I agree. I remember hearing he was going to cover it and had hopes for it because I love the original, but his rendition sucks. I saw Yes in concert do a cover of Purple Haze that was pretty badass.
If I wrote the laws: 1. Thou shalt not re-record a major hit from an artist, and release it as a single of your own. ex. Madonna's American Pie 2. "Karaoke covers" of well-known songs are to be despised. ex. Jessica Simpson covering Berlin, any Britney Spears cover. 3. Should you cover a well-known song (live), it should be re-imagined in a significant way. ex. Bruce Hornsby cover of Comfortably Numb 4. The other acceptable (live) cover category is making an obscure but brilliant song known to your audience. DMB cover of The Maker (Daniel Lanois) 5. Reimagined covers of lesser known songs are acceptable for studio work. ex. Zeppelin's When the Levee Breaks
Another example: the big band versions of Whipping Post and I Am the Walrus. <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/exvCE1vbMlQ&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/exvCE1vbMlQ&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> There are several great Beatles covers by this band.
Completely agree- that has to be the ultimate example of a cover song surpassing the original (Dylan said so himself). Other nominees: 1. The Clash- I Fought The Law 2. The Eagles- Take It Easy 3. The Rolling Stones- Love in Vain 4. Santana- Black Magic Woman 5. Marvin Gaye- Heard It Through the Grapevine 6. Led Zeppelin- Gallows Pole 7. Lynyrd Skynyrd- Call Me The Breeze 8. Van Halen- You Really Got Me (although The Kinks version is just as good) 9. Talking Heads- Take Me to the River 10. Living Color- Memories Can't Wait
