And this acoustic live versionis pretty cool.
Somebody upthread mentioned Leo Moracchioli, somebody I’ve been following for a while. I love what he does with his metal covers of songs, especially the way he took a very lame Taylor Swift song (Look What You Made Me Do) and injected some freaking life into it. Also, his daughter is simply adorable 
Treading on some iffy ground here. Almost all of Led Zeppelin I. :rolleyes:
On more stable ground because they credited the originators, Cream.
Spoonful
Crossroads
Cat’s Squirel
Rolling 'n Tumbling
Yes, I’ve listened to the originals, but it’s still Cream’s versions that I listen to the most.
It’s My Party. The Lesley Gore version is so familiar I won’t bother to link it, but the first recorded version was by English singer Helen Shapiro. It comes off so dour it’s downright morbid. And why on earth was a teenage girl sounding like a middle aged guy?
I like ZZ Top’s instrumentation on “Viva Las Vegas” better than Elvis’s, but not the vocals.
The song “It’s My Party” has a complicated history. It was written by Seymour Gottlieb, but it was credited to John Gluck, Wally Gold and Herb Weiner. A demo recording was done by Barbara Jean English, but it wasn’t released. It was first released by The Chiffons. It was next released by Helen Shapiro. It was also sung (and perhaps released) around that time by Leslie Gore, Lill-Babs, the Paris Sisters, and Richard Anthony in various language versions:
“Evil” is a great classic blues number first recorded by Howlin’ Wolf, but Cactus’s hard rock cover is much better. So good, in fact, that when other rock bands play the song, they stick very closely to the Cactus arrangement, sometimes to the extent of performing a note-by-note cover: see for example the versions by Monster Magnet, Clutch, Widowmaker, and The Dead Daisies.
MJ was roughly 13 when he recorded that. Wow. Incredible control.
I’m not really into GnR, but I do think Appetite… is one of the greatest balls-to-the-wall hard rock albums ever recorded. That said, “Knocking on Heavens Door” (which iis on one of the Use Your Illusions) just sounds so overwrought to me and loses its soul in the process–can’t stand that version.
And, while I’m not much of a Dylan fan, I think a number of his originals are definitive, like “Rainy Day Women … [whatever the numbers are]” and “Like A Rolling Stone,” so not all his songs are better as covers.
Led Zeppelin’s “When the Levee Breaks” is a cover of this song by Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie:
U2’s “With or Without You” has a number of intriguing covers:
Thank you. I’ve heard his earlier cover of “Ghost Riders” where he blends it with “Apache” but not this one.
Wow, what an incredible contralto! Was she really a teenaged girl when she sang that?
I’ve now listened to every Helen Shapiro song I can find.
I feel cheated that I’d never heard of her. Damn you, Brits, do you purposely keep musicians (…and comedians) a secret from us colonists? That was almost 250 years ago, don’t hold a grudge…
Yes, Helen Shapiro recorded that version in February of 1963, which made her 16 at the time she sang it. If there’s anyone to blame for British singers and comedians not becoming well known in the U.S., it’s the American radio stations and TV shows and such and not the British publicists. They would be happy to become famous in the U.S., but they need some showcase for their talents.
The Rolling Stones’ 'Satisfaction (I Can’t Get No)'is to me one of their better songs.
Devo’s coveris better.
The Bangles were mentioned upthread, but I’d say that Susannah Hoffs (with Matthew Sweet) at least equals Linda Rondstat with her cover of “Different Drum.”
Surprisingly, Gwar can rock some covers, too. Whether it’s “Carry On, Wayward Son”, “She Bop,” or “West End Girls,” which transitions beautifully into “People Who Died,” (with lyrical changes to include Dave Brockie and Dimebag Abbott, among others) they seem to knock them out of the park.