Stairway to Heaven- Zepplin and ruined by Harris.

Eloise - Barry Ryan V's The Damned.  For me definitely The Damned.

Talking Heads - Drugs vs This Mortal Coil - Drugs

Winner: Talking Heads, but I do like the version by TMC.

BTW, this was the song (along with Electric Guitar) that made me buy the album.

There have been loads of cover versions of Hallelujah ....but I still prefer the Jeff Buckley one .

You lot have w-a-y too much time on yer hands

Definitely 

EC I agree, this mortal coils version was too spiky.

You Shook me All Night Long 

AC/DC V's Shania Twain. 

Need I answer, Shania should have been shot.

Gloria Jones - Tainted Love

vs

Coil - Tainted Love

Winner: Coil, just.

 Shania should have been shot.

Never a truer word spoken.

Al green vs Tina Turnip - Let's Stay Together.

She can thank the Heaven 17 boys for reigning her in but Al knocks her into a cocked hat.

And yes, Shania should be shot for lots of reasons 

In defence of Rolf (and goodness knows, you won't hear that very often at the moment...  ), his cover version was "commissioned" by an Australian TV show called "The Money or the Gun". It had a regular feature where a band or artist would perform a "jokey" version of "Stairway to Heaven" in an unusual style. There was over 20 versions in total, and Rolf's arguably wasn't the strangest...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T...tairway_to_Heaven.22

"With a Little Help from My Friends" - The Beatles vs. Joe Cocker

For me: no contest. IMO, Cocker's rendition isn't just a great version of that song, but one of the greatest-ever cover versions period. The Beatles, on the other hand, were hampered by being - as Bill Hicks put it - "so high they let Ringo sing a couple of tunes"...

Love, love ,lurve, the Gloria Jones, tainted love.

How about the baseballs v Rhi rhi' umbrella'?

Caro, lovely Caro...

Beatles v's Al Green.      Gotta love Al!

Absolutely right I felt like that about Leona Lewis when she covered Run

Wonderwall - Oasis V's The Mike Flowers Pops

The Mike Flowers Pops - because it's so hilarious

I admit to liking both versions of 'run' snow patrol is the more moving, But I do like Leona's version too, it's about the only song she's done that I do like..

Mike Flowers was just so funny.

That's funny, I posted that in the music thread very recently.

Nice coincidence.

...and yes, I prefer MFP's version.

Cracking thread, btw, Cinds.

That's Entertainment

The Jam vs Morrissey

Thank you, but I should also give GJ some of the credit as it was a little chat we had about 45's that got me thinking about cover versions.

'Down in the Park'

(Gary Numan) Tubeway Army vs Foo Fighters

As much as I like the FF's version, I've had GN's version in my al time fave songs for decades. So on this GN takes it for me.

I recall seeing an interview with Rolf Harris at the time in which he claimed to have never heard the Led Zeppelin original before recording his own version.

Synths vs Strings

Kraftwerk vs The Balanescu Quartet

"The Robots"

The good.

The excellent.

And the horrible.

Jarvis v's William Shatner     (I love this)

The Merseys scored a No.4 hit with their (cover) version of "Sorrow" in 1966 - David Bowie reached No.3 with his version (the only single released from his Pin Ups album) in 1973.

Which is the better version?

'Smells Like Teen Spirit'

Nirvana vs Tori Amos

Is that him singing? I think probably not, brilliant version though.

I love  Jarvis.

I'm liking Morrisey doing 'That's Entertainment'    

I think it's Ben Folds and Joe Jackson doing the actually singing, J