Artists who have never recorded a cover?

The Strokes have played covers in concert, but I don’t think they’ve ever recorded one?

They covered Marvin Gaye's "Mercy Mercy Me" on a b-side to something.

The Jesus Lizard don't look to have recorded any covers - and just as I wrote that I see they covered The Stranglers' "Shut Up" as a b-side on a CD single!

this is hard!

Broadcast

ooh good one

except 60-40 on this Warp comp is a Nico cover: https://www.discogs.com/release/1939634-Various-Warp20-1989-2009

the Jesus Lizard did quite a few covers! they also recorded a medley of 2 Chrome covers, Wheelchair Epidemic by the Dicks, 2 songs by Trio

so I now see!

Someone suggested Buzzcocky upthread which was countered by them having done a cover of Captain Beefheart's "I Love You, You Big Dummy". But this was only on a live album so I think Buzzcocks still counts.

Buzzcocks*

hmm, they did record a studio demo of it, it's on Time's Up

Slint maybe?

nope they covered Cortez the Killer

how about Earth, the drone/doom band not proto-Sabbath?

Stereolab?

I would have thought they were bound to have recorded a cover.

nah they covered the Godz

They covered The Godz ‘ABC’ on ‘Pulse of the Early Brain’.

xp!

These 'new Go-betweens' have ruined it for everyone.

The old Go-Betweens also had a recorded cover song - a live 1985 version of 'I'm Gonna Knock on Your Door' appeared on the 2004 expanded release of 'Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express'.

Kraftwerk

^ disqualified, per recent posts on the Kraftwerk thread

No-one's mentioned King Crimson? Their "arrangement" of Holst on In The Wake of Poseidon would seem not to disqualify them.

They covered "Mustang Sally" often. Eventually it did get released on "lost third album" The Garden

― Elvis Telecom, Tuesday, June 18, 2024 3:35 AM (five hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

dunno if it's the best cover of Mustang Sally out there but it is 100% the funniest

King Crimson covered Donovan and Joni Mitchell live early on, I think some of those performances have been released. Also Belew singing "Free As a Bird" and "Heroes" at some shows.

OK, but the OP specified studio work.

well, there was this supposedly recorded in 69

Huh, that’s funny… and maybe debatable, but very “fitting” if it qualifies!

OK, but the OP specified studio work.

This makes no sense to me - did Cream not cover "Crossroads" just because their version was recorded in concert?

Did Lou Reed ever record a cover?

how about Earth, the drone/doom band not proto-Sabbath?

They covered Jimi Hendrix's "Peace in Mississippi" on Pentastar.

Lou Reed covered "This Magic Moment" for one.

Lou Reed did a cover of This Magic Moment

and Foot of Pride

There's also 'September Song' and this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBd4SuDNsGQ

... literally beat me to it by milliseconds

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TRijZF0BDc

I think them actually recording it does make a difference, I mean Ween does a cover of Bowie's "Let's Dance" every once in a while but I'd hardly call that part of the band's repertoire. that seems pretty important for say King Crimson because I think doing all original music is a big part of the band's vision and I don't feel that's compromised by them doing something wacky every once in a while. also I think in the early going a lot of bands have to do covers, especially back in the 60s and early 70s where a band would get a contract and go on tour within a few months of forming, bit difficult to have a full setlist then

If we are going by the strictly studio model, The Stooges never recorded a cover.

There's a Prince cover on Ween's debut btw

I don't think that really counts, thats like saying I've Seen All Good People is a John Lennon cover

Crass?

ABC?

Spandau Ballet?

King Crimson did a Donovan cover as a BBC session track. Which means studio but possibly not supposed to be permanent?

Does a song intentionally recorded live gain permanence? Would suggest more intentionality possibly. Recorded for posterity surely

I call that a studio recording.

the last instance of King Crimson did Bowie's "Heroes". I guess maybe not in a studio, but they released a recording of it

I was thinking of a live recording set up officially , separate comment. So if a band knows it is being recorde4d live for an official release surely different to captured live on sneaky bootleg.

I'm not actually seeing the original post differentiating about recording.
But would think there was a difference in intentionality knowing one is playing live to professional recording equipment which would have been more conspicuous at one time. Yardbirds Five Live, Ten Years After Undead, loads of other 60s and 70s official live recordings vs we slipped a song into our set and somebody caught it on a recording walkman or whatever.

Off-topic a bit

I'm intrigued by the fact that Dusty Springfield never recorded a Beatles song. Are there any other pop singers from that time period who didn't?

If we are going by the strictly studio model, The Stooges never recorded a cover.

Apparently there is this (from The Weirdness):

"I Wanna Be Your Man" (Vinyl edition and iTunes editions-only bonus track)
John Lennon/Paul McCartney

So have we actually found anyone who meets the initial post criteria?

Was thinking Duran Duran, but:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxeUnPQ_Y-M