For that matter, while I’ve heard many covers I felt were as good as the original, I’ve heard relatively few I thought were better. Here are a few of them.

Manfred Mann, Blinded By the Light (Bruce Springsteen), probably already mentioned a dozen times.

Naked Eyes, Always Something There To Remind Me (Dionne Warwick) Warwick first recorded this song as a demo in 1963, then re-recorded it for full scale release in 1967, after several other artists had already had minor hits with it. It’s been covered many times, but Warwick and Naked Eyes are the standouts.

Tom Rush, Urge For Goin’ (Joni Mitchell), the only cover of a Joni Mitchell song by a male vocalist that I ever thought succeeded.

Jeff Beck, People Get Ready (Curtis Mayfield)

Beck’s guitar and Rod Stewart’s vocals take this one to a new level.

Jimi Hendrix, All Along the Watchtower (Bob Dylan), probably also already mentioned a dozen times. If the twenty-somethings I know personally are any indication, may well be the only Hendrix many of them have ever heard.

Molly Hatchet, Dreams I’ll Never See (The Allman Brothers)

The Allmans were the only southern rock band I ever cared much for, but Molly Hatchet did them justice.

Yes, America (Simon & Garfunkel), Every Little Thing (The Beatles), Everydays (Buffalo Springfield)

I couldn’t decide which of the three I liked the best, so I included all of them.

I realize all of these examples are fairly old, but then, so am I.