It's late, I can't see well and I'm...OK, I'm too lazy to check back 20 years to see if this has been addressed. Besides, lots of good cover tunes out in recent years (Disturbed on "The Sound of Silence", e.g.).

So...has to either be a rock tune originally or on the re-make. Other than that, no rules. I'm not looking to rank these. Just too many and I don't need that headache. Just some good ones. Well, no Knocking on Heaven's Door, as a full 1 million acts have covered that. Also, no Weird Al type parody songs (props, however, for his appearance in Weezer's cover of Toto's Africa).

I'll start with one of the more obscure, as I love that especially, and it's so unexpected. Iron Maiden covering Jethro Tull's Cross-Eyed Mary, complete with Harris's galloping bass. (I'm also not going to use quote marks...this isn't an appellate brief). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hebZV0l0Lng

The Wilson sisters and Jason Bonham joined up with a good backing band and singers to do a KILLER Stairway to Heaven at the Kennedy Center, where the surviving members of LZ were being honored (YouTube that).

Jimi Hendrix covering Dylan All Along the Watchtower is a classic.

Johnny Cash cover of NIN's Hurt is simply amazing.

Korn covering Cameo's Word Up is pretty damned fun.

Judas Priest covering Fleetwood Mac's Green Manalishi (live version only, please)

In This Moment does a good cover of Phil Collins's In the Air Tonight (yes, it's been covered a bunch, but this is probably my favorite version). They did an even better version of Blondie's Call Me https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_XBRUY3Vqc

Alien Ant Farm's cover of Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal is quite good, and the video is hilarious.

Bad Wolves did a good cover of The Cranberries' Zombie, but sad back story to that one. Dolores O'Riordan was supposed to sing on the album, but drowned in her London hotel room bathtub after a few drinks before she could complete the task.

Most anything the original Blues Brothers did. Also, pretty much the entire cover EP Rush did (Feedback).

Of course, Clapton did a couple such as Crossroads and something about booger sugar.

Saw Blues Traveler in New Orleans earlier this year cover Charlie Daniels' The Devil Went Down to Georgia, and John Popper played the fiddle solo on a harmonica, note perfect. That was simply astonishing, just not sure if there is a video of it anywhere. Primus did a cover, but I'm not sure either end of that could really be considered rock...it sure was when Blues Traveler played it. B T also did a great cover of Tom Petty's Last Dance With Mary Jane, and the House of Blues had all green lights going in the venue. Very cool.

Two nights later, saw Pink cover Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit, which was great. Also did one other really good cover (cannot recall what one now).

Wait a minute. Wasn't at this particular show, but here's Blues Traveler's take: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCSs6-9UZy4

Others? I'll likely add to this OP as more come to mind.

Off the top of my head:

Atlanta Rhythm Section - Spooky
Jeff Beck - ‘Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers
Chicago Transit Authority - I’m a Man
SRV - Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)
J. Geils Band - First I Look at the Purse
Linda Ronstadt - Ooh Baby Baby
Santana - Black Magic Woman
Cheap Trick - Ain’t That a Shame
Garland Jeffreys - 96 Tears
Derek & the Dominos - Little Wing
Cream - Crossroads
Simply Red - If You Don’t Know Me By Now
Johnny Thunders - Pipeline
Van Halen - Oh, Pretty Woman
Warren Zevon - A Certain Girl
Cold Blood - You Are the Sunshine of My Life
The Clash - Pressure Drop
Pearl Jam - Last Kiss
Roy Buchanan - Hey Joe

Lot more but would have to think a bit....

Joan Jett- Crimson and Clover

Cheap Trick's Ain't That A Shame.

Disturbed sound of silence.
Sugar land Night swimming.
Adam Lambert ring of fire.
Adam Lambert mad world.
Willie Nelson Georgia.
Nirvana man who sold the world.
Chris Izzak pretty woman.
Brooks and Dunn my Maria.
Queen crazy little thing called love.

https://tgwastewater.com/dekorra-model-110-fieldstone

Here's one for Country fans... Chris Stapleton - Tennessee Whiskey.

Metallica whiskey in a jar.

Just heard this last night for the first time....great tune, but Sounds more like Blues than Country to me...whatever genre, Great Song=d>

J Geils- Serves You Right To Suffer (John Lee Hooker)

Roy Buchanan-Stormy Monday (T-Bone Walker)

The Allman Brothers- Stormy Monday

Jethro Tull- Stormy Monday.....if you've never heard this version, it deserves a listen...the "Lead Flute" is pretty cool
https://youtu.be/cZo64wG-Y_8

Van Halen- Ice Cream Man (John Brim)...corrected previous misinformation

The Who- SummerTime Blues (Eddie Cochran)

Soft Cell- Tainted Love (Ed Cobb...first performed by Gloria Jones)...song may have originally been offered to The Standells, but some controversy, according to Wiki

Echo and the Bunnymen- People Are Strange(The Doors)

The Clash- I Fought The Law (Sonny Curtis and the Crickets.....Sonny Curtis became the leader of The Crickets after the death of Buddy Holly)

Nazareth- Love Hurts (written by Boudleaux Bryant....performed by The Everly Brothers

Metallica has to be the exception to my soft rule that I don't like covers... because they did a lot of good ones.

The two you mention, the one Kipp mentioned, and then blitzkrieg and stone cold crazy. In fact, I heard their version of Whiskey in the Jar before I ever heard Thin Lizzy's version and I dare say they did it much better.

OK. I'll be busy for the next hour or so anyway.

Manfred Mann's Earth Band - "For you" (Springsteen)

Manfred Mann's Earth Band - "Blinded by the Light" (Springsteen)

Manfred Mann's Earth Band - "Quinn the Eskimo" (Dylan)

About 75% of all of Joe Cocker's music.

Rainbow and Head East - "Since You Been Gone" (Russ Ballard)

Santana - "I'm Winning" (Russ Ballard)

Chelsea - "Many Rivers To Cross" (Jimmy Cliff)

Freddie Notes & The Rudies - "Montego Bay" (Bobby Bloom)

Willie DeVille...Hey Joe

So glad i aint the only one still having the rock spirit. These young guys...Disturbed, Volbeat, Five Finger Death Punch...they get it and are turning these old songs into the anthems they deserve to be. Sitting on the porch burning a cigar, good drinks and the spirit of protest, for lack of a better word, makes this old fart happy to still be kicking.

I missed you too! Always happy to hear from the smart guys on this board!
It’s all good here. Sitting on the porch, burnin cigars, watchin the night sky, drinkin cheap booze while listening to these songs.
Some of these remakes are so great. Our generation didnt totally waste our time 😎. there’s another generation of fighters right behind us.

Built to Spill...Cortez The Killer live version so true to the original and so great

You are welcome...….I'm a big fan of Cody Jinks,seen him live a handful of times,I like all his stuff.

Several worthy contributions on the thread, especially like some of these. David Sanborn does a nice cover of Spooky. Linda Linda Ronstadt also did a cover of Warren Zevon's Poor Poor Pitiful Me (one of my favorite WZ songs). Simply Red, SRV, George Thorogood (mentioned above) all could cover just about any blues and blues-based rock quite well, but Voodoo Chile by SRV has to be one of my favorites.

The other Pink cover I couldn't recall was No Doubt the song I'm Just a Girl. Pretty kickazz cover.

#5 Sorry, but that song just got played to death when I was in high school. nearly 40 years later, I still cannot listen to it.

#6 Yes, sir, I will be getting off of your lawn right away, sir.

#7 Classic.

#8 Yep. Hendrix was a friggin' genius. I've watched some docs about making of albums, how he worked, etc. Well beyond his years, and gone way, way too soon. Then his family fought over his estate for decades (it seemed) in Seattle. Paul Allen was inspired by Jimi to open the Mopop Museum in Seattle (which one local writer calls "the wreck of the Partridge Family bus" because of its looks. The museum was originally going to be about Jimi, then rock in general, then included sci-fi stuff. It's pretty cool. As for Cash, that album is just brilliant.

The Black Crowes - Hard to Handle


One of my ALL time fav bands.

John Brim wrote and recorded the song.


Van Halen - You Really Got Me - They made the Kinks version unlistenable.

RHCP - Love Rollercoaster

Magnet - Lay Lady Lay

TPOTUSA - Kick Out The Jams

The Cult - Born To Be Wild

The Cure - Purple Haze

Devo - (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction

Bangles - Winter Shade Of Pale

The White Stripes - St. James Infirmary Blues

The Raconteurs - Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)

Thanks , I stand corrected.....I always thought it was Waits...

http://www.cigarbid.com/...t-covers-of-a-song-ever
http://www.cigarbid.com/...Johnny-Cash-Covers-Hurt
http://www.cigarbid.com/...-Covers-that-I-know-of-
http://www.cigarbid.com/...9789/Best-song-covers--

There's more, but I didn't want to spend more than 30 seconds looking :)



I said it before...probably in those above threads every time someone mentions Cash...but, really??? WTF? I've gone back and tried to listen a few times after I hear how 'amazing' it is....I sooo do not get it

Manfred Mann's songs make me sad. I thought Springsteen's versions of both were 100 times better. Then MMEB's got so much radio play and I'd get upset everytime one would come on.


Three Dog Night and George Thoroughgood, also

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"I'm Losing You" is one where the covers approach the original...no matter who does them. I'm a bit partial to Rare Earth's version, but Rod Stewart's is right there. Says a lot about the song, itself.

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Aretha's version of Stevie Wonder's "Until you Come Back to Me"....which isn't so much a cover as new original, since I'm not sure how familiar Aretha was with Wonder's version that wasn't exactly released.

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Or another Temptations cover: Stones "Aint too Proud to Beg"...probably eclipses the original, IMO

HA!
Poor dead Randy California