Andrew Huff / April 14, 2010 11:52 PM

Inspired by Robbie Fulks' latest.

Digging deep, Indigo Girls' cover of Dire Straits' "Romeo & Juliet" is pretty damn great. My favorite, though, is probably TV On The Radio's cover of the Pixies' "Mr. Grieves."

Jake / April 15, 2010 9:08 AM

Ben Folds "Bitches Ain't Shit"

don't really care for either artist or the original song, but his cover is both funny and beautiful at the same time, which is rare enough to warrant a mention.

vanessa / April 15, 2010 9:17 AM

Weezer did a cover of "...Baby One More Time" that is pretty awesome. About half way through, they start laughing.

Also, Stevie Ray Vaughan's cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing" is one of the best instrumentals I've heard.

David / April 15, 2010 9:29 AM

Sam Cooke did a cover of Dylan's "Blowing in the Wind" and turned it into a KILLER R&B stomper. It's from his live album at the Copa, 1964.

Pete / April 15, 2010 10:10 AM

Husker Du's cover of the Byrds' "Eight Miles High." Epic.

Nuke LaLoosh / April 15, 2010 10:33 AM

I love Devo’s take on Satisfaction because they really reinvented it and made it their own, but the AV Club’s “AV Undercover” series has me thinking that “straight” covers are also a lot of fun with their . So far, my favorites have been the Fruit Bats doing Hall & Oates . . .

Nuke LaLoosh / April 15, 2010 10:33 AM

and Justin Townes Earl doing the Boss, but more are on their way.

Mucky Fingers / April 15, 2010 10:52 AM

The Jeff Healey Band doing "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". It's almost better than the original.

Black Label Society cover of "A Whiter Shade Of Pale."

A.Lewellen / April 15, 2010 11:22 AM

Johnny Cash did a cover of Nine Inch Nails Hurt not long before he died and it's amazing. The fragility in his voice is both haunting and moving and the lyrics take on whole new levels of meaning.

Mike / April 15, 2010 11:25 AM

"Just Like Heaven" by Dino Jr.
"Papa Was a Rodeo" by Kelly Hogan.

Jasmine / April 15, 2010 11:47 AM

Earth Wind & Fire's take on The Beatles' "Got To Get You Into My Life".

I saw Kurt Elling at The Green Mill last month and he absolutely killed with a cover of EWF's "After The Love Has Gone". Beautiful.

shechemist / April 15, 2010 12:14 PM

Johnny Cash's cover of NIN's "Hurt" (as mentioned above).

White Stripe's cover of Dolly Parton's "Jolene".

Porter Hall TN's cover of "People Who Died" which last summer I listened to biking into work every morning.

Dunl / April 15, 2010 12:35 PM

Right now: Andrew Bird's version of the Handsome Family's “Don't Be Scared”

Speaking of Johnny Cash (and the American series): his cover of Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy's “I See a Darkness”

Speaking of “Satisfaction”: Cat Power's version

All-time best cover, though: The Jimi Hendrix Experience's take on Bob Dylan's “All Along the Watchtower” (so definitive it hardly qualifies as a cover)

bob / April 15, 2010 12:52 PM

i second kelly hogan! she does lots of real purty covers....

Nuke LaLoosh / April 15, 2010 2:17 PM

Apologies for typos above - at least the links are right.

Hogan does a great version of "Waters of March" ("Águas de Março") by Jobim and "To Sir With Love."

Cheryl / April 15, 2010 3:17 PM

Was (not) Was doing "Papa was a rolling stone."

tony / April 15, 2010 4:56 PM

I'm going to go with Jonathan Coulton's performance of "Baby Got Back," that Sir Mix-A-Lot classic.

holden / April 15, 2010 5:20 PM

for sure the j. cash version of "hurt" as mentioned above.
Postal Service's cover of "Against All Odds" is pretty fab.
Ben Gibbard did a cover of Avril's "Complicated" that is pretty fun, and just last week i heard Lissie's take of "Bad Romance" and the video is the balls. Willie Nelson singing "Rainbow Connection" is mighty fine also.

k.o. / April 15, 2010 6:08 PM

Le Tigre's cover of "I'm So Excited."

Tracie / April 15, 2010 6:20 PM

I love Cassandra Wilson's "Love is Blindness" (U2). She has such a languid voice.

Ron / April 15, 2010 9:24 PM

Big Black - "He's a Whore"

meems / April 16, 2010 9:43 AM

Blind Melon covering Led Zeppelin's "Out on the Tiles"

charlie / April 16, 2010 11:41 AM

X doing Richard Thompson's "Shoot Out the Lights"

Feelies - doing Neil Young's Pocahontas.

Love Tractor doing Staple Singers I'll Take you There.

Minutemen doing Steely Dan's Doctor Wu.

Anon / April 16, 2010 12:29 PM

I agree with Devo's "Satisfaction."

But one of my favorites is U2's version of Cole Porter's "Night and Day." They turned a beautiful standard into a possessed and demented song. I love it.

jburkart / April 16, 2010 3:22 PM

Jimi Hendrix covering "Like a Rolling Stone"(Dylan)

Mike / April 16, 2010 3:28 PM

Damn, I forgot all about Dr. Wu.

pratfall / April 16, 2010 4:38 PM

RATM's "Maggie's Farm"

Baldeesh / April 16, 2010 11:13 PM

I've got a couple:

I really liked System of a Down's cover of "Metro" by Berlin.

Oh, and The Cure's cover of "Purple Haze." Anytime I catch that one while I'm in the car, I have to turn it up all the way.

Leather Strip's cover of The Cure's Lullaby is a good one. And I like The Smoking Pope's cover of "Pure Imagination."

mike-ts / April 16, 2010 11:18 PM

For now, Seal's cover of Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come."

christian / April 17, 2010 12:12 AM

The Cure covering Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze" seconded.
Peter Gabriel's cover of David Bowie's "Heroes" is spooky and gorgeous.
Liz Phair's cover of "Turning Japanese" by The Vapors.
Revolting Cocks version of "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" by Rod Stewart.
Nine Inch Nails cover of "Dead Souls" by Joy Division.
The Jesus and Mary Chain's cover of Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love?"
"Never Let Me Down Again" by Depeche Mode as covered by The Smashing Pumpkins.

YAJ / April 17, 2010 11:29 AM

An old favorite: Bigod 20 covering Madonna's Like A Prayer.

PMan / April 17, 2010 5:06 PM

Right now it's Cat Power's version of Bob Dylan's "I Believe in You"

swingbossa / April 17, 2010 10:01 PM

In no order, and taking liberties with the term "cover":

Vanilla Fudge doing Holland-Dozier-Holland's "You Keep Me Hanging On".
Benny Goodman Orchestra doing Louis Prima's "Sing Sing Sing".
John Coltrane doing Rodgers and Hammerstein's "My Favorite Things".
Joe Cocker doing the Beatles' "I Get By with a Little Help From My Friends".
Spike Jones and His City Slickers doing Arthur Johnston and Sam Coslow's (and Duke Ellington's recording of) "Cocktails for Two".
Gilberto Gil doing Bob Marley's "No Woman No Cry".
Joe Piscopo as Frank Sinatra doing (among others) Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run" and The Rolling Stones' "Under My Thumb".

swingbossa / April 17, 2010 10:05 PM

Forgot a great one:

Wes Montgomery (with Mel Rhyne on the organ) doing "Besame Mucho", most notably also recorded in the US by Nat King Cole.

JP / April 18, 2010 8:05 PM

Michael Andrews and Gary Jules' cover of Tears for Fears' Mad World for the film Donnie Darko.

fluffy / April 18, 2010 10:03 PM

Siouxsie and the banshee's cover of the Beatles' Dear Prudence.
Ditto on the Husker Du cover of 8 miles high.