Best and Worst cover versions

Prior Of Taize · 27-01-2005 1:41am

Orizio wrote:

The Best.
RATM-The Ghost Of Tom Joad(A band which understood covers)
Johnny Cash-Hurt(Brill video as well)

I think the thing about RATM and covers was they never tried to actually copy a song...any idea what bruce springsteen's version of Tom Joad is like?...they always said thats the songs had the same lyrics but had a different sound to them..

probably going to be some people who disagree but i preferred Rage's version of maggie's farm..thought Dylans version was just a bit too boring compared to some of his stuff..

Johnny Cash had a video for Hurt which for some reason gave you a fair idea of what he feels...thought it was cool...and f*ck anyone who says thats a bad cover

Blisterman · 27-01-2005 2:31am

I like Metallica- Whiskey in the Jar.

Also Lemonheads- Mrs Robinson
Red Hot chili peppers- Havana Affair (Ramones)
Metallica- 53rd and 3rd (Also Ramones)
Quiet Riot- Cum on feel the noize (Slade)
Motley Crue- Smokin in the boys room (Brownsville Station)
Reel Big Fish- Take on me (AHA)
Van Halen- You really got me (The Kinks)

Karl Hungus · 27-01-2005 2:57am

deadfingers wrote:

Dream Theater - Perfect Strangers, Led Zepplin covers

It was a Deep Purple song, not Zep.

Great song though.

Nea · 28-01-2005 5:28pm

Good:
1000 Homo DJ's - Supernaut
RHCP - Search and Destroy
Type O - Light My Fire
Johnny Cash - Rusty cage

Muck:
Fuel My Fire - Prodigy
Lenny Kravitz - American Woman

Cat O'Nine Tail · 29-01-2005 8:19pm

I've seen two mentions of Korn's recent cover versions, so if anyone is interested, they have a covers CD out later this year. Their versions of Public Enemy's 'Fight The Power' and NIN's 'Head Like A Hole' are on it.

Civilian_Target · 29-01-2005 8:38pm

Prior Of Taize wrote:

probably going to be some people who disagree but i preferred Rage's version of maggie's farm..thought Dylans version was just a bit too boring compared to some of his stuff..

Yes - ****ing ace cover! I found the original to be quite dull...

MC5 did do a better job of "Kick out the Jams" though...

shivface · 30-01-2005 7:55pm

Prior Of Taize wrote:

anyone know the name of that song in Grosse Pointe Blank when Cusack goes into the Reunion?...its faith no more i know that...i can picture the video in my mind but the namke has slipped me

we care a lot

wanwarlock · 30-01-2005 8:03pm

the cardigans - sabbat bloody sabbat!!! great cover song!

Piste · 31-01-2005 10:28pm

No idea if this has been mentioned before but Zoo's version of Alice Cooper's poison sucks ass.

shivface · 01-02-2005 10:03pm

wanwarlock wrote:

the cardigans - sabbat bloody sabbat!!! great cover song!

ooh, cant believe i didnt think of that
definately a favourite

kingofvillan · 04-02-2005 9:41pm

Stevie wonder-we can work it out
Jeff buckley-Hallelujah
Aretha Franklin-Respect
Jimi Hendrix-All along the Watchtower

Brow · 05-02-2005 5:30pm

Theres two fantastic ones there with Hendrix and Buckley. After seeing Greenday the other day them doing 'Shout' is hilarious. One song that really grates my nerves is that Jessica Simpson doing 'Angles'. I cant escape that song.

05-02-2005 9:11pm

Did someone just do a version of Bohemian Rhapsody? I heard it this morning, was painful.

Brow · 06-02-2005 2:29pm

That opera band off one of those talent shows covered it. Havnt heard they released it though. I dont like the way they do it anyway.

BLITZ_Molloy · 06-02-2005 3:14pm

Ben Gibbard's cover of Avril Lavignes Complicated is the best cover I've ever heard. *Snip* He does this tongue in cheek meaningful accoustic version and goes into a big analysis of why he likes the lyrics afterwards. It's just incredibly funny.

Orla1 · 07-02-2005 9:16pm

The WORST cover i'v EVER heard has got to b Avril Lavigne's Chop Suey.... she absolutely desicrated the song!!! Oh yea i kno it's sad but I was watchin you're a star a couple of weeks ago... Lorraine Maher totally KILLED Greenday's Time of your Life!!!!
I almost cried when I heard Both of these!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

shivface · 07-02-2005 9:50pm

oh i was watchin one and they all sucked

Ph3n0m · 07-02-2005 10:03pm

Xentrix - Ghostbusters

Gone West · 08-02-2005 10:31pm

damien rice - creep

Gone West · 08-02-2005 10:33pm

barbie girl by homegrown! they rock it up!

Johnny_the_fox · 09-02-2005 12:15am

Cruachan - Ride On
Metallica - Whiskey in the Jar (the video)

:eek:

tony 2 tone · 09-02-2005 1:45am

Ph3n0m wrote:

The good:
Therapy? - Isolation - hey I thought it was cool

I liked it too, they also did a class cover of High Noon by DJ Shadow.

On the RATM covers, the Album Renegades is pretty cool, but after hearing the original tracks, I felt the Rage versions where missing something. Only Renegades Of Funk, Ghost of Tom Joad and Street Fighing Man stand up to repeat playing. The rap tracks in particular dont have the intensity of the originals. Down on the Streets is a bit poor too.

But the worse cover EVER is Shock the Monkey(peter gabriel) by Coal Chamber and Ozzy. FU-CK me it was dire! Serious contender for the top five worst.... :mad:

Talliesin · 13-02-2005 8:19pm

(Because some of these are on the boundaries of what might be termed "rock", or some of them either the cover or the original would be so termed but the other wasn't I'm just going to ignore genre altogether).

Best:
"Tainted Love" - Soft Cell
Just about all the covers by Johnny Cash, esp. "The Mercy Seat" and "Hurt".
Just about all the covers by Tori Amos, esp. "'97 Bonnie & Clyde" (the original sucks, she turns it on its head nicely) some of the longer covers of "Hurt" (doing it in some form or other is a regular part of her live sets, but sometimes it's just a single verse as an intro to something else) but not "Losing My Religion" (her style's too much like R.E.M.'s and doesn't add much) or "I Will Always Love You" (though she was just taking the piss).
"Sweet Dreams" - Marilyn Manson.
"Hallelujah" - Jeff Buckley.
"All Along the Watchtower" - Jimi Hendrix
"Summertime" - Janis Joplin
"The Man Who Sold The World" - Nirvana
"Carolina In My Mind" - Melanie Safka
"Jolene" - Both the 10,000 Maniacs and the White Stripes manage to make silk purses out of Dolly Parton's sow's ear.

Worse:
"Knocking On Heaven's Door" - Guns 'n' Roses (say "ai ai ai" one more time Axl, I ****ing double dare you).
Anything labeled "Celtic Rave". Putting traditional lyrics and airs onto a 120 BPM drum track not only demonstrates a lack of taste, but that you don't actually have any aesthetic sense whatsoever.
"Lovesong" - Some woman I saw on TV. I think it was Sophie B Hawkins. Anyway they totally didn't convey the doubt and self-loathing that gives this song its edge.
"Tainted Love" - Marilyn Manson (gee, let's do it almost exactly like Soft Cell's, that'll be worth the recording studio time).
"The One I Love" - All wedding bands. Okay, so wedding bands suck generally anyway, but what the hell makes them think that a song about betraying your beloved with a string of casual liasons is appropriate material for weddings?
"Red Red Wine" - Neil Diamond (the way he does it in his sets these days) "hey, I'm doing a cover of an English band's cover of a Jamaican singer's cover of a song I wrote myself, how clever and witty I am!" No, you're doing a mumbling cover of a over polished cover of an okayish cover of a song that wasn't that good the first time you did it.

projectmayhem · 13-02-2005 8:29pm

most of what i like has already been mentioned but i think deftones' version of the chauffeur is brilliant... and "i love rock and roll" by britney is a crime against music (as is all of her music, i suppose)

Talliesin · 13-02-2005 8:44pm

projectmayhem wrote:

"i love rock and roll" by britney is a crime against music

Oh, I'd forgotten that whole crowd. Atomic Kitten's cover of "Eternal Flame" stands out because it's a song you need to have a strong voice you are using in an understated manner to get right, and they had remarkably weak voices that struggled to rise to it.

And the who phenomenon of boy bands covering Bee Jee's songs is a double-whammy of crud.

senordingdong · 14-02-2005 3:00am

Good
Metallica-Whiskey In The Jar
Johhny Cash-Hurt
Johhny Cash-Personal Jesus
Rammstein-Stripped
Marilyn Manson-Sweet Dreams
Marilyn Manson-Working Class Hero
Marilyn Manson-Personal Jesus
KoRn-One

Bad
Marilyn Manson-Tainted Love
Alien Ant Farm-Smooth Criminal

Drums · 15-02-2005 5:17pm

Best: Korn-Another Brick In The Wall
Worst: Metallica-Whiskey In The Jar

veryslowey · 15-02-2005 5:20pm

i think linkin park are rubbish

Undergod · 15-02-2005 5:36pm

A brilliant hypothetical cover: The Number of the Beast by Electric Six.

I likes Marilyn Manson's Tainted Love and Sweet Dreams (final proof to me that he cannot be taken seriously), Metallica's Whiskey In the Jar is v cool. I think one song that has never had a good cover of it made is Alice Cooper's Poison. I've heard three in the past month and they were DIABOLICAL.
There's also a very odd pop-punk kinda version of 99 Red Balloons. Anyone know what I'm talking about.

Beekay · 15-02-2005 6:00pm

Has anyone said apocalytica covering Metallica.
Shows how good Metallica were that their songs could be done on cellos and not lose any of their style.

Best and Worst cover versions

Comments