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[White Man]

Bauhaus - Ziggy Stardust

I always liked this better than Bowie's own.

BONUS: Xiu Xiu with Michael Gira - Under Pressure

I prefer Bauhaus's cover of Third Uncle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iHmfb-XWjs

 

[minor effort]

I prefer Bauhaus's cover of Third Uncle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iHmfb-XWjs

Oh, good call.

 

[lunarworks]

Bruce Springsteen did a pretty good cover of "Blinded By The Light".

 

[asclepio_gtr]

the lack of I am the walrus cover by Oasis in this thread is all sorts of fail...

 

[Cosmic Bus]

Yo La Tengo or bust.

The version of "Nuclear War" with the group is schoolkids is so great.

 

[EL Beefo]

I really like Electric Six's cover of Radio Ga Ga http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnzMN1369W8

 

[Discordian_taco]

Anyone posted Powerglove yet? Their covers are pure win

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=61091A56AE96E57B&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL

 

[ten5ive9ine]

Oh, good call.

I'm always surprised when Gaf offers up taste.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

I may be going out on a limb but, Gipsy Kings - Hotel California.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufc7Z76ko1Q

For the love of God listen to it!

I really like Electric Six's cover of Radio Ga Ga http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnzMN1369W8

Can't beat Queens OG mix. Matter of fact this cover is way worse. Not a bad cover but the Queen version original destroys that.

 

[Corwood Rep]

Johnny Cash's last 5 albums are his most revered outside of his drugged-up early live shows.

Those albums have maybe 6 original songs between them. I'm not gonna bring up Hurt, but a bunch of those songs are covers, and the original songs either suck or you haven't even heard of them because they're irrelevant. Examples:

-Solitary Man: a shitty Neil Diamond song
-If You Could Read My Mind: a really really really horrible old pop song
-Love's Been Good To Me: a kind of middling Frank Sinatra song
-I'm Free From The Chain Gang Now: an ancient Jimmie Rodgers songs with rewritten lyrics
-I Hung My Head: a stupid pretentious old Sting song
-Desperado: a horrible whiny bitch song by the Eagles
-I've Been Everywhere: an old country standard, but Cash's is the only one anybody knows

There's also a whole bunch I think are better than the original but are subject to debate, e.g. I Won't Back Down, Hurt, Bird on the Wire, The Man Who Couldn't Cry, Redemption Song, Father And Son, I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry, Bridge Over Troubled Water, etc.


As for Pearl Jam, I've noticed they've done a lot of covers by bands that are way better than them, especially X. I know they do The New World and I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts. They also do several Clash and Tom Waits covers, none of which are any good.

Edit - The Clash were also masters of the cover song, usually picking stuff that had a lot of room to grow musically so they easily made it their own: Pressure Drop, I Fought The Law, Armagideon Time, Wrong 'Em Boyo, Revolution Rock, Police & Thieves, Brand New Cadillac, Junco Partner, Police On My Back, etc.

 

[Oreoleo]

the lack of I am the walrus cover by Oasis in this thread is all sorts of fail...

I forgot this existed actually. Really really good cover. And I hate Oasis.

 

[BioHazard]

Bruce Springsteen did a pretty good cover of "Blinded By The Light".

I'm pretty sure he wrote that. It was Manfred Mann's Earth Band that covered it.

 

[elseanio]

Jeff Buckley does some amazing covers on his live albums.

 

[demon]

I may be going out on a limb but, Gipsy Kings - Hotel California.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufc7Z76ko1Q

 

[SupahBlah]

In Flames - Land of Confusion.

Dream Theater's next album "Black Clouds and Silver Linings" will come with a second CD of covers.

1. "Stargazer" Rainbow 8:10
2. "Tenement Funster/Flick of the Wrist/Lily of the Valley" Queen 8:16
3. "Odyssey" Dixie Dregs 7:59
4. "Take Your Fingers From My Hair" Zebra 8:18
5. "Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part Two" King Crimson 6:30
6. "To Tame a Land" Iron Maiden 7:15

 

[Sagitario]

Alanis Morissette - "My Humps"

It actually makes the song... bearable... :lol

 

[SilentProtagonist]

The Mars Volta covering "Birthday" (original by Sugarcubes)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1RmCOK8n9g

Also, the Figurine version of My Suitor is superior to the original.

 

[Karakand]

The tone of The Flying Lizards' "Money" matches up much better with the song's lyrics than previous iterations of the song but it's not entirely divorced from the playfulness of those versions at the same time.

 

[sazabirules]

Alestorm - Wolves of the Sea (Pirates of the Sea)
Children of Bodom - Rebel Yell (Billy Idol)
Dokaka - The Trooper (Iron Maiden)
Elvenking - Heaven is a Place on Earth (Belinda Carlisle)
Ensiferum - Lady Black (Uriah Heep)
Turisas - Rasputin (Boney M)

 

[rexor0717]

Turn the Page cover is awesome!

I saw Turn the Page, became excited, then realized it wasn't Blind Guardian's "Turn the Page". Oh well... Blind Guardian have some decent covers of songs. (They become Power Metal-ized)
:lol

 

[Skiptastic]

Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood - Santa Esmeralda

My Chemical Romance - Desolation Row

 

[Eaten By A Grue]

Someone mentioned Johnny Cash doing NIN's song "Hurt", he also has another pretty awesome cover:

Johnny Cash - Personal Jesus (Depeche Mode)

 

[laserbeam]

What are some of the biggest failures?

Epic failure
Cheryl Crow- Sweet Child O' Mine

 

[Blader]

I don't know what GAF's opinion on Chris Cornell is, but I always liked his Billie Jean cover.

 

[maladroid]

Dunno if it's been posted, but I prefer this to the original.
Feist - Inside and Out

 

[agrajag]

Yngwie Malmsteen's cover of Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (Your Love After Midnight) is badass.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbo5omhfY0A

 

[Monkeylord]

Reel Big Fish - Take On Me (Ah-Ha)

 

[demon]

I really like Ben Folds' cover of the Flaming Lips She Don't Use Jelly. really fun song. Can't find it on youtube though (at least the studio version).

 

[Jugendstil]

Bauhaus - Ziggy Stardust

I always liked this better than Bowie's own.

BONUS: Xiu Xiu with Michael Gira - Under Pressure

Xiu Xiu does some great covers. My favorite will always be Ceremony. I still haven't seen them play it live.

 

[agrajag]

Children of Bodom - Rebel Yell (Billy Idol)

Alexi's vocals are pretty weak.

 

[unomas]

Travis - Hit Me Baby One More Time

:lol

Also, While My Guitar Gently Weeps (the one with the badass Prince solo)

Wow, he killed that Britney shit, wow.

 

[Buttchin]

Reel Big Fish - Take On Me (Ah-Ha)

pretty much

great to hear live

 

[minor effort]

Xiu Xiu does some great covers. My favorite will always be Ceremony. I still haven't seen them play it live.

Yeah, I love their cover of Ceremony. They haven't played it at any shows I've seen either.

 

[WyndhamPrice]

Children of Bodom - She is Beautiful

A cover of an Andrew WK song of all things, I actually heard this version first and like it quite a bit despite not liking Children of Bodom really at all.

 

[atomsk]

while the usual Manson covers have been posted in here, i'd still like to post my favorite

I Put A Spell On You

 

[NameGenerated]

Bodom is releasing a cover album pretty soon I think. They haven't said what would be on it, but I am interested.

 

[JPBrowncoat]

Reel Big Fish - Take On Me (Ah-Ha)

Love a bunch of their covers
Kiss Me Deadly (Lita Ford)
Another Day in Paradise (Phil Collins)
Talk Dirty to Me (Poison)

Actually their entire last album was nothing but covers and it was awesome.

 

[mattiewheels]

bauhaus did some of the best covers i've heard.

 

[agrajag]

GoldFinger - 99 Red Balloons

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QYIlgRg9TY

 

[OnPoint]

I'm not sure if Dream Theater's covers are always on point...

Just glad to be associated in the same post as Dream Theater.

I enjoyed the Stars cover album "Do you trust your friends?" It covered "Set Yourself On Fire" with a bunch of different artists. Good stuff.

 

[ten5ive9ine]

while the usual Manson covers have been posted in here, i'd still like to post my favorite

I Put A Spell On You

It's got nothing on the original though.

 

[MickeyKnox]

All Along The Watch Tower from Night of The Guitars.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luOBN4Xl-Rk

video quality is kinda shit but this is my favorite version of the song.

 

[Hilo]

Totally agree with the OP about Pearl Jam.

Pearl Jam-Waiting On A Friend

 

[botkiller]

My favorites, two of which happen to be Zeppelin covers:

Dancing Days - Stone Temple Pilots

No Quarter - Tool

How I Could Just Kill A Man - RATM

 

[bean breath]

Seether- Careless Whisper

 

[SapientWolf]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkMWdI2IKiw

They should be arrested for that. I'm not even kidding. That's got to count as assault.

I've always liked Quietdrive's cover of Time After Time.

 

[Corwood Rep]

It's got nothing on the original though.

Funny thing about Screamin' Jay's version of that song is that while it's basically the most widely-covered non-blues song I can think of, nobody's ever come close to the original. There's not even one version that really competes, save MAYBE Nick Cave, who turns the song into an amelodic no-wave nightmare and in turn captures the spirit of the original if nothing else.

 

[JCX]

Fiona Apple's cover of Across the Universe is better than the original.

word.

I'm a fan of covers, just to see the different spins on songs.

Katy Perry's version of "Electric Feel" is pretty good. Shows she can sing and has a nice stripped down feel compared to the very produced original. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UH3nMxXcETs

the kook's cover of "kids" is pleasant, but not amazing.

Smashing Pumpkins' "Landslide" is better than Fleetwood mac's

Muse's "Feeling good' is awesome.

a good site for lists of people who covered what songs is secondhandsongs.com. i dunno if it gets updated regularly though.

 

[Agent Dormer]

No mention of Ben Folds' cover of Dre's "Bitches Ain't Shit" makes me sad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_N3CK-6CHk

Also, he's got a great cover of Elton John's "Tiny Dancer."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g06RXYsksRg

Check it.

 

[Always-honest]

Radiohead covering Wonderwall

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N5G6-UiCns

lol at the comments.