What are your favourite cover songs?

[-putawaythosepliers-]

wow i didnt know sweet tranvestite got covered. will have to listen to that. i love the song, but it's one of those things you really shouldn't sing out loud when you're on the train.

[Maxwell Jennison]

Aside from the "antici....pation" line being held out for 12 seconds (way too long) and the cutting of Brad's lines (I'm glad we caught you at home...etc), it's a supurb cover.

[Leonardo]

Surprised noone mentioned Johnny Cash's version of Hurt.

Also, A Perfect Circle has an awesome cover of "Fiddle and the drum".

[Harpo]

Originally Posted by Steffi

Joe Cocker - A little help from my Friends.....to die for

It'll be the intro music at my funeral, one of the best covers I've ever heard.
Tori Amos has done some great covers, including Neil Young's Heart Of Gold, Steely Dan's Do It Again, and Slayer's Raining Blood.

Many people don't know that the awesome When The Levee Breaks by Led Zeppelin is actually originally by Memphis Minnie.

Helter Skelter covered by Siouxsie & The Banshees is far superior to U2's cover.

[Crong]

Sonata Arctica's version of Helloween's "I Want Out", and Lacuna Coil's version of "Enjoy The Silence" (though I love the original)

[Lenny]

I don't think anyone's mentioned it:

Muse's cover of Nina Simones "Feelin' Good".

[that old guy]

Hair of the Dog - Guns 'n' Roses /Original by Nazareth (both quite good)

Pablo Picasso - Burning Sensations from the Repo Man soundtrack/Original by Modern Lovers (cover is better)

Rawhide - Dead Kennedys/Originally theme song to a TV show, no clue who sang it (cover way better)

Viva Las Vegas - Dead Kennedys/Elvis (cover way better)

Take me to the River - Talking Heads/Rev. Al Green (never heard original)

She's not There - Santana/The Zombies (both good, but nod to cover, gotta love silly drum solos...god am I dating myself or what?)

Supersition - Beck, Bogert & Appice/Stevie Wonder (both good, nod to cover, there's about a three minute drum solo that cracks me up, couldda been done by Spinal Tap)

You Really Got Me - Van Halen/The Kinks - In this instance the original was probably better, but the version that brings back memories is the Van Halen one, since I was 12 or 13 when Van Halen's first album came out.

Working in a Coalmine - Devo/Lee Dorsey - Devo, of course.

Surfing Bird - The Cramps/The Trashmen - both versions are amazing. But the Cramps were in a class by themselves.

Twist and Shout - The Beatles/Isley Brothers - The Beatles, the original is not really that good, IMO.

And kudos to whoever came up with Diamonds and Rust by Judas Priest. I actually saw them do it in concert two years ago. Amazing. On the bubble of being a favorite I'd have to put The Beat/The English Beat's (one name in the UK, another in the US due to it already being in use over here) version of Tears of a Clown. Too close to being a novelty song, though the ska overtones surprisingly did work.

[that old guy]

Originally Posted by Maxwell Jennison

Come Together (Aerosmith - Armageddon Soundtrack)

Useless bit of trivia: Aerosmith's version of "Come Together" first appeared in what may be the worst movie of all time, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band:

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978)

Even the soundtrack was horrible, excepting the Aerosmith song above and Earth Wind and Fire's version of "Gotta Get you into my Life."

Steve Martin "singing" "Maxwell's Hammer" must be heard to be believed.