I'd have to say the Man In Black covering Will Oldhams I See a Darkness...very dark, very moving

James Iha doing the Cures On A Night Like This - not sure if it's as a solo song or part of the Pumpkins but his voice just sounds so strange and wonderful. Hadn't heard this song before but now it's one of my favourite Cure songs.

Isaac Hayes doing Jimmy Webbs By The Time I Get To Phoenix. Possibly my favourite soul track. Chef talks in that great voice for about 5 minutes about a man being cheated on by his wife but he just can't leave her. Quite cheesy in a way but if you stick it out its worth it. When he gets to the part about the guy finally leaving, the band kicks in and......WOW!! I cannot recommend this highly enough.....oh and I suppose Glen Campbell also covering Jimmy Webb on the definitive version of Wichita Lineman

Emmylou Harris covering Dylans Every Grain Of Sand on her fantastic Wrecking Ball album. What a voice.

Mark Kozelek's sombre slow version of the Kiss rocker Shock Me.

There are soooo many.

Stevie's Wonder's cover of We Can Work It Out.

Tina and Ike's cover of Come Together is just astounding.

The Cowboy Junkies's version of Viva Las Vegas is so steely... it's fab.

Queen of Japan covering KISS "I was made for loving you"

Not "better" than, but "just as good", which is quite a feat considering the song in question: Piney Gir covering "My Generation" by The Who, wees all over Green Days uninspired version anyday. Listen here: http://www.pineygir.com/music

now, im not sayin this is better than the original, but it is f**king good, love the squealing horn thing!

its marc ronson remixing dylan's "most likely you'll go your way and ill go mine" well worth checking out

http://youtube.com/watch?v=oCeKkJlMJDQ

I'm still up in the air with this one, not sure if it's better but definatley just as good.

Proud Mary CCR, cover Tina Turner.

CCR doin heard through the grape vine....excellent.....

Albert Nyland's cover of Wuthering Heights is pretty good.

I'd agree with the very first post about Jeff Buckley's version of Hallelujah though. It has to be the ultimate example of a cover being better than the original.

Nouvelle Vague, however, are w*nk IMHO.

Haven't heard it but I will be chasing that down fairly lively.

I'm so sick of Jeff Buckley's Hallelujah; all those buskers have turned me off it.

Soft Cell's 'Tainted Love', on the other hand, is a fantastic cover version. And Elliot Smith's 'Because' is a wonderful Beatles cover.

I must be about the only person in the world who likes the original version of Tainted Love better, I was watching something about it on TV ages ago, Pop Years I think, one of those "pundit" type shows and even the singer who did the original version reckons the Soft Cell version is better!

I clearly have no taste.

The Observer magazine today has a feature on the said subject.

Bryan Ferry covering Bob Dylans 'Positively 4th Street'. Miles better.

William Shatner, lucy in the sky with diamonds....

Another cover by Saint Etienne that's better than the original: "Kiss and Make up", original by The Field Mice.

No no no no no are you mad?

Lots of good ones mentioned there. I like The Sea & Cake's cover of "Sound and Vision" but i'd be hard pressed to say it's better than the original which is probably my favourite Bowie song ever! Speaking of the Thin White Duke he does a cool cover of "I'm Waiting for my Man."

Lady Blacksmith Mumbazo and Des'ree - Ain't No Sunshine

Bowies guilty of some horrible crimes against cover versions. God Only Knows, Across the Universe, Port of Amtserdam...bleauch! His VU covers aren't a patch on the origianls either (although Queen Bitch is a great VU-style song)

I do like 'Lets Spend the Night Together' though

Ryan Adams puts the listenability back into Wonderwall.

Shirley Bassey's "Light My Fire". Seriously.