Worst & Best cover songs?

worst-clapton covering his own layla unplugged comes to mind..

Isn't that everything they've done?

Isn't that everything they've done?

Except they jack up the self-pity while abandoning the drama.

Worst:
Simple Minds - "Love Will Tear Us Apart"
Kate Bush - "Rocket Man"
Billy Idol - "Heroin"

Bis doing "Love Will Tear Us Apart."
Bis doing "Stray Cat Blues."
New Order doing "Sister Ray" (live, the Glastonbury '87 version is shamblingly glorious)
Tori Amos doing "Thank You." (which tops the original, i think)
Lou Reed doing "This Magic Moment"
Salt Lake featuring Waka doing "Ceremony" (yes, the JD/NO one)
Sugiurumn doing "World in Motion" (this and "Ceremony" are from Re:Movement, and the best part of this particular cover is that it takes out all the lyrics but the chorus, thus making it a FAR more listenable song than the original! XD)
Dead Can Dance doing "I Am Stretched On Your Grave"
Hi-Posi doing "Video Killed the Radio Star"
Lolita No. 18 doing "Video Killed The Radio Star"
Mummy the Peepshow doing "This Charming Man"
Cibo Matto doing "Black Hole Sun"
Johnny Cash doing "Hurt"
Johnny Cash doing "Rusty Cage"
Marilyn Manson doing "I Put a Spell On You"
Smashing Pumpkins doing "Never Let Me Down Again"

and i wholeheartedly second the mention of Ground Zero doing "El Derecho de Vivir en Paz."

worst:

some TERRIBLE techno-y cover of "Take On Me" that makes me want to gouge my eyes out
Bis doing "Hurt" (it's too close to trying to sound like the original; this is exactly the opposite of why i like their version of "Love Will Tear Us Apart" so much. and i heart Bis muchly, in general.)
Britney Spears doing "I Love Rock N'Roll"
any of the bits you hear during those KidzBop commercials make me wanna gouge my eardrums out with rusty knitting needles...
that AWFUL "I'll Be Missing You" thing for Biggie Smalls...

The Collapsed Lung version of "Connected" by Elastica
The Frente version of "Not Given Lightly" by Chris Knox
The John Cale version of "Hallelujah" by Leanord Cohen (I know people like the Buckley version but compare the two - Buckleys sucks boobs)
The Superchunk version of "Brand New Love" by Sebadoh
The Johnny Cash version of "The Mercy Seat" by Nick Cave
The Shirokuma cover of "Dead" by the Pixies
The Lali Puna version of "Together in Electric Dreams" by Giorgio Moroder
The Kirstie MacColl version of "A New England" by Billy Bragg
The Gary Jules version of "Mad World" by Tears for Fears
The Faith no More version of "War Pigs" by Black Sabbath
The Snuff version of "I think we're alone now" by Tiffany or whoever did it first
The Pet Shop Boys version of "Where the Streets have no name" by U2
The William Burroughs version of "Star me Kitten" by REM
The Pixies cover of "I can't forget" by Leonard Cohen
The Squarepusher version of "Love will tear us apart" by Joy Division
The Strawberry Switchblade version of "Jolene" by Dolly Parton
The Dinosaur Jr version of "Hot Burrito #2" by Gram Parsons
The Divine Comedy version of "Untitled" by Edywn Collins
The Gram Parsons version of "Wild horses" by the Rolling Stones

WORST
Counting Crows "Big Yellow Taxi". Boob suckage.

'nother nomination for worst, which in all honesty seems painfully obvious: Whitney Houston's cover of "I Will Always Love You."

*inserts generic reference to cats in heat, nails on chalkboards, fava beans & chianti, etc.*

Bad:
The Divine Comedy's Life On Mars (Bowie)

So Bad It's Great:
Take That's Another Brick In The Wall with Jason Orange on vocals. I only saw that on a tape of one of their live concerts when I was in grade school, and I desperately want an mp3 of it. Damn!

-
Bryan Ferry - All Tomorrow's Parties
John Lennon - Stand By Me
Massive Attack - Light My Fire
Rod Stewart - Have I Told You Lately

BEST COVERS:
"It's Not Unusual" by Tom Jones as covered by the Wedding Present
"Land of Treason" by the Germs as covered by Die Kreuzen
"(Get a) Grip (On Yourself)" by the Stranglers as covered by Prong
"Supernaut" by Black Sabbath as covered by 1000 Homo Dj's
"Loose" by the Stooges as covered by Cop Shoot Cop (bootleg only)
"Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak as covered by H.I.M (His Infernal Majesty)

WORST COVERS:
"White Punks On Dope" by the Tubes as covered by Motley Crue
"Helter Skelter" by the Beatles as covered by Motley Crue
"A Million Miles Away" by the Plimsouls as butchered by the GooGooDolls

Some bad ones:
Van Halen - You Really Got Me
U2 - All Along the Watchtower
Bowie - Across the Universe

I agree that Devo's cover of Satisfaction rocks hard, loved the video.

High Llamas version of Frankly Mr. Shankly removed the sweet bassline and changed the melody, but I still loved it.

The Soft Boys cover of that VU song, uhmmm... shit, can't remember. I liked it, they made it funky.

I loved Bowie's cover of the pixies, but Papa Roach anally raped Gouge Away.

Every cover Johnny Cash has done has rocked. All punk/ska covers ever have sucked hard.

bad:
U2 "Helter Skelter"
Motley Crue "Anarchy in the UK" oh and err, "Helter Skelter"
Megadeth "Anarchy in the UK"

good:
Fiona Apple "Across the Universe"
Petula Clark "Homeward Bound"
Johnny Cash "I See A Darkness"

Worst: Marilyn Manson's anal-raping of "Sweet Dreams"

Best: The Byrds' "Mr. Tambourine Man", which did actually manage to provide a great song with what was needed to prove it was actually a great song (the original never quite worked out).

Johnny Winter - Silver Train, Jumpin Jack Flash
Elvis Presley - Hound Dog, That's Alright Mama
Bruce Springsteen - Trapped, Detroit Medley (Jenny Take a Ride)
The Clash - I Fought the Law
Rod Stewart - Cut Across Shorty
Joy Division - Sister Ray

Worst? Right now it's got to be Celine's "I Drove All Night" - terrible.

Camper Van Beethoven totally re-recorded Fleetwood Mac's
_Tusk_. It's a rough document, but easily surpasses the
original.

In the negative territory,
ELP's classical covers really suck compared to the
originals. And the _I Am Sam_ soundtrack is very bland,
with the participants sticking closely to the original
arrangements. Hate that!

cucumbah cucumbah c-c-c-c-cabbage.

Best: Moog Cookbook, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
Worst: Widespread Panic

"Mrs. Robinson" by the Lemonheads is cool, too.

Oh, yeah... David Lee Roth doing "Just A Gigolo" and "California Girls" always brings back memories...