The Worst Cover Songs Ever, Appendix I

Here are 15 more cover songs considered for inclusion in "The Worst Cover Songs Ever" that did not make the cut for various reasons, ranging from competence to tunefulness. Some are just too traditionally punk (Dirt Shit), rather than out to lunch; others veer toward bar-band nightmarishness (Youth In Asia). Actually Lili Z.'s homemade cover of Rondos stands out for fulfilling Shit-Fi criteria for awesomeness, with its pointed antisexist lyrics directed at her own fans, while also fulfilling the usual (shall I say bourgeois?) criteria. Beyond that, this tune deserves a mention because I was able to meet Lili in Rotterdam at the Rondos 30th anniversary retrospective party earlier this year, and we had a blast. Anyway, all of these covers are worth a listen as well, but I'll let you do the detective work to find them.

A64: Peter & the Test Tube Babies "Banned From the Pubs" (retitled "Moment")

Atrocious Madness: Disorder "Daily Life"

Besthöven: Shitlickers "Warsystem" (1995 version)

Dirt Shit: Rolling Stones "Jumping Jack Flash" (retitled "Der Letzte Dreck Von Wien")

ETA: Agent Orange "Bloodstains" (retitled "ETA")

HitlersS: Velvet Underground "We're Gonna Have a Real Good Time Together"

Homy Hogs: Beatles "Why Don't We Do It in the Road"

Hubble Bubble: Kinks "I'm Not Like Everybody Else"

Lili Z.: Rondos "System" (retitled "A Piece of Meat")

Mystifier: Bathory "Massacre"

Nekromantie: Hellhammer "Massacra"

Noise: Black Sabbath "Paranoid" (retitled "Hjälp")

The Sick and the Lame: Beatles "Eight Days a Week" (retitled "Ate Days a Week")

Struggle for Pride: Abraham Cross "Feeling in Soil 'Ghetto Anthem'"

Youth in Asia: McCoys "Hang on Sloopy"

Add new comment

A late entry from Australia

Submitted by Stuart on Sun, 12/05/2010 - 19:22.

I had never heard of this Primitive Calculators side project until today: Ronnie and the Rhythm Boys. Also apparently a side project of Thrush and the Cunts. Check out their ultra-minimal and headache-inducing version of "Hey Joe." About as far as possible from the million-and-one versions of this song by hippies a decade earlier. Thanks to Wallaby Beat, probably my favorite blog nowadays.

A question

Submitted by Anonymous on Sat, 06/05/2010 - 09:17.

Why did you put Paranoid when is really obvious that this cover is recorded from a live concert with a casette of the 80's or something like that? Pure demagogy? I'm not sure, really.

If I'd known then what I know now

Submitted by Stuart on Thu, 01/28/2010 - 11:22.

Earth-shattering discovery:

Check out this video of a Japanese pop (?) band called Salon Music playing a song called "Spending Silent Night." Then listen to "Spending Loud Night" by Confuse. It turns out that what I had considered to be among the most original contributions to the noise-core genre is actually a cover. It doesn't radically change my views on the song, and may actually confirm some of them in an unexpected way, but it's still noteworthy.

While I'm at it, I thought I'd share another totally shit-fi cover song, by A.C.X.O., one of Brazil's earliest hardcore punk bands. It's a version of "Friday on My Mind" by the Easybeats, played in an extremely stripped-down and rough style, sung in Portuguese. The mp3 source labels its title as "11 e 06" but I don't know what to make of that.

One more Stooges cover

Submitted by Stuart on Sun, 01/03/2010 - 20:22.

Here's a treat: Attak from Barcelona covering "I Wanna Be Your Dog" in 1982.

Gracias por el mp3 a Edu Juvé y Fernando Herrera.

Great stuff

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 09/16/2009 - 02:30.

The article and installation is great.
Your analyzis is so true.
Good writing.
I miss Sid Vicious version of "My Way" in the list.
But maybe that would be a bit too obvious and not so creative.
Anyhow - It truly belongs on the list.
About the appendix part; I think that Hubble Bubbles (early
punkband where Plastic Bertrand played drums) version
of "I'm not like everybody else" is a more of a "Wire" cover
than a "Shit-Fi" cover. Homy Hogs version of "Why don't we do it in the road", on
the other hand, is just marvelous snotty "Shit-Fi" youngsterpunk.

some of my favourites

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 06:30.

disorder - tied down (negative approach) from sliced punx on meathooks lp
dead moon - long way to the top (ac/dc) from destination x lp
dissober - grave new world (discharge) from sober life...no way cd
mob 47 - couch slouch (d.r.i.) from v/a stockholms mangel cd (forgot where it came from originally)
private jesus detector - dom ljuger (mob 47) from the complete workz lp
frigora - rustning ar ett brott (mob 47) from 1995-1999 cd
dead noise - life (disorder) from high octane booze core cd-r
etc

Best,
Tony Gunnarsson

Worst covers ever

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 08/26/2009 - 22:24.

I'm surprised that the Meat Puppets were not included in any of this - they are notorious for cranking out absolutely jarring cover songs (usually live); you can hear quite a few of them on Wohlers.org...I suggest starting with their absolutely hilarious and totally crazed rendition of "Reach Out (I'll Be There) by the Four Tops:

http://www.wohlers.org/puppets/mardigras/01_-_Intro_-_Reach_Out_%28I%27l...

...and then quickly follow that up with the WTFness that is their P-funk cover, here:

http://www.wohlers.org/puppets/mardigras/11_-_Standing_on_the_Verge_of_G...

There are tons of other songs they've mangled over the years...in fact, their 80's shows were often half mutant
covers and half originals.