What’s the greatest cover version of all time?

Paul Elliott
·1 min read
50
A guitarist playing an acoustic guitar.
A guitarist playing an acoustic guitar.

Cover versions are a rite of passage for every guitar player learning their craft – but whose guitar-based cover is the greatest of them all?

That’s the question we want you to answer.

So many legendary guitarists have created magic in their recordings of other artists’ songs.

Eric Clapton did it multiple times – as a solo artist and as a member of The Yardbirds, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Cream and Derek and the Dominos.

And, for sheer bravery, who could match Stevie Ray Vaughan in his prime as he reinterpreted landmark tracks by Hendrix, Steve Wonder and more?

In recent years, we’ve had all kinds of guitarists doing all kinds of amazing things with songs old and new – from St. Vincent reinventing Metallica’s Sad But True to Mike Dawes’ brilliant acoustic version of Van Halen’s Jump.

So here at Total Guitar we’ve drawn up a list of more than 100 classic cover versions to choose from. And if your personal favourite isn’t listed, simply nominate it in the box marked ‘Other’. We promise to count every vote!

The poll ends on Friday May 31, and the results will be revealed in the August issue of Total Guitar (issue 386) – on sale July 2.