Same song different artist. Which ones do you love? LP

The first one that always comes to mind:

"Knockin' on Heaven's Door" by Dylan and the cover by Warren Zevon (done as he knew he was losing his battle with cancer).  The latter is almost painfully poignant.

I also have a weak spot for "Oops, I Did it Again" by Brittney Sears and the great (tho unlikely) cover version by Richard Thompson.

Off the top of my head...
"Take Me To The River" - Talking Heads
"Hard To Handle" - Grateful Dead
"Me and Bobby McGee" - Janis Joplin
"Just Like Heaven" - Katie Melua
"Where Is My Mind" - Trampled By Turtles
"Shenandoah" - Trampled By Turtles
"Take Me Home Country Roads" - Toots and the Maytals

Antje Duvekot's covers of "Mercedes Benz" & "Fat -Bottom Girls" (right up there w Martykl's nomination for most unlikely cover).
+1 for Zevon's cover of "Knockin' on Heavens Door". 
How about the many covers of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah", Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower", "Don't Think Twice It's Alright" & "I Shall Be Released", John Prine's "Angel from Montgomery", John Fogerty's "Lodi", Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time".
Another favorite cover of mine is Emmy Lou Harris singing Stephan Foster's "Hard Times Come Again No More".

Van Morrison's cover of Comfortably Numb
+1 to Jimi Hendrix's version of All Along The Watchtower

Bettye Lavette / Most of the time 
Cat Power / Amazing Grace
Eddie From Ohio / I know you rider
Jennifer Warnes / Bird on a wire
Dave Matthews Band / All along the watchtower
Carter USM / Another brick in the wall
Les Claypool & Chris Robinson / Battle of New Orleans 
 

There are so many great covers done over the years of Dylan songs, Leonard Cohen songs, etc. Too many to list. So, I'll give you a few less know covers that I really like.

"No Diggity" - Chet Faker's soulful version of the Blackstreet R&B/Rap hit.

"Drive All Night" - Glen Hansard's version of the Springsteen song from The River.

"Down to Zero" - Bettye Lavette's version of the Joan Armatrading song.

"Crying" - Adrian Belew's excellent acoustic version of the Roy Orbison hit.

Enjoy,

TIC
 

Drive all Night by Springsteen is such a raw, emotional, genuine song. Always speaks to me.

Santana She's Not There comes to mind quickly 

Two songs written  by Patti Griffins: "What you are" redone by Joan Osborne and "Goodbye" redone by Martina McBride. Both originals songs are well done, but the remakes IMHO are much better.

I probably should have mentioned "You Got What it Takes (to Take What I Got)" by Joe Tex, later covered as a duet by Marti Jones and her husband, Don Dixon. My wife and I used the latter version as our first dance.

The Feelies used to end their live shows with great cover songs - Everybody's Got Something to Hide but Me and My Monkey (Beatles), King's Lead Hat (Brian Eno), All Tomorrow's Parties (Velvet Underground). Etc.

A few stealth covers from Cyndi Lauper - "Money Changes Everything", covering The Brains, and "All Through the Night" her cover of Jules Shear.

Strange variation 1:  "World Turning", Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie's re-work of Peter Green's "World Keep on Turnin".  almost unrecognizable and uncredited to Green.

Strange Variation 2 -  "Battleship Chains" Georgia Satellites (Terry Anderson) covering The Woods (Terry Anderson's first band) and later covered by Hindu Love Gods (basically, REM plus Warren Zevon.)

Special Mention: Kid Creole's irresistibly danceable yet hilarious cover version of Harry Belafonte's "If You Wanna Be Happy For the Rest of Your Life (Never Make a Pretty Woman Your Wife).

Jimi Hendrix - Hey Joe

Another song w innumerable covers:
Martin Gaye's "People Get Ready" 
My favorite cover is the acapella version by The Persuasions.  Another great cover by Eva Cassidy. 

The first song mentioned by the OP, "Baby Blue," is actually two different songs with the same title.  The Badfinger song is the not Dylan song.  FWIW I love the 13th Floor Elevators' cover of the Dylan tune on their "Easter Everywhere" LP.

Here are a couple of covers that I really enjoy. Both are on the same album too.....

From Brain Auger's Oblivion Express album - "Compared to What" and "Inner City Blues".

"Compared to What" is a Les McCann song, first recorded by McCann and later by Roberta Flack. The Brian Auger version takes the original jazz version into Jazz/Rock fusion territory.

Of course "Inner City Blues" is a Marvin Gaye song off of the incredible album "What's Going On". Auger takes the original R&B tune again in to Jazz/Rock fusion territory.

I've had the Brain Auger record since sometime in the '70s and I still enjoy it regularly. 

Off of Mick Jagger "Wandering Spirit" lp , probably my favorite tune here is "Evening Gown". Alejandro Escovedo does it justice, maybe better!

Jenny Lewis cover of "Handle With Care"!

"Little Wing" - Stevie Ray Vaughan - One of my favorite covers

Also (and a little embarrassed to admit) I *really* like The Scorpion's rendition of "Can't Explain"

:)

Rickie Lee Jones cover of Jefferson Airplane's "Comin' Back to Me"

Mathew Sweet & Susannah Hoffs cover of Bee Gees "Run to Me"

Herbie Hancock feat. Corrine Bailey Rae's cover of Joni's "River"

Amber Rubarth's cover of REM's "Losing My Religion"

Yes's cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "America" 

Cheers,
Spencer

Slaw's mention of Alejandro Escovedo brings another cool one to mind - his cover of Mott the Hoople's "All The Young Dude's".  I'm not sure that he's ever recorded it, but he sometimes ends his live show with an audience sing along version of the song that is terrific fun.

"L.A. Woman"  by Billy Idol

"Smooth Criminal" by Alien Ant Farm

tostadosunidos, just wanted to correct a correction that the song Baby Blue by Dylan was a different song from Baby Blue done by Van Morrison and Badfinger, it was not, they were all the same song, written by Dylan.

Lilac Wine. Nina Simone and later by Jeff Buckley. 

Joni Mitchell's Case of You.  Diana Krall from The Live In Paris cd.

of coarse this thread IS an extension of Favorite Cover Songs. Not there's anything wrong with that?

tooblue, I beg to differ--this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C53QAuOoSgc

and this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xEpIgFAPGQ

are two totally different songs.  Different melodies and different lyrics.  Van Morrison's cover is the Dylan song.  I don't think the Badfinger song existed yet at the time he covered it.

tostadosunidos, my apologys, to quote Mark Twain, "it isn't what you don't know that will hurt you, it's what you know for sure that isn't". Tooblue

Dylan, Prine, McCartney, Lennon, Cash, and a few named herein are too easy. All were or are prolific and insanely artistic geniuses.


Blues have always had an effect of a different kind on me and I admire those now well revered and respected pathfinders and brush cutters of the past.
I’ve never heard a better version of Dylan’s ‘Just like a woman” than the way Joe cocker renders it on his ?”a Little help from My Friends’ and or his Anthology collection which is identical. At Woodstock in 2009 joe was just a wee bit too uh, passionate and the lyrics suffer egregiously. Ritchie havens also puts this cut in a different light with his verdict on the 30th Anneversary live album for Bob Dylan.


Florence AL. native W.C. Handy often is credited with writing the first blues songs, Memphis Blues… later handy penned St. Louis Blues. Both have seen numerous artists cover each. Even Merle and Asleep at the Wheel cut it on a compilation album of various artists “Ride with Bob’ a tribute to Bob wills and His Texas Playboys. Handy gets the nod for being the original ‘blues man’ and his namesake is one of the more coveted annual Blues artists Award.


Written in 1947 by Aaron Walker a.k.a. T-Bone Walker “call it Stormy Monday” has been covered by too many too count. From Bobby Bland, Allman Brothers most notably, Eva Cassidy, BB King, etc. I love ‘em all.


I’d submit no one forget Ray Charles Robinson as a writer and musician and the contributions Ray left behind for us. Although not so much the author as the artist, Ray’s covers and arrangements of country, pop, soul and RB cuts changed the musical social and racial landscapes of this country dramatically of all the songs Ray rearranged, touched, or covered Mr. Robinson’s renditions of most covers remain my favorite versions .


Two Texans, Roy Orbison and Buddy Holley hit the scene in the ‘60s with new ideals and themes on pop music. Albeit one was all too short lived, holley’s songs thrive amongst popular and contry music artists. Orbison’s remarkable vocals and Holley’s timeless songs keep their music breathing and resonating with culture after culture, decade after decade, such was their influence.
Blue bayou Linda Ronstadt
Chris Issac wicked game + only the lonely
Oh, boy! Joe Ely, learning the Game, Waylon Jennings, true Love Ways, the mavericks, all amd more are on the tribute album to holley, “Rave on”.


Another Red Dirt alumni, Dan Penn came along in the ‘60s wrote several tunes from his Muscle Shoals and Memphis environs that came to prominence as Pop hits on the Billboard RB charts, Cry Like a Baby”, “I’m Your Puppet”, Dark end Of the Street’, ‘Do Right Woman, do right Man”, ‘who left the Water Running?” and my favorite, “zero Willpower’. All were scooped up by Motown and new arrangements made for The Box tops, Lavelle White, Aretha Franklin Percy Sledge, WC Clarke, Marcia Ball, etc. these tunes continue to present being covered by artists across musical genres.
My favs are those covered by the orig artist and Lavell White.
‘who left the water running’ in a duet with WC Clarke and Marcia Ball is stupendous.


Delbert McClinton - Old Weakness (Coming on Strong) has seen a few artists cover it. From Glenn Campbell’s ex, Tanya tucker, to Etta James.
Delbert gets the nod on this tune. Regardless, its on his ‘one of the Fortunate Few” album. It may be on a live disc too.


As prolific musicians, song writers,   as were Bob Zimmerman, and John Cash, yet another likewise spirit came to be in the name of Stevland Hardaway Judkins albeit in a slightly different musical vein.

Aka Stevie Wonder has a lengthy list of serious hits that have been cross over hits, and even his covers of pop and RB tunes revitalized RB and Pop music classics. Wonder’s originality, innovative genius .and ground breaking string of hits hru the ‘70s set new records for Motown and Popular music. Regularly his songs have charted on RB, Pop, and Soul hit lists simultaneously. "My Cherie Amour," "You Are the Sunshine of My Life," "Superstition," "Living in the City," "Boogie on Reggae Woman “That Girl" and "Part-Time Lover.", ""Higher Ground," "Sir Duke" (a Duke Ellington tribute)and "I Just Called to Say I Love You," "Ebony and Ivory"

Wonder covered Dylan and sent two of Bob’s songs to the top of the RB charts with Blowing in the wind and ‘I was made to love her’.

Wonder’s songs have illustrated underlined, or shaded the lives of those who lived the sixties and seventies. His continued works well into the ‘00s are sheer ‘profundity’ as David Crosby said.

The people that have covered Wonders cuts are on par with Dylan’s, and in a word, expansive.

Regardless, I still love the originals with so very few exceptions. Dolly’s Dylan cuts are very nice, and late coming alternate Doobie brothers Singer piano player Michael McDonald does more than fair justice to a few of Stevie’s tunes on his tribute to Motown album.


John Cash does not get the value he so decidedly deserves much of the time. Cash’s style and those who influenced his works lay deeply into the ravines rivers, highways, rural routes, and winding streams that criss cross our country, and the music we find in bluegrass, blues, folk, and Americana. Everyone from all walks of the music industry were affected to some extent by these roots performers rail riders, and they echoed the times of their lives in honest earnest and always unique soulful hard biting summaries of America’s life, strife, loves, and its simple beauties with refreshing . Openness and candor.

Cash like Dylan, used his platform to voice support for or against many unpopular social issues including racism and war.
John Cash could communicate with anyone in person or thru his works. His songs spoke to people, beyond their minds and into their hearts. That unmitigated spiritual connection is always the sign of greatness.

“Dressed In Black” and “Kindred Spirits”, are both Tribute albums to John Cash and his body of work compiled with various artists from several musical heritages.
the Cover of big River by Hank Jr. is outstanding.
Bruce springsteen covers John’s Give my Love to Rose as well and as big a tear jerker as any song I’ve ever heard.
Travis Tritt’s cover of I Walk the line is an absolute must cut to audition.
Flesh and Blood sung by Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Emmy lou Harris, and Sheryl Crow is fantastic.
Little Richard gets it going with his version of Get Rhythm, very nice.
Jackson, although written by June carter has been covered a lot. On a Tribute album for june, ‘Anchored in Love’, Ronnie dunn and Collen Carter produce a striking duet. Hear this one it will be your fav version.


As for Bluegrass… I’ll say only…. Bill Monroe and the Carter Family. They were there when it all began. Or almost there. View the Netflix documentary ‘winding Streams’ to see more about the Carter Family and their contributions to the early days of American music.

If you have more than half a dozen Bluegrass albums in yoru collection, chances are you have a Bill Monroe tune already. If not, you have one or more directly influenced by Monroe.