The other thread’s too good, let’s have some rubbish covers. Not jokes though, genuine attempts gone south

My favourite band having a strange day in the office
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nlayu0l_hOA[/video]

Madonna’s version of American Pie.

Johnny Cash – the Mercy Seat. Not actually awful but nowhere near the original IMO

Duran Duran’s version of White Lines.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9Dg-g7t2l4[/video]

Yeah that American Pie cover is classic bad. I would nominate William Shatner’s Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,

And of course , the creepiest cover of all time , Rolf Harris singing, I Touch Myself,

[video]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0rlYSJQkyw[/video]

Who was t who did a ballad version of Pretty Vacant (or some other Pistols track)?

Arthur mullard and hilda Baker.

You’re not the one that I want.

Purposefully bad
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gf-tx3JeDog[/video]
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cjfjhG_LRc[/video]

All Saints massacre of Under The Bridge 😳

A not very subtle blend of awesome and shite

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRbKc32i09c[/video]

They’ve also done much, much worse 😕

Drac: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9Dg-g7t2l4

I’m no fan of the band but I fail to see why that is a “really awful” version. I love the original, and I think that is a pretty powerful take on it.

Nah it’s shite

Star 69’s cover of Girl from Mars. Truly awful. YouTube doesn’t have it, but I do. I wish I didn’t, but I do…

Madonna’s version of American Pie.

We have a winner. Dreadful.

This is really unfair because she was just messing about, but still

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXofYXDwRK8[/video]

I’d crawl across broken glass for the Lavigne but I still wouldn’t listen to this

Star 69’s cover of Girl from Mars. Truly awful. YouTube doesn’t have it, but I do. I wish I didn’t, but I do…

I’m astonished that there’s anyone on here who’s even heard of Star69! I have that track, it’s a CD single extra track, but I haven’t played it for ages, and can’t remember it.
It has to be said, the original song really isn’t all that anyway, so any cover isn’t going to bring very much to the party.
6Music tends to play it rather more often than it really deserves.
I have Star69’s album Stealing February, and it’s not bad at all, saw them at Reading, in 95, I think, and thought they were excellent live. Sadly only released the one album, and their lovely lead singer now runs a child-centric cafe/restaurant in New York, apparently.

ross980 – Member
Madonna’s version of American Pie.

We have a winner. Dreadful.
Yup, should never have been recorded, let alone released. God help me, I actually bought Ray Of Light, because it was highly rated; I played it once…

Some things are not to be messed with
[video]http://youtu.be/jRk5Gjl_cAg[/video]

Lulu – the man who fell to earth …
Just crap really …

I actually bought Ray Of Light, because it was highly rated; I played it once…

Ray Of Light is a great album.

Her version of American Pie was on Music, which was poor

I’m no fan of the band but I fail to see why that is a “really awful” version. I love the original, and I think that is a pretty powerful take on it.

That’s precisely my objection. It’s a very good song, introspective, and not meant for a “powerful” rendition. Oh and that key change just to rack up the tension!!

Zaha Hadid picked a Brian ferry cover of these little things remind me of you on desert island discs yesterday. After the twenty seconds it was on i felt like driving off a cliff, so I’ll go with that.

I’m no fan of the band but I fail to see why that is a “really awful” version. I love the original, and I think that is a pretty powerful take on it.

I disagree. It’s the old play it slow on a piano routine.

Have nickleback ever done any cover songs?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03g7ld7?ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign+=the_chris_evans_breakfast_show&ns_source=facebook&ns_linkname=radio_and_music

Making one of the most iconic Bowie songs sound, well….like a dirge.

That’s precisely my objection. It’s a very good song, introspective, and not meant for a “powerful” rendition. Oh and that key change just to rack up the tension!!

Cover versions should not be an exact copy of the original: That would be pointless as most of the time you can’t improve on the original. They should do something different with it, as the Disturbed version is a prime example of.

Cover versions should not be an exact copy of the original: That would be pointless as most of the time you can’t improve on the original. They should do something different with it, as the Disturbed version is a prime example of.

It could be any cover done by Tom Jones. He has the karaoke foghorn voice required to destroy songs of any genre. This is a good example of how to make an average song painful:

[video]https://youtu.be/uw8uXfbCYCs[/video]

CountZero, I’m surprised too. I now know 4 people who have heard it (including the folk that live with me). Last time I met Tim wheeler, he hadn’t heard it either.

Scissor Sisters version of Comfortably Numb is awesome!

“Scissor Sisters version of Comfortably Numb is awesome!”

No, just no.

“Scissor Sisters version of Comfortably Numb is awesome!”

Yes, just yes.

Cover versions should not be an exact copy of the original: That would be pointless as most of the time you can’t improve on the original. They should do something different with it, as the Disturbed version is a prime example of.

I really dislike the Disturbed cover – I personally don’t think it’s interesting at all. I can however, think of bands that could take it somewhere new and interesting. Though if some people love it, then it’s done a job and if it introduced them to an admittedly excellent song, that is also great.

I will probably get flamed for this, but Cream doing I Am Glad.
[video]https://youtu.be/iF-pMingp6A[/video]
I could have put up Crossroads also. I find Cream take great raw blues tracks and strip out the emotion and turn them into overbloated rock songs full of unnessessary guitar w**k.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jrg0X9H6FGU[/video]

the red army choir and the leningrad cowboys mount a serious assault on sweet home alabama. Superb.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqBEi2vfxAs[/video]

Boyzone should have been cleansed from the earth with fire for stripping everything worthwhile from a good song, sung by someone with more talent in one of his toenail clippings than that shower of shite could ever ever aspire to dream of having.

And… breathe.

johnx2 – That’s incredible. Manages to make it listenable!

Cranberry: you could have stopped at “fire”.