What Are The Best Cover Versions You've Heard?

[Toe]

NOFX's covers of "Straight Edge" (originally by Minor Threat) and "Radio" (originally by Rancid) are awesome.

[The Hardcore Canuck]

Marilyn Manson's cover of Sweet Dreams is the best cover ever.

That aside, worst covers include:

Anything performed at Metallica's tribute show (on MTV) which includes Avril Lavigne's, Limp Bizkit, Korn, etc.

Marilyn Manson's Tainted Love

[GhostMachine]

Marilyn Manson's version of Sweet Dreams? Two thumbs up.

Marilyn Manson's version of Tainted Love? Two fingers down the throat.

That said, some of my favorite covers are:

Bowling For Soup - I Ran (A Flock of Seagulls) and Hit Me Baby One More Time (Britney Spears)

Fear Factory - Cars (Gary Numan)

Disturbed - Shout 2000 (Tears For Fears)

Johnny Cash - One (U2)

Van Halen - You Really Got Me (The Kinks) and Pretty Woman (Roy Orbison)

Metallica - Turn The Page (Bob Seger) and Whiskey In The Jar (Not sure who originally did it, but I know Roger Whittaker did a version of it)

Korn - Word Up (Cameo)

Ozzy Ozbourne and Coal Chamber - Shock The Monkey (Peter Gabriel)

Stevie Ray Vaughn - Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) (Jimi Hendrix)

Nightwish - Phantom Of The Opera (Andrew Lloyd Webber)

Alice Cooper - I Got A Line On You (Spirit)

And Limp Bizkit and Pantera have both done damn good versions of the Mission Impossible theme.

For the record, I hate Mariah Carey for her fucked up version of Def Leppard's Bringin' On The Heartbreak, and I have yet to hear a decent cover of a Metallica song by anyone.

Two songs I like that I'm not sure qualify as covers or not:

Jimi Hendrix's version of All Along The Watchtower. I know Bob Dylan wrote it, but I don't know if he actually performed it before Hendrix.

Elton John's version of the Queen song The Show Must Go On. Iirc, he actually did it with the surviving members of Queen, so it technically doesn't qualify.

[apsham]

Oh, I forgot;

Ray Charles - Yesturday (The Beatles)

[Stevie B]

Bowling For Soup - Summer 69

Busted - Build Me Up Buttercup (Trust me it's good)

Bouncing Souls - Video killed radio star

Elvis VS JXL - Little less conversation

Incubus - Turning Japanese

[fineintent]

Even though I don't really like them, I'd agree that Rufio's cover of 'Like a Prayer' is pretty bitchin'. Despite the somewhat negative reaction it got, I also really like A Perfect Circle's cover of 'Imagine', it has a really cool feeling of unease about it. Sampling wise, Talib Kweli's sample of the Police on 'Around my Way' is pretty cool.

[VerbalPuke]

I've never been a huge fan of cover songs, but there are some that are absolutely wonderful. Here's a few of those...

Battalion of Saints - Ace of Spades (Motorhead)

The Phantom Surfers - Sheena was a punk rocker (The Ramones)

D.I./The Mummies - Uncontrollable Urge (Devo)

The Screamers - Sex Boy (The Germs)

Black Randy and the Metrosquad - Say it Loud, I'm black and I'm proud (James Brown)

The Plugz - La Bamba (Richie Valens)

Slayer - Sick Boy (GBH)

D.O.A. - War (Edwin Starr)

Catholic Discipline - Pablo Picasso (Johnathan Richman and the Modern Lovers)

Nomeansno - Beat on the Brat (Ramones)

X - Soul Kitchen (The Doors)

Sid Vicious - I wanna be your dog (Iggy and the Stooges)

The Dead Boys - Aint it fun (Rocket from the Tombs)

[Robsturgh]

In Flames - Murders in the Rue Morgue (Iron Maiden)

Iced Earth - The Ripper (Judas Preist)

Metallica - Astronomy (Blue Oyster Cult)

Children of Bodom - Rebel Yell (Holy shit Ive forgotten )

Dark Tranquillity - 22 Acacia Avenue (Iron Maiden)

The Children of Bodom covers of The Trooper and Aces high are actually fucking terrible.

[YI]

Strung Out - Summer of 69 (The Bryan Adams Song) all 10 seconds of it, before they start to talk about some guys hair and take requests, Makes me chuckle.

Strung Out - Bark at the Moon (Jason's voice is perfect for it, plus Jake pulls off the guitar solo pretty good)

Elvis vs JXL - Little Less Conversation is an absolutely amazing song, plus there's those two fit women dancing on the video, but they dissapeared towards the end

AAAAAAAAH My minds gone blank.

And Tristy, please tell me you only like that 1 Evergreen Terrace song. I've never seen an Evergreen Terrace fan in my life, and if I do, I may have to go on a killing spree.

[Skummy]

This is a tricky one for me, as I utterly adore cover versions, so I'm sure I'll miss some, but here we go:

Johnny Cash - One (originally by U2)

Jeff Buckley - I Know It's Over (originally by The Smiths)

The Beautiful South - Don't Stop Movin' (originally by S-Club 7)

Billy Bragg - Never Had No One Ever (originally by The Smiths)

Morrissey - That's Entertainment (originally by The Jam)

Richard Cheese - Girls Girls Girls! (originally by Motley Crue)

Reverend Horton Heat - Fulsom Prison Blues (originally by Johnny Cash)

Oysterband - Love Will Tear Us Apart (originally by Joy Division)

Nick Cave - Disco 2000 (originally by Pulp)

There's a load more, but that's my current crop of favourites.

[tristy]

And Tristy, please tell me you only like that 1 Evergreen Terrace song. I've never seen an Evergreen Terrace fan in my life, and if I do, I may have to go on a killing spree.

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[YI]

And Tristy, please tell me you only like that 1 Evergreen Terrace song. I've never seen an Evergreen Terrace fan in my life, and if I do, I may have to go on a killing spree.

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The only other songs I like by them are "Zero" and "No Donnie, These Men Are Nihilist".

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[tristy]

Eh, they're okay. I wouldn't go out of my way to listen to them, but I do enjoy their cover of "Mad World". Their cover of "Zero" is decent, at best though.

[Skummy]

As far as Evergreen Terrace go...some of their cover versions are mildly entertaining, if nothing else. They've got some damn impressive song titles, though.

Oh, and to add to the list:

Lydia Lunch - Heart Attack And Vine (originally by Tom Waits)

Marilyn Manson - The KKK Took My Baby Away (originally by The Ramones)

Alkaline Trio - There's A Light Over At The Frankenstein Place (originally by Richard O'Brien, taken from the Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack)

The Chubbies - Touch-a Touch-a Touch Me (originally by Richard O'Brien, taken from the RHPS score)

Angra - Wuthering Heights (originally by Kate Bush)

ANYTHING by The Lemonheads or Evan Dando, especially Skulls (Misfits), Luka (Suzanne Vega) and Knowing Me, Knowing You (ABBA)

[Malenko]

Marilyn Manson - The KKK Took My Baby Away (originally by The Ramones)

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[Guest KoRnCHiLD]

The Starting Line - Im Real (J-Lo Cover)

'' '' '' - Nothings Gonna Stop Us Now (Camt remember who original is by)

[fineintent]

Yeah, Dando's Knowing Me Knowing You cover is classic, as is his Whitney Houston How Will I Know? cover.

And Robster, wasn't Rebel Yell Billy Idol?

[Skummy]

To add a cover version that isn't exactly brilliant, but is an interesting take on the original, I suggest Scissor Sisters' version of Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand, or Will Young's version of Hey Ya by Outkast...

[supergrass]

I'd say my favourite is probably Ryan Adams' cover of "Wonderwall" (originally by Oasis). Others I enjoyed are again all Oasis related, which include their covers of The Beatles' "I Am The Walrus" and Slade's "Cum On Feel The Noize".

Recently heard Athlete do "If I Ain't Got You" by Alicia Keys, quite liked that one too.

[K]

That song, by that guy and stuff and junk.