Sometimes, a cover version becomes so iconic that it is thought of as the definitive version of a song. Jimi Hendrix´s take on Bob Dylan´s All Along The Watchtower, Jeff Buckley´s reworking of Hallelujah and The Beatles´ Twist And Shout are just three examples of covers that eclipse the originals and then some.
However, at the other end of the scale, a trawl through some of YouTube´s darkest corners reveals some truly excruciating cover versions. And we´re not just talking about bedroom wannabes here. Click and watch as these seasoned professionals drop the ball quite spectacularly:
Yes get progtastic on The Beatles´ Every Little Thing
Red Hot Chili Peppers tackle the Bee Gees´ How Deep Is Your Love
Gary Moore gives The Easybeats´ Friday On My Mind an eighties makeover
Heart have a shot at Led Zeppelin´s Immigrant Song
Mötley Crüe spray hairspray on The Beatles´ Helter Skelter
Celine Dion and Anastasia do truly horrible things to AC/DC´s You Shook Me All Night Long
Bob Dylan mauls Leonard Cohen´s Hallelujah
Manic Street Preachers sleepwalk through Lennon´s Working Class Hero
Megadeth attempt to take the Sex Pistols´ Anarchy to the USA
Nigel Kennedy puts out Jimi Hendrix´s Fire
Duran Duran´s serious attempt to cover Public Enemy´s 911 Is A Joke
Guns N´ Roses cover The Skyliners´ Since I Don´t Have You, but forget to use a guitar tuner
Living Colour´s astonishing cover of AC/DC´s Back In Black
Bruce Dickinson´s bare-chested romp through Bowie´s All The Young Dudes
Finally, we have to reserve a special mention for David Bowie and Mick Jagger. Bowie and The Rolling Stones recorded some of the finest rock albums of the late 1960s and early 1970s, but circa 1985, sporting the worst attire mankind has ever seen, here´s Jagger and Bowie´s cover of the Martha Reeves & The Vandellas song Dancing In The Street. Try not to cry.
By Chris Vinnicombe
