Matt Pond PA's covers 4 songs on his Winter Songs EP are better than the originals (IMHO):

• 'Winterlong' (Neil Young)
• 'I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight' (Richard & Linda Thompson)
• 'In The Aeroplane Over The Sea' (Neutral Milk Hotel)
• 'Holiday Road' (Lindsey Buckingham)

Actually ANY cover of a Neil Young song is better than the original

 meower wrote: 
Again, not better, but really outstanding.

Terence Trent D'arby 'Change is Gonna Come'

I know that may seem like blasphemy, but Sam Cooke would be proud.

I like Thems (Van Morrison)'s version of "It's all over baby blue" better than Bob Dylan's original or any of the 15 or so other covers of it I've heard though it was supposedly written by Dylan about Joan Baez and she did a cover also.

not better but as good

aimee mann - the scientist

pretenders ~  everyday is like sunday

I like "The Fools" Psycho Chicken parody way better than the Talking Heads "Psycho Killer"

 marko86 wrote: 

I love the Gourds, sadly my fav from them did not make the main; Gangsta Lean, but their cover of this hip-hop classic is wonderful!

Iron Horse - Wherever I may Roam and Unforgiven      Hell, the whole Metallica tribute album is better than Metallica!

Swati - I'm on fire

That song about the midway, Bonnie Raitt

vs. Joni Mitchell, who I love, but it seems to me a smackdown! 

The Gourds - Gin And Juice

Someone mentioned Annie Lennox. That whole cd was great (Medusa), esecially "Should I stay or go". I liked how she took songs to a different place.

I am reminded of the idea I had for 3 CD compilation of the same songs on each cd but different/diverse covers. Some songs are just so great that they lend themselves well to intepretations. I guess that would Song Standards, but who decides what's a standard? Hmmm, another thread perhaps. Might actually make a good group project.

I saw Cindi Lauper do Joni Mitchell's Carrie Get Out Your Cane during a tribute to Joni and she flat stole the song.  Really good job.

Anne and Nancy Wilson also did a killer version of Misty Mountain Hop I think at a Rock and Roll Hall of fame show. Killer.

And Concrete Blond's version of Everybody Knows, espicially live, is the whip.

 islander wrote: 
Actually that whole Has Been album rocked out loud! Shatner = Genius

 islander wrote: 
Oh YEAH. That version rocked amazingly. I love love love it. Thanks to Bill for playing it.

 islander wrote: 
If he Shats near here he'll have to clean it up.

 islander wrote: 
Agreed.  And I like the original a great deal.

 islander wrote: 

Shatner - Common people. WAY better than the original.

 oldslabsides wrote: 
I hear ya, but there is just something about a really poor recording of nothing but an elderly black man, a guitar and maybe a harmonica, tellin' you about his day.

Jethro Tull's 'Look Into the Sun' by Paul Sonnenberg (amazing self-harmonies and soaring ending!)