The best covers of 2010 (by non-cover bands), all free and legal, from Archive.org.  Support the Archive!  It’s awesome!

25.  For #25, see #1.

24.  Marie-Caitlin Rose (Randy Newman)

23.  I Know You Rider-Akron Family (Traditional)

22.  Beast of Burden-Big Head Todd and the Monsters (Rolling Stones)

21.  Everyone Ona Move/Billie Jean-Spearhead (Michael Jackson).  Michael Franti’s band is the best live band you’ve never heard of.  Truly.

20.  From a Buick 6-Deadstring Brothers (Bob Dylan)

19.  All in the Pack>Foggy Notion>I Fought the Law>All in the Pack-The Gourds (Velvet Underground/Sonny Curtis)

18.  The Man in Me-Cracker (Bob Dylan)

17.  Small Swift Birds-Cowboy Junkies (My Morning Jacket).  Margo and co. have started doing quite a few MMJ covers this year.  It’s pretty neat.

16.  Delta Dawn-Drive-By Truckers with Kelly Hogan (Larry Collins/Alex Harvey)* True confession time: The Helen Reddy of this song is permanently wedged in my skull.  I often wake up to it ringing between my ears.

15.  Dear Prudence-Carbon Leaf (Beatles)

14.  3 Little Birds-Jack Johnson (Bob Marley).  No, Jack Johnson isn’t an adventurous performer and this isn’t a groundbreaking cover, but I like it.

13.  Wild World-Ben Sollee (Cat Stevens).  An odd version….But purty cool.

12.  Wasted Days and Wasted Nights-Meat Puppets (Freddie Fender)

11.  Nazi Punks Fuck Off-Ted Leo (Dead Kennedys).  I like Ted because he picks cool bands to cover.

10.  A Swingin’ Party-And You Will Know Us By The Trail of the Dead (Replacements)

9.  Wake Up > Keep Your Lamp Trimmed & Burning > Jesus Gonna Make Up My Dyin’ Bed-Andrew  Bird (Traditionals)

9.  White Riot-Camper Van Beethoven (The Clash).  CvB have been doing this song forever, and it continues to kick the ass.

8.  Instant Karma-White Rabbits and Britt Daniel of Spoon (John Lennon)

7.  Creep-Blues Traveler (Radiohead)

6.  I Believe in a Thing Called Love-Hayseed Dixie (Darkness).  Remember how cool The Darkness were for a brief moment in time?

5.  Rockin’ In the Free World-Backyard Tire Fire (Neil Young).  Another common cover, but I love this song.

4.  All the Young Dudes-Alejandro Escovedo (David Bowie).  Yeah, Escovedo has been doing this song for years.  And he’s still way better than most whippersnappers out there.

3.  A Fifth of Beethoven-Animal Liberation Orchestra (Walter Murphy).  Disco funk!

2.  United States/Star Spangled Banner/Moby Dick-Smashing Pumpkins (Francis Scott Key/Led Zeppelin).  Mostly it’s cool to hear these guys rock the fuck out.

1.  Don’t Stop Believin’-Josh Ritter (Journey).  Yeah. Tons of people do Journey.  Now Josh does, too.  And Josh is way cool.  So this is number one.  He also did another cool song (this one: Money for Nothin’-Josh Ritter (Dire Straits)) but I kinda settled on one song per performer.