best beatles covers. ever.

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Yes, Laibach's "Across The Universe" is great!

I love all versions by Sgt. Pepper for classical guitar by Branimir Krstic, especially my best song ever "A day in the life".

― DorianG, Tuesday, 20 September 2005 20:23 (twenty years ago)

It is, as a couple have said, the Fall's "A Day In The Life"...

― fletcher dexter, Tuesday, 20 September 2005 21:38 (twenty years ago)

For the Record:

Souxsie and the Banshee's "Helter Skelter" shits all over the weak-ass Motely Crue version.

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Tuesday, 20 September 2005 21:51 (twenty years ago)

There really are no great Beatles covers, hardly any that are any good at all.

― Burr (Burr), Wednesday, 21 September 2005 05:44 (twenty years ago)

I am the walrus by Spooky Tooth
Hey Jude by Hal Singer

― laurent darde, Wednesday, 21 September 2005 12:11 (twenty years ago)

Besides "Monkey," the Feelies also did a great version of "She Said She Said." And the Trypes did a great "Love You To." I guess the Feelies win for sheer volume.

Also love Brasil 66's samba-ized cover of "Day Tripper."

― mike a, Wednesday, 21 September 2005 20:22 (twenty years ago)

six months pass...

The Vines "I'm Only Sleeping"
Fionna Apple "Across the Universe" her title "Nothing's Gonna Change My World" (amazing)
Joe Cocker "With A Little Help From My Friends" (Woodstock '69)

― andrew k, Wednesday, 22 March 2006 19:08 (twenty years ago)

'Day Tripper' - Yellow Magic Orchestra
'I Am The Walrus' - Frank Zappa

― BARMS, Thursday, 23 March 2006 10:01 (twenty years ago)

someone said Candy Flip...someone was OTM...

also, Edu Lobo, "Hey Jude"...Ted Nugent, "I Want To Tell You"...Harvey Averne, "THe Word"...The Jam, "Taxman"...(I mean, "Start!")

― hank (hank s), Thursday, 23 March 2006 13:59 (twenty years ago)

Indisputably the best Beatles cover:

ihttp://comics.heritageauctions.com/highlights/beatles/todayandyesterday.jpg

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Thursday, 23 March 2006 14:05 (twenty years ago)

dead babies, can't take care of themselves...

― hank (hank s), Thursday, 23 March 2006 14:35 (twenty years ago)

Hated, "Rain". The world will know when the reissue comes out. (I don't play on this.)

― Colin Meeder (Mert), Thursday, 23 March 2006 15:05 (twenty years ago)

"A Hard Day's Night" by Peter Sellers pwns this thread.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Thursday, 23 March 2006 15:09 (twenty years ago)

danielle dax - tomorrow never knows

― retrokid, Friday, 24 March 2006 11:34 (twenty years ago)

"Here Comes The Sun" - George Benson

― Tantrum The Cat (Tantrum The Cat), Saturday, 25 March 2006 04:39 (twenty years ago)

dillard & clark - don't let me down

― timmy tannin (pompous), Saturday, 25 March 2006 05:59 (twenty years ago)

one month passes...

What, no votes for Elton John - Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds?

― Trevor Wood, Thursday, 4 May 2006 12:19 (twenty years ago)

The Harvey Averne Dozen - The Word

― AJ, Thursday, 4 May 2006 13:09 (twenty years ago)

how can i find the charlotte dada don't let me down?
for some reason i play that beatles song more than ever.
someone, help!

― gregor vox (Gregor Vox), Thursday, 4 May 2006 14:28 (twenty years ago)

King Missile-We Can Work It Out (live & very joyful)

― Chairman Doinel (Charles McCain), Thursday, 4 May 2006 14:33 (twenty years ago)

Stevie Wonder's version of "We Can Work It Out" runs circles around the original, and I don't say that lightly.

― musically (musically), Thursday, 4 May 2006 15:22 (twenty years ago)

eugene chadbourne's "oh yoko"

― dan (dan), Thursday, 4 May 2006 15:23 (twenty years ago)

two weeks pass...

Pixies Wild Honey Pie. What a bold decision to cover that!

― wilder penfield, Friday, 19 May 2006 09:49 (twenty years ago)

Don Byron, "I'll Follow the Sun"

everything is better with clarinet!

― Keywords: revenge, knife, granddaughter, demonic-possession, rock-star, eel (Aus, Friday, 19 May 2006 11:20 (twenty years ago)

Bobby McFerrin's cover of From Me To You is played pretty stright, but damn, Bobby's got some chops!

― christoff (christoff), Monday, 22 May 2006 18:51 (twenty years ago)

the best beatles covers are for me :
U2 : Helter Skelter
Siouxie and the Banshees : Dear Prudence
The Breeders : Happiness is a warm gun
Chocolate Genius : Julia
Styx : I am the walrus
Rickie lee jones : for no one
Joe Cocker : With a little help from my friends
...

― jean-michel Robert, Monday, 29 May 2006 20:20 (twenty years ago)

I second "Dear Prudence". Also Scritti Politti's utterly brilliant take on "She's a Woman"

Other than that, I generally have a problem with Beatles cover versions. Simply because the originals are too good.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 29 May 2006 22:14 (twenty years ago)

Vanilla Fudge - Day Tripper

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Monday, 29 May 2006 22:31 (twenty years ago)

Er...I mean "Ticket to Ride."

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Monday, 29 May 2006 22:31 (twenty years ago)

Here's one from left field:

Daniel Ash - "Day Tripper"

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Monday, 29 May 2006 22:49 (twenty years ago)

Stevie Wonder did a good take on "We Can Work It Out".

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 29 May 2006 23:19 (twenty years ago)

I'm quite partial to Earth Wind and Fire's Got to Get You in to My Life, even if the beginning sounds exactly like the theme tune to 'Whose line is it Anyway?'

― chap who would dare to be a nerd, not a geek (chap), Monday, 29 May 2006 23:49 (twenty years ago)

And I'm sure Beatallica have already been mentioned, but for a joke band their versions of 'All My Loving' and 'For No One' are remarkably good.

― chap who would dare to be a nerd, not a geek (chap), Monday, 29 May 2006 23:55 (twenty years ago)

Tina Turner, "Help"

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 00:51 (twenty years ago)

Sylvie-Anne - Un Tours Dehors

― Jackson Boxer (JacksonB), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 05:49 (twenty years ago)

one year passes...

Stevie Wonder's version of "We Can Work It Out" runs circles around the original, and I don't say that lightly.

Werd.

I liked David Cook's (American Idol 7) version of Day Tripper. He might have jacked that from someone else but I don't care.

― youcangoyourownway, Tuesday, 27 May 2008 01:57 (eighteen years ago)

It has to be Money by the Flying Lizards surely.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_iQZiVD_zA

― moley, Tuesday, 27 May 2008 02:01 (eighteen years ago)

I've always liked Coroner's version of "She's So Heavy" quite a bit.

― Nate Carson, Tuesday, 27 May 2008 03:28 (eighteen years ago)

Just heard for the first time (my bad) Bill Withers' version of "Let It Be"; it's awesomely beautiful. Ramsey Lewis' LP of Beatles covers--Mother Nature's Son--is wonderful, too.

― inhibitionist, Tuesday, 27 May 2008 03:44 (eighteen years ago)

David Grisman's band has done a pretty moving instrumental version, all mandolined-up and shit, of "Because".

Lol Coxhill's take on "I'm The Walrus" is also great.

― t**t, Tuesday, 27 May 2008 10:33 (eighteen years ago)

Arcwelder did a great version of "I Am The Walrus," superfast, stripped-down, with no attempts at mimicking the 'cellos or tape effects. Worked amazingly (and surprisingly) well.

― Sara Sara Sara, Tuesday, 27 May 2008 13:06 (eighteen years ago)

So then what, if any, are the few cases in which the cover version actually surpasses the Beatles original?

― billstevejim, Tuesday, 27 May 2008 15:43 (eighteen years ago)

This was mentioned upthread as part of the Motown Beatles covers album, and it warrants more attention (BSJ, I think it surpasses the original):

Let It Be - Gladys Knight & The Pips

Gladys gave one of her absolute best performances on that. (I also welled up during the gospelly version of "Let It Be" in Across the Universe.)

― Joseph McCombs, Tuesday, 27 May 2008 15:48 (eighteen years ago)

I haven't heard a lot of those, but the original versions of those are so great, I don't see how ALL of them could surpass.. Maybe a few do..

What bothers me about this thread is that it's supposed to be a list of the "best beatles covers. ever." and instead people are just listing random cover versions..

Stevie Wonder seems to have been mentioned here a lot.. it's hard to say which version I like better, because the Beatles version is great for so many reasons (one of the true Lennon/McCartney penned songs, John's bridge w/ changing time signature, and the harmonium!!!) ... however Stevie Wonder's version simply killed it.

I also still think The Cyrkle's "I'm Happy Just To Dance With You" may surpass the original. It helped me to better appreciate the original version. There's changing key signatures constantly throughout the song, which somehow works in this case.

― billstevejim, Tuesday, 27 May 2008 15:52 (eighteen years ago)

Oh my mistake, I thought you were suggesting all of those Motown covers were better.. Yeah the Gladys Knight version is lovely.

― billstevejim, Tuesday, 27 May 2008 15:54 (eighteen years ago)

the Hendrix Sgt Pepper
runner-up: the Grateful Dead's Rain

― gabbneb, Tuesday, 27 May 2008 15:58 (eighteen years ago)

Still amazed that Oasis haven't covered rain. It would have been perfect for them, as opposed to "I Am The Walrus" which doesn't fit with their style at all.

― Geir Hongro, Wednesday, 28 May 2008 08:44 (eighteen years ago)

What would be the point of covering "Rain"? It's exactly Oasis.

(I know, answers on a postcard etc)

― Mark G, Wednesday, 28 May 2008 09:12 (eighteen years ago)

three weeks pass...

I am surprised Jeff Buckley's 'A Day in the Life' hasn't been mentioned. That, for my money, is the best Beatles cover by quite a distance and one of only a handful to have any musical merit.

― Philosopher_King, Friday, 20 June 2008 06:30 (seventeen years ago)

they created rock and roll.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41R2XR2Q6WL._SL500_AA240_.jpg

― If Timi Yuro would be still alive, most other singers could shut up, Friday, 20 June 2008 08:10 (seventeen years ago)

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