Covers that are better than the orignals: Part II

I heard the Dublin Gospel Choir's version of Mumford and Sons 'The Cave' for the first time today. It's a perfect example of a cover that's better than the original (see previous post). Mumford and Sons embody everything that is wrong with the 'nu-folk' movement with their stupid clothes and their stupid excessive use of the banjo and faux-folkness. But, they've written some good songs. I just can't listen to them because the band themselves are so annoying. This version makes it possible. So for anyone else out there who finds themselves strangely drawn to the song but can't bear to listen to it's creators sing it, here's an excellent alternative. What harmonising!

Covers that are better than the original

This could be controversial I know, but sometimes - just sometimes - someone does a cover of a song and raises it above whatever previous heights it had achieved. More often than not though, a really good cover is a song that wasn't very famous in it's original incarnation.

So, here goes...

Cyndi Lauper's version of Prince's 'When you were mine':

The Kill's version of The Velvet Underground's 'Pale blue eyes':

Jimi Hendrix's era defining version of Bob Dylan's (quite frankly boring) 'All along the watch-tower'. So seminal, that Dylan started playing Hendrix's version at concerts:

The White Stripes - 'I just don't know what to do with myself', first performed by Dusty Springfield:

Angus and Julia Stone's quiet version of 'You're the one that I want', sung by Olivia Newton John in Grease.

I REALLY want to put the McGarrigle's version of Loudon Wainwright's 'The Swimming Song' in this list but it's nowhere to be found.