For all those, I prefer the originals.

There are very few cover versions I prefer - Bowie's "Sorrow" is one.

99% of the time originals....

I've seen G n R do "Live n let die!" live many times and it's a far superior version.
LaBelle's version of Lady Marmalade was better IMO. I don't know the others and can't be arsed looking. Although Sweet could really rock when they wanted and Def Leppard couldn't.

I like both, but prefer Amy's.

Patti.  All the rest are crap.

It is nearly always the original for me.
But there are exceptions  -  I thought the film of Brokeback Mountain was equally as good as the short story from which it came.
In classical music, one may prefer a particular version because of the timbre of a certain voice or the shrillness of another.
In country music there is an old song called "Making Believe".
I have heard 6, 7, 8 0r so versions and I like them all. I think that is because I think the song is so good.

This is a version of Making Believe by Merle Haggard and George Jones.
They have both recorded it separately as solos, but here you can here them both singing the song, and - to my ears at least - both sounding good.  But then I like the song so much. (This version is pretty slow.)

both !!

some are best left to the original .... but some covers are better imo ..... whitney / I will always love you ... much better than the original ... Winehouse / Ronson, Valerie - much better .... Scissors / comfortably numb , much better (although I know, many would disagree )

SuBo / White horses .... better !

WHAT WHAT WHAT!!!!! 

Yes I'm afraid so. Sweet brought out a load of pop rubbish but one night we discovered B sides on the Juke Box. Def Leppard always seemed a bit watered down to me but I'm sure they are ok. I was brought up on early Black Sabbath and Deep Purple though.

Def Leppard are phenomenol, pheanomenal, feenominal .....really, really good.

Check out the song 'Animal'. Its 2 thumbs fresh

DON'T DISS DA DOLLY!!!!!!!!!!

Best cover ever...

SimonDog, bet you've been to Dollywood

totally agree with what GJ says 

Not yet

Oh my God how DARE you even SUGGEST All Saints and that Moulin Rouge gubbins could even go anywhere near the original

And the McCartney Live and Let Die will always be the best.

The only two covers I can think of (off the top of my headtop) are Paul Weller's version of 'Birds' (Neil Young did the original) and Adele 'To Make You Feel my Love' (Bob Dylan original).

If anyone ever tried to cover A Change is Gonna Come (Sam Cooke) and make it into some Stock Aitken and Waterman pop fizzled pile of crap I think I would have to hunt them down and hurt them. Repeatedly. Some things should never be attempted.

I like these both.

 Agree Karma

Whitney Houston sung "And I will always love you" with a fake emotion and warble in her voice.

Dolly's was heartbreakingly simple and had real emotion.
Same with Run...

Snow Patrol's put a tingle down my spine.
I just wanted to give Leona a cream pie in the face.

You see .................. it's all a matter of personal opinion

one mans pleasure is anothers poison

Ooooh, get you!! I wasn't saying nuffink about that one was better than the other, so check yourself before you wreck yourself Missy Elliot 

....saying that though IF I had to choose one over the original it would have been All Saints........*runs like hell*

Don't you get all wobbly head and pointy finger on ME sonny Jim. I never said you said the other versions were better, I was mortified that you would even want to make the comparison in the first place. So check yourself and correct yourself

Reference: Oh dear. *argument flatline*

I prefer originals.

This cover from Celine Dion (You shook me all night) voted the Worst cover


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lX75ggL4qBc

This is the big decision....


or

 

sorry Crunchy - has to be Aqua . The double entendre in their version is irresistible.

One of the few where the cover is better....

Neither.

Thank you, I almost scratched my own eyes out when I saw this cover.

Gotta be Naz, SB

Both brilliant.........no idea if Nina was the original singer of this, but little known factoid ......Anthony Newley co -wrote this song 

  The first one's crap.......the second one is pure class..........if that girl doesn't win.......the world is flat

   Rod's got a slight edge here.

Sorry Stoory - I prefer the Cat Stevens version. But then I am not a Rod fan.

In most cases it's the originals. There have been, howeve,r a very few instances where the cover was better.

Few and far between though.

On the odd occasion that the original and a cover are pretty equal. it is probably the one that you heard first or most that you will prefer.

I couldn't call this one