I think this could be an interesting thread. I'm not concerned about quantity, I'm looking for quality.

1. What are the best ever covers of Beatles songs?

2. What are the best ever covers of Dylan songs?

3. Whose songbook of covers is more impressive?

Please play nice...

Let me start out with "All Along The Watchtower" by Jimi Hendrix. It's my favorite Dylan cover and I don't think any Beatles cover can touch it. Not even "Ticket To Ride" by The Carpenters.

Let me start out with "All Along The Watchtower" by Jimi Hendrix. It's my favorite Dylan cover and I don't think any Beatles cover can touch it. Not even "Ticket To Ride" by The Carpenters.

You are actually proving my point the Beatles songs are the definitive versions. Jimi Hendrix covered Sgt Pepper three days after the song was released. People could vastly improve over what Bob Dylan did.

Hmm Yesterday alone has over 3,000 covers. The Beatles songs are covered from anyone from jazz to blues to classical music.

This thread has nothing to do with the debate on the Survivor thread.

There are no points to be proved. I'm just curious which songwriters' work has produced the deepest and most varied collection of quality covers.

Your point seems to be the Dylan has an unfair advantage because his originals are so weak. Maybe so, but it could also be argued that quality covers are an indicator of influence. I mean, who really cares how many schlocky versions of Yesterday have been churned out during the 1960 in a grab for the almighty dollar? But I don't want to get dragged down into the muck of an unproductive debate. I'm just looking for some good cover tunes here. Seriously.

Let's just start naming off good cover tunes!

Just to show you I can be fair and balanced, here's a good Beatles cover:

Don't Let Me Down by Dillard & Clark. Hard to find, but quality.

Another great Beatles cover is "I'm Looking Through You" by Steve Earle.

I think Dylan wins this contest overall...

...but the best Beatles cover has just got to be the Feelies' version of "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey." (And "Paint It, Black" on the same album is the best Stones cover.)

George Harrison covered "If Not For You" by Bob Dylan.

Has Dylan ever performed a Lennon/McCartney song? (I'm sure it would be a total disaster but I'm just curious.)

This will be my last post on this thread. I promise.

Paul this is a losing debate. Just recently Sgt Pepper's was covered by modern rock artists. They were amazed at how the songs were recorded on four track equipment. Across the Universe was another Beatles covers project. You have everyone from Dream Theater to Pearl Jam to the Killers playing the Beatles songs on tour.

I agree generally people make better cover versions of Dylan songs than the Beatles. Has it occurred to you why people don't make better cover versions of Stones songs or Hendrix songs. Maybe they were better than the artists who recorded the cover songs.

I agree Dylan wins this contest overall. The reason is you could give another person a Dylan song you could improve on the song arrangements or alter the melody. With the Beatles it's a tall order to improve upon the Beatles melodies, vocals or arrangements. They had much more going on musically and vocally than Dylan.

OK you Beatlemaniacs: At least give Bob SOME credit! Here is the line that prompted me to create this thread: "The Beatles are covered a hell of lot more than Dylan. No one is clamoring for Dylan songbook."

I think you've both now admitted that Dylan wins the contest for having the most impressive pile of covers. Spin it however you want, but AT LEAST admit that somebody is clamoring for the Dylan songbook.

There's no reason why we all can't just get along. Bob's competence does not take anything away from the majesty that is the Beatles.

The Beatles are covered a hell of lot more than Dylan. No one is clamoring for Dylan songbook."

Yes I said it but my comment on the last part is everyone in the music industry wants the Beatles song catalog. I admit that others have made better cover versions of Dylan songs. It's more of the Beatles brilliance that their songs are not interpeted that well. Two great covers Stevie Wonder We Can Work It Out and Joe Cocker With A Little Help From My Friends. I am missing the NCAA Basketball title game for this. See ya.

Would it help if I brought up the chocolate/peanut butter analogy again?

Has Dylan ever performed a Lennon/McCartney song? (I'm sure it would be a total disaster but I'm just curious.)

I'm pretty sure Dylan hasn't issued a Beatles cover on CD or vinyl, but there's a quite decent bootleg in existence on which he plays Yesterday together with Harrison. I wouldn't be surprised if he's done a Beatles cover in concert, too, although he mainly covers old (I mean even older ) standards.

As for the original point of this thread, which I thought was "name excellent covers" rather than "knock either Dylan or the Beatles": The Byrds' rendition of Mr Tambourine Man is pretty damn flawless, methinks.

Don't make me go on a chocolate rant again.

Most of the "I'm Not There" soundtrack were brilliant covers, but my favorite is probably "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" by Guns 'N' Roses. "Just Like A Woman" by Richie Havens isn't too shabby either.

And seriously, how many bands get covered before they even release the song themselves?

Oh, and here's 21.000 more covers:

http://www.baseportal.com/cgi-bin/baseportal.pl?htx=/dylancov/main

Oops, sorry for posting 3 times but I meant to say "but my favorite one that isn't mentioned yet" is probably..". Because a few of the covers mentioned are in my top 400 and "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" isn't.

http://beatlecovers.com/ seems to have Beatles covers listed, but I cannot find a number somewhere. I can't be bothered to count them all, but if someone wants to do we can get to the end of this discussion.

They seem to have 'only' 400 covers of Yesterday listed though, so either it's an incomplete database or the 3000 is highly exaggerated.

Fiona Apple - "Across The Universe"
The Byrds - "Mr. Tambourine Man"

Steve Cropper's version of Joe Cocker's version of "With A Little Help From My Friends" is a great example of somebody covering a cover.

"Helter Skelter" by Siouxsie & The Banshees is another of the best Beatles covers, along with William Shatner's "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds"

As for Dylan, I have recording of The Beatles doing Subterranean Homesick Blues which is quite fun


At the opposite end of the scale I once saw a tribute album (I forget the artist name) covering the BeeGees/Frampton "Sgt Pepper" soundtrack album. It's not often that seeing a record scares me, but that one did it.

That Shatner cover was voted worst Beatles cover of all time, beating Pinky And Perky, Will Young and Damon Hill.

I always liked the Breeders menacing version of "Happiness is a Warm Gun".

And my favorite Dylan cover was The Chocolate Watchband's "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue". The 13th Floor Elevator's version is a good one too.

Stephan not to get into this the Dylan covers include multiple cover versions of the same song by the same artist.

I mean how many versions of Something was recorded by Frank Sinatra live. Yesterday was recorded by 3,000 different artists including Dylan himself. It's listed on the Guiness Book of Records as the most covered song by a pop artist.

Oh, you're right. I didn't look at the lists on the website, just copied the number on the main page. I figured it was a little huge, but hey.. could be.

Joe Cocker's version of With A Little Help From My Friends is probably at least as well known as The Beatles' version with Ringo on lead vocals, and is a pretty terrific adaptation.

I also like Joan Osborne's version of Dylan's The Man In The Long Black Coat.

Yeah, but that's only because of the Wonder Years. Without that show it would be pretty obscure I think. Maybe not obscure but everyone and their brother wouldn't know the song.

It did still make it to #1 in the UK in 1968...

Never seen the Wonder Years, always loved the Joe Cocker version (I even want it played at my funeral)

Eeveryone knows it from the Woodstock movie

Michelle- I think went number one in England in 1966 by another artist

Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds- Elton John went number one in America.

A World Without Love- Peter & Gordon went number one in America 1964

I admit there is some great covers of Dylan namely the Byrds and Hendrix. The Stones did a lousy cover of Like A Rolling Stone.

How about the Stones cover of I Wanna Be Your Man?

World Without Love wasn't a cover, it's a song Lennon/McCartney gave away. I have a bootleg album of all of the songs they gave away and oh boy are some of those bad. A few great ones but a whole lot of awful.

World Without Love is still a Lennon McCartney song. What is the criteria here? Too bad you can't count Twist and Shout they basically owned that song.

Aerosmith- Come Together
Frank Zappa- I am the Walrus
Led Zeppelin- I Saw Here Standing There

Alright, here's a tracklist of songs the Beatles gave away.

From the Internet Beatles Album Reference Library:

1. I'll Be On My Way (Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas) (04/26/63)
2. Bad To Me (Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas) (07/26/63) Both of the latter songs were produced by George Martin.
3. Tip Of My Tongue (Tommy Quickly) (07/30/63)
4. Hello Little Girl (The Fourmost) (08/30/63) Produced by George Martin
5. Love Of The Loved (Cilla Black) (09/27/63) Produced by George Martin
6. I'll Keep You Satisfied (Billy J. Kramer/Dakotas) (11/11/63) Produced by George Martin
7. I'm In Love (The Fourmost) (11/15/63) Produced by George Martin
8. World Without Love (Peter & Gordon) (02/28/64)
9. Like Dreamers Do (The Applejacks) (05/05/64)
10. One And One Is Two (The Strangers & Mike Shannon) (05/08/64)
11. Nobody I Know (Peter & Gordon) (05/27/64)
12. From A Window (Billy J. Kramer/Dakotas) (07/17/64) Produced by George Martin (McCartney was present at time of recording, though he is given no credit in the production.)
13. It's For You (Cilla Black) (07/31/64) Produced by George Martin
14. I Don't Want To See You Again (Peter & Gordon) (09/11/64)
15. That Means A Lot (P.J. Proby) (09/17/65)
16. You've Got To Hide Your Love Away (The Silkie) (09/20/64) Produced by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. (This song wasn't really given away because it did appear on the HELP! LP/CD/CS with The Beatles performing it. But I included this version (the song is performed by a British folk-rock band) because both John and Paul produced it together without George Martin's help, and, furthermore, McCartney played rhythm on the blessed thing.)
17. Woman (Peter & Gordon) (02/11/66)
18. Got To Get You Into My Life (Cliff Bennett and the Rebels) (08/05/66) Like entry #16, this is of interest because it was produced by Paul McCartney, and was released the same day as the REVOLVER LP in the U.K.
19. Theme From The Family Way (The George Martin Orchestra) (12/23/66) Produced by George Martin
20. Catcall (The Chris Barber Band) (10/20/67) (Paul is present at this session and can be heard among the chorus in the songs' wild ending.)
21. Step Inside Love (Cilla Black) (03/08/68) Produced by George Martin
22. Thingumybob (John Fosters and Sons LTD. Black Dyke Mills Band) (09/06/68) Produced by Paul McCartney
23. Badge (Cream) (02/05/69) (This song was written by George Harrison and Eric Clapton)
24. Sour Milk Sea (Jackie Lomax) (03/21/69) Produced and written by George Harrison. The song also features George, Paul, and Ringo backing up Lomax as a band.
25. Goodbye (Mary Hopkin) (03/28/69) Produced by Paul McCartney, who also plays guitar.
26. Penina (Carlos Mendes) (07/18/69)
27. Come And Get It (Badfinger) (12/05/69)