Cover versions of the Clash's "Straight to Hell"

Cover Lay Down has links to four great cover versions of the Clash's "Straight to Hell."

There are links to versions by Moby and Heather Nova and M.I.A. in the comments, too.

Cover versions of the Clash's "Straight to Hell" (Amazon sells the original Clash version for $0.99) (Via Uke Hunt)

Mark Frauenfelder is the founder of Boing Boing and the editor-in-chief of MAKE and Cool Tools. Twitter: @frauenfelder. Come and hear Mark speak at the ALA conference in Chicago on July 1.

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killian101

the Heather Nova version…best of the bunch (IMO)
boyhowdy

@ #8 OM: Send ‘em along via the blog if you got ‘em (and if they’re even slightly “folk”) — at Cover Lay Down we do a (Re)Covered post every few months which picks up where previous posts left off.

Also, completists and collectors take note: The Menzingers do a great powergrunge/rock cover of this song; it’s not folk, so I didn’t post it originally, but it’s worth listening to.
platinum

Don’t forget the phenomenal Phil Cody version of the song as well.
makinthings

Thanks for these covers. Most are great, altho I have to say the female vocalists didn’t do it for me. Not quite enough soul (or bass) in their voices for my taste.
jessev

These covers, beautiful in their own right, reinforce the continued relevance and strength of the original song and it’s subject. Can anyone point me towards songs that address our current situation (Iraq/Afghanistan war, “War on Terror) with the same level of artistry?
jaysonlorenzen

@21, No way, the Human Drama version of Love Will Tear Us Apart is great. This is on their cover album Pinups

http://www.amazon.com/Pin-Ups-Human-Drama/dp/B000000P50/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1221767479&sr=8-1
jaysonlorenzen

@18, the original mix, “Rat Patrol from Fort Bragg” is great. There are like 20 songs on it, a double record?. you should be able to find it pretty easily by simply searching for “rat patrol from fort bragg megaupload “, there are several versions available. Some made from cassette tape, others from some better recording. The one that has the cover art for both sides seemed the best quality, though the group where I found that link posted nolonger has that message (I had bookmarked it but now 404). you should be able to find it though.
fz

@21, the squarepusher cover is better (imo)
http://www.box.net/shared/static/l8xmsbtyd1.mp3

@22, post a link to an mp3 please. the amazon link is not useful.
jayemdee

best spent 20 minutes i’ve had in a long time. thanks papa-san.
error404

Not bad for an album from the early 80s, almost prescient in many of the lyrics.
Anonymous

There was a red covered Swans EP (a gothish band from the UK)that I have on vinyl that has an AMAZING version of Love will tear us apart again. That was done on 12 string acoustic- that was just great- not a watered down lame folk version.
NickBeardo

LSK (british Hip-hip artist) did a great version of Straight to Hell, it’s the B side of The Takeover
Duke Countu

@23 nah…not a bad cover but its too synthetic and he just doesn’t sing with Ian Curtis’s desperation, its a bit too formulaic for my taste…but thanks for posting the link.
Nylund

What I like even more than M.I.A. sampling the Clash is how she starts off Bamboo Banga by quoting Roadrunner by the Modern Lovers. Thats another song Cover Lay Down could do. There is that M.I.A. reference, the Sex Pistols version, and the one by Joan Jett just off the top of my head. With a little hunting I’m sure a few more interesting ones would spring up.

Actually, Pablo Picasso, another Modern Lovers track is probably better to do. Its been covered by David Bowie, John Cale, and Burning Sensations (on the Repo Man soundtrack). Sadly, no M.I.A. version that I know of.
NickBeardo

British Hip-Hop artist LSK did a great version of Straight To Hell, it’s the B-Side to “The Takeover”
Dread Pirate Robert

The version by Danny Michel is awesome. I’ll email you the mp3 when I get home.
WhamoBlang

Sweet…one of my favorite allz timesz songs. You should link to the wikipedia entry for this song for some good insight.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straight_to_Hell_(song)
Bazilisk

Original> M.I.A.

100>43
doublethink

I love this song. Gives me goosebumps sometimes.
markfrei

I’m still trying to get the Combat Rock bootleg that has all the original over long, over the top, Mick Jones runnning rampant in the studio gory glory. I hear it’s not so great, but I still want to hear all Ginsberg’s lyrics to “Ghetto Defendant.”
Duke Countu

Good??? Great??? They are all absolutely horrible.

You can’t do a cover version of this song. If you don’t want the studio version there are some great live versions of it by the Clash out and about. But it has to have Joe Strummers aching voice to make it work.

It just amazes me that people try and cover this song. They really think they do it justice or pay homage to it. Equally, you can’t cover Joy Division’s Love Will Tear Us Apart. Even New Order hash it up when they try and cover it!
Anonymous

I was really surprised how many friends didn’t know that the clash was sampled in that MIA song.
boyhowdy

Woohoo! Thanks for the recognition, Mark.

Hope folks take the time to stop by; there’s more to the blog than the songs posted here (and hosted by me)! Welcome all!
datura

I have to weigh in as well saying that:

The Clash – Straight to Hell > M.I.A. – Paper Planes

The best part of her tune is unfortunately the lifted riff!

Digging these alt.takes…thanks boingboing!
chantron

The 90′s NYC reggae/ska band Skinnerbox does a decent cover of Straight to Hell as well. It’s on their Demonstration album.
EllisGL

Don’t forget Cypress Hill’s “What’s your Number” sampled “The Guns of Brixton” by The Clash.
Noddy93

it sounds like Nova didn’t bother learning the lyrics simply leaving out the words she didn’t understand.
OM

…What? No Slim Whitman or Roger Whitacre covers? Tsk!