songwriter came about in the late 60s. And, as a non-songwriting musician, everything I play is a form of a cover song. OK, I’m rambling. My point, to get to it, is that a note-for-note cover is for Kiss copiers who wear the makeup. Otherwise, make it your own, just as Metallica did with “Turn the Page” (though I personally think they should be lined up and shot from the toes up for that one).
Good Covers:
“Hey Bulldog” by Toad the Wet Sprocket: IMO, this version is considerably better than the original by the Beatles. It’s got the edge I think the song needs.
“Come Together” by Soundgarden. The original is still better, but this cover is just cool for some reason.
Bad Covers:
“Sweet Dreams” by Marilyn Manson - the most god-awful crap ever produced. The Eurhythmics version is such a great song, and MM just makes it horrible.
“American Pie” by Madonna. Ugghhh… I think it’s horrible.
Jman
I like Judy Collins’ covers of Dylan songs.
I also like Tori’s version of SLTS… gives me shivers.
Ok, speaking of cover songs, who the hell is behind the folksy remake of Easy E’s “Gangsta”?! I hear it on the local indie station all the time and they never say who it is.
It makes me laugh because of the total oddity of it, but I shudder to think what my poet friends think of it.
Haven’t heard that one, but substitute Faith Hill and “Take Another Piece of My Heart” and that’s my thought.
And as I was about to type this, “Me and Bobby McGee” came on the radio. Thanks for the nod, Janis 
One of the most surprising juxtaposions was when Bobby McFerrin and Yo Yo Ma started playing Bach’s “Musette in D Major” and McFerrin turned it into “Purple Haze.”
Of course, I’m probably the third person in the world to get the joke, alas.
I’ve heard a little of the Kronos Quartet (two violins, viola, cello) version of Purple Haze and it’s fantastic, and I’ve read that they also do Miserlou by Dick Dale.
The Bobs do a lot of brilliant covers. My favorites are White Room, Ring of Fire, Sittin’ in Limbo and Psycho Killer. Saint Zero, you can make out the lyrics pretty well in their rendition of Purple Haze. And as much as I love them for covering Particle Man, it loses a little something when done a cappella.
I saw a couple of street musicians a few months ago. They did Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D-minor and Winter from Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons on two accordians. And they kicked ass.
Tori has done many brilliant covers. My favorites right now are Case of You (Joni Mitchell) and I’m on Fire (Springsteen). Both are absofrigginlutely amazing.
She also did a good cover of the abforementioned Purple Rain. And lets not forget Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Home on the Range, and a musical adaptation of Humpty Dumpty.