The ten worst cover songs

[RonniStar]

Let The Flame Wars Begin:
 
 http://observer.guardian.co.uk/omm/story/0,13887,1325676,00.html

[hitman]

I never even knew of the Duran Duran version of "911..."  What a farce.
 
 Anything off of the Led Zeppelin tribute album "Encomium" from ten years ago is awful.

[Frank Gallagher]

GOLD DIGGAS HEAD NODDERS & PHOLK SONGS
 
 1. You're The One That I Want        
 2. Livin' Thing (New Version)        
 3. This Will Be Our Year        
 4. Ciao!        
 5. Valentine        
 6. Don't Fear The Reaper        
 7. This Old Skin        
 8. Don't Stop Moving        
 9. Till I Can't Take It Anymore        
 10. Rebel Prince        
 11. Blitzkrieg Bop        
 12. I'm Stone In Love With You
 
 How's twelve???
 
 The new Beautiful South album is ALL covers, never understood why great songwriters did covers, but there you go. Wasn't impressed at all at first but it's growing on me now I take it for what it is, just Heaton and his crew having fun.

[kosmo vinyl]

Cover are the new "live" records, just another way to complete a recording contract...  Paul Weller has one out.
 
 Unfortunately Erasure released one, that you give you ten or so right there.  The Mandy Moore cover record is horrid as well.  Makes everyting including an XTC song sound like a bad country song.
 
 Train is among the worst offenders of bad covers.  Led Zeppelin and Cheap Trick are destroyed.

[Random Citizen]

The Twilight Singers covers album, She Loves You, is quite good, even better hearing the versions live. The Afghan Whigs performed some smokin' covers in their day as well.

[sonickteam2]

the Blood Brothers butchering David Bowies "Under Pressure" is just awful
 
  and pretty much any one of those pop-punk bands covering 80's songs.
 
   and have you heard Sammy Hagar singing Janis Joplin?  i forget which song it is....makes me wanna cry.
 
   Johnny Cash's version of "One" sucks too.
 
   i think the worst of all time
 
 Limp Bizkit "Behind Blue Eyes"
 
 someone should've been shot for that.

[Frank Gallagher]

Originally posted by kosmo vinyl:
  Cover are the new "live" records, just another way to complete a recording contract...  Paul Weller has one out.
 
 

That's what it said in the paper too, but pointed out TBS have just signed on with Sony so not the case with them, anyway some music mag gave it 8/10, I would've given it a 6 personally...but again, if you take it for what it is, TBS doing Travolta and Newton John is priceless. The single is ELO's Living thing which is pretty darn good. The Ramones cover is better than the original, but you all know what I think of the Ramones so don't deny any bias on that one.
 
 BTW, one of my all time fave songs, "Cosmic Dancer" by T Rex is having a rebirth on the radio over here, thanks to a tv ad. It's a Ballygowan bottled water
 ad. It's weird, one side of me is thrilled that it's getting played for all to enjoy but another side is thinking, "get off my fucking song you twats"
 
 Another unforgivable cover, "Ziggy Stardust" by Bauhaus....some songs should never be covered, and that's one of them.

[Justin Tonation]

No Doubt's cover of Talk Talk's "It's My Life" is the worst recent cover.
 
 O'Malley's March, led by Mayor O' Baltimore Martin, did "Oliver's Army" on one of their CDs. Now, what's a white public leader of a majority black city gonna do with the line "One less white nigger", despite the historical significance of the term ("white nigger" is a British epithet aimed at the Irish and the song refers to the N. Ireland situation)? Answer: "One less to figure".
 
 Chicken out? Politically expedient? Bowdlerization? Sensitivity?
 
 [don't say it... DON'T SA] Politically correct?
 
 I think that if he had left the line intact there would have been some attention, but it could have been an educational opportunity. Arguably, the plight of the Northern Irish is, historically, not as severe as that of African Americans. That is not to say they are not comparable. But in explaining the line a comparison is inevitable and the whole possible controversy could be blown out of proportion, becoming a distraction for O'Malley's office.
 
 O'Malley wants to keep his politics separate from his music. So why cover a song as political as "Oliver's Army"? I think what he did was a cop out. He tried to be hip by covering Elvis Costello but when he confronted the contentious line he caved in to political expediency and compromised his musical integrity. Bad cover.

[twelsh737]

I actually think covers are a great way for some band to beat all of us to the "spot the influence" punch. Even great songwriters sometimes just want to enjoy playing music, and playing the songs they like.
 To change gears a little bit I would like to recommend an band that does nothing but covers - The Beach Balls - who cover songs in the four-part harmony style similar to early Beach Boys, yet don't cover any Beach Boys songs. Insted they cover Human League and other kitsch like that. Its not a great record but sometimes music can just be fun.

[Lamb007]

Sheryl Crowe's bastardization of "Sweet Child O' Mine"
 
 311's massacre of "Love Song"
 
 Counting Crowes extra whiney take on "Big Yellow Taxi"

[hitman]

Originally posted by kosmo vinyl:
  Cover are the new "live" records, just another way to complete a recording contract...  Paul Weller has one out.
 
 Unfortunately Erasure released one, that you give you ten or so right there.  The Mandy Moore cover record is horrid as well.  Makes everyting including an XTC song sound like a bad country song.
 
 Train is among the worst offenders of bad covers.  Led Zeppelin and Cheap Trick are destroyed.

Now I didn't think Train's acoustic version of "Ramblin' On" was that bad...

[bearman🐻]

Or how about Fatboy Slim's cover of "The Joker" by the Steve Miller Band?? BLEAH!!

[markie]

Originally posted by O'Mankie:
 BTW, one of my all time fave songs, "Cosmic Dancer" by T Rex  

Did you ever here the Moz version, old chap?

[bearman🐻]

I really like Morrissey's cover of "That's Entertainment" by the Jam a lot. One of the other covers I despise is Sixpence None the Richer's cover of "There She Goes" by the La's, which is being used in a birth control or tampon commercial. Whatthefuckever.

[markie]

Originally posted by bunnyman:
  "There She Flows, There she flows again" by the La's, which is being used in a birth control or tampon commercial. Whatthefuckever.

I thought that was pretty clever myself...