Favorite Tribute Albums?

I have three tribute records, to 

- Karen Dalton, on vinyl

- Gram Parsons, on CD

- Laura Nyro, on CD

I find it odd that Bette Midler does not appear on the Laura Nyro CD. Bette was good friends with Laura and got verklempt when she introduced Laura at Laura’s posthumous induction into the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame. Same goes for Tod Rundgren, who sorta famously said that when he first heard her music that he “stopped writing songs like the Who and started writing songs like Laura”.

@stuartk 

”How often does a cover truly equal an original performance, let alone surpass it?  Not that often, to my ears.”

Well, Sting would disagree with you. He claims that Eva Cassidy’s “Fields of Gold” is far superior to his. 

Same with Dylan, who claims that Bruce Springsteen’s version of “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” is by far the best he has heard. 

I would give Eva Cassidy the nod for “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” which has made me completely forget the original by Judy Garland.