The Best and Worst Covers in Music. -

[The Shadow]

I agree. I'd also say that their version of Joan Baez's Diamonds and Rust actually IS far better than the original. But that might partly be because in general I can't stand Joan Baez.

It's appropriate that she and Bob Dylan were together at one point. I can't think of any two artists I more prefer to hear other people covering than their original versions.

 

[Winnie the Poohnani]

I invariably go for Devo's cover instead of the Stones original, and this performance trumps the album version. Tight and robotic machine groove, and they look fabulous. With also special guest intro by Fred Willard.

 

[Gordon Cole]

I invariably go for Devo's cover instead of the Stones original, and this performance trumps the album version. Tight and robotic machine groove, and they look fabulous. With also special guest intro by Fred Willard.

You reminded me of the other good cover of this song, which makes the verses sound natural instead of forced in like the original:

 

[ZB 584]

Normally i'm overly critical of covers of my favorite songs but Steven Wilson really did this song justice.

 

[Heckler1]

I'd say the best cover I've heard is probably

 

[Winnie the Poohnani]

Staple Singers get their Talking Heads groove on.

 

[Florence]

(...Looks around nervously to see if @Tempest has posted in this thread.)

In the original, the chorus is delivered so flatly you forget it’s actually there. Add to this an accompaniment who apparently got lost on the way to a Depeche Mode recording session and whose repetitive beat (which you’ll have plenty of chances to get familiar with, thanks to the bizarre pauses inserted throughout the song) will make you think you’ve left an old Pokemon game running*, and you have yourself a rather uninspiring and frankly bad song. The fact that the singer completely forgot she made it should speak volumes.

Spoiler

The cover. Need I say more?

Spoiler

*Actually, I take that back. The music in Pokemon doesn’t deserve to be compared to this.

 

[Winnie the Poohnani]

(...Looks around nervously to see if @Tempest has posted in this thread.)

In the original, the chorus is delivered so flatly you forget it’s actually there. Add to this an accompaniment who apparently got lost on the way to a Depeche Mode recording session and whose repetitive beat (which you’ll have plenty of chances to get familiar with, thanks to the bizarre pauses inserted throughout the song) will make you think you’ve left an old Pokemon game running*, and you have yourself a rather uninspiring song. The fact that the singer completely forgot she made it should speak volumes.

Spoiler

The cover. Need I say more?

Spoiler

*Actually, I take that back. The music in Pokemon doesn’t deserve to be compared to this.

Way to shit up a peak Candi Staton song, F&tM.

"...nobody, not Florence, nobody, can match Candi Staton’s voice. She sings it and everyone else shrieks it in homage to one of the great vocals of all time." - Time Out

 

[An Sionnach Seang]

Phil Collins's cover of "Tomorrow Never Knows" by the Beatles is better than the original
it keeps the key elements of the original, but makes it more of an actual song rather than some dicking about with a tape recorder

Spoiler: original

Spoiler: cover

 

[King Buzzo]

I like Voivod's attempt at covering Pink Floyd's Astronomy Domine.

Spoiler: Original

Spoiler: Cover

 

[The Great Citracett]

I actually like this. It makes a song I hated listenable:

I get that the original is iconic or whatever but the yelping, yodeling, hiccuping vocals I just could never stand, and I'm well known for listening to and enjoying some pretty terrible stuff.

 

[Indrid Cold]

A few decent covers:

...and here's a few covers I'm not so fond of:

 

[Dolphin Lundgren]

Ben Folds did a live cover of Elton John's Tiny Dancer and I love it.

 

[Winnie the Poohnani]

Rosebud -- consisting of former members of Magma and studio musicians who worked with Elton John -- did an album of disco versions of Pink Floyd tunes that even included a take of Interstellar Overdrive. I discovered this when a friend of mine heard me playing the album Wish You Were Here, and he told me he was amazed to find that Pink Floyd had covered this tune that was in heavy rotation at the local disco he went to every night. Oh lawdy.

 

[Dolphin Lundgren]

I found a Bjork cover done by one of the members of Gruvis Malt and I really liked the vibe of it.

Kind of an odd version, but for some reason I like it.

 

[The Great Citracett]

Does it count if the original and the terrible cover are both from the same guy?

In 1985, English singer John Parr had a hit single with the song "St. Elmo's Fire" from the soundtrack of the movie with the same name. It's cheesy and awesome and everything a good 80s song should be.

Even if you didn't know who sang it, I guarantee you've heard it, it's pretty iconic:

Fast forward to 2012, Parr was so inspired by the on-field antics of a certain NFL football player that he quickly cranked out one of the laziest rewrites in music history. I'm talking about the one and only "Tim Tebow's Fire!"

It's so clunky and halfassed, but it's got over a million youtube views because the Denver Broncos promoted it.

Just check out these lyrics:

Spoiler: Painful

Growin’ up
Gotta keep your eye on the ball
Make it fly,
Give it everything, give your all

But maybe sometimes if you feel the pain
You’ll find you’re all alone
Everything has changed

Play the game
You know you can’t quit until it’s won
Soldier on
Only you can do what must be done

You know I’m out there
Down on one knee
A prisoner
And you're tryin’ to break free

I can see a new horizon
Underneath the blazin’ sky
I’ll be where the eagle’s flyin’ higher and higher

Gonna be a man in motion
All I need's my Broncos team
Take me where my future’s lyin’
Tim Tebow's Fire
Ooh…

Burnin’ up
Don’t know just how far that I can go
(Just how far I go)
Soon be home
Only just 4 downs to go

I can make it
I know I can
You broke the boy in me
But you won’t break the man

I can see a new horizon
Blazin' on the Mile High
I’ll be where the eagle’s flyin’ higher and higher

Gonna be a man in motion
All I need's my Broncos team
Take me where my future’s lyin’
Tim Tebow's Fire

I can climb the highest mountain
These Broncos can't be beat
I can feel St Elmo’s Fire burnin’ in me
Burnin’ in me

Just once in his life
A man has his time
And my time is now
I’m comin’ alive

I can hear the music playin’
I can see the banners fly
Feel like a man again
I’ll hold my head high

Gonna be a man in motion
These Broncos can’t be beat
Take me where my future’s lyin’
Tim Tebow’s fire

I can see a new horizon
Blazin' on the Mile High
I’ll be where the eagle’s flyin’ higher and higher

Gonna be a man in motion
These Broncos can’t be beat
Take me where my future’s lyin’
Tim Tebow’s fire

I can climb the highest mountain
Cross the wildest sea
I can feel St. Elmo’s Fire burnin’ in me

Burnin’
Burnin’ in me
I can feel it burnin’

And he didn't stop there, he made the Tebow version as DLC for Rock Band too, in case the original just wasn't enough.

 

[Slamerella]

I love Donkey Konga but holy shit this cover fucking sucks

 

[EmpireOfTheClouds]

BEST:
Iron Maiden's cover of "All In Your Mind" by Stray is so goddamn badass it hurts. It takes the power pop of the original and adds a Maiden flair to it. The opening build up alone will get you stoked.

Spoiler: Original

Spoiler: Cover

WORST
Nelly Furtado's cover of "Time Stand Still" by Rush. NO. JUST FUCKING NO. I don't even hate her but this song should just not be butchered by having its lush and dream like instrumentals be replaced with a synthesizer that sounds like it's coming out of a fucking Super Nintendo and vocals so fucking auto tuned they literally sound like a chipmunk.

Spoiler: Original

Spoiler: Cover

 

[AF 802]

I really like Johnathan Young's cover of Unravel. The original always bothered me with the distorted, vinyl voice at the beginning like it's trying too much to be a hipster's wet dream combined with post-hardcore. The song fits Johnathan Young's style a lot better.

 

[Gordon Cole]

A reminder that Dick Hyman did the impossible and made Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da listenable.

And the great NoMeansNo covering The Ramones: