Judge a Song by its cover

XM Radio has a covers station.

Better cover than original

She's Not There, Santana's cover is better than the Zombie's original
Will You Love Me Tomorrow, Carole King's cover is better than the Shirelles original (Goffin and King wrote it)

 

Joan Jett’s I love rock and roll is better than the original by arrows. Screw it, pretty much every Joan Jett cover is better than the original: crimson and clover, do ya wanna touch, light of day. Won’t give her dirty deeds

 

Watchtower.

Dylan himself quit doing his own original arrangement and essentially adopted Hendrix's version as the definitive rendition.

 

A few months ago I picked up an old Tommy James album on vinyl with "Crimson and Clover." I had forgotten just how much better the Joan Jett version is. The original is produced in a way that's borderline unlistenable.

 

"Ain't No Mountain High Enough" - Diana Ross

Granted ... Ashford and Simpson tweaked it more than a little after Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell performed it, but it's better. A lot better.

 

Ike and Tina Turner, "Proud Mary."

 

Was is it the single version or the longer album version? The longer version sounds closer to what Jett would later do with it, while the single version as you said is not good.

 

Probably the single version? It sounds like they're singing the chorus into a fan.

 

"Handy Man" - James Taylor

 

Another Dylan. Jason and the Scorcher's version of "Absolutely Sweet Marie".

I saw Warner Hodges, the Scorcher's lead guitar player, at a local house concert. One of the stories he told was about when they toured with Dylan. They'd had an MTV hit with that song, but on tour with the man, they were kinda scared to play it. So on the third date together, Dylan came back to their dressing room and jumped their shit. "You're not playing my song! Why not? I really like the way you do it." So yeah, from then on...

 

If there's a better cover than the Beatles doing Barrett Strong's "Money" I don't know what it is.

 

Actually, I just listened the longer version as well, it’s still shitty, but just way longer.