ok, here we go:

Bob Dylan - This is jut how music should be.  So real, so emotional.  I mean you feel like you can identify with him when he's singing this.

Eric Clapton - I like the song, but being that i need to compare versions, i think this may be a little too fun compared to what i think it should be.

Randy Crawford - Ok, not who i was expecting, lol (I think I was picturing Randy Neuman).  She's smiling while she's singing it and it's driving me nuts.  The music is nice.  However, I don't think she gets the song.

Guns N Roses - This is my favorite version musically and the reason it's probably my favorite remake.  There are times when I like Axl's singing of this as it evokes the right emotions.  Then he goes "hey hey hey hey yeah" and i think are you making fun of the song?

Selig - Ok, I was digging it until he went falsetto.  What the BLEEP was that?!?!?  It just totally ruined the song.  That pisses me off so much I'm declining to comment further on their version.

Avril Lavigne - Wow.  Not what I was expecting at all.  She sings it like she gets it.  This is NOT a happy dancey song.  This is an emotional song.  I don't think she changed the music at all, but her singing of the song just blew me away.  By far my new favorite remake of the song.  I just added it to my list of songs to get as a matter of fact.

Ok now for the voting... from worst to first:

In the compost heap buried under last weeks fecal matter - Selig

5 - Randy Newman  (STOP SMILING!)
4 - Eric Clapton  (Nice but just seems too fun)
3 - Guns N Roses  (A little less Axl, a little more Slash)

can I just vote for a tie?  you know, give a half a vote to each?  No?  uggghh... ok

2 - Bob Dylan  (I cannot believe I just typed that)

which means my vote goes to

1 - Avril Lavigne

I think I may just be on an emotional high from listening to her version.  I may come to my senses at any moment and want to change my vote, but something about the surprise and appreciation of the treatment of the song makes me need to give her props in the form of my vote.  But to be honest I can listen to eithr version all day long.  If Bob could still sing like that I'd like to hear them sing it together.

Writing as it comes..

Bob Dylan:
Nothing much to add. Great song, great feeling. Rhythm is great, fast enough to not be sleepy, slow enough to be devout.

Eric Clapton:
Feels good, I always liked the style he had, and he made a nice interpretation of the original.

Randy Crawford:
Please make it stop! Uff, thanks... She has a great voice, but honestly this Jazz/Gospel/Dylan mixture doesn't work out at all.

Guns N' Roses:
Oi. No. The music is ok, but I don't like the vocals. Too much unfitting decoration elements, and the strident backvocals make it sound weird.

Selig:
Interesting cover, I like the way they turned the feel, and though the use of the echoing is a bit weird at first, it integrates well into their version.

Avril Lavigne:
Sounds ok. Freshly simple, like the girl-next-door singing this in her room and playing the guitar herself. Nothing that knocks me off my socks though.

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I have an idea for my vote and I hope it's ok.. I simply gave already enough votes to the original and Dylan himself in past battles.

I'll declare Bob Dylan's original as the sovereign version, and vote only among the covers. Eric Clapton gets my vote for keeping the spirit and musicality of the original while creating it's own identity.

MJ is great, a little wierd personally, but musically he's great. A legend even. But on this song I'm going to have to vote for Alien Ant Farm

I've always felt that, though MJ's version is great, I've always thought AAF captured the feel of the song much better. The lyrics, to me anyway, make more sense as a hard rock song than as a dance song.

I actually didn't know the original version was done by Michael Jackson until shortly after he died. Alien Ant Farm did such a great cover that it didn't sound like a cover of a song from a different era. David Garrett is an amazing violinist, but his cover doesn't really stand alone; if you don't know the original version of the song (or the AAF cover), David's version just sounds like any other classical violin piece.

Honestly, this is too close.

Michael Jackson is a legend, and it sounds great with his voice and it sounds perfect as a dance song.

That said, Alien Ant Farm pulled it off perfectly as a different genre, they made it their own while still allowing you the proper referencing with the dance moves and M.J.'s classic "Aoow!" many a time.

Even Garret pulled it off right. It was represented in a perfect mix of rock and classical that it reminded me of Trans Siberian Orchestra, brilliant.

Due to this tie in quality, I have to give it to M.J. for creating such a versatile song in the first place.

I'm going to have to vote for Michael, because he is the king of pop and his version is the most epic for me! The other two are awesome too, which is somewhat of a rarity in the cover world, but MJ adds his legendary dancing to this legendary song!

Dance music will prevail!! =D

All three versions are nice in their way, though the only part from AAF I liked is the refrain; the beginning sounded weird. Garrett made a nice version too, fast and precise.
However, that's also what I don't like in the two cover versions: they're too fast, they don't have the rhythm and style of MJ's song. It just sounds so much more classy than the two covers. Besides, his choreography is unbeatable; silly yet incredible.

I'll go for MJ.

To start! I must say...each version was amazing!

MJ: Just makes me want to dance! A song that when you hear the chorus...you just want to break out singing with it and not care who cares

AAF: Their style works much better for the lyrics of the song...definitely gets the blood pumping more and adds that extra level of excitement.

Garrett: Gives the song an Epic sound...and gave me goosebumps during the chorus section. Oh and cowbell...I mean..come on!

My vote...Alien Ant Farm

Their sound, in my opinion, fit much more with the song