Top 10 Classic Rock Cover FAILs
If the Beatles and other great classic rock bands had any idea how badly their songs would someday be butchered in cover versions by the "artists" below, they might not have ever spent so much time in the studio. Whether they're performing at small local clubs or on the television airwaves, these bands dramatically fail at re-capturing the magic of the originals, but they did earn themselves a spot on our Top 10 Classic Rock Cover FAILs list:
- 10
'Let It Be'
Originally by the BeatlesWhat's going on here? Is that Rodney Dangerfield in a sailor's outfit applying his Pavarotti vocal stylings to 'Let It Be' by the Beatles? After watching this performance, you'll hope that the crew was lost at sea before they had the chance to record other songs.
- 9
'Don't Stop Believin''
Originally by JourneyNervously rocking from side to side as he sings, this young vocalist discovers that the upper reaches of the Journey catalog wasn't meant for mere mortals to sing, something that he attempts to address with a key change at the end of the song. Thankfully, they're rocking a performance at the local middle school that no one will remember 10 years from now…except for the 48,000 people on YouTube that have seen this performance, that is.
- 8
'Highway To Hell'
Originally by AC/DCThese guys rockin' the AC/DC cover in the intimate confines of Mom's house probably could have used some monitors with their setup. Even then, it's hard to say that being able to hear themselves would have rescued this performance. Whoever filmed this kindly let them know how much they suck before they even really got into the song… and then posted the video on YouTube, complete with band member name credits so we know exactly who is slaughtering every second of 'Highway To Hell.'
- 7
'Dust In The Wind'
Originally by KansasOh, video bloggers and your sense of humor, what the heck is a “Tobuscus” anyway? Even though this rendition of 'Dust In The Wind' by Kansas was created with laughs in mind, we still feel a little bit less smart after watching it. This guy reminds us of the bad '80s sitcom star who somehow escaped from the island of lost television actors and was allowed to bring a video camera on his trip.
- 6
'I Can't Dance'
Originally by Genesis"When we got our first video camera, we decided to sing some of our favorite classic rock songs." That's the general idea behind the cutesy rendition of the debatably classic Genesis track delivered by these two lovebirds. How could 'I Can't Dance' possibly get any worse? Let 'Agata and Erik' show you right here!
- 5
'Poison'
Originally by Alice CooperHave you ever wanted to hear an art-rock version of 'Poison' by Alice Cooper? We doubt it was intentional, but that's kind of how this performance comes off. Extra kudos to the smoke machine that attempts to smoke the band out of existence about 40 seconds into the video (hint: the attempt was unsuccessful). Sadly, because we never get a glimpse of the actual vocalist, we can't track him down to applaud his vocal prowess.
- 4
'Sharp Dressed Man'
Originally by ZZ TopHeadset mic? Check. Awkwardly bad matching stage outfits? Check. Bad stage rap to set up the song? Check. Finishing off this horrific cover of 'Sharp Dressed Man' by ZZ Top is the drummer, who apparently thinks he's playing drums for a Motley Crue or Poison tribute. Guess what? You're not.
- 3
'Enter Sandman'
Originally by MetallicaWe kept gripping our pillow tighter and tighter throughout this television performance, which quickly reminds us how painful something can be when the vocals are pushed way too far up in the mix. “Jarring” isn't the word for it – somebody please, take us off to Never-Never Land immediately!
- 2
'Comfortably Numb'
Originally by Pink Floyd'Comfortably Numb' unfortunately doesn't even begin to describe how this performance makes us feel.. Performing very ironically in front of a giant sign that spells out “music” in big capital letters, there aren't enough drugs in the world to mask the pain you'll feel when you watch this guy go for the high notes. The band is completely out of sync, like one of those awkward and intentionally “shreds” videos, except tragically serious.
- 1
'Smoke On The Water'
Originally by Deep PurpleWe wonder how much inspiration Deep Purple took from this orchestrally based rendition of 'Smoke On The Water' for their recent tour. The peaceful tranquility with which the opening notes of 'Smoke' are plucked is far too polite, but they're simply revving up for the gang-style lead vocals that kick in around 1:08. Different strokes for different folks, and this version of 'Smoke' is definitely not like all of the others…