Worst cover version?

by **Colin Hicks** Sun Nov 16, 2008 5:09 am

What's the worst cover version you've ever heard?

I was going to go for a generic "Any Bob Dylan song" by "Anyone who isn't Dylan or Jimi Hendrix", but if I had to pick a specific one, I'd probably choose The Byrds' insipid re-rendering of "Mr Tambourine Man".

Anything worse out there?

by **Johnstone McGuckian** Sun Nov 16, 2008 5:20 am

Either Slayer's or Ozzy Osbourne/Miss Piggy's covers of Born to be Wild.

I have to admit, even though they're one of my favourite bands, the Cult's version of Born to be Wild isn't great.

Anyone that's ever ripped off Personal Jesus, although Maralyn Manson's isn't as bad I suppose.

by The Browncoat Cat Sun Nov 16, 2008 5:22 am

Well, at the moment there are two ABOMINATIONS that jointly hold the title of "Worse Cover Version Ever":

Girls Aloud - Walk this way : Whoever thought it was even remotely a good idea to have a girlband cover the most Testosterone Driven of all times should be shot. Ironically this song also has the "Greatest Cover Version Ever", if a version that also contains the original band on part of it can count as a cover version.
Leona Lewis - Run : I'm sorry, but Snow Patrol are possibly one of the best bands of the decade, and their original version of this song is awesome. Leona Lewis is a dreadful Mariah Carey wannabe. The World already has one Mariah Carey, and that is one too many. Her version of Run is blander than beige.

by **Patrick** Sun Nov 16, 2008 5:25 am

William Shatner's version of Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds.
affraid

by The Browncoat Cat Sun Nov 16, 2008 5:26 am

Johnstone McGuckian wrote:Anyone that's ever ripped off Personal Jesus, although Maralyn Manson's isn't as bad I suppose.

Johnny Cash's version of Personal Jesus blows the original Depeche Mode version out of the water. As for Marilyn Manson, open up the Oxford English Dictionary at the page for the definition of "Wanker" and you will find two words, Marilyn Manson.

by **Johnstone McGuckian** Sun Nov 16, 2008 5:27 am

I don't like MM but his cover of that 1 song isn't too bad. Not a Cash fan really. I don't think it's possible to top the Depeche Mode version.

by stanmore Sun Nov 16, 2008 5:50 am

Gareth Gates or Will Young: Light My Fire.
It's not that great a song anyway - is there a song that says "let's have sex" as unenergetically as this? - but Gates/Young is fantastically out of his depth.

The Byrds - Mr Tambourine Man
This is true.

Frank Sinatra - Mrs Robinson
He always sounds like friendly barman (admittedly one that would shoot you dead any moment). This is a very inappropriate song for him to sing.

Fiona Apple - Across The Universe
Sounds like someone falling asleep in a cold bath.

by Graymalkin Sun Nov 16, 2008 5:56 am

Patrick wrote:William Shatner's version of Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds.

I have an enormous soft spot for all of The Shat's covers. Honestly. I'm not being ironic here...

Johnstone McGuckian wrote:Not a Cash fan really...

Wrong/10, Youngster...

***

So, anyway, I'll throw in:

Paul Young - Love Will Tear Us Apart;

Billy Idol - Heroin;

Oasis - Heroes;

Mark Ronson (featuring Daniel Merriweather) - Stop Me;

Duran Duran - 911 is a Joke;

Phil Collins - Tomorrow Never Knows.

by **Nick Barlow** Sun Nov 16, 2008 5:58 am

The Browncoat Cat wrote:Snow Patrol are ... blander than beige.

Sorry, couldn't resist... though I'm still trying to remember what 'Run' sounds like. I keep hearing either the Tin Machine song of the same name, or Sheryl Crow's 'Run Baby Run'.

And talking of Sheryl Crow, I remember a few years ago a record company attempting to launch a British Avril Lavigne with a terrible cover of 'All I Wanna Do'.

by stanmore Sun Nov 16, 2008 6:02 am

Graymalkin wrote:[
Phil Collins - Tomorrow Never Knows.

Phil Collins did Tomorrow Never Knows???

Sorry, humanity, you had your chance. I gave you my time, I gave you my money but the fact that you let this happen, I'm afraid, sadly, it's the end of our relationship.

*heads into underground bunker*

by **Johnstone McGuckian** Sun Nov 16, 2008 6:04 am

Anyone that's ever tried to cover Freebird. There are some things that humanity should not do and that is one of them. Same goes for Stairway to Heaven.

by Graymalkin Sun Nov 16, 2008 6:24 am

Johnstone McGuckian wrote:Same goes for Stairway to Heaven.

Unless you're Rolf, obviously...

by **Johnstone McGuckian** Sun Nov 16, 2008 6:28 am

No comment.

by sheringham Sun Nov 16, 2008 6:39 am

Only men aloud's cover of Don't rain on my parade. I really like only men aloud but No-one should ever cover a Barbra song.

Also, Kim Mazelle and Jocelyn Brown (who I normally love) covered Enough is enough and it was an outrage.

by Graymalkin Sun Nov 16, 2008 6:47 am

Johnstone McGuckian wrote:No comment.

by **Dave Webb** Sun Nov 16, 2008 8:53 am

Celine Dion - You Shook Me All Night Long.

Look, it should be impossible to kill an AC/DC song. They've only got the one, they're the musical equivalent of the roach. Come the Apocalypse, when the dust has settled there's going to be beetles and Keith Richards idly and ironically playing the guitar part to "Highway to Hell". However, if you want the soul ripped out of something, Celine Dion seems capable.

Compare with Shakira's cover of Back In Black, which is not bad at all.

by **Nick Barlow** Sun Nov 16, 2008 10:14 am

Dave Webb wrote:Celine Dion - You Shook Me All Night Long.

Oh dear, I thought you were just suggesting the platonic ideal of the bad cover version, but it actually exists.

I'd suggest that it's a sign of the impending apocalypse, but I can't think of an eschatological vision so dark, so twisted and so depraved that it would include this.

by **Dave Webb** Sun Nov 16, 2008 1:11 pm

Nick Barlow wrote:
Dave Webb wrote:Celine Dion - You Shook Me All Night Long.
Oh dear, I thought you were just suggesting the platonic ideal of the bad cover version, but it actually exists.

Yep.
And she turned it into a duet, so two people got to ruin it at the same time.

The Original and this is how I always picture Keith Topping.

Here's the Celine Dion version.

There's one by Shania Twain. Notice how none of them, none of them, manage to quite hit the innuendo, and Shania apparently can't handle the line "told me to come but I was already there".

On the other hand, Shakira does 'Back in Black'.

by shill Sun Nov 16, 2008 7:31 pm

Tiffany's "I Saw Him Standing There" leaps to mind, as much as I wish it wouldn't.

by millerqueen Mon Nov 17, 2008 4:53 am

shill wrote:Tiffany's "I Saw Him Standing There" leaps to mind, as much as I wish it wouldn't.

You b****** I had managed to erase that form my existence until now Mad

by barnaby morbius Mon Nov 17, 2008 6:27 am

i'll agree about "walk this way" by girls aloud/sugababes.

"dancing in the street" by jagger/bowie

"fairytale of new york" ronan keating

by The Browncoat Cat Mon Nov 17, 2008 8:49 am

barnaby salton wrote:"fairytale of new york" ronan keating

I am so glad that I have managed to avoid ever hearing this record.

by LeeRatbag Tue Nov 18, 2008 5:00 am

The Browncoat Cat wrote:
barnaby salton wrote:"fairytale of new york" ronan keating
I am so glad that I have managed to avoid ever hearing this record.

You know how bad you imagine it is? Well, it's worse. The one thing that song should never be is polite.

by **Nick Barlow** Tue Nov 18, 2008 5:19 am

shill wrote:Tiffany's "I Saw Him Standing There" leaps to mind, as much as I wish it wouldn't.

I was watching a music channel the other day and saw the Girls Aloud cover of it - it makes Tiffany's look like a masterpiece of music.

I think the rule is 'if Girls Aloud have covered it, that's the worst version'

by Pauli23 Thu Dec 04, 2008 5:02 pm

recently, it's got to be the Scissor Sisters version of 'Comfortably Numb', and Take Thats' Mark Owens cover of Radioheads' 'Creep'

and Sylvester McCoys version of 'Send In The Clowns'

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