Speaking of Somewhere Over the Rainbow, IZ (Israel Kamakawiwo’ole) does a great version, even though he mucks up the words.
one more: Peter, Paul, and Mary’s version of John Denver’s Leaving On a Jet Plane.
The Barenaked Ladies’ best cover, by far, is their little acoustic version of Bruce Cockburn’s “Lovers in a Dangerous Time.”
Yeah…strange how it hasn’t been mentioned yet. cough
I love covers!!
One of my favorites is Cake covering “I Will Survive” - nearly verbatim but for “I should have changed that fucking lock,” which, intoned in John McRea’s monotone, makes the song so much better.
I should point out that the WORST COVER EVER is The Bloodhound Gang’s desecration of the amazing “Along Comes Mary” by The Association. Please, download the two and compare them if you don’t believe me. Never has a song been made so much worse.
I also really like the Stray Cats’ version of Puttin’ On The Ritz.
Guster does lots of covers (an average of one per concert, though not always a new one.)
They’re version of “Like a Prayer” is amazing.
Baltimore - The Tamlins, I love this version of the old Randy Newman song.
Morning Dew - Grateful Dead
I was surprisingly delighted with Marilyn Manson’s cover of the Eurhythmics “Sweet Dreams Are Made of This”.
Holly Cole did a wonderful album consisting of nothing but Tom Waits covers - Temptations.
My all-time favorite cover album is a collection of Disney tunes - Stay Awake. I think my favorites are Castle In Spain/I Wonder - Buster Poindexter & The Banchees Of Blue , YMA Sum and Heigh Ho (The Dwarfs Marching Song) - Tom Waits - although I am almost in tears everytime I hear Bonnie Raitt singing Baby Mine from Dumbo. It’s absolutely beautiful.
Megadeth - These Boots Are Made for Walkin’ (Nancy Sinatra)
KT Tunstall - Get Your Freak On (Missy Elliot)
Godhead - Eleanor Rigby (The Beatles)
Spineshank - While My Guitar Gently Weeps (The Beatles)
Tori Amos - If 6 Was 9 (Jimi Hendrix)
Pearl Jam - Sittin’ On the Dock of the Bay (Otis Redding)
Rasputina - Transylvanian Concubine
Sarah McLachlan - Blackbird (The Beatles)
Aaron Lewis of Staind - Black (Pearl Jam)
Jem - Maybe I’m Amazed (Wings)
Nonpoint - In the Air Tonight (Phil Collins)
Joss Stone - Fell in Love With a Boy (The White Stripes)
Heather Nova - We Can Work It Out (The Beatles)
Santana - Black Magic Woman (Fleetwood Mac)
You might also like Richard Cheese and his hysterical lounge style covers of songs like Milkshake and Down with the Sickness.
The Covers Project is a great way to waste hours by seeing what songs have been covered by whom.
Disclaimer: Some of the “original” artists may not be that; I just went with the most familiar artist.
Warren Zevon and REM (as the Hindu Love Gods) covering Prince’s “Raspberry Beret” and the Georgia Satellites “Battleship Chains” are personal favorites. The entire Hindu Love Gods album is covers, ranging from Willie Dixon to Woody Guthrie.
Another album of covers I like is Webb Wilder’s “Town and Country,” with “In My Mind’s Eye” by the Small Faces, the theme from “Goldfinger” and the Music Machine’s “Talk Talk” as personal faves.
It can be downloaded here.
That is really good.
Covers Rock!
I’m going to agree with Labdad, the Hindu Love Gods album is amazing!
I’d also nominate Faith No More’s cover of Easy,
Supersuckers version of Bloody Mary Morning
Old 97s cover of the Marty Robbins classic El Paso
Anything by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, but especially Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard and Only the Good die Young.
And if you haven’t heard the Dirtbombs covering Stevie Wonder’s Living for the City, run, do not walk to your nearest independant record store.
Man, The Duke of Hamburgs Greensleeves is awesome! Hell, the whole album Some Folks is a must have.
So much music, so little time.
Johnny Cash covering Nine Inch Nails ‘Hurt’ is one of my favorite covers.
That reminds me, I really like the version of U2’s “One” done by Michael Stipe, Mike Mills, and the drummer and bassist of U2.
Dolly Parton’s cover of Stairway to Heaven is both hilarious and well executed. You can just imagine the conversation of her backup band, " Yeah, that’s a great song. We need to figure out how to put a Banjo in it."
Also, a somewhat unknown modern Bluesman/songwriter named Mark Selby did an acoustic cover of the Kenny Wayne Sheperd song Blue on Black which he released on a free CD Free Dirt that he had tagged to the first edition copies of his second album Dirt. It’s not really a cover since Mark was the co-author of the song but its incredible hot for an acoustic. It was a four song CD with all acoustic covers of songs he wrote mostly for others. He included a cover of the song he wrote for the Dixie Chicks titled There’s Your Trouble.
He’s releasing another cover of the song with an album about to come out but from the sample I’ve heard its just not as good as his “Free” CD
And one more, as old as it is The Bangles cover of Hazy Shade of Winter still blows me away.
I’ve always liked “Are a Drag,” their showtunes album.
Their version of “Sloop John B.” is also good.