Covers and Tributes

Big Long Now

Covers of Nirvana's Songs by Other Groups and Tributes to Kurt Cobain

Version 1.4
Last Updated: 27-Nov-94

Created and Compiled by Ralph Smith

COVERS OF NIRVANA'S SONGS

All Apologies

• Sinead O'Connor, 'Universal Mother', LP, (Chrysalis/EMI, 7243-8-30549-2-3) 1994

Lithium

• Duran Duran, rumored to have covered this on an as-yet-to-be- released album of all cover versions.

Negative Creep

• Instrumental version, unknown artist. The hidden song on a 7" compilation

Pennyroyal Tea

• Hole, live performances (e.g. 11-Oct-94 at the 'Marquee at the Tralf' Club, Buffalo, NY)
  
• Manic Street Preachers, live performances (e.g. Reading Festival, U.K., August 1994)

School

• Folk Implosion, 'Take A Walk With The Folk Implosion,' 7", (Drunken Fish) 199?

Smells Like Teen Spirit

• Piano arrangement: Tori Amos, 'Crucify', EP, (Atlantic, 7 82399-4) 1992
  
• Parody: "Smells Like Nirvana", Weird Al Yankovic, 'Off The Deep End', LP, (Scotti Bros., 72392-75256-2) 1992.
  
• "Musak" version: Sara DeBell, 'Grunge Lite: A Whole Big Butt- Load of Easy Listening Favorites', LP, (C/Z, CZ064) 1993. Intentionally hilarious.
  
• Unknown style: Xorcist, 'Shut Up Kitty', compilation LP, (?, REC00009) 199?
  
• Unknown style: an unknown band on ZYX records, from Germany
  
• Dance version: Abigail (Klone, CDKLONE25). Cover by an English artist who does techno/dance versions of hits. By all accounts pretty bad.
  
• Parody: "Smells Like Queer Spirit", Pansy Division, '?', (prob. Lookout Records, ?) 199?. Parody by SF gay group.
  
• Parody: The Benzadrene Monks of Santo Domonica, 'Chantmania', LP, (Rhino) 1994. Parody of the Gregorian chant album 'Chant.'
  
• Acoustic guitar arrangement: Mary Lou Lord, 'Deep Music' (,) 199?
  
• Unknown style: Cheerleader Mom, "Smells Like Beefy Roll", 7" single, song is both A and B side
  
• Sampled riff: Credit to the Nation, "Call It What You Want". An English rap group using the sampled main riff from SLTS
  
• Instrumental version: Bjorn Again, 'Flashback/Live Album' (M&G Records, MAGCD1050) 199?
  
• Parody: video on the UK television show 'The Day Today' [1] 1993
  
• Sampled riff: Tinman, "Eighteen Strings" (the original version, not the commercially released version)

Territorial Pissings

• Hardcore version, S.O.D. (Stormtroopers of Death), 'Live at Budokan', LP, (MegaForce, 20286-6908-2) 1992

TRIBUTES TO KURT COBAIN AND NIRVANA

• Kyuss [unknown title, subtitled a "song for Krist and Dave" - German single] 1994
  
• R.E.M., "Let Me In," 'Monster' (Warner Bros, 945740-2) 1994
• The Samples, "Weight of the World," 'Autopilot' (What Are Records) 1994
  
• Neil Young, " Sleeps With Angels," 'Sleeps With Angels' (Reprise, 9 45749-2) 1994

THANKS TO...

John Loughney, Sonny Green, and Pete Couperus, Paul O'Brien, Sheila!, Rebecca, and Mark McLaughlin.

ENDNOTES

1. "...a curious Nirvana parody that appeared on the spoof news show [in the UK] 'The Day Today' as part of a long MTV send-up, some months before Cobain died.

"Nirvana were shown doing an advert for the sanitary towel 'Pantysmile' in the style of the 'Nevermind' album. It's not actually a cover version, although the chorus borrowed heavily from Smells Like Teen Spirit. The make-up and direction was astoundingly good, and anyone not listening closely would quite understandably have mistaken it for a Nirvana video. ('Once a month you become a slave / To a tidal wave, yeah...')

"The man responsible was one Chris Morris, who has also brought the world virtually indistinguishable fake records by Michael Nyman, R.E.M., the Pixies and the Pet Shop Boys." - Paul O'Brien

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