A song murdered by someone.

The worst in my opinion is Joan Baez and The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down....."Virgil Cain is my name............." yeah, right. Quite a hit for her and a much bigger hit for her than The Band.

I liked Elton John's cover of Lucy In the Sky with Diamonds.

RE: You aint seen nothing yet:

I guess Burton Cummings felt like he had a connection to that song since former band member Randy Bachman sang it for BTO. How could anyone other than Randy Bachman even attempt that song. Maybe Mel Tillis.

There should be a law against anyone covering Unchained Melody. In fact, even though the live version linked to above is pretty amazing, I'd say that the only version that should ever be played or sung is the original studio version. It's perfect. 

I hate to say a bad word about these two, but:

Aretha covered the Beatle's Eleanor Rigby. I have it. Its pretty bad.

I also don't like Otis Redding's cover of I Can't Get No Satisfaction.

I do like Wilson Pickett's cover of Hey Jude with Dwayne Allman on guitar. Its a different song altogether which sometimes makes a cover okay.

Only the Righteous Brother's version should be played. All hyperbole aside....I think it is the best and others fall short. But its music. People like what they like.

I've heard so many people and some critics rave about that GnR song. It is probably my least favorite thing they ever did.

Limp Bizkit wrecked "Behind Blue Eyes" as well. Totally missed the point.

albarge said:

"To me, the Righteous Brothers’ recording comes across as excessively "mannered," defined in this context as "overelaborate in delivery." While many people may interpret that as contributing to soul, to me it just detracts from the beauty of the song. For that song, at least, I prefer a more straightforward and unembellished interpretation."

I get that and I agree to a certain point. But for me, the clincher that hooks me with the Righteous Brother's version is the vocal gymnastics which even they could not reproduce live that makes the song so special.

But, what you're speaking of here does ring true. The Joan Baez version of The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down is too smooth and polished....not to mention a woman singing a man's lines (which I don't mind except in this song....it just doesn't work). Some songs are best with all the rough edges in place. Probably all blues are better for the rough edges.....its what makes the blues what they are and a lot of what allowed rock to grow out of the blues.

I think we should start a thread about covers that are better or as good as the originals.