I think it's neat when one artist covers another.. if it's done well.

My favorite cover is Dave Matthews Band's version of The Maker by Daniel Lanois. Even better was that I got to see Dave and Daniel sing it together at the Groundwork benefit last Sunday.

"The Sound of Silence" covered by Nevermore. Pretty much only the lyrics are intact, but it's still great.

Sometimes covers are even better than the originals.
Case in point:
Social Distortion's cover of "Ring Of Fire"


But for every good cover there are 10 bad ones.

I love cover tunes if done well, as a huge Metallica fan I think that they make some really weak songs great. They tend to cover stuff that the average fan wouldn't know anyway.

I really enjoy a lot of the metal covers of eighties tunes. Examples,

Disturbed covering Tears for Fears song "shout"
Powerman 5000 - Let the Good Times Roll

Also love Stevie Ray Vaughan's take on Hendrix stuff.

Many great covers available.

smashing pumpkins covering "landslide"
fugees "killing me softly"

those are the only ones that i can think of that i like so far

the King's X version of Jimi Hendrix's Manic Depression
Stevie Ray Vaughan's version of Jimi Hendrix's Little Wing
Faith No More doing Black Sabbath's War Pigs

there are others, but that's it for now

Natalie Merchant doing After The Goldrush by Neil Young

Stevie Ray Vaughan doing Superstition by Stevie Wonder

Fishbone doing Freddy's Dead by Curtis Mayfield, Shakey Ground by The Temptations and Everyone is a Star by Sly and the Family Stone

Me'Shell Ndegeocello doing Inner-City Bules by Marvin Gaye

Infectious Grooves doing Fame by David Bowie and Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin

The Pretenders doing Bold as Love by Jimi Hendrix

Pearl Jam doing Baba O'Riley by The Who

Rammstein doing Depeche Mode's Stripped

Hendrix doing Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower". Supposedly, Dylan liked Jimi's version better too.

Clash- "Police on My Back" or "I Fought the Law"

From the top of my head...

Tom Waits & Jeff Buckley to Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah"

Cyndi Lauper to Joni Mitchell's "Carey"

Ben Harper to Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing"

and all of SRV's cover songs!

Oasis Cum on feel the noize

the old slade classic.

Fuel doing Breed by Nirvana. They also have a good version of Daniel by Elton John.

Natalie Merchant: Space Oddity (Bowie)
Metallica: Turn the Page (Bob Seger)
Orgy: Blue Monday (New Order)

I have no problem with artists who do cover songs live or as a B-side, but there has been a major plague on the music industry for several years now of people doing cover songs as singles. I mean, how hard could it be to take a hit song and make it into, oh I don't know, a hit song?!? The only reason people do this is because nobody wants to hear the songs they actually write, but they'll buy the CD anyway because they like the cover song. Pathetic, if you ask me.

Almost all the songs by Me First and The Gimme Gimmes
Take on Me by Reel Big Fish
Eleanor Rigby by Godhead
Mrs. Robinson by Lemonheads
The Man Who Sold the World by Nirvana

and NOT Alien Ant Farm - Smooth Criminal

Kronos Quartet doing Jimmi Hendrix's 'Purple Haze' has to be one of my favs.

Jimmi Hendrix doing Dylan's 'Like a Rolling Stone' at the Monterey International Pop Festival

and keeping the hendrix vibe going, Axiom Funk does a great cover of If 6 Was 9 on the Stealing Beauty soundtrack.


Also noteable: Frente's cover of New Order's 'Bizarre Love Triangle'

Tori Amos- Amazing Grace

By FAR Tool's cover of No Quarter by Zeppelin

...or NOT.

Pearl Jam- Baba O'Reily, Rockin' in the Free World, Last Kiss etc.

Dave Matthews- The Long Black Veil

just added another one to my list: Type O Negative doing the Beatles' Day Tripper.

No covers thread is complete without a mention of Killdozer.

One Tin Soldier

When you say nothing at all - Alison Kruss

Mine is the Cranberries's cover of Fleetwood Mac's Go Your Own Way