These types of lists can get very dangerous. One persons treasure is another persons trash I guess. I like a lot of covers better than the originals though. Most of Johnny Cash' covers I find better than the originals (even the Beatles and Dylan), and Nirvana's Unplugged album beats most of the originals too. Yet, I consider just about anyone who's covered Queen, GN'R, NIN, Fleetwood Mac and some of my favorite bands to fall way short on quality when compared to the original. There is nothing wrong with them, but it's hard to see them as better as something you grew up on and loved from the start. But I will add...

Manfred Mann Earth Band - Blinded by the Light. It just ROCKS!! And I don't even know if Bruce Springsteen fans like the original, or how many people even know it was origanaly Springsteen's song.