1. Jimi Hendrix - All Along The Watchtower
When it comes to cover songs that outshine the original this one is without a doubt the king of the mountain. Many people don't even know that this is originally a Bob Dylan song and those who do know most likely don't care enough to listen to the original. In Bob Dylan's hands All Along The Watchtower is just a song but in the hands of Hendrix it is a timeless statement. Even Bob Dylan himself has said that he prefers the Hendrix version to his own and that it is indeed the definitive version. Despite being the same song the two separate versions have very little in common. Dylan's version is a stripped down folk song and Jimi's version is a guitar driven, psychedelic rock anthem. Hendrix provided a musical backdrop to the Vietnam war and tapped in to an entire country's frustration for their government with his version. The guitar licks that Hendrix lays down on this track here are legendary and will continue to inspire people to pick up guitars and learn how to play for years to come. Jimi Hendrix wrote the book on how to outshine an original song with a cover of your own and he dropped jaws in the process. Hendrix's legacy lives on and will continue to live on through this song. Thanks for reading! Feel free to respond with any songs you feel outshined the original in the comments.