Quote Originally Posted by Chakramaster View Post
Oh no I totally agree with this one. Heard it and thought it was the original those many years ago, but little did my younger self know it wasn't.

Honestly I'd have to go through a whole list cause it's hard to decide.
I think Holding Out For a Hero is rare case where a lot of people think the cover is better.

Okay, now that I have time here's a bunch of info and opinions I have on covers.

In classic rock (especially in the 50's and 60's), covers were pretty common. I tend to like the originals better, but here's a few that are either commonly said to have covers that are better, or that I personally think are better:

All Along the Watchtower (Originally by Bob Dylan, covered by Jimi Hendrix)
Yeah, Jimi Hendrix's version is widely considered better than Bob Dylan's. To be fair, Dylan's version was folk-y, unlike Hendrix's which was definitely more rock influenced. But Hendrix's legendary guitar playing just pushes his version wayyyy above Dylan's, IMO.

Dazed and Confused (Originally by Jake Holmes, covered by Led Zeppelin)
Some people don't realize that Led Zeppelin's first album was nearly all blues covers. But I'm okay with that, because they knew how to make music come alive! Zeppelin's studio version of Dazed and Confused is a great jam, but their live versions are especially good (and long; going over 20 minutes sometimes).

Respect (Originally by Otis Redding, covered by Aretha Franklin)
Franklin's version is iconic. Her voice kills this song. I'm not sure what more I can say.

A bunch of the 50's rock and roll songs you hear white musicians like Elvis Presley play are actually covers of black musicians, such as Little Richard and Chuck Berry. Personally, I like the originals better, but they are of note because a lot people mainly know the versions people like Elvis did. Here's a few:

Rip It Up (Originally by Little Richard, covered by Bill Haley, Buddy Holy, Elvis Presley, and others)
Like a lot of 50's rock and roll song, this one was recorded by many. But Little Richard had the original recording, and personally, by far the best recording.

That's All Right (Originally by Arthur Crudup, covered by Elvis Presley)
Arthur Crudup actually wrote this in the 40's (recorded in 1946), and in my opinion, this was the first song that could be considered rock and roll. Elvis Presley then had his own version recorded after jamming on it for fun. That was his first single, and one of many songs he recorded that he didn't actually write.

Now I'll go more modern, and maybe a little controversial.

The Great Gig in the Sky (Originally by Pink Floyd, covered by The Flaming Lips)
This is a super weird cover that people mainly hate, and I'm not sure why I love it, but I do! It takes a completely different take on a Pink Floyd classic that people say is ruined, but IDK, the groove is just nice and catches me off guard. Definitely not for everyone. XD

Black Betty (Originally by Lead Belly, covered by Ram Jam and Caravan Palace)
Ram Jam's version is considered a classic southern rock song (and their only hit), so it's not really surprising that I put it here. However, I also included Caravan Palace's version (you might know their songs Lone Digger and/or Aftermath)), which is electronic and wayyy different from the other two versions. But I think the beauty of the song is that it can be transformed and shifted tons, yet stay fun to listen to and not over-the-top.

Whew. I should write a book on this. :P