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Listening to a friends music collection, they had the following song:

Tom Jones, covering Leadbelly's Black Betty.

Find the album "Mr Jones" by him to hear it. Quite something else. After the initial minute of literally, uncontrollable tears streaming from the eyes laughter I recovered enough to dub the song: awesome.

Unto Ashes' cover of B.O.C.'s 'Don't Fear the Reaper' is, in my book, the best cover ever. It completely changed the pace and mood of the song so that I love it just as much as the original, but can't compare to two because, aside from being the same song, they're worlds apart.

The cabaret cover of "Black Betty" is completely different and awesome, in a similar vein Frank Bennets cover of Jane's Addiciton's "Been Caught Stealing" is fantastic.

The best cover in the history of the world ever is without a doubt China Drum's blistering cover of Kate Bush's wonderful Wuthering Heights.

Metallica's cover of "Turn the Page" is one of the best covers, without question.

Now, if you're talking magazine covers ...

I rather like Disturbed's covers of Land of Confusion, Shout, and Relax but I'm not sure I'd call them the most awesome ever.

I do have a deep love of Richard Cheese's lounge version of 'Down with the Sickness' (appeared in the Dawn of the Dead remake).

Metallica didn't stray all that far from Bob Seger's version with 'Turn the Page', did they?

You gotta love Guns 'n Roses' cover of the Stones' 'Sympathy for the Devil', especially when Slash goes out of control near the end. Sweet!

I dunno if it ranks as 'awesome' but it's definately one of the greatest covers ever: Johnny Cash doing 'Hurt' which IIRC is originally a Nine Inch Nails song. That gives me the shivers everytime.

Queen of Japan's covers of "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" and "Physical."

I alwyas liked In Flames' cover of Depeche Mode's "Everything Counts". Nothing like a death-metal band covering a synth-pop band.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this yet, but Jimi Hendrix's cover of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" has to be the best cover of all time.

SiegeTank wrote:Metallica didn't stray all that far from Bob Seger's version with 'Turn the Page', did they?

The soul of the song remains the same, but in my opinion, it's an improvement.

Hmm. I guess the rock cover of the Russian national anthem in my sig would qualify.

SeigeTank wrote:Metallica didn't stray all that far from Bob Seger's version with 'Turn the Page', did they?

They made it a bit more metal and (In my own opinion) vastly overdid the sax-riff of the original.

I think it's okay, but I think it doesn't hold a candle to the original.

I like the Cure's cover of Purple Haze by Jimi Hendrix.

I normally don't like interpretations by other artists, but this one is an exception.

The Dickies' version of "Nights in White Satin" is the end-all, be-all of cover songs.

Period.

Bertie Wooster wrote:I'm surprised no one has mentioned this yet, but Jimi Hendrix's cover of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" has to be the best cover of all time.

Hell yeah, that's a no brainer. Superior in every way to the original: None of Dylan's warblings and 60% of the song is Hendrix's insane guitar work.

I'd like to third Hendrix's version of "All Along the Watchtower." He didn't just cover it, he made it his own.

I'd also like to bring up George Thorogood's version of John Lee Hooker's "One Bourbon, One Scotch and One Beer."

It took me a moment to realize you were talking about cover songs, not cover art for albums

Sepultura - Orgasmatron
Slayer - Disintegration/Free Money, Abolish Government/Superficial Love
Children of Bodom - The Trooper

Led Zeppelin- When the Levee Breaks needs to be up there on any list.

Just as long as no one chimes in with any of Paul Anaka's covers from ROCK SWINGS

Ms. Franklin's cover of Otis Redding....

that is all.

Some of the above may be better on technical merit, but as a geek and ska fan I heartily recommend seeing Skavoovie and the Epitones live if you have similar taste and get the chance, for their awesome revved-up 11-piece cover of the theme to Batman: the Animated Series. It's on one of their albums too, but they play it fairly straight there.

Just last night I heard Ozzy Osbourne and Dweezil Zappa covering Stayin' Alive.

Nirvana's cover of Bowie's The Man who Saved the World.

And I kind of want to hear Britney's version of Satisfaction someday, just once.