Best and Worst disco cover version

[Videoskooter]

Discoversions are usually not that bad-there's always a piece in the record that's interesting and if the coverversion is too bad, I just have a laugh with it.

I have a problem with Top-40 covers from old discotunes.

Too much examples, but maybe 1: N-Trance.

The worst cover of all times still is "Holiday rap" by Mc Miker G and DJ Sven. It sucked like nothing has sucked before or after :o

[sfbeary]

"holiday rap" is so sucky it's brilliant!

then again, in america, we didn't hear it on top 40 radio like you folks surely did.

steely dan - that's funny that you say any song sounds better in a disco version! i do like quite a few of the remakes that other people have mentioned that they like, and hate a few as well.

of all the disco records ever made, though, the few that i absolutely do hate are almost all cover versions.

but even so, i'll take a bad disco remake over nearly any hi-NRG remake of disco or pop or show tunes. norma lewis "maybe this time" was pretty great, but i think, despite the 1983 date, that one was more disco than NRG. same goes for stereo fun inc's "got you where i want you babe," an ultra-faithful and basically just longer cover version of an obscure early hazell dean 7".

when ian levine started hauling out all those cheesy cover versions not fit for an aerobics class, oh it used to torture me!!!

[QUINNY]

Originally Posted by Videoskooter

The worst cover of all times still is "Holiday rap" by Mc Miker G and DJ Sven. It sucked like nothing has sucked before or after :o

Think you're way off beam with this. If anything, I liked this rap version as much as Madonna's original. Don't know if they made it so intentionally tongue in cheek, but it ceratinly worked the dancefloor (and fave of all faves had the girlies thinking it was Madonna coming up and staying there: Cue well known, opening synth lines mixed under record. Smiling faces from some diehard Madonna fans....great he's playing Holiday....frowns as the rapping starts, turning to smiles as they realise it ain't so bad after all. I LOVED seeing that.). I used to openly laugh at the human beatbox part....still do.

I'm with Marky. Thoise discotized versions of show tunes and old standards of '75 & '76 are amongst the most heinous of efforts, committed in the name of Disco.

[efunk_adelic]

Originally Posted by markydefad

OK, some covers I think are good.

Baby Face - Wing & A Prayer....
Singing In The Rain - Sheila & B. Devotion

& some more of those old Big Band/Broadway/Hollywood standards that were disoc-tized in the rush to get on the "Disco Bandwagon" in the heady days of 1975-1976.

You know their names.

Marky, I must be a freak then.... :( I really don't care much about it now.... but I used to like BABY FACE.. :oops:

[Marcio**]

Gary's Gang "Rock Around The Clock"
Gloria Gaynor "I've Got You Under My Skin"
Penny McLean "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes"
Love Unlimited "If This World Were Mine" (originally by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell)
Biddu & The Orchestra Eastern Man "Girl You'll Be A Woman Soon"
Luisa Fernandez "Granada"
Barbara Joyce "Do It Till You're Satisfied"
Samba Soul "I'm You" (originally by Peter Frampton)


:-?

[NickNack]

Some goodies:

Boystown Gang - Can't Take My Eyes Off of You
Barry White - Standing In The Shadows of Love
Isaac Hayes - I'm Gonna Make You Love Me
Biddu Orchestra - Summer of '42
Inner City Jam Band - What I Did for Love
Kongas - Gimme Some Lovin'
Phyllis Hyman - Kiss You All Over
Viola Wills - (There Is) Always Something There to Remind Me
Jeanne Shy - That Old Black Magic

BTW: Someone mentioned "Venus" by Shocking Blue. That's not actually a cover but a remix. They did the song in 1969. "Venus" by Bananarama would be one choice for a cover.

[Nano]

Thanks for the correction. I was the one who mentioned "Venus" :oops:

[NickNack]

Originally Posted by Nano

Thanks for the correction. I was the one who mentioned "Venus" :oops:

Cool. I was too lazy to scroll back and find out.

ONE MORE COVER:

Isaac Hayes - Don't Let Go He worked the hell out of this old Roy Hamilton song. :D

[nrgbeat]

Originally Posted by QUINNY

Think you're way off beam with this. If anything, I liked this rap version as much as Madonna's original. Don't know if they made it so intentionally tongue in cheek, but it ceratinly worked the dancefloor (and fave of all faves had the girlies thinking it was Madonna coming up and staying there: Cue well known, opening synth lines mixed under record. Smiling faces from some diehard Madonna fans....great he's playing Holiday....frowns as the rapping starts, turning to smiles as they realise it ain't so bad after all. I LOVED seeing that.). I used to openly laugh at the human beatbox part....still do.

I'm not a fan of rap but "Holiday Rap" is quirky fun. You can also mix back and forth between that and Madonna's version.

[Funky Dude]

A lot of disco cover versions I thought were real good. Here's some real good ones:

Cerrone - Black Is Black 1976
La Belle Epoque - Black Is Black 1977 (14 minute version rules :D !!!!)
Gloria Gaynor - I've Got You Under My Skin 1976
Isaac Hayes - Don't Let Go 1979 (Didn't know there was an older version but seeing NickNack mentioned it, this song kicks arse!!!)
Destination - Move On Up 1979
Amii Stewart - Light My Fire 1979
Esther Philips - What A Difference A Day Makes 1975
Gloria Gaynor - Never Can Say Goodbye 1974
Frankie Avalon - Venus 1976 (A great cover of his original version)
Doug Parkinson - Everlasting Love 1974 (Probably one of the earliest examples of Aussie disco music, this version sounds probably even better than Carl Calton's version as it has the disco wah wah sounds in it)
Soul Train Gang - My Cherie Amour 1978
Biddu Orchestra - Summer Of '42 1975
Bobby Rydell - Sway 1976 (Just like Frankie Avalon he does a great disco cover of his original)
Edwin Starr - Twenty-Five Miles 1980 (A fantastic disco remake of his original 1970 version)
Herbie Mann - Hijack 1975
Giorgio Moroder - Knights In White Satin 1976
Jackson 5 - Forever Came Today 1975
Joe Bataan - Latin Strut 1973 (not sure which came first, Deodato's or Joe's but both equally good)
KC & The Sunshine Band - It's The Same Old Song 1978
KC & The Sunshine Band - Rock Your Baby 1975
Linda Lewis - It's In His Kiss 1975
Liquid Smoke - Dance, Dance, Dance 1975
Marcia Hines - Jumpin' Jack Flash 1975 (This has to be THE BEST version of this song I've heard :D :D :D !!! It has that real fast early 70's "Junkie Chase" funk guitar sound to it, also cool hard rock guitar riffs in it too, AWSOME :D !!!)
MFSB - K-Jee 1975
Paradise Express - Dance 1978 (Assuming Paul Jabara's version is the original this song this song is a disco cover of a disco song, and it is THE BEST :D !!!!!)
Van McCoy - Get Dancing 1975 (another disco remake of a disco song, this version is really cool because of the real funky wah wah sounds, wonder if some of the were done by the Moog synthesizer)
Yambu - Sunny 1975
Boney M - Sunny 1976

Ones that do put me off would be:
Rice & Beans Orchestra - The Blue Danube Hustle 1976 (Waltz waltz waltz ewww :oops: )
Walter Murphy - 5th Of Beethoven 1976
Sheila & B. Devotion - Singing In The Rain 1978 (Have to agree with Marky there, the original was a shit shit shit song that someone like Bing Crosby would sing back in the 50s whilst wearing an archetypal 50s hat and trench coat, so it's hard to make a good version of that song)

_______________________________________________
AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE!!! OI OI OI!!!

[Marcio**]

"Our Day Will Come"
# Frankie Valli
# Esther Phillips

"Slow Dancing"
# Paul Jabara
# John Travolta

"I'll Do For You Anything You Want To Me"
# Barry White
# LaSo

"You're Just The Right Size"
# Salsoul Orchestra
# Charo

"Band of Gold"
# Freda Payne
# Sylvester


Also the '77 Silver Convention's version of "Save Me" just called "Save Me '77" and the '84 Gloria Gaynor's version of "I Am What I Am".

[Boodikka]

:evil: The worst:

Wonderland Band's "Stairway To Heaven"
Rosebud's "Have A Cigar"
Salsoul's "We Wish You A Merry Christmas"

These have always made me want to commit axe murder....

[Marcio**]

"Begin the Beguine" by Johnny Mathis
"How High The Moon" by Gloria Gaynor
"Venus" by Frankie Avalon (good disco version :D )
"Quiet Village" by Ritche Family
"Baby, Now That I've Found You" by Vicki Sue Robinson



I found it on the Web page "Where Disco Dared" :D

[K-Bee]

Am I the only who like those odd dutch covers of "Shaft" from the mid 80s by Eddy & The Soul Band as well as Van Twist?
Talkin' bout Ike...he did turn "Can't Take My Eyes of You" into a ballad on his "U-Turn" set - who else would have done that. Sounds good too! :)

[miles mayhem]

Originally Posted by Boodikka

:evil: The worst:

Wonderland Band's "Stairway To Heaven"
Rosebud's "Have A Cigar"
Salsoul's "We Wish You A Merry Christmas"

These have always made me want to commit axe murder....

Flip the Rosebud 12 over and you have a killer version of Money though.