Following on from the abomination recently produced by Simon Cowell, albeit for a worthy cause I got me thinking about similar travesties, so here are my top 5.

Brian Ferry's version of Bob Dylan's "Hard Rains Gonna Fall"
Brian Ferry's version of John Lennon's "Jealous Guy"
Boyzone's version of the BeeGees classic "Words"
Johnny Cash's version of Bob Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe"
Boy George's version of Bread's "Everything I Own"

On the flip side, top 5 brilliant covers would be.

Grease Band's version of "With a Little Help From My Friends"
Roberta Flack with her version of Ewan McColl's "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"
Harry Nillson's version of Badfingers "Without You"
Marvin Gaye and Creedence Clearwater Revival both get honourable mentions for the Gladys Knight song "I heard It Through The Grapevine"
And finally I had to mention Chester Bennington with "Hallelujah" at Chris Cornell's funeral
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVb2di5I8NY" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Feel free to nominate your own likes or dislikes or not.

Sex Pistols - I did it my way.

Bad, very bad.

Loads of people seem to love it but personally I've never really liked Joe Cocker's version of with a little help from my friends.

I do like Goldfinger's cover of 99 Red balloons and The lemonheads cover of Mrs Robinson (love the original too)

I prefer the original 99 red balloons, in German. far better than the english version.

neunundneunzig luftballons

I thought Bryan Ferry's "Hard rain" was excellent - but of course entirely different from Bob Dylan's rendition. There's no point in covering if you just copy.

Having said that ....The Rolling Stones made their name with covers in the early days...I loved Little Red Rooster.

Always liked this cover:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqZmJ7RGAP4

I Need Glasses

Read it as -Lovers good or bad...

I thought oh dear - I know we digress but it's a football site lads!

Covers... phew!

I agree about Ferry's cover of 'Hard Rain'. It was brilliant.

Best cover for me. Matthews Southern Comfort: 'Woodstock', although CSN&Y's cover of the same song was also brilliant. Both better than Joni Mitchell's original.

Nirvana - Man who sold the world

Candy flip - strawberry fields forever

Let others decide which one goes in which category

I agree about Ferry's cover of 'Hard Rain'. It was brilliant.

Best cover for me. Matthews Southern Comfort: 'Woodstock', although CSN&Y's cover of the same song was also brilliant. Both better than Joni Mitchell's original.

Another Dylan cover that doesn't quite cut it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBcq5EzBcmQ

....and one that, perhaps, does:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0put0_a--Ng

Steps cover of Tragedy by The Beegees.




I'm kidding.

To me improving on Dylan is always going to be difficult because he wrote his songs for himself, for his style of delivery, but Hendrix, of course, took this to another level.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLV4_xaYynY" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Melanie Safka didn't need to do covers but this was quite good, certainly better than the sugar coated dross from the Byrds (all a matter of opinion)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LwyOSyWpNg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3onnJuBS18" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

written by a god, covered by a god.

I once had the original "Just Cant Get Enough" by Depeche Mode on in my car and my son turned too me and said "whose this singing The Saturdays song Dad?"

If I was a rich girl, terrible

must have had Topol spinning in his grave.

Always loved purple rain by prince. Adam levines performance is more than outstanding.worth someone putting a link up.

piston broke wrote:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3onnJuBS18

written by a god, covered by a god.

Chimes of Freedom is IMO Dylan's best work.

I agree with the OP regarding Harry Nilsson's 'Without You'. Possibly the best I've heard.

Wasn't Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You”, a cover, from Dolly Parton? That's another good one.

FactualFrank wrote:I agree with the OP regarding Harry Nilsson's 'Without You'. Possibly the best I've heard.

Wasn't Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You”, a cover, from Dolly Parton? That's another good one.

It was a Dolly Parton song. I always thought that Whitney Houston was a shouter, but that is just my opinion.

Sacrilege in the extreme - Scissor Sisters, Comfortably Numb !

Should be shot at dawn.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lsCEgcRozY" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Chobulous wrote:It was a Dolly Parton song. I always thought that Whitney Houston was a shouter, but that is just my opinion.

Sorry that's what I meant - a Whitney cover of the original from Dolly Parton.

Johnny Cash's cover of Nine Inch Nails' Hurt has got to be up there

https://youtu.be/vt1Pwfnh5pc" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Elton John's 'Your Song' covered by the late Billy Paul..a cracking version for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22jMZdBUzDI" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Elton's favourite version as well.

Garbage and Screaming Females - "Because The Night"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOmKGjy-Ct0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Nina Simone - 'Here comes the Sun'

An excellent cover of the Beatles song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJiC6cA3dUA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A cover of Nina Simone's Don't let me be misunderstood by Santa Esmerelda, brilliantly used in Tarantino's Kill Bill:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVQroWe9tc0

Also another cover for Nina. Muse's version of Feeling Good:

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

Nina Simone made plenty of covers herself.
This Billy Holiday song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8Lq_yasEgo" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And one of Dylan's
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Xe73l3JqRs" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Not to mention one of Screamin' Jay Hawkins
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ua2k52n_Bvw" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Placebo - Running Up That Hill (Kate Bush)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KEEXyRL0qE" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UVjjcOUJLE" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Leona Lewis - Run (Snow Patrol)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqpAgMxhx30" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

30 Seconds to Mars - Stronger (Kanye West)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrlXhpuLfeo" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Willie Nelson - The Scientist (Coldplay)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v525UGbA448" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Florence and the Machine - You've got the Love
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQZhN65vq9E" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2u-PjvRyr0I" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Heart- Stairway To Heaven. In front of Led Zep. Now that takes balls.

Chobulous wrote:It was a Dolly Parton song. I always thought that Whitney Houston was a shouter, but that is just my opinion.

I agree about Whitney Houston being a shouter.

I have to say, and I am sure I will be shot down, that I really like The Slits' version of Heard it on the Grapevine.

The Jam's version of David Watts too, is my preference.

Sonic Youth Superstar

Best:

Johnny Cash "Hurt" - cover of Nine Inch Nails original


Worst:
Too many to think of - Westlife or Boyzone probably would come top

HatfieldClaret wrote:If I was a rich girl, terrible

must have had Topol spinning in his grave.

It might have done, were he actually dead.


He's 81 and still alive.

Joe Cocker's cover of With A Little Help from my Friends is a belter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ecZ94guWl0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Hazel O'Connors version of Hanging Around by Stranglers was as good if not better than the original, as was Toni Basil's Hey Mickey which was a cover/rewording of Racey's Hey Kitty.

Lord Beamish wrote:It might have done, were he actually dead.


He's 81 and still alive.

I really will have to start researching before I post.... good to hear he's still with us..

surprised this hasn't been mentioned - You're the one that I want - https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=yo ... ORM=VRDGAR

Good or bad? your choice

I might say any cover of a Dylan song has to be better!

Iain Matthews usually chose his covers well. So did Tom Rush. Here is a Jesse Winchester song, Biloxi.

The original:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXxt79bxKHk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Matthews' version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2YqqzYvFL8" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

and Tom Rush's (which is my favourite):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZoZJM_IDFw" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Bananarama, Venus.

Disturbed's cover of Simon & Garfunkel's sound of silence is actually better than the original,which takes a lot of doing.

Steve1956 wrote:Disturbed's cover of Simon & Garfunkel's sound of silence is actually better than the original,which takes a lot of doing.

I was just going to post the exact same thing! I have to say, it's awesome. What a voice!!

'Bend me shape me' - The American Breed [1967]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zarsqZCXO8Y" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

OR

'Bend me shape me' - Amen Corner [1968]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kM-y1a1oeCo" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Valerie

The Zutons - Valerie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3xpmfJp0Xc" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Amy Winehouse - Valerie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=namFjcO ... gHSE#t=131" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I prefer the latter.

I didn't like Madonna's American Pie, but come to think of it, I didn't like the original either.

1000s of covers, but this is undoubtedly the original and best:

Willie Nelson - Always on my Mind- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7f189Z0v0Y

It's pretty impossible to do a better job than Smokey and the Miracles but the Stones still did a great job and I like it.......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWwWxZ1N2To" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;