My thoughts:
“Respect”, originally done by Otis Redding, done right by Aretha Franklin.
“Barbara-Ann”, originally by The Regents, done right by The Beach Boys
“Do You Wanna Dance?”, originally by Bobby Gentry (iirc), done right by The Beach Boys.
“Head On”, originally by The Jesus & Mary Chain, done right by The Pixies
“The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.” Done right by The Band, done better by Joan Baez.
I think the Bauhaus cover of “Ziggy Stardust” surpasses the original.
Thinking of Bowie covers, I like Beck’s “Diamond Dogs” better than the original. He managed to leave out the silliest lyrics, too.
Thinking of songs from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack, I kinda like the version of “Your Song” performed by Ewan McGregor and Alessandro Safina, but I don’t care for the original Elton John song at all.
Pearl Jam’s cover of “Last Kiss” was an improvement on the earlier three versions, but that’s not saying a whole lot…there’s only so good any version of that song could be.
Also done right by the Ramones
Computer Age done gawdawfully by Neil Young done right by Sonic Youth
Beth done by Kiss done right by Coffin Break
All Around the Watchtower by Bob Dylan, made immortal by Hendrix.
And I like Clapton’s acoustic Layla better than the original one he cut with Derek and the Dominoes. I don’t know if that counts as a cover, though.
Van Halen’s “Jump” by Aztec Camera. Best…cover…ever.
“I Fought the Law” by the Crickets was far surpassed by the Clash’s version.
“Baker Street,” orig. by Gerry Rafferty, was tremendously improved by the Foo Fighters. First and foremost by getting rid of those awful flute and sax bits.
Come to think of it, The Clash’s cover of “Brand New Cadillac” was far better than the original as well. I can’t recall who first did the song.
Many more, but those are off the top of my head. Oh! Who did that cover of “Jet Plane,” the Mamas & Papas song? It was a woman; can’t remember her name, but that was great.
All Along The Watchtower by both Dylan and Hendrix are both so good I couldn’t decide which is best.
Likewise Respect by Aretha Franklin or Otis Redding.
I have 'em in my collection and play as the mood demands.
All wonderful stuff!
John Denver wrote it, but, afaik, The Mamas & The Papas never covered it. The one that gets played most often is done by Peter, Paul & Mary. Don’t know which cover you’re thinking of, with the woman.
Hendrix did the essential performance of “Like a Rolling Stone” at Monterey Pop, blowing away Bob Dylan and all other subsequent attempted versions. “Excuse me a minute, just let me play my guitar” indeed!
More recently and more trivially…somebody or other in the pop music circuit just recently redid “When I Fall in Love”, which I first heard as an annoying tune by a 60s group called The Lettermen. The new version is much better, not that I care enough to find out who they are.
Spanky and Our Gang also covered “Leavin’ On a Jet Plane” on their first album.
AMG says
I’ll probably get roasted for this one, but I think Stevie Ray Vaughan’s cover of Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) is better than Hendrix’s version.
SRV’s version of Superstition by Stevie Wonder is pretty good as well.
Just about any Van Halen hit of the David Lee Roth era was a cover of somebody.
I used to be a Van Halen fan.
Marvin Gaye’s cover of I Heard It Through the Grapevine, which also spent seven weeks at #1, released a year after Gladys Knight had a big hit (#2) with it–and vastly superior.
Frente! covering “Bizarre Love Triangle” by New Order.
and
The Cardigans loungifying “Iron Man” by Black Sabbath.
Wasn’t that The Bobby Fuller Four?
I really liked The Beatles’ version of “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” but I thought Elton John’s version was fantastic.
Spiderman by the Ramones!!
Ozzy Osbourne - Stayin’ Alive.
OK, maybe not.
Come Together, Aerosmith
If the OP is interested, there have been a slew of thread on this same topic if you wanna check those out, too.
Come on Eileen was done by Dexie’s Midnight Runners, but was brilliantly covered by Save Ferris. Ska!