I’m just listening to Rage Against The Machine’s cover album “Renegades”, and Maggie’s Farm comes up. It’s good though it is dead serious whereas Dylan’s own version was slightly humorous, but it works well. As an alternative I offer the Specials’ version, which was too good a song to not use it against Maggie Thatcher at the time.
A couple more contenders…
It’s All Over Now Baby Blue by either Nena or by Susanna Hoffs and Mathew Sweet
Jerry Reed - Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright:
Alex Chilton/Box Tops - “I Shall Be Released”
The New Basement Tapes
especially Spanish Mary by Rhiannon Giddens
Everything is Broken - Kenny Wayne Sheperd
Don’t Think twice - Susan Tedeschi
My Back Pages - Eric Johnson
and add -
All Along the Watchtower- Dave Mason (Mason also contributed to Hendrix’s version)
or
All along the Watchtower - Clapton and Kravitz
or
All along the Watchtower - Prince
or
All along the Watchtower - Just about everybody
The 2 I was gonna mention were already listed: Don’t think 2x - Mike Ness, and Absolutely Sweet Marie - Jason and the Scorchers.
2 of my favorite songs by 2 of my favorite bands.
Two excellent covers.
The Stones
And Leon Russell
Warren Zevon’s cover of Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door is especially haunting since he recorded it after he knew he was dying.
And here’s one of my favorite unknown bands from my college days, Jason and the Scorchers, doing Absolutely Sweet Marie.
Dang it; I didn’t notice the first mention, and got ninja’d on the second.
Please, no. Did you just think of that or do you actually like it?
Another one from Leon.
What? Of course I like it. Better than the “Sisters of Mercy” version, whoever that is.