I have always had a fascination with cover songs. Just my opinion, but I believe an artist successfully covers a song when they put their own unique stamp on it, while staying true to the spirit of the original recording.
There are literally thousands of covers, so I am not even going to pretend these are the tops of all-time. They just happen to be some of my current favorites. Please share your favorites, and if you can post a video or provide us with a link, so much the better.
1. Tom Jones and New Model Army — Gimme Shelter (The Rolling Stones): This song has been redone many times by many artists, but this version is incredible. I love the way the replaced the guitar riffs with the harmonica. (The actual video starts at the two minute mark. Everything up until then is an interview)
2. The Lemonheads — Luka (Suzanne Vega): This band also did a great cover of Mrs. Robinson. Evan Dando rocks.
3. Anvil with Franky Perez — Slip Kid (The Who): This first appeared on the Sons of Anarchy. I am a big fan of The Who, but in all honesty I like this version the best.