All over the airwaves these days is a cover of "The Boys of Summer" by the Ataris. Unfortunately, the band does almost nothing with Don Henley's classic except speeding up the tempo. Even most of Henley's original melodic ornaments are intact. This cover qualifies as the most useless I have heard in quite some time.

The best cover I have heard is that of "Been Caught Stealing," originally by Jane's Addiction, performed by Phish. The original is defined more by electric guitar noise than by any particular music notes and seems to be the least likely candidate for performance by an ensemble that includes piano. Phish managed to pull it off, adding to its impeccable credentials as the premier cover band of the last decade.