NationStates Jolt Archive

My vote goes for Duran Duran tackling Public Enemy's '911 Is A Joke'.

I'm not just wanting to now about bad covers - we all know about the crimes against music perpetuated by Messrs. Shatner & Nimoy, instead those cover versions which just seem to miss the point entirely...

I got one that has mercifully faded into obscurity, but if you've heard it, you know it sucks. A crap band named Will To Power did a cover medley of "Baby I Love Your Way" and "Freebird."

No, I am not making it up. God I wish I were.

how about big yellow taxi being covered by the counting crows? im fairly sure the counting crows arent huge fans of conservation or urban planning.

Avril Lavigne covering Chop Suey!.

That hurt me inside almost as much as when Papa Roach did it.

chop suey! as in system`s chop suey!? if so, that bitch needs to be cut down in a hail of bullets.

chop suey! as in system`s chop suey! if so, that bitch needs to be cut down in a hail of bullets.

I got one that has mercifully faded into obscurity, but if you've heard it, you know it sucks. A crap band named Will To Power did a cover medley of "Baby I Love Your Way" and "Freebird."

No, I am not making it up. God I wish I were.

I remember that, it was certainly pretty hideous.

I got one that has mercifully faded into obscurity, but if you've heard it, you know it sucks. A crap band named Will To Power did a cover medley of "Baby I Love Your Way" and "Freebird."

No, I am not making it up. God I wish I were.

I remember that, it was certainly pretty hideous.No kidding--I forgot to mention that it was done lite-rock style, complete with drum machines and synthesizers. Good God it was bad.

Avril Lavigne covering Chop Suey!.

That hurt me inside almost as much as when Papa Roach did it.
From Flower Drum Song? That would merit a big ass-
WHY??

it sounds good in theory, Foo Fighters covering Stairway to Heaven, but after Dave Grhol chops they lyrics into pieces (having to ask the crowd what the next line was on a few occasions) it gets my vote for my ill-advised cover of a song.

Hated Maddonas American Pie. My nephews thought it was a new song!!!

Pat Boone - Enter Sandman :(

Hated Maddonas American Pie. My nephews thought it was a new song!!!

If you have never had the pleasure of listening to Killdozer covering it, then you are missing out on a great thing. It is truly fantastic.

Sixpence None the Richer covering "Don't Dream It's Over". If Neil Finn were dead he'd rolling in his grave. :evil: :evil: :evil:

Avril Lavigne covering Chop Suey!.

That hurt me inside almost as much as when Papa Roach did it.

ROFLMAO!!! Oh god, I have to hear that one.

Metallica did the absolute worst version of Motörhead's We Are The Road Crew that I've ever heard.

I don't know for sure. :?: :?: :?:

Some of the ones above are pretty pathetic, ALthough I am sure there are worse I just can't think of them right now.

Elbow covering Destiny's Child's "Independent Woman".

It doesn't quite work with five Yorkshiremen and a xylophone.

ROFLMAO!!! Oh god, I have to hear that one.

Here (http://www.highfiber.org/exclusive.php?s=downloads&a=view&id=15)it is. Be warned, it's dire.

Elbow covering Destiny's Child's "Independent Woman".

It doesn't quite work with five Yorkshiremen and a xylophone.
Are you kidding? They took a worthless song and made it interesting. Throw in some Dancing Kitties, and you've got a masterpiece!
Have you ever noticed how all of Destiny's Child's songs have counterparts that completely contradict each other.
Independent Woman- Bills Bills Bills
Say My Name- Jumping Jumping (if that's the name)
errrr...I'll add to this when I remember any other destiny's child songs....I had at least 3 pairs...

Worst cover's ever?

There are just so many to choose from!

Some that jump to mind:

U2's version "All Along The Watchtower".
Devo's version of "Satisfaction"
Shania Twain doing AC/DC's "You shook me all night long"
and
William Shatner's spoken word version of "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds"

Oh yeah - and pretty much every rock stars lame-assed cover of a classic Christmas carol. Ther ehave been far to many of them, and it should be a hanging offence! lol.


-Z-

Elbow covering Destiny's Child's "Independent Woman".

It doesn't quite work with five Yorkshiremen and a xylophone.
Are you kidding? They took a worthless song and made it interesting. Throw in some Dancing Kitties, and you've got a masterpiece!
Have you ever noticed how all of Destiny's Child's songs have counterparts that completely contradict each other.
Independent Woman- Bills Bills Bills
Say My Name- Jumping Jumping (if that's the name)
errrr...I'll add to this when I remember any other destiny's child songs....I had at least 3 pairs...

I'm by no means holding up Destiny's Child back catalogue as works of genuis but I still maintain a song with pusedo feminist overtones works better when song by women!

Or maybe it's because Elbow send me to sleep.

Worst cover's ever?
No, that's not what I am looking for, as you say...

There are just so many to choose from!

I'm looking for those covers that make youy wonder what on earth was going through the artist's mind when they decided to cover it - for example English multi-millionaires Duran Duran decding that their street cred would be improved by covering "911 Is A Joke" by Public Enemy... when exactly did Duran Duran confront racial prejudice in the American emergency services?

Some that jump to mind:

Devo's version of "Satisfaction"


Sacrilege! Sacrilege! Devo's version 'tis a work of genius (not quite on a par with the Portsmouth Sinfonia's version, but then what is?)*


* Nor indeed with the Resident's cover of the same song, but Devo's take on it still has a certain something which makes a crazy kind of sense...

Limp Bizkit covering 'Faith' by George Michael...

Madonna covering the best boring song in the world ever, American Pie

All those Robbie Williams 'crooners' covers of Sinatra and others...

And anything by Jamie Cullum

Limp Bizkit covering 'Faith' by George Michael...

Yeah, that's the kind of thing I was looking for. Why? What the hell were they thinking? They played it pretty straight, didn't they? I can understand taking that kind of song and punking/metalling it up for a joke like the Dickies used to do, but...

Edit: I guess that Limp Bizkit probably made some money off the whole affair, which is one kind of rationale for this kind of behaviour, but still... why?

Hans Wunderlich (sp?) cover of "Ode to Joy"

I cried when I heard it.

Hans Wunderlich (sp?) cover of "Ode to Joy"

I cried when I heard it.

Are you thinking of Klaus Wunderlich the German easy-listening dude?

Scary picture warning....

http://www.klauswunderlich.de/images/misc/Fasci2.gif

Klaus doesn't look like a man to be trusted around small children or fluffy animals. (Maybe it is the similarity to Simon Weston that makes me say that.)

***

Pete Seeger does an amazingly good version of "Ode to Joy" on clawhammer banjo. It sounds like a crazy idea, but it does really work increidbly well. I think his version is sometimes called the "Goofing Off Suite"

Hans Wunderlich (sp?) cover of "Ode to Joy"

I cried when I heard it.

Are you thinking of Klaus Wunderlich the German easy-listening dude?


That's the guy. The best comment I've heard on that version is:

Its Ode to Joy, not Ode to wondering round B&Q in a stupified daze.


Edit:- Quote Credited

That's the guy. The best comment I've heard on that version is:

Its Ode to Joy, not Ode to wondering round B&Q in a stupified daze.

Was that Mark Steele in one of his lectures on Radio 4?

That's the guy. The best comment I've heard on that version is:

Its Ode to Joy, not Ode to wondering round B&Q in a stupified daze.

Was that Mark Steele in one of his lectures on Radio 4?

Yeah, I love those lectures. I should have credited him.

A few more:

Daphne & Celeste's cover of Schools out.

Avril Levignes cover of Chop Suey was awful (note to Avril, if your going to cover a song make sure you a) know the words b) know that the band can play it)

Purple Haze by the Cure

Poison by Groove Coverage

Don't fear the Reaper by the Goo Goo Dolls

Mrs. Robinson by Cake

Heard it on the Grapevine by Will Young

We Will Rock You by Five

Love (Christmas) is all Around by Bill Nighy (I know it was meant to be crap)

Some dodgy version of Fairy Tale of New York (connot remember why did the cover)

Also any Clash/Pistols/etc. songs that are done by new 'punk' bands

Don't fear the Reaper by the Goo Goo Dolls

Snuff actually did a very good cover of this. The fact that they were playing it at their standard 400mph may have covered a multitude of sins however. Worth tracking down...

Also worth tracking down is the Minutemen doing their cover of BOC's "The Red And The Black", complete with gratuitous two-bass guitar solo.

... if your going to cover a song make sure you a) know the words b) know that the band can play it

Ah yes - you have reminded me of Megadeath attempting "Anarchy In The UK" and their line 'another c#ntlike tendency'/'another council tenancy' mistake.

Also any Clash/Pistols/etc. songs that are done by new 'punk' bands

Agreed. I think I have only heard one cover of the Clash which improves on the original - Los Pistoleers doing a rockabilly cover of "Bank Robber". It has a stunningly authentic late 50s sound right down to the touch of distortion on the vocal mic and you would almost swear that Gene Vincent was singing on it - it showed up on the "This Is Rockabilly Clash" comp. Just about every other cover of a Clash song I have heard just embarasses everybody involved.

A notable exception here is the LP by the band La Furia who play a selection of Clash tunes note and production-sound perfect, except they sing all the lyrics in Spanish. Truely bizarre.

Wat Tyler have knocked out a couple of entertaining Pistols covers in their time, but not with a straight face... their casio keyboard singalong version of "Holidays In The Sun" is sure to bring a smile.

Another class to group in there--synthesizer laden remakes of classical masterpieces. I'm thinking of atrocities like "A Fifth of Beethoven" or Deodato's "Also Sprach Zarathustra."

Don't fear the Reaper by the Goo Goo Dolls

Snuff actually did a very good cover of this. The fact that they were playing it at their standard 400mph may have covered a multitude of sins however. Worth tracking down...



Yeah I've heard it, it is very good. I also liked the HIM version.

I'll try and find those other bands you mentioned

Another class to group in there--synthesizer laden remakes of classical masterpieces. I'm thinking of atrocities like "A Fifth of Beethoven" or Deodato's "Also Sprach Zarathustra."

I'll second that, along with the midi sequences that fill the internet and come free with windows.

Don't fear the Reaper by the Goo Goo Dolls

Snuff actually did a very good cover of this. The fact that they were playing it at their standard 400mph may have covered a multitude of sins however. Worth tracking down...



Yeah I've heard it, it is very good. I also liked the HIM version.

HIM doesn't ring any bells with me, I have to admit. JG Thirlwell (Foetus) & Lydia Lunch also did a cover of it that I have been meaning to track down for years.



Another class to group in there--synthesizer laden remakes of classical masterpieces. I'm thinking of atrocities like "A Fifth of Beethoven" or Deodato's "Also Sprach Zarathustra."

I'll second that, along with the midi sequences that fill the internet and come free with windows.

Sudden flashbacks to Kubrick's version of "A Clockwork Orange"...

Don't fear the Reaper by the Goo Goo Dolls

Snuff actually did a very good cover of this. The fact that they were playing it at their standard 400mph may have covered a multitude of sins however. Worth tracking down...



Yeah I've heard it, it is very good. I also liked the HIM version.

HIM doesn't ring any bells with me, I have to admit. JG Thirlwell (Foetus) & Lydia Lunch also did a cover of it that I have been meaning to track down for years.

It is a Norwegian (I think, or at least Scandinavian) Rock Band. If you are not above using a p2p program I believe that they are quite popular on those.

Another song for me to track down



Another class to group in there--synthesizer laden remakes of classical masterpieces. I'm thinking of atrocities like "A Fifth of Beethoven" or Deodato's "Also Sprach Zarathustra."

I'll second that, along with the midi sequences that fill the internet and come free with windows.

Sudden flashbacks to Kubrick's version of "A Clockwork Orange"...

:lol:

Seriously though that was the only thing that came neat to ruining the filn to my until I realised that the story was meant to be a dystopic view of the future.