Artists who have never recorded a cover?

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

>> Was thinking Duran Duran

The same Duran Duran that recorded an entire album of covers? That Duran Duran?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YecLVBZm6cw

Yeah yeah, missed that part until I searched.

(and nice "White Lines"!)

Have King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard ever recorded a cover?

I don’t think Fugazi, Dire Straits, or Boston were ever refuted? Pink Floyd too?

…and Supertramp.

Turns out Boston covered a song called "Magdelene” on a 1994 album, so they’re out. The others seem to check out according to secondhandsongs.com, depending on whether you consider "I'm a King Bee" to be a Pink Floyd song or not. Dire Straits have a cover on this Knebworth set, but that’s a concert recording.

split enz

Mogwai.

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Tuesday, 12 August 2003 08:47 (twenty years ago) link

if only Charlie had discogs before being smug. hell, even the internet could've saved 'em!

This is the closest you're going to get with Floyd

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eycfdW33E6o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8v11MzDX8OY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ0fxP-DUBg

Isn't Interstellar Overdrive an expanded cover of the Steptoe and Son theme.

I thought there were a couple of early r'n'b covers that remained unreleased for decades is that just King Bee.

Supposedly the origin of "Interstellar Overdrive" was from Peter Jenner was (inexpertly) trying to describe Love's version of "My Little Red Book" to Syd. It does sound more like "Steptoe and Son" though.

Killing Joke still in this IMO - far as I can tell they played Bodies at a few early gigs (interesting!) but they never recorded it - and I am def of the opinion that only studio recorded covers “count” (itt anyway)

Gong!

Public Image..?

unreleased cover of "Twist and Shout"

Oh, and released an instrumental version of "Kashmir", so there's that.

You know when you're much too late? Someone upthread said "Roxy Music" and nobody refuted, I mean c'mon!

Faust?

xp Kashmir just a live thing, no?

never heard about Twist and Shout - what era? recorded-but-unreleased is borderline tho!

UB40

Someone upthread said "Roxy Music" and nobody refuted

I refute your accusation that nobody refuted, they refuted just two posts below the post you wish they had refuted.

Crass and Faust are still viable candidates as far as I can tell/remember

I'm assuming electronic acts like Cluster and offshoots don't count.

yeah I think you have to limit this to more or less "normal" rock bands

secondhandsongs.com seems to confirm Crass, fwiw

(it says that Faust covered something called "Lady Sorrow," originally by Karamel, in 2009 – but I'm not gonna follow the breadcrumbs)

also seems to confirm Split Enz, if they qualify

UB40

UB4ALOL

Gong!

i was going to say that they covered Soft Machine's "Memories" but that was Daevid Allen solo so yes, Gong is it!

The velvet underground ?

Velvet Underground might not have done any covers, but they fall foul of my totally arbitrary ten-year-career rule.
― Susan (Susan), Tuesday, August 12, 2003