best beatles covers. ever.

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Roy Orbison's treatment of Help is utterly beautiful. All slow and sad and beautiful.

― gghdgdgwd, Tuesday, 6 September 2005 15:37 (eighteen years ago) link

I agree with Fanny "Hey Bulldog," that is great. Al Green doing "Want to Hold Your Hand," ditto. Alex Chilton does a horrible version of it on "Downtown Does the Beatles" from ten years ago. But he's drunk enough to do up "I'm So Tired" quite well back in 1975, about as much as the song deserves.

Beach Boys doing "Hide Your Love Away." Ian Gomm "You Can't Do That" (leaves out the bridge).

Booker T. "Hard Day's Night." Jr. Parker does, as is mentioned earlier, "Tomorrow Never Knows," also "Lady Madonna." And Lowell Fulson does "Why Don't We Do It in the Road."

For that matter, I like Earth, Wind & Fire's "Got to Get You Into My Life." Anne Murray "You Won't See Me."

― edd s hurt (ddduncan), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 15:42 (eighteen years ago) link

Nina Simone's "Here Comes The Sun". And I have a soft spot for Fiona Apple's version of "Across the Universe".

― Roz (Roz), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 15:46 (eighteen years ago) link

A Hard Day's Night - Mrs Miller
A Day in the Life - the Fall

― TRG (TRG), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 17:00 (eighteen years ago) link

Steve Marcus' Tomorrow Never Knows, with Larry Coryell going apeshit on guitar, has its moments.

― dlp9001, Tuesday, 6 September 2005 17:34 (eighteen years ago) link

I've been listening to Teenage Fanclub's version of "Tell Me What You See" (from an old Beatles covers Cd given away with Uncnut). I'd hardly say it's the best but it isn't bad (esp me no liking Teenage Fannies or "TMWYS" particularly).

― Pvt. Dave Goes To Far (scarlet), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 18:04 (eighteen years ago) link

then there's this: CDR700GO!: Delete the Beatles

― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 18:09 (eighteen years ago) link

Steve Marcus' Tomorrow Never Knows, with Larry Coryell going apeshit on guitar, has its moments.
OTM, and they do a pretty good vesion of "Rain" on that album too.

― k/l (Ken L), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 18:14 (eighteen years ago) link

Sufjan Stevens - "What Goes On"
Ray Charles - "Elennor Rigby"
Elliot Smith - "I Me Mine"

― darin (darin), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 18:15 (eighteen years ago) link

"Don't Let Me Down" - Charlotte Dada
SECONDED

― j. rosenberg (pukeandburn), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 18:17 (eighteen years ago) link

The Chameleons - "Tomorrow Never Knows"

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Tuesday, 6 September 2005 18:28 (eighteen years ago) link

I've never heard of Charlotte Dada- I thought somehow a fuXX0red database had merged two separate posts, one from Dadaismus and one from Alex in NYC.

― k/l (Ken L), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 18:30 (eighteen years ago) link

Aretha Franklin's "Eleanor Rigby" is fuckin off the hook.

― tonyD (noiseyrock), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 22:33 (eighteen years ago) link

i'm also going to - cautiously - mention billy bragg's cover of "she's leaving home". which i haven't heard in years but remember as being, er, a brave and individual take on the song.

hang on. pass the limewire and hold her steady ...

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 23:03 (eighteen years ago) link

... oh, it turns out to be far less powerful and nasally-essex than i remembered. WHY MUST YOU PLAY TRICKS ON ME, MIND?

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 23:07 (eighteen years ago) link

nah, fuck this. it's not even average.

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 23:08 (eighteen years ago) link

Cristina's Baby You Can Drive My Car, War's A Day in the Life

― mucho, Wednesday, 7 September 2005 00:41 (eighteen years ago) link

yr mom under the covers when she socked me off bich

― youse a bich, Wednesday, 7 September 2005 00:42 (eighteen years ago) link

The Shat's version of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, of course.

― Pat, Friday, 9 September 2005 12:10 (eighteen years ago) link

Yeah, I like that Aretha cover of "Eleanor Rigby" as well. Her cover of "Let It Be" is pretty good too- "Let it be, leave it alone, let it be!"

― k/l (Ken L), Friday, 9 September 2005 12:14 (eighteen years ago) link

feelies - everybody has got something to hide 'cept me and my monkey. phantastic crazy song, great speedy cover.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Friday, 9 September 2005 12:33 (eighteen years ago) link

Peter Sellers' She Loves You

― me, myself and i, Friday, 9 September 2005 16:05 (eighteen years ago) link

rita lee - a minha vida (in my life)

― mucho, Friday, 9 September 2005 16:19 (eighteen years ago) link

I put together CDR700GO!: Delete the Beatles , and my personal favorite thing on it right now would have to be the Dickheads' "(S)He Loves You."

Although the one I find in my head most often is Frank Sidebottom's "Flying," to which he adds lyrics:

We are the Beatles
There are four of us
Direct from Liverpool
We came here on the bus
John Paul George and Ringo, John Paul George and Ringo, that is uuuuuuus

George plays electric guitar
Ringo has loads of rings
John plays another guitar
And Paul McCartney sings
And then one day they broke up and Paul McCartney formed Wings
Oh yes he did, he really did

― Douglas (Douglas), Friday, 9 September 2005 16:43 (eighteen years ago) link

Seconding the Lowell Fulsom "Why Don't We Do It In the Road." Incredible.

― JAS, Friday, 9 September 2005 17:19 (eighteen years ago) link

http://www.popsike.com.nyud.net:8090/pics/theputtery/20050116/4068037906.jpg

― mark 0 (mark 0), Friday, 9 September 2005 17:23 (eighteen years ago) link

Some new discoveries:

Tom Jones covering Hey Jude
Sonny & Cher covering Something
Nancy Sinatra covering Day Tripper

All great and all from The Good, The Bad, and The Beatles.

― darin (darin), Friday, 9 September 2005 18:26 (eighteen years ago) link

Spore does a brilliant "She's so heavy."

― don baird, Friday, 9 September 2005 18:48 (eighteen years ago) link

I can't get enough of Shirley Horn's cover of "And I Love Him" (she changed the pronoun) lately.

― Jeff Reguilon (Talent Explosion), Friday, 9 September 2005 21:57 (eighteen years ago) link

Fats Domino - Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey
The Jam - And Your Bird Can Sing
Matthew Sweet - She Said, She Said

― Mike Maier, Saturday, 10 September 2005 02:34 (eighteen years ago) link

tese are even better than the originals:
suggs - i'm only sleeping
candy flip - strawberry fields
thompson twins - revolution
zoot featuring daryl coton and rick springfield - eleanor rigby.

― madstocker, Saturday, 10 September 2005 06:11 (eighteen years ago) link

Phish - The whole White Album, live. No big deviations, but it's so great to hear the whole thing played out live (and played well).

― Suzy Creemcheese (SuzyCreemcheese), Saturday, 10 September 2005 08:16 (eighteen years ago) link

aerosmith - i'm down - permanent vacation.
oasis have done at least 6 beatles songs.

― madstocker, Saturday, 10 September 2005 11:33 (eighteen years ago) link

daniel johnston - i saw her standing there

― spasticheritage, Saturday, 10 September 2005 13:10 (eighteen years ago) link

I was tempted to say "none of them," but there's a few on this thread that I've never heard before which seem very interesting.

― billstevejim (billstevejim), Saturday, 10 September 2005 14:21 (eighteen years ago) link

I just remembered The Cyrkle's "I'm Happy Just To Dance With You."

― billstevejim (billstevejim), Saturday, 10 September 2005 14:33 (eighteen years ago) link

I know the Laibach Let It Be was mentioned upthread, but special attention must be drawn to their version of "Across The Universe."

― pdf (Phil Freeman), Saturday, 10 September 2005 17:19 (eighteen years ago) link

neil finn - two of us.
tiffany - i saw her (him) standing there.
fiona apple - across the universe.
u2 - helter skelter.
michael jackson - come together.

― madstocker, Sunday, 11 September 2005 01:39 (eighteen years ago) link

no one should do a cover of any beatles song. they were and will always be the best band ever. they created rock and roll. i don't care what you say, their songs were all perfect and fabulous without anyone covering them. doing a cover of a beatles song is pretty much butchering rock music. and why the heck should a child molester (b.k.a. michael jackson) even attempt to cover a beatles song? especially after the crap he put paul mccartney through by buying the rights to the band's songs, and refusing to give them back? i believe this is called asinie behavior.

― Hillary, Sunday, 11 September 2005 02:22 (eighteen years ago) link

sorry... *asinine*

― Hillary, Sunday, 11 September 2005 02:22 (eighteen years ago) link

"Helter Skelter" - Hüsker Dü
"Dear Prudence", "Blackbird" - Brad Mehldau Trio
"Across the Universe" - David Bowie
"Across the Universe" - 10cc
"Taxman" - Stevie Ray Vaughn
"Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", "Day Tripper", "Tomorrow Never Knows" - Jimi Hendrix Experience
"Hide Your Love Away" - Pearl Jam
"And Your Bird Can Sing" - Guadalcanal Diary
"Lady Madonna" - Joan Osbourne
"Yesterday" - Jan & Dean
"With a Little Help", "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window", "Let It Be", "I'll Cry Instead", "Something" - Joe Cocker
"I Saw Her Standing There", "Dear Prudence" Jerry Garcia Band
"I'm Down", "If I Fell" - Adrian Belew
"Day Tripper" - James Taylor
"We Can Work It Out" - Stevie Wonder
"We Can Work It Out", "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" - Hank Williams, Jr.
"Eleanor Rigby" - Joan Baez
"Come Together" - Aerosmith
"Come Together" - Tina Turner
"I Wanna Hold Your Hand","Get Back", "Something" - Al Green
"Get Back" - Mott the Hoople
Nancy Sinatra also did "Run For Your Life"
"Hey Bulldog" - Toad The Wet Sprocket
Neil Young also did "A Day in the Life"
"A Day in the Life" - Sting
"A Day In The Life" - Eric Burdon & War
"Anytime At All" - Nils Lofgren
"Anytime At All" - Dweezil Zappa
"I'm Looking Through You" - Steve Earle
"Hide Your Love Away" - Oasis
"I Am the Walrus" - Oasis
"Eleanor Rigby", "Ticket To Ride" - Vanilla Fudge
"Something", "the Long & Winding Road" - Tony Bennett
"Hey Jude" - Tom Jones
"I Am the Walrus" - Styx
"Here, There And Everywhere", "Here Comes The Sun", "Oh! Darling"
"Golden Slumbers", "You Never Give Me Your Money", "Octopus's Garden" - George Benson
"Strawberry Fields Forever" - Eugene Chadbourne

― Atari 2600, Sunday, 11 September 2005 08:07 (eighteen years ago) link

there's plenty i'm still forgetting & leaving out, but just thought of this one

haha

"Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" - William Shatner

I think (equally horrible, but not as entertaning as Bill Shatner)
Andy Williams did a Beatles song or two also, can't remember

― Atari 2600, Sunday, 11 September 2005 08:13 (eighteen years ago) link

A lot of these suck.

― billstevejim (billstevejim), Sunday, 11 September 2005 16:49 (eighteen years ago) link

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 (eighteen years ago) link

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

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

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 (eighteen years ago) link

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

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

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

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

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 (eighteen years ago) link

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 (eighteen years ago) link

Skipping 141 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

I wouldn't say it's one of the best ever but at least it's different. Zeus B. Held, "The Fool on the Hill"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8u-fSjhmDAs

― Maggot Bairn (Tom D.), Tuesday, 21 March 2023 20:06 (one year ago) link

was this linked somewhere on ilx? some of it it fun/eerie:

https://hallelujahthehills.bandcamp.com/album/the-music-of-the-beatles-as-channeled-in-1958-by-the-echo-lake-home-for-the-potentially-clairvoyant

― brimstead, Tuesday, 21 March 2023 20:36 (one year ago) link

three months pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1Sqdey1c2s

― budo jeru, Friday, 23 June 2023 14:24 (nine months ago) link

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