I Just Heard The Worst Cover Version...

Cafe Society
1

I’ve been listening to a lot of early 70s pop and rock for the last few days. Some of the best music ever, really. But like any time, there are some truly horrible pieces of dreck as well.

Mostly there are some astoundingly bad cover versions.

Into The Mystic, by Johnny Rivers (orig. Van Morrison)
Can’t Help Falling In Love, by Al Martino (orig. Elvis)
Ticket To Ride, by The Carpenters (orig. The Beatles)
Cinnamon Girl, by The Gentrys (orig Neil Young)
Something, by Shirley Bassey (orig. The Beatles)
Something (yep, that same Beatles tune), by Booker T & The M.G.s (an instrumental that sounds way too much like elevator music)
Come Together, by Ike & Tina Turner & The Ikettes (orig. The Beatles)
Down By The River, by Buddy Miles (orig Neil Young)
Down By The River, by Brooklyn Bridge (orig Neil Young)
Whiter Shade Of Pale, by R.B. Greaves (orig. Procol Harum)
Fire & Rain, by R.B. Greaves (orig. James Taylor)

I know Ike & Tina fans may disagree, but IMHO all of these are terrible. But the grand-daddy of Bad Cover Tunes is by Peaches & Herb. Their 1971 version of Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sound Of Silence” is the worst cover version I have ever heard. They pep up the tempo, play it like an R&B dance number and, to top it off, get the words wrong.

Anyone else heard this? It must have got some radio play. Apparently it hit the Billboard hot 100 (barely) back in June of '71.

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

thwartme

2

Guns ‘n’ Roses’ butchering of “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” still takes the top anti-prize as far as I’m concerned.

3

I’d have to go with Winger’s desecration of “Purple Haze.”

4

I win .

5

Both Sides Now by Judy Collins.

I took the record off the player and frisbeed it into a wall.

(I’m a big Joni Mitchell fan, and was outraged.)

6

Holy shit. You really do, don’t you!

7

Wow, LOUNE’s link…wow.

8

Britney Spears covering I Love Rock and Roll.

Oh, and Celine Dion covering I Drove All Night.

9

I’m not fond of the cover of Marshall Tucker’s “Can’t You See” by Waylon Jennings.

I don’t like Aerosmith’s cover of “Come Together” either.

10

That’s bad but it’s not hard to find awful amateur cover bands. Shouldn’t we be talking about established acts doing covers? Crappy garage bands are a dime a dozen.

Actually, only the singer was really bad even in that youtube video. The rest of the band played a serviceable copy of the song. The guitarist booted the solo around but the rhythm section and the keyboardist were solid. That singer must own the P.A. system, though.

11

Yeah, that’s bad, but I didn’t feel the need to scrub myself with a wire brush afterwards like after this.

12

No sound on this machine (which I gather is a good thing) – what do they butcher?

13

No. I WIN!

ETA: for non-link-clickers, that would be Madonna’s afterbirth. :smack: Sorry — I mean her cover of American Pie.

14

I challenge you:

Although this raises the interesting question as to what is worse - amateurs with zero talent singing a lousy song or a good singer butchering a great tune that is just not appropriate to her style. And trying to look all cool during the attempt.

Personally I vote for the latter.

15

Europe’s “Final Countdown,” with William Hung style, accented, out of key singing.

16

All it needs is Gob Bluth performing his magic. :slight_smile:

17

Ann Wilson covering the Immigrant Song.

I needed an ice pick for my eardrums.

18

I gotta go with LOUNE. What she’s doing in your link is bad, but it’s not painful (to these ears), because, blessedly, she tries to emulate the original rather than recustomizing it to her own speed. The Carpenters’ Beatles cover (shudder) is, IMHO, much much worse because you can only find mere remnants of the original remaining, so badly do they butcher it.

19

Bwuh? He may have talent, but what he doesn’t have is a copy of the sheet music for that song.

20

He misssed a few notes but I’ve heard much, much worse, believe me.