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Cover songs that are better than the originals.

There is an active thread about terrible cover songs so I thought I'd start one about cover songs that are better than or have completely eclipsed the originals. I'll start:

Randy Newman wrote Momma Told Me Not to Come for Eric Burdon who recored it with the Animals and Newman recorded it too. I have the Newman version and like it but Three Dog Night really seem to capture the mood of the song best in my opinion.
n80
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shadorne
7,467 posts
 
Led Zeppelin did many great covers.

Dazed and Confused
Since I have been loving you

etc.

Probably the greatest cover band ever. They improved upon and improvised upon stuff. Jimmy Page and Plant were great at seeing potential in stuff and making it 10x better

Who has ever heard of Jake Holmes or Moby Grape? I rest my case.

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phomchick
209 posts
 
“Smells like Teen Spirit” by The Bad Plus. Trust me. 
corvaldt
9 posts
 
I mean obviously Johnny Cash's Hurt, but I would also put a shout out for Dusty Springfield's 'Take another Littel Piece of My Heart'. Controversial perhaps, but I think defo better!
nitewulf
419 posts
 
Not necessarily better, but great takes:

Chromatics - Running up that hill
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mgv88ZLi6LY

Bobby Womack - California dreamin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ytX3IaFHGk

Madeleine Peyroux - Blue alert
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q14XNTxqCcQ

Everything but the Girl - Corcovado
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2D8HgCTKYfc

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bdp24
9,495 posts
 

My sister rented Bridesmaids tonight, and as the movie was nearing it’s conclusion, I was surprised to hear a killer version of "Shakin’ All Over" by Wanda Jackson. Wanda was a 1950’s Rockabilly singer, dated Elvis, then went into the Gospel field for decades. This great, great song, originally recorded by Englishmen Johnny Kidd & The Pirates, is best known to a lot of people from The Who’s version on the Live At Leeds album. Wanda’s version was produced by Jack White and is on Wanda’s 2011 The Party Ain’t Over album. It is SMOKIN’ hot, almost as good as the 1965 version by The Guess Who. Better than Johnny Kidd’s version, and much better than The Who’s imo kinda lame one.

Following directly behind the song is another using a guitar riff almost identical to the one is Shakin’, Blondie’s "Rip Her To Shreads". This is a live version, and is also great, much better than their studio recording heard earlier in the movie.

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