Nirvana covers and tributes

this is Compiled by, and copyright 1995 by Ralph Smith (rsmith@clysmic.com) I will try and post
any up-dates.



Anyone with more information can contact me at the above address. If you do, please list the artist
and the record (including record company and catalog number) if you know it. Thanks. 

A note about the "lifts": they are not necessarily meant as criticism!! One person's influence is
another person's ripoff. So I don't (necessarily) mean anything negative by listing a band in this
section. Besides, who would you rather hear as an influence to other bands, Neil Diamond, Sheryl
Crow, or Nirvana?

This document is posted to alt.music.nirvana, alt.music.alternative, and the data library of the
Rocknet forum on CompuServe. It's also available at my Web site: http://www.albany.net/~rsmith

Covers

All Apologies
Sinead O'Connor, 'Universal Mother', LP, (Chrysalis/EMI, 7243-8-30549-2-3) 1994 
Nina Hagen, live performances during her Fall, 1994 tour

Come As You Are
No Doubt, in performance at Rock For choice (This is a local LA band) 


Lithium
Duran Duran, rumored to have recorded this for the covers album, 'Thank You' but the song did not
appear on the record.


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


Pennyroyal Tea
Hole, live performances on their Fall, 1994 tour (e.g. 11- Oct-94 at the 'Marquee at the Tralf,'
Buffalo, NY)

Manic Street Preachers, live performances, Summer/Fall 1994 (e.g. Reading Festival, U.K., August
1994)


Rape Me
Nina Hagen, live performances during her Fall, 1994 tour 

Bert., in performance at Hallopalooza (This is a local LA band) 


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

Bert., in performance at Oakwoodstock 2 (This is a local LA band) 


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. A parody by the master. 

"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, '?', (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)


Acapella version: The Flying Pickets, "The Original Flying Pickets" () 1994 


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

Shoecrackers of Bethlehem, in performance at The Whiskey, LA (This is a local LA band) 


Verse Chorus Verse
Bert., in performance at Hallopalooza and JRC (This is a local LA band) 


Very Ape
Sampled riff: The Prodigy, "Voodoo People" 


Lifts

The Offspring, "Self Esteem," 'Smash' (Epitaph): Smells Like Teen Spirit, main riff.

Bush, "Little Things," 'Sixteen Stone.' Smells Like Teen Spirit: main riff and spirit. Bush have really
lifted their sound from Nirvana.


Abouts

Nina Hagen, unknown title, live performances, Fall 1994 

Fluf, '24-7 Years,' 7" single (Silver Girl, SILVER012) [2] 1994. Tracks: "24-7 Years" / "Entire"/
"The Troll Song." Marked "in memory of Kurt Cobain" on the back of the record, "24-7 Years" is
probably the tribute song, if any one song is. 

John Hiatt, "Perfectly Good Guitar" from the album of the same name (A&M) 1993. Is there any
doubt that this would not have been written if it wasn't for Kurt 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 

Stinky Puffs, "I Love You Anyway," live performance, with guests Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl
(Krist and Dave's first performance since Kurt's death) 

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, Doug
Mayo-Wells, Corry Harper, Alex, RMKJ08C, 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 

2. Silver Girl Records
PO Box 161024
San Diego, CA