25 Beatles Ripoff Tunes That You Wish The Beatles Had Covered

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Starting with:

1. Klaatu, "Sub Rosa Subway." Their version is lovely, but just screams for the actual, non-fictitious Beatles to take it over. Get George Martin to produce so everything's not so muddied. Paul on lead vocals for the verses so they don't sound so precious (the man recorded "Another Day," he can make that "Back in 1870.." stuff sound natural) and, most important, get George to take lead on the "Brahmsian tunes..." fadeout, it's absolutely made for him.

― Doctor Casino (Doctor Casino), Saturday, 19 August 2006 06:07 (nineteen years ago)

2. Knickerbockers, "Lies"
3. The Monkeys, "The Porpoise Song"
4. XTC, "Respectable Street"

― darin (darin), Saturday, 19 August 2006 07:26 (nineteen years ago)

nirvana 'serve the servants'

― dave q (listerine), Saturday, 19 August 2006 08:14 (nineteen years ago)

Doctor, now, what is all this about muddiness and stiffness on the Klaatu song?

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Saturday, 19 August 2006 16:41 (nineteen years ago)

6. Sowing The Seeds Of Love - Tears For Fears
(Might have worked out better with their voices and a somewhat less lush production)

7. Joe Public - The Rutles
(Because it is so good it would have deserved a "serious" version)

8. It's Cold Outside - The Choir
(Everything is right about the original - other than the accents)

9. Last Train To Clarksville - The Monkees
(Might have sounded fantastic with John's voice)

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Saturday, 19 August 2006 16:45 (nineteen years ago)

10. Stars On 45 Medley
(I mean, we all agree the medley would have sounded even better with the original versions, right?)

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Saturday, 19 August 2006 16:46 (nineteen years ago)

8. It's Cold Outside - The Choir
(Everything is right about the original - other than the accents)

Aauuuggghhh.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Saturday, 19 August 2006 16:47 (nineteen years ago)

Hey Geir, rock and roll came from the U.S.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Saturday, 19 August 2006 16:47 (nineteen years ago)

That record sounds more like Bobby Fuller or Del Shannon than it does the Beatles.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Saturday, 19 August 2006 16:59 (nineteen years ago)

11. "Is There Something I Should Know" - Duran Duran
(They probably would have done something about that dubious "don't say you're easy on me/you're about as easy as a nuclear war" lyric.)

― John Fredland (jfredland), Saturday, 19 August 2006 18:12 (nineteen years ago)

Hey Geir, rock and roll came from the U.S.

Merseybeat isn't rock'n'roll. Merseybeat is pop, with Music Hall influence and a slight bit of rock and R&B added into the mix.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Saturday, 19 August 2006 18:23 (nineteen years ago)

"It's Cold Outside" is rock and roll. The idea that the Beatles had "a slight bit of rock and R&B" is ludicrous.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Saturday, 19 August 2006 18:38 (nineteen years ago)

I see you and Piero Scaruffi are on the same page after all, however.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Saturday, 19 August 2006 18:40 (nineteen years ago)

I'm guessing that you're the same Geir as GEIRH(VGD?) right?

― Torgeir Hansen (MRZBW), Saturday, 19 August 2006 18:43 (nineteen years ago)

dave, were you just joking or do you see a heavy Beatles influence in "Serve the Servants?" I'd be interested in hearing it explained if you were being serious.

― Sundar (sundar), Saturday, 19 August 2006 18:44 (nineteen years ago)

Day After Day

― M. V. (M.V.), Saturday, 19 August 2006 18:59 (nineteen years ago)

xpost - riff, voice, the way the chorus ends, Abbey Road-type guitar solo, overall feel somewhere between "Glass Onion" and "Yer Blues"

― dave q (listerine), Saturday, 19 August 2006 19:16 (nineteen years ago)

The "oh no" is very Lennon too.

― LC (Damian), Saturday, 19 August 2006 21:14 (nineteen years ago)

Oh man, I love the idea of John Lennon singing "Last Train To Clarksville," bringing a little of his raspy sore-throat voice to it. Paul can come in the final high "Take the LAST train to CLARKSVILLE!" bits.

Would have fit brilliantly on Help!

As for "Sub Rosa Subway" - I didn't say it was stiff, but muddy yes. Unless it's just my copy, there's a real muffled quality to the vocals which I don't think George Martin would have ever let through. The drums too - although I love the way they lock in with the funkified guitar and the horn section!

I'm having a little trouble picturing "Please Please Tell Me Now," but I can sort of see where it's leading, if only because I can crib from "Please Please Me"...

― Doctor Casino (Doctor Casino), Saturday, 19 August 2006 22:44 (nineteen years ago)

13. Utopia: "I Just Want to Touch You"

― Douglas (Douglas), Saturday, 19 August 2006 23:19 (nineteen years ago)

14. Bob Dylan: "If You Gotta Go, Go Now"

― Douglas (Douglas), Saturday, 19 August 2006 23:22 (nineteen years ago)

15. The Olivia Tremor Control - A Place We Have Been To

― Scourage (Haberdager), Saturday, 19 August 2006 23:29 (nineteen years ago)

Not a ripoff tune, but: "Sir Bodsworth Rugglesby III" by Klaatu

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Saturday, 19 August 2006 23:59 (nineteen years ago)

The Rutles - "I Must Be In Love"

― Hideous Lump (Hideous Lump), Sunday, 20 August 2006 01:16 (nineteen years ago)

No Matter What - Badfinger, along with the better part of their catalogue. Timeless off of Ass has Abbey Road written all over it, but then, they had plenty of Beatles input.

― jim wentworth (wench), Sunday, 20 August 2006 02:50 (nineteen years ago)

Hah! I was just coming in to post "Is There Something I Should Know." Totally Beatlesque changes.

― The Mad Puffin (The Mad Puffin), Sunday, 20 August 2006 10:55 (nineteen years ago)

Asia, "Don't Cry"
The Moody Blues, "Nervous"
Klaatu, "Dear Christine"

― Joe (Joe), Sunday, 20 August 2006 12:49 (nineteen years ago)

The Smallgoods - Good Afternoon

― goldfoot (goldfoot), Sunday, 20 August 2006 13:07 (nineteen years ago)

"Talking Out of Turn" by Sleepy Hollow
"Somebody Made for Me" by Emitt Rhodes

― ryborg3k (Badarts), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 12:49 (nineteen years ago)

'grass' by animal collective.

― j fail (cenotaph), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 12:59 (nineteen years ago)

Olivia Tremor Control - Jumping Fences

― Johnathan Redgers (Pearl Hooch), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 13:35 (nineteen years ago)

Loose Ends-He's A Nobody

― Picnics and Pixie Stix (Charles McCain), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 16:20 (nineteen years ago)

"You're not the girl you think you are" by Crowded House. It's very pretty.

― Jubalique (Jubalique), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 18:45 (nineteen years ago)

"Mr. Would You Please Help My Pony"

― captain reverend gandalf jesus (nickalicious), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 18:58 (nineteen years ago)

Olivia Tremor Control - Define a Transparent Dream

Heh.

― Steve Go1dberg (Steve Schneeberg), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 21:24 (nineteen years ago)

Aerosmith - Love in an Elevator (sung by Ringo)

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Wednesday, 23 August 2006 21:40 (nineteen years ago)

The Spongetones, "Here I Go Again"
The Raspberries, "I Wanna Be With You"
Squeeze, "There's No Tomorrow"

― Dan Heilman (The Deacon), Thursday, 24 August 2006 20:18 (nineteen years ago)

I like the "Serve The Servants" and "Love In An Elevator" suggestions. One song that probably would not have been improved by the Fab Four: Cheap Trick's "Taxman, Mr. Thief."

― John Fredland (jfredland), Thursday, 24 August 2006 22:12 (nineteen years ago)

"Love In An Elevator" by Ringo would be wonderful. I'm picturing the kind of lopey, happy but still evidently drunk Ringo that you get on "I'm The Greatest" or "No No Song," it could be wonderful. Either that or a total countrified "Act Naturally" rendition. Either way, lots of winking.

― Doctor Casino (Doctor Casino), Friday, 25 August 2006 15:38 (nineteen years ago)

two years pass...

Elliott Smith's "Son of Sam" could be a very pretty Paul song - not sure if it's Rubber Soul Paul or White Album Paul but either way.

― Doctor Casino, Saturday, 11 October 2008 22:18 (seventeen years ago)

Teenage fanclub. Everything flows.

― Sven Hassel Schmuck, Saturday, 11 October 2008 22:20 (seventeen years ago)

Spinal Tap - Gimme Some Money

― davek_00, Saturday, 11 October 2008 23:00 (seventeen years ago)

Motley Crue - Time For Change. Or at least make Nikki pay the Beatles a buttload of royalties.

― VegemiteGrrrl, Sunday, 12 October 2008 00:00 (seventeen years ago)

The Dukes of Stratosphear, "Mole from the Ministry"

― Telephone thing, Sunday, 12 October 2008 00:36 (seventeen years ago)

Just about any Cheap Trick, but 'Surrender' most of all.

― Soukesian, Sunday, 12 October 2008 02:19 (seventeen years ago)

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