The Jam’s cover of “Heat Wave.” Not really unexpected from the band (they were mods after all), but unexpected as the last track of an otherwise deadly-serious concept album. It works beautifully though.
Rasputina does a charming “Brand new key” on their Thanks for the Ether.
Better than the original Louis Armstrong?
Who would have thought that an Elvis impersonator doing Reggae versions of Led Zeppelin songs could possibly work? But Dred Zeppelin’s covers are brilliant.
And although I normally hate her with the passion of a thousand white-hot suns, Celine Dion did a great cover of “Here, There, and Everwhere” for George Martin’s Beatles cover CD.
Warren Zevon did a kick-ass cover of Prince’s Raspberry Beret
I had good reason to hate The Lemonheads’ cover of “Different Drum,” but I have to admit I like it.
Social Distortion doing “Ring of Fire” is also terrific.
And I like Shatner’s “Common People” as well. There’s something about the lyrics that really work with his style.
Holy crap! I had no idea…
Two of my favorite covers are Silea’s covers of Bill Wither’s “Ain’t no Sunshine” and Oysterband’s cover of New Order’s “Love Vigilantes”
I am not a tATu fan. I have never been a tATu fan. By golly, they had a smooth gimmick, but I have never been a tATu fan.
I’m not saying their version is better than The Smiths’, but they did a very ethereal and lonely cover of How Soon is Now.
I was thinking of their cover of “Personal Jesus”. Great tune.
I prefer Jimmy Buffett’s version of Uncle John’s Band to the original.
Sorry.
A lot of them are combinations of Zep songs and Elvis songs, which is that much more, umm… yar.
Pickin’ on Modest Mouse: A Bluegrass Tribute.
It’s exactly what the title describes. Modest Mouse in bluegrass. I couldn’t stop listening to it when I found it. I was appalled and intrigued. Completely weird.
Hayseed Dixie puts out some pretty good bluegrass covers of AC/DC songs, along the same lines. If you’re looking for bluegrass versions of AC/DC songs, I don’t think you could top Hayseed Dixie’s.
Pet Shop Boys - Always On My Mind
I would never have thought it could work. But by Og, it did. Oh me of little faith. PSB can do anything. 
“Tiny Cities” by Sun Kil Moon is a trip-hop Modest Mouse cover album.
Nouvelle Vague has a self-titled album out which is a trip-hop cover of various 80s punk songs.
Both are fantastic!
There’s probably a lyricless version you can buy somewhere. Many vinyl shops sell lyrics-only and lyricless versions of various albums; I’m sure you can get this on CD too.
I dug that song too (the rest of Has Been was generally good for not much more than kitsch value, with maybe two exceptions).
I came in partly to mention the Iron & Wine cover of “Such Great Heights”. The Flaming Lips also did “We Will Become Silhouettes”, I believe, although I’m not sure whether theirs was first or the Postal Service’s was.
:eek: I heard this in a coffeeshop recently and thought, “I HAVE to get this album” and had no idea what it was. Thanks! I owe you one.
Jonathan Coulton covering “Baby Got Back”:
Yes, he covered Sir Mix-a-Lot’s anthem to steatopygia’s contribution to the cultural notions of callipygian beauty in a bluegrass style.
(There is also the Christian music video “Baby Got Book” by Sir Reads-a-Lot you can download here. Not quite what the thread is about, but “When a girl walks in with a KJV/And a bookmark in proverbs, You get stoked.”)
On the Donnie Darko soundtrack I believe the version of Mad World was done by Gary Jules.
I thought Smashing Pumpkins did a nice version of Stevie Nicks’ Landslide.
and I honestly enjoyed Dolly Parton’s version of Stairway To Heaven. (stop laughing at me)
I also agree that Social Distortions *Ring of Fire * is great as is Johnny Cash’s cover of Hurt.
Local H does a really great version of Britney Spears Toxic.
I’m tempted to say “everything she didn’t write,” but the short list of great covers by Eva Cassidy include Time after Time, Imagine, and Somewhere Over the Rainbow.
Me neither. Makes for a KILLER trivia question…either that or I’m being majorly wooshed and it’s a hoax.