Bad cover versions

STN

STN

sou'wester
I'm sure we've all read more lists of bad cover versions than is strictly necessary, so I'll try and spare us another. What I'm interested in is what offends you most about shit cover versions? Do you find that they spoil the original tune, or is it just the sheer bloody cheek of the enterprise? Or are you one of those people that just finds them funny? I am kurious...
 
O

oblioblioblio

Wild Horses
To me, what defines a bad cover is all in the intentions. i.e. if the person really feels (or even really hates) the original, and decides to reinterpret it in their own style in order to create something new from it, it doesn't matter how subjectively bad one can perceive it to be, you gotta give em props for trying.

On the other end of the spectrum, is someone thinking that they can remarket a song because not many people in their target market will know the original, and as long as they can reprocess it in the style of the day, they can take all the pocket money that they want.
 
STN

STN

sou'wester
I really hate 'ironic' modern punk cover versions, they always end up being at least as irredeemably naff as they presume the original to be.
 
IdleRich

IdleRich

IdleRich
"I really hate 'ironic' modern punk cover versions, they always end up being at least as irredeemably naff as they presume the original to be."
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Yeah, spot on, I was in a clothes shop the other day (first time for everything) and there was some indie cover of Love Machine - I think it's called - by Girls Aloud. I guess that's probably well known but it's the first time I've heard it and it's perfectly summed up by what you just said - you could tell you thought that they were doing something clever and knowing but really they'd just sucked the life out of a perfectly good pop song.
 
STN

STN

sou'wester
IdleRich said:
Yeah, spot on, I was in a clothes shop the other day (first time for everything) and there was some indie cover of Love Machine - I think it's called - by Girls Aloud. I guess that's probably well known but it's the first time I've heard it and it's perfectly summed up by what you just said - you could tell you thought that they were doing something clever and knowing but really they'd just sucked the life out of a perfectly good pop song.
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I really hate the implied 'daring' in such covers too.

I haven't heard the one you're talking about but it sounds like exactly what I mean.
 
Mr. Tea

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
STN said:
I really hate 'ironic' modern punk cover versions, they always end up being at least as irredeemably naff as they presume the original to be.
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Oh God - I'm having flashbacks to all the trendy twats at my high school who wanked themselves silly over Me First And The Gimme Gimmes. "It's 'Summer Of '69', only really fast! HOORAH!" Gah.

And then there was all the 'nu-metal' bands ironically (or were they) covering '80s pop songs. Having said that, Fear Factory's version of 'Cars' is pretty rocking.
 
W

wonk_vitesse

radio eros
'Love will tear us apart' covered by Honeyroot, as featured on the excellent 'Red Road' film last year, the only bad bit of the film, turns this awkward new wave classic into a basharoomy snow patrol-lite saccharine dirge..........:slanted:


(it's on iTunes if anyone really wants to hear it)
 
D

don_quixote

Trent End
when kaiser chiefs covered heard it through the grapevine, ripped off the slits cover and claimed they came up with it by crediting it as a cover of marvin gaye. that was utterly shameless, the red faced twat even copied all of ari up's vocal inflections for fucks sake.

it made me really angry
 
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martin

----
I agree that punk covers suck when they're trying to be knowing or funny by sticking swear words in. I prefer it when they're just incompetent or completely warp the original song out of context. Slaughter and the Dogs did one of 'Waiting for the Man' which sounds more like a terracey version of Status Quo, with all the heroin glam sucked out - I'm sure VU fans would hate it, but it's my fave version. Also Skrewdriver's cover of the Stones' "19th Nervous Breakdown" is fantastic, they just squeeze it into the only three chords they can play, speed it up and then terminate the song halfway through, as if the effort's all just too much.

Not really a 'cover', but there was a fucking awful jungle record around 94/95, that sampled Desmond Dekker's "Shantytown", changing '007' to 'oh oh...jung-gle!". Crap.

I suppose William Shatner decimating "Hey Mr Tambourine Man"'s still the ultimate, though, isn't it?
 
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gumdrops

Well-known member
magazines remake of sly stones thankyouforlettinmebemicelfagain. really fucking horrible 80s slap bass playing with horrrid production to match. never want to hear it again.
 
Woebot

Woebot

Well-known member
someone where i was working had this filthy obnoxious CD with this kind of throaty bossa-nova coffee table style cover versions of things like "orgasm addict" and (was it?) visage and the cramps. just too horrendous for words. apparently it's their second LP of cover versions. eugh.
 
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gumdrops

Well-known member
the klaxons remake of graces its not over yet isnt terrible but its a bit 'standard indie' which is a shame. i dont especially like the original though - find it a bit too cheesy.
 
Mr. Tea

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
martin said:
I suppose William Shatner decimating "Hey Mr Tambourine Man"'s still the ultimate, though, isn't it?
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Ahaha...

"Hey, mister...tambourineman...playasong, for...me. I'mnot...sleepyand...there's, noplace I'm...goingto..."
 
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