What is the album… there is an album out there of various bands doing covers of old cartoon theme songs/songs from cartoons. Like Devo doing “Speed Racer” and Violent Femmes doing “Eep Opp Ork Ah Ah” from the Jetsons…
Rolf Harris does a skiffle version of Stairway to Heaven, which is not only brilliantly funny in its own right, but also great because of the outrage it effects amongst oh-so-precious led Zep fans. Perfect.
Ben Folds did a cover of Dr. Dre’s “Bitches Ain’t Shit” and it’s hilarious. Also if you ignore all the swearing, kind of pretty.
[QUOTE=OpalCat]
What is the album… there is an album out there of various bands doing covers of old cartoon theme songs/songs from cartoons. Like Devo doing “Speed Racer” and Violent Femmes doing “Eep Opp Ork Ah Ah” from the Jetsons…
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Saturday Morning Cartoons Greatest Hits.
Speed Racer was done by Sponge on it.
From my “must own” file:
Greased, by Less Than Jake
Track listing:
- Summer Nights
- You’re the Only One That I Want
- Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee
- Greased Lightning
- Hopelessly Devoted to You
- Blue Moon
- Beauty School Dropout
- We Go Together
All put together in perfect power pop/punk fashion, clocking in at less than 15 minutes.
Haha! I have that one!
[QUOTE=Push You Down]
Toris Amos’ cover of Eminem’s “Bonnie & Clyde” manages to be even more creepy than the original.
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You ain’t kidding. The way she does that song scares the freaking crap out of me. I listened to it once, late at night, when I first bought the album and I wasn’t able to listen to it ever again. I don’t think I ever will.
That said, I am a cover-version junkie. (I am also a sucka for female solo artists, as you will discover in a moment.) Some of my faves are Aimee Mann’s version of “Shed A Little Light”, Dar Williams doing “Better Things”, and Regina Spektor’s very funny rendition of “Love Profusion”, which she turned into a joke by singing “I got JEW” instead of “I got YOU under my skin” at the Jewish Heritage Festival.
[QUOTE=tanstaafl]
Any discussion of weird covers has to include Dread Zeppelin; a reggae band doing covers of Led Zeppelin songs. Oh yeah, their lead singer is an Elvis impersonator…
Then there is Hayseed Dixie, who does bluegrass covers of AC/DC songs.
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Amen.
Also, The Dickies have done great versions of Knights in White Satin, Silent Night, Sound of Silence, Eve of Destruction, and of course, Parnoid.
**Rick Derringer ** does a great jazz cover of Frankenstein called Smooth Frank.
I kind of like the Nouvelle Vague cover of “The Guns of Brixton”, originally done by the Clash. Slowed down, dreary, a little spookier than the original. I didn’t care for it at first, but it became a bit of an earworm… it grew on me.
I like Green Day’s cover of Operation Ivy’s “Knowledge”. Slowed down, laid back - a different song.
And of course, the Pet Shop Boys version of “Always On My Mind” is awesome. What a long way from the Willie
[QUOTE=Anastasaeon]
What a long way from the Willie
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Nelson version.
The Gear Daddies did a cover of Little Red Corvette–a hint of country makes it…different. Martin Zellar also used to do periodic Neil! concerts that consisted entirely of covers of Neil Diamond songs.
White Stripes did a really good cover of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene”, with Jack White on vocals begging “Jolene, please don’t take my man.”
[QUOTE=The Sonoran Lizard King]
**Laibach’s ** Beatle covers also deserve a mention.
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Or indeed their entire album of Sympathy for the Devil covers.
The Residents have some good ones: “1999,” “Constantinople,” the aforementioned “Sympathy for the Devil,” and “Satisfaction,” and of course, “Hitler Was a Vegetarian,” a medley of covers.
[QUOTE=spooje]
Also, The Dickies have done great versions of Knights in White Satin, Silent Night, Sound of Silence, Eve of Destruction, and of course, Parnoid.
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And also, *The Theme From The Banana Splits. *
For one that hits all four adjectives in the thread’s title, there’s The Who’s cover of the “Batman” theme song: “Na Na Na Na Na Na, Na Na Na Na Na Na, BATMAN!”
The Residents also released Stars and Hank Forever an album of covers - half of John Philip Sousa and half of Hank Williams Senior.
Strictly for comic value anything from Weird Al must be listened to…
One song that should never have been covered was American Pie by Madonna.
Weird Al does parodies, not covers.
[QUOTE=OpalCat]
Weird Al does parodies, not covers.
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Well, he does do those polka cover medleys.
David Gray’s cover of Say Hello, Wave Goodbye is pretty damn far removed from Soft Cell’s. David’s can bring me to tears and Soft Cell’s leaves me thinking “Wow, was cocaine really *that * good in the 80’s.”
Then there’s the Bluegrass cover of Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s Gin and Juice by the Gourds (not Phish!!) as well as Ben Fold’s cover of Bitches Ain’t Shit impromptu in concert. (here fast foward to 39th minute.)