ain't got no soul: bad covers of great soul songs


Many a great soul track has suffered some truly egregious desecration. The single example that comes most readily to mind is Huey Lewis's rendering of Smokey Robinson's "Cruisin'". Ouch! Rememeber folks, this question does not depend on any emphemeral concepts such as race. To be sure, I'll take Dusty's version of "Son of a Preacher Man" over Aretha's any day. For that matter, limey whiteboys such as Elvis Costello and Paul Weller display a far more instinctive grasp of soul than does, for example, Bobby Brown. Don't disappoint me, I am sure that you can name some real atrocities.
tweakgeek
Scotty - Dobie is alive and well as far as I know and provided some of the vocals for the current rendition. He was also in the video. Whether or not he likes the Uncle Cracker version is another story...
Grateful Dead : Johnny B.Goode Unworthy of Chuck Berry!

Rolling Stones: Goin' to a go-go Smokey kills this.

Eric Clapton: I Shot the Sheriff Marley smoked this.

One I like : Rod Stewart : I'm Losin' You (right up there with The Temps' version)
On the other hand, if you want to hear some great R&B covers, get a copy of "Country, Rythym & Blues"
The album "The Chipmunks Sing Alongs" is all covers, including "Witch Doctor". Not sure which version that might be as I've never had the pleasure of hearing the album myself, but I'm fairly certain it would be at the top of my list of bad covers. Just one step below Michael Bolton and John Tesh.

Marco