Punk Rock Novelty Covers!

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This is a thread for punk rock novelty cover discussion. Also for someone to tell me the best punk rock novelty cover of "both sides now".

Punk rock novelty covers are pretty much the best thing about modern punk, I think.

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Sunday, 4 February 2007 23:55 (eighteen years ago)

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes - Love Their Country: best guitar based album of 2006.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Sunday, 4 February 2007 23:57 (eighteen years ago)

There was a 7" by Paul Jones (of Mannfred Mann fame) covering "Pretty Vacant" on one side and "Sheena is a Punk Rocker" on the other - both in an easy-listening stylee.

This was about 1978, there4 one of the earliest examples of musical post-modernism.

― Phil Knight (PhilK), Monday, 5 February 2007 00:04 (eighteen years ago)

bananarama covering "pretty vacant" -- sublime.

― tuesdays with maury povich (get bent), Monday, 5 February 2007 00:38 (eighteen years ago)

i actually can't find any punk novelty covers of both sides now, which is driving me crazy.

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Monday, 5 February 2007 00:42 (eighteen years ago)

Snuff to thread: I Think We're Alone Now, adverts for Hammerite and Bran Flakes, the theme tune from Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads, and a thousand more.

― Wingwalker (1977), Monday, 5 February 2007 01:20 (eighteen years ago)

sterl, the last track on hole's pretty on the inside devolves into courtney chanting the lyrics to "both sides now."

― tuesdays with maury povich (get bent), Monday, 5 February 2007 01:54 (eighteen years ago)

standard disclaimers about "punk rock" and "novelty" apply though...

― tuesdays with maury povich (get bent), Monday, 5 February 2007 01:54 (eighteen years ago)

oh yeah what do ppl think of the reel big fish cover of "take on me"? i wish it sounded more social d-ish (speaking of which -- ring of fire sorta rules all here, rite?)

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Monday, 5 February 2007 03:02 (eighteen years ago)

is there a good punk rock novelty cover of the theme from greatest american hero?

i think i have a replacements boot with a snippet of them doing it.

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Monday, 5 February 2007 03:04 (eighteen years ago)

If you ever find a punk novelty "Both Sides Now", plz YSI.

― C0L1N B... (C0L1N B...), Monday, 5 February 2007 03:07 (eighteen years ago)

on the other hand, i don't think the mats covered anything for novelty's sake.

also desecration's "we got the beat" -- sorta sucks i think. i have some thrashy metalish cover of sweet like chocolate too. very very novelty.

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Monday, 5 February 2007 03:08 (eighteen years ago)

The Dave Von Ronk version is the closest thing I can think of.

x-p

― C0L1N B... (C0L1N B...), Monday, 5 February 2007 03:08 (eighteen years ago)

Jason Falkner recorded a pretty driving power-pop "Both Sides Now," and search Ska King Crab's "Take On Me."

Also, Dickies to thread.

― Paul Eater (eater), Monday, 5 February 2007 03:10 (eighteen years ago)

How about the Sick Things' "The Sounds of Silence"? 1978 or something? With future members of the Dirty 3?

Punk rock covers of novelties: Snuff doing "Yes, We Have No Bananas"! In multiple languages!

― Douglas (Douglas), Monday, 5 February 2007 03:48 (eighteen years ago)

http://www.amazon.com/Before-You-Were-Punk-(Series)/artist/B000APAFT6

Vols 1 and 2!

― If you fuck with Jimmy Mod, you call down the thunder (The Famous Jimmy Mod), Monday, 5 February 2007 03:51 (eighteen years ago)

punk rock bands doing novelty covers or non-punk bands doing punk covers? if the former...7 seconds: 99 red balloons

― venimdenim (venimdenim), Monday, 5 February 2007 04:09 (eighteen years ago)

I rather like Goldfinger's bishybash thru the Cure's "Just Like Heaven", m'self.

― Trayce (trayce), Monday, 5 February 2007 04:46 (eighteen years ago)

CHILD MOLESTER'S "DON'T WORRRY KYOKO MOMMY'S ONLY LOOKING FOR HER HAND IN THE SNOW"

LOCK THREAD KTHX.

― be home by 11 (orion), Monday, 5 February 2007 04:58 (eighteen years ago)

There are millions of em, can't think now... Hüsker Dü "Love Is All Around" (Mary Tyler Moore theme) really got me into it.

BTW, who was it that did the same exact cover like within the last 10 years or so? I remember hearing it and thinking gee, how original!

Also, big love to the Minutemen for "Dr. Wu". Really ligitimized Steely Dan for me somehow!

I still listen to Redd Kross's version of "Sunshine Day" (Brady Bunch) with alarming frequency. Also, I think the (Taang-era) Lemonheads did a cool version of "Amazing Grace". per upthread, Snuff did great covers too.

Oh and Camper's cover of "Wasted" was cool. So many.........

― Saxby D. Elder (Saxby D. Elder), Monday, 5 February 2007 05:30 (eighteen years ago)

i listen to the hüsker cover of eight miles high all the time.

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Monday, 5 February 2007 05:35 (eighteen years ago)

I fucking hate Me First and the Gimme Gimmes so goddamn much that it distorts my local gravitational field. Quite possibly the worst "band" I have ever been exposed to.

I like the Dickies OK though.

Big Boys "Hollywood Swinging" would qualify except it is non-ironic therefore not novelty.

― sleeve (sleeve), Monday, 5 February 2007 06:05 (eighteen years ago)

I would suggest a million punk bands covering 'Louie Louie', but the Kingsmen were sort of punk for their day so it doesn't really count. Does it?

― MacDara Conroy (MacDara), Monday, 5 February 2007 08:42 (eighteen years ago)

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes - Love Their Country: best guitar based album of 2006.

This is so so awesome as a motorway journey album!

― Hell Hath No Furry (DJ Mencap), Monday, 5 February 2007 09:44 (eighteen years ago)

Toy Dolls to thread.

― aldo_cowpat (aldo_cowpat), Monday, 5 February 2007 10:08 (eighteen years ago)

dead kennedys! 'viva las vegas', 'rawhide', 'have I the right', 'back in the USSR', 'take this job and shove it'...

they also misappropriated the riff from 'my sharona' into 'pull my strings'.

― m the g (mister the guanoman), Monday, 5 February 2007 10:20 (eighteen years ago)

Does The Lemonheads' Different Drum count?

― Jez (Jez), Monday, 5 February 2007 14:09 (eighteen years ago)

That's a tough question, and I don't know the answer. But their versions of 'Luka' and 'Skulls' count for sure!
Also:
Lords of the New Church - 'Like a Virgin'
76% Uncertain - 'I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night"
all of Killdozer's 'For Ladies Only' album
and everything by the Tater Totz.

― Mike Dixn (Mike Dixon), Monday, 5 February 2007 21:01 (eighteen years ago)

This fits nothing about the category, but I'd like to stop and give props to the "Punky Chip Ahoy! Oi oi oi!" ad.

― nabisco (nabisco), Monday, 5 February 2007 21:10 (eighteen years ago)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-TjiL3Ualw

― nabisco (nabisco), Monday, 5 February 2007 21:11 (eighteen years ago)

one of my faves was always the medley that circle jerks did on golden shower of hits. they do:

Along Comes Mary
Close To You
Afternoon Delight
Having My Baby
Love Will Keep Us Together
D-I-V-O-R-C-E

(had to look that up. couldn't remember them all)

― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 5 February 2007 21:24 (eighteen years ago)

avril lavigne doing that system of a down song whose title i forget, and cracking up halfway through

― antidote against poisoning (lex pretend), Monday, 5 February 2007 21:31 (eighteen years ago)

The Dickies were great at this, esp. "Communication Breakdown" and "Sounds of Silence".

Also, Lemonheads - "Mrs. Robinson"

I guess you could maybe count The Replacement's cover of "Black Diamond".

― darin (darin), Monday, 5 February 2007 21:44 (eighteen years ago)

I don't think that (or anything much in the Atlantic catalogue) counts as punk rock.

btw, I plead typo (not ignorance) for "ligitimize" upthread.

Of course you TOTALLY count all the bajillion great Replacements covers!

― Saxby D. Elder (Saxby D. Elder), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 02:08 (eighteen years ago)

I think we can sort of work towards a taxonomy of this -- reverential covers of c&w/honkytonk at one end, "ironic" covers of 80s newwavy dance at the other.

i'm positive by the way that i have some taped version somewhere of a really great cover of uptown girl thats not by the gimme gimmes but i can't remember who it IS by. Not sure I ever knew actually.

Also possibly a really good cover of Lady Is a Tramp that I equally can't place.

Allmusic is actually really no good for this more obscure stuff.

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 03:21 (eighteen years ago)

I like how on Kazaa these are all credited to "Blink 182" and "Green Day" and sometimes "Good Charlotte" as though those are the only punk bands in existence.

― max (maxreax), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 03:29 (eighteen years ago)

Stiff Little Fingers' Silly Encores: White Christmas and Running Bear

oh yeah what do ppl think of the reel big fish cover of "take on me"?

Pointless. They didn't murder it, it just made me think "why?"

dead kennedys! 'viva las vegas', 'rawhide', 'have I the right', 'back in the USSR', 'take this job and shove it'...

Covers, yes. But not necessarily novelties.

― Wingwalker (1977), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 07:45 (eighteen years ago)

Ludichrist (are they punk?) did "Green Eggs & Ham"!

There was this silly late-80s Windsor, Ontario band called The Dik Van Dykes - kind of a missing link between the Ramones and the B-52s. And when I saw 'em alive, the lead singer introduced a song thusly: "This was my favourite commercial when I was a kid...I don't know why...":

"You've got trouble?/Wait, don't run/This kind of Trouble is lots of fun! Pop-o-matic pops the dice..." etc.

― Monty Von Byonga (Monty Von Byonga), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 09:07 (eighteen years ago)

who was the band that did the connect four commercial on their record? they were an american shambling indie band, not really a punk band...

― tuesdays with maury povich (get bent), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 09:13 (eighteen years ago)

dead kennedys! 'viva las vegas', 'rawhide', 'have I the right', 'back in the USSR', 'take this job and shove it'...

Covers, yes. But not necessarily novelties.

the others are arguable, but you don't think rawhide was a novelty?! egad!

― m the g (mister the guanoman), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 09:55 (eighteen years ago)

Hah, never heard of anyone doing "Connect 4"! Hope they didn't forget the "Pret-ty sneaky, Sis".

― M. Agony Von Bontee (M. Agony Von Bontee), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 22:35 (eighteen years ago)

Gang Green doing "Voices Carry." Was it good or/and funny? I can't remember.

― Amanda Hugankiss (Skinny Fats), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 22:54 (eighteen years ago)

who was the band that did the connect four commercial on their record? they were an american shambling indie band, not really a punk band...

Blast Off Country Style. And yes on the pretty-sneaky-sis inclusion.

― city worker (bmcnee), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 22:59 (eighteen years ago)

i know it's not really novelty but the husker du "eight miles high" is amazing beyond belief. also not exactly novelty but the camper van beethoven "wasted" is pretty good too.

as for novelty, the cap'n jazz "take on me" really gets a midwestern house party going. i'd DIE to hear the gang green cov though.

― killa bee (killabee), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 06:10 (eighteen years ago)

give props to the "Punky Chip Ahoy! Oi oi oi!" ad

lol, I remember that commercial.
but this also reminds me of the punk rock band that had a song called "chips ahoy" (not the hold steady, obv)
but I can't for the life of me remember the name.

http://www.savethehumans.com/punkcoverproject/index.shtml

― mox twelve (Mox twleve), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 08:08 (eighteen years ago)

Capdown have covered 'Trick Me' for their new single. Momentous enough to justify posting this before I've played it? I think so

― Hell Hath No Furry (DJ Mencap), Thursday, 8 February 2007 13:05 (eighteen years ago)

It was fucking knobrot.

― Hell Hath No Furry (DJ Mencap), Friday, 9 February 2007 12:43 (eighteen years ago)

one month passes...

ok did we mention jawbreaker doing cornflake girl? also revive to ask about punk rock novelty covers of ABBA!

― s.clover, Thursday, 5 April 2007 06:58 (eighteen years ago)

and by jawbreaker i meant jawbox.

― s.clover, Thursday, 5 April 2007 06:59 (eighteen years ago)

I really love The Forgotten Rebels' cover of "Save The Last Dance For Me"

― alex in montreal, Thursday, 5 April 2007 08:38 (eighteen years ago)

The Lurkers - Then I Kicked Her

― Go, GO, GO, Thursday, 5 April 2007 13:38 (eighteen years ago)

the nofx cover of straight edge was kinda funny

― latebloomer, Thursday, 5 April 2007 21:40 (eighteen years ago)

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