Worst & Best cover songs?

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Funnily enough I quite like Blur's reading of 'Maggie May'. It was on the B-side of 'Chemical World', having been on Ruby Trax (sp?), I think. But, hm, no patch on Rod.

― the pinefox, Tuesday, 20 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

The advert for chewing gum with a pun krock version of 'Give Him A Great Big Kiss' annoys me so much. Why not just use the proper version? He'arsay butchering 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' made me realise that I did quite like the original. I do however like The Bangles version of 'Hazy Shade Of Winter'.

― alix ure campbell, Thursday, 22 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

I don't. But funnily enough, I do like the Lemonheads' 'Mrs Robinson'.

― the pinefox, Friday, 23 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

five months pass...

WORST COVER SONG: SWEET CHILD O’MINE (Guns N Roses) by SHERYL CROW. She absolutely desecrated that song.

BEST COVER SONG: KILLING ME SOFTLY (Roberta Flack) by THE FUGEES. Took a song that was rather slow and dreary and breathed new life into it.

― Luis Stiglitz, Sunday, 26 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

two months pass...

votes for best: The Clash "Police and Theives" James "So Long Marianne" Bryan Ferry "These Foolish Things"

― karmik guy, Friday, 23 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

PJ Harvey version of "Highway 61 Revisited" is hilarious for Dylan- haters and sacriledge for Dylan-lovers. But I blame Steve Albini as much as Polly Jean Harvey for it.

― Lord Custos, Friday, 23 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I can't believe no one mentioned CCR's version of "I Put A Spell On You". Boy, this gives me the goosebumps every time I hear it.

― David Raposa, Friday, 23 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Well, the absolute worst cover ever made was Devo's cover of Nine Inch Nails' "Money" (or whatever that song was actually called). A far better cover than CCR's of "I put a spell on you" is by (oh boy am I going to get nailed for this one) Marilyn Manson. I know, I know, but just listen to them once. It's just about the only song of his (theirs?) I really like, but it is better than the loathesome Fogerty & Co.'s version.

― Dan I., Friday, 23 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Other shockingly bad covers: Paul Young's 'Love Will Tear Us Apart', Duran Duran's '911 is a joke', Samantha Fox '(I can't get no) Satisfaction'.

― stevo, Friday, 23 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

My favourites out of the top of my head (I do not burden my memory with bad covers, most of the covers are crap actually):

- Motorcycle Boy: Run, Run, Run (only VU cover I know of which is better than the original)
- Stina Nordenstam: I Dream of Jeannie With Light Brown Hair (magic) - Cat Power: Satisfaction (I had given up on this little song until Chan Marshall's version)
- Swans: Love Will Tear You Apart (I prefer it to the original which I always found a little feeble)
- Sonic Youth: Into the Groove (Madonna has never sounded so fucked up)
- Low: Transmission (slow motion music)

The best covers are those who don't show too much respect for the original, who transform it into something new.

― alex in mainhattan, Friday, 23 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

"Love Will Tear US Apart" of course. Strange Freudian slip. Will Ian Curtis ever forgive me?

― alex in mainhattan, Friday, 23 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I forgot Frente's version of "Bizarre Love Triangle". And the Cure's version of "Purple Haze".

― alex in mainhattan, Friday, 23 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

All six covers Nirvana performs on MTV Unplugged are great. Bowie's "The Man Who Sold the World" still gives me the chills. The Meat Puppets "Lake of Fire" is another stand-out.

― alex in mainhattan, Friday, 23 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

(i am not a fan of 'love will tear us apart' = a second-rate OMD b-suide, but alex i HATEHATEHATE how gira changed the original JD melody)

― mark s, Friday, 23 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

worst - marilyn manson "sweet dreams"; best - harry pussy "showroom dummies"

― bob snoom, Saturday, 24 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Saxon, "21st Century Schizoid Man". I'd love to hear this, to see if it's better than April Wine's version.

― dave q, Saturday, 24 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

BEST:
'Superstar' ~ Sonic Youth (and I hate SY)
'Shipbuilding' ~ Robert Wyatt
'Only Love Can Break Your Heart' ~ Saint Etienne
'Night and Day' ~ Everything But The Girl
'I Just Don't Understand' ~ The Beatles
'Cattle and Cane' ~ The Wedding Present (which I actually prefer to the original, which will get me into trouble I know)

Worst:
'Creep' ~ Mark Owen
'Here's Where the Story Ends' ~ [can't remember who]

― DavidM, Saturday, 24 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I'm probably forgetting loads but my favourites on record not already mentioned would include:
The Hybrid Kids - Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?
Jim O'Rourke - Women Of The World
Elvis Costello - Shipbuilding (the Robert Wyatt version was the original)
Yes - Something's Coming; America
Robert Wyatt - I'm A Believer
Tori Amos - Smells Like Teen Spirit
Bowie - Sorrow; Alabama Song
Lulu - The Man Who Sold The World
Devine & Statton - Bizarre Love Triangle (not heard the Frente version, or the Even As We Speak version for that matter, but you can't really go wrong with this song)
The Wedding Present - Felicity
The Undertones - Rock'n'Roll

WORST -
I'll third or fourth that Guns'n'Roses one. A late contender must also be the current single by The Lighthouse Family, which incorporates the chorus of U2's "One". I'm no huge fan of the original (or U2), but if this song works at all it's as an intimate one-to-one song, not some Community Gospel sing-a-long.

― Jeff W, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Guns and Roses also did a horrendous version of Live And Let Die

― michael, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

oh just noticed you've included Bowie's Sorrow - i think he ruins that song, and i didn't like it much to begin with. but then again i hate everything Bowie did except for that Let's Dance song and Major Tom

― michael, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I like:
jodeci - "lately"
aislers set - "walked in line"
superchunk - "100,000 fireflies"
lush - "i have the moon"
steps - "tragedy"
stars - "this charming man"
gourds - "gin and juice" --- BRILLIANT... BRILLIANT...

― phil, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

two months pass...

"i put a spell on you" - nina simone (orig. screamin' jay hawkins)

"proud mary" - ike and tina turner (orig. credence clearwater revival)

― eclectomaniac, Saturday, 2 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Superstar by Sonic Youth comes to mind,as does Some Velvet Morning by Slowdive.Bought the Senor Coconut album yesterday,but I'm not sure that I'll be adding any of those covers to the list...yet.

― Damian, Sunday, 3 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Elvis Costello - Shipbuilding (the Robert Wyatt version was the original)

its credited as a Costello composition but i'll take your word for the Wyatt one being the original. But can you really consider the Costello one to be a cover? Is Prince's version of Nothing Compares 2 U a cover? i dunno.

'Cattle and Cane' ~ The Wedding Present (which I actually prefer to the original, which will get me into trouble I know)

more perplexed than anything else. Gedge is a terrible singer so why he thought he should ruin so many of other peoples songs is beyond me. okay i guess he did a good version of Falling.

some other good covers:
Alastair Galbraith - Getting Older
Dead C - Light my Fire
Gastr del Sol - Dry Bones in the Valley
Sonic Youth - I wanna be your dog
Minus Two - High Tension House
Six Volts - Black Dog
Axemen - Pulsing
Jesus & Mary Chain - Mushroom Head
Puddle - Lacsydaisical
Cat Power - Fate of the Human Carbine

Worst cover songs:
the entire Jandek tribute CD
Roy Montgomery - Its Cold Outside
Push Push - I Love my Leather Jacket
PumpkinHead - Adults and Children
Frank Black - Hang on to Your Ego
Muttonbirds - Nature

― hamish, Monday, 4 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

how could i forget "If you go away" by Scott Walker. So perfect i forgot it was a cover.

― hamish, Monday, 4 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Elvis Costello - Shipbuilding (the Robert Wyatt version was the original)
True and false. Elvis Costello composed "Shipbuilding" in 1983 on the Falkland's war for Robert Wyatt. So Wyatt's version is the original one but it is still a song written by Costello. Check also this Wyatt Page.
― alex in mainhattan, Monday, 4 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

italics gone now?
― alex in mainhattan, Monday, 4 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

and another try

― alex in mainhattan, Monday, 4 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

my most hated HATED HATED, that i can think of = "higher ground" by the red hot bluerggh chili peppers. it actually ruined the stevie wonder song for me i think. when i heard it (the rhcp) i was about 15 and i didn't know it wasn't original.

other bad ones:
10,000 maniacs more than this (the orig., roxy music, is one of my favourite songs)
hole - gold dust woman
r.e.m. - pale blue eyes
ub40 - \red, red, wine + everything else they've ever done
urge overkill - girl you'll be a woman soon

good:
bryan ferry - help me make it through the night by kris kristofferson. and i saw daniel mancini do a good version of it live a few years ago too. Actually i like quite a lot of Ferry covers, especially two from his recent-ish covers album "As Time Goes By": I'm In the Mood For Love, and Where and When.
Louis Armstrong Mack the Knife
Chris Knox S.O.S.
also quite like The Shaggs doing the Carpenters' Yesterday Once More though it's not that remarkable.
Einsturzende Neubauten doing Lee Hazlewood's Sand even though I like the Nancy & Lee much more.
hmmm maybe "funky Town" by Psuedo Echo [they were my first concert]

that's all i can think of whilst away from my records.

― elizabeth anne marjorie, Monday, 4 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

harry pussy apparently do k-werk's showroom dummies but i can't make out any connection???!!!??
also favourite covers: will oldham doing the eagle and the hawk by john denver (just voice; i haven't heard the denver one unfortunately)
the pop art toasters (martin phillipps, david kilgour, alan starrat, mike dooley, and someone else i think damn can't remember, it's late) doing "i won't hurt you" by the west coast pop art experimental band. i consider it much an improvement.
quite like the terminals love hate revenge by the avengers but the original is so so great.

― elizabeth anne marjorie, Monday, 4 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

of course the best cover version ever is Frank Sidebottom's Anarchy in the UK

― hamish, Monday, 4 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Best: Jimi Hendrix "All Along the Watchtower"
Worst: Michael Bolton "His Whole Frigging Career"

― Lord Custos, Tuesday, 5 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Elysian Field did this cover of T Rex' "Life's a Gas" which I quite like. Also like "Baby's On Fire" covered by Peter Laughner although it isn't as good as the original.

― helenfordsdale, Tuesday, 5 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Very good:
Low's "Last Night I Dreamed Somebody Loved Me"
Low's "Transmission"
Low's "Blue Christmas"

― dan, Wednesday, 6 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Codine's "Atmosphere".

― Sterling Clover, Wednesday, 6 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Some faves:

Mo-dettes "Paint It Black" Ben Watt "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go" Sally Timms "Half Past France" Marisa Monte "Pale Blue Eyes" Marianne Faithfull "Working Class Hero"

A further question: what makes some songs especially cover-able? Are there particular formal qualities that inspire interesting reimaginings

― Marcel Post, Wednesday, 6 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

i really don't like that new version of "hey baby" by the la-de-das. i also can't stand robbie and nicole butchering "somethin' stupid". and that guy who covered lots of chuck berry songs badly, and they always play him on solid gold fm. good covers... i liked it when big black did kraftwerk's "the model".

― di, Wednesday, 6 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

i love how kabuki that cover ios , how stylized and verging on camp , ireally dont liek robbie , but nicole , she sings liek bardot or marylin ( a rather deep compliment)

― anthony, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Best=A day in the life: The Fall. Worst=Can't let Maggie go:Jonathan King.

― Kris England., Tuesday, 12 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Best: Keep Me Hangin' On - Vanilla Fudge

Worst: Eleanor Rigby - Vanilla Fudge

― Dave225, Tuesday, 12 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

My feelings about Coil are bittersweet. "Love´s Secret Domain" is one of the best albums I've ever heard, but the rest of their discography is full of brilliant and horrible stuff. Almost fifty-fifty. Their version of "Tainted Love" is the worst cover I heard until a few weeks ago. A few weeks ago I heard Marilyn Manson's version of the same song. It's even uglier. Veruca Salt's cover of Depeche Mode's "Somebody" is awful too.

Best covers: Soft Cell's version of "Tainted Love" (specially the Club 69 Remix). Siouxsie and the Banshees: "Helter Skelter" (Beatles), "Dear Prudence" (Beatles) and "Hall of Mirrors" (Kraftwerk). The Creatures: "Venus In Furs" (Velvet) Matmos: "Disco Hospital" (Coil) (Is it a cover or should I call it a remix?) Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: "Black Betty" (Leadbelly) Pachuco Cadaver: "I Am The Fly" (Wire) Suarez: "EXplosión Madonna" (cover version of Madonna's "I Rather Be Your Love") Ciccone Youth: "Into The Groove" (Madonna) Gus Gus: "Monument" (Depeche Mode) This Mortal Coil: "Holocaust" (Big Star) Spiritualized: "Born Never Asked" (Laurie Anderson)

― carlos, Wednesday, 13 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

My fave cover evah iz "My Number" by Lillian Axe feat. Vanity (original by Girl "feat." Phils Collen & Lewis).

― AP, Wednesday, 13 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

best: (i agree with dr C) the slits taking 'i heard it through the grapevine' to many other levels.

worst: ian brown murders billie jean.

― dbini, Friday, 15 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

A good one: Pixies doing "Head On" A bad one: Bis "The Boy with the Thorn In His Side," even though I quite like Bis otherwise.

― Tim DiGravina, Saturday, 16 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I don´t agree. Bis' cover of "The Boy With A Thorn In His Side" is a very good one. It sounds strange, of course, it's a very personal version, but it is one of my faves from "The Smiths Is Dead" (along with "The Queen Is Dead" by The Boo Radleys).

― carlos, Sunday, 17 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

who the hell got that hit covering the la's "there she goes", fuck it's appalling

― elizabeth anne marjorie, Monday, 18 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

What, nobody mentioned Laibach yet, in neither category? Sure, they've milked the trick to a frightening degree, but the combo on Opus Dei of "Leben Heisst Leben" (Opus' "Live Is Life") and "Geburt einer Nation" (Queen's "One Vision") still drops the jaws of whoever I play it to...

― OleM, Monday, 18 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

nine months pass...

Well, I read this list to try to get some great ideas, because I wanted to burn a cd of my favorite remakes. It's funny, though...go ahead and hate me...The G'n'R version of Dylan's "Knocking On Heaven's Door is the first song I downloaded. Don't get me wrong, guys, I like Bob Dylan, but gees...Cut Axl a break. They didn't do THAT bad. BTW, I did get some good ideas. Thanks!

― Cass, Saturday, 30 November 2002 20:31 (twenty-one years ago) link

Sloan attempting to cover "This Charming Man" is one of the most pathetic things I have ever heard. And I like sloan.

― webcrack (music=crack), Saturday, 30 November 2002 20:58 (twenty-one years ago) link

Best = Moby's cover of "New Dawn Fades"
Worst = Moby's cover of "That's When I Reach For My Revolver"

― Curtis Stephens, Saturday, 30 November 2002 21:02 (twenty-one years ago) link

Skipping 106 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

@JesseJane: I must take issue with the "My Generation" thing. I really liked Patti Smith's version because it was more concerned with capturing the energy of the tune than being faithful to it (or not).

SOme I particularly like (some of which are already mentioned):

Devo - Satisfaction
HUsker Du - 8 MIles High, Love Is All Around
Television - SAtisfaction, KNockin' On Heaven's Door
Cramps - Surfin' Bird, Lonesome Town, Domino, Green Fuz, SHortenin' Bread
Sex Pistols - No Fun
Ramones - Do You Wanna Dance, Time Has Come Today, California Sun
Dictators - California Sun
Spacemen 3 - Transparent Radiation
Fuzztones - Radar Eyes
Plan 9 - 5 Yrs. Ahead of My Time, Looking at You
Lyres - Cinderella
Flying Lizards - Money, Summertime Blues
Feelies - What Goes On
Dum Dum Girls - Let It Be Me
Half Japanese - 10th Ave. Freeze-out, Tangled Up In Blue
Beasts of Bourbon - Psycho
Boris & Merzbow - I Am the Walrus

I never liked Joy Division's Sister Ray. Felt like they just tossed it off.

― ImprovSpirit, Wednesday, 11 August 2010 21:32 (thirteen years ago) link

Oh yeah: Jonathan Richman - The Rose, Back In the USA

― ImprovSpirit, Wednesday, 11 August 2010 21:33 (thirteen years ago) link

The thread originator nailed it.

Husker Du's "8 Miles High" .

I could support this claim with some pointless words...

― Fer Jessie the Drunk Dutch Mountain Ark (Mobbed Up Ping Pong Psychos), Wednesday, 11 August 2010 21:46 (thirteen years ago) link

four months pass...

another worst:

Blood & Chocolate - the killing moon

― meisenfek, Tuesday, 28 December 2010 22:45 (thirteen years ago) link

Best:
I see people mention Devo's "Satisfaction" a lot, so I have to point to Polysics' "My Sharona" cover, which is kind of the same idea, just crazy and cool
Happy Mondays - "Step On" (a John Kongos cover, kind of)
Ween - "Hot For Teacher"...it's been mentioned before here, but I have to mention it again, it captures the ridiculousness of the tune better than Van Halen ever did, but it still gets really down and dirty, just great great stuff

Worst:
On youtube there's a video of Crazy Town doing Refused's "New Noise", it kind of feels like a 5-minute "brown note"

― frogbs, Thursday, 30 December 2010 16:03 (thirteen years ago) link

best of worst:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlTWpDav0FM

― Mangrove Earthshoe (herb albert), Thursday, 30 December 2010 16:40 (thirteen years ago) link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5O4puKyRiiY

― Mangrove Earthshoe (herb albert), Thursday, 30 December 2010 16:40 (thirteen years ago) link

Judas Priest - Johnny B Goode.
Priest, dudez, I love you but that song is the worst thing ever.

― VegemiteGrrrl, Thursday, 30 December 2010 22:17 (thirteen years ago) link

i found William Hung's rendition pretty solid, if not true to the original. nice 'best of worst'!
too bad the vid stops at the solo.

― meisenfek, Friday, 31 December 2010 01:04 (thirteen years ago) link

The original isn't so bad:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ2RvSHK_B8

The cover is fucking incredible:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUBcqs0Z9QA&feature=related

― (kelpolaris) (kelpolaris) (kelpolaris) (kelpolaris) (kelpolaris), Friday, 31 December 2010 01:37 (thirteen years ago) link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59aKzRbxFV8

― =(^ • ‿‿ • ^)= (corey), Friday, 31 December 2010 01:44 (thirteen years ago) link

five years pass...

Reviving ILM's least contentious thread about covers, these are all from the rolling fuck this shit worst songs of 2015 thread :

Elle King's "My Neck My Back", from 2012 https://youtu.be/VZgg9SIWfI0

Ed Sheeran does "Dirrty: The Polite Version"! https://youtu.be/Pf_ldxntwJg

William Singe does "Trap Queen: The Heartfelt Version"! https://youtu.be/s10gMglvYXo

Disturbed do "The Loud Sound of Silence" https://youtu.be/u9Dg-g7t2l4

Also Aretha's controversial "Rolling in the Deep" and Sam Smith's Hotline Bling, woohoo. Adding one that I enjoyed, Mo Kolours's "Golden Brown", but it's not so much bad as "wtf?".

Off the topic of best/worst (hopefully)... how would you cover an artist like Grimes? The Kiwi band Shunkan did "Flesh without Blood" in a stripped-down acoustic version, which does put a different spin on it, but seems inappropriate when the original was made in such a meticulous detail-obsessed way. Although they could complement it with a club banger version of "Life in the Vivid Dream".

― sbahnhof, Tuesday, 5 January 2016 22:49 (eight years ago) link

one year passes...

chromatics - ceremony/into the black
cardigans - iron man/sabbath bloody sabbath

― Week of Wonders (Ross), Thursday, 24 August 2017 19:02 (six years ago) link

one year passes...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTsW30Ur0sg

― ArchCarrier, Wednesday, 19 June 2019 17:52 (four years ago) link

^ obv one of the best

― ArchCarrier, Wednesday, 19 June 2019 17:52 (four years ago) link

six months pass...

Some of the worst obv.

― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 30 December 2019 01:39 (four years ago) link