Chim Chim Cher-ee - Mrs. Miller
To end your week of on a sour note, this month's Terrible Track is an oldie by none other than MRS. MILLER.

Mrs. Miller is notorious for her off-key renditions of rock, pop and showtune classics. She began her career in 1966 when Capital Records signed her based on her unique sense of style. Her debut album MRS. MILLER'S GREATEST HITS was a huge success. The album sold over 250,000 in three weeks and her Petula Clark cover of Downtown even made it to the Billboard charts! Everyone wanted to hear this new farce.

Or was it farce? By reading interviews with Mrs. Miller, it is evident that she might not have thought of herself as a bad singer. Was she in on the whole thing or was she totally oblivious to her joke of a career?

While she may have caught on to the joke by the time her second and third albums were out, she didn't clue into the fact that the label was getting her to record songs for her fourth album, MRS. MILLER DOES HER THING, that were all alluding to drugs. Songs like Mary Jane, Green Thumb, Renaissance of Smut, and Granny Bopper were all featured on the album as was a cover image of Mrs. Miller holding a plate of brownies!

This infuriated Mrs. Miller when she later discovered the meanings of the symbolism. But it was too late to stop the album as it was already in stores. She broke her contract with Capital and set out to form her own label where she could make her own 'serious' albums. She soon faded into obscurity.

Chim Chim Cher-ee Mrs. Miller 1966

Labels: chim chim cher-ee, mary poppins, mrs miller, mrs millers greatest hits, pop, terrible

  ¶ 5:52 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

  Be Prepared - Chris Blakey & Supervillain feat. Keterol
Kevin, Mr. Munkeepants and nullgnu, have all requested to hear a cover of Be Prepared, the villainous song sung by Scar in The Lion King. Well, Be Prepared covers are very rare, but I have one that would work for this month's installment of Terrible Track Friday.

This version is by New York indie artist CHRIS BLAKEY who teamed up with a buddy called Supervillain to record this song for a contest. According to his website, the contest had its contestants cover a Disney song in the style of another artist. Chris chose to cover Be Prepared in the style of alternative metal rockers TOOL.

I love Tool and I would have never imagined Be Prepared in their style but Chris actually pulls it off well. Unfortunately, the original is pretty much lost except for the lyrics. It really isn't the same song any more.

What makes this song fit into the Terrible Track Friday category is the vocals. Sorry Supervillain, the singing is just too monotonous. And same with the speaking part in the middle. It just sounds like the singer and speakers are bored, which makes the song quite boring by the end of it.

Be Prepared Chris Blakey & Supervillain 2007

This is a second version from their website with rerecorded vocals by Keterol. While the singing is slightly better and sounds a lot more like Tool singer Maynard James Keenan, it is quite pitchy and not all that pleasant to listen to. Invest in a pitch corrector! It'll help a bit, but ultimately singing lessons are the way to go to get a better handle on vocal control. But don't try to ever get as good as Maynard, it just won't happen.

Keep trying, Chris and company! These covers have tons of potential!

Be Prepared Chris Blakey & Supervillain feat. Keterol 2007

Labels: be prepared, chris blakey, keterol, lion king, rock, supervillain, terrible

  ¶ 6:01 PM 1 Comments Links to this post

  Some Day My Prince Will Come - Cheetah Girls
The popular Disney group, THE CHEETAH GIRLS, have made a very successful career for themselves. Well, Disney has made a successful career for them.

The group started out as a Disney Channel Original Movie based on a youth book series, but the movie was so popular that it spawned two sequels with a third on the way, as well as three studio albums and a yearly tour across the country. The Cheetah Girls were transformed from a fictitious pop band to actual recording artists.

But the fact remains that this is just another Disney Pop (D-Pop as I like to call them) formula band. My apologies to all of you Cheetah Girls lovers.

For DISNEYMANIA 6, the Girls recorded a version of Someday My Prince Will Come which I consider perfect fodder for Terrible Track Friday. One listen and I am sure you will agree that this version is just plain awful.

Some Day My Prince Will Come Cheetah Girls 2008

Labels: cheetah girls, cincinnati pops orchestra, disneymania 6, snow white and the seven dwarfs, some day my prince will come, terrible

  ¶ 3:14 PM 1 Comments Links to this post

  Some Day My Prince Will Come - Sun Ra and His Intergalxtic Arkestra
Welcome to another addition of Terrible Track Friday. Today, I have chosen a track that I hope will not bring a bunch of hate mail my way. SUN RA and his Intergalaxtic Arkestra has a large cult following due to their unique genre of jazz and unusual origins (Sun Ra claims to be a man from Saturn).

Sun Ra formed his group in the 60s and even though he has passed away the group lives on.

Some of their material I really like. They are extremely creative, good musicians and tons of fun. But there is one element that I can't stand and that is the crazy squeaking and squawking that comes from the saxophonist, Marshall Allen. There is no need for it to be there, Allen is a great saxophonist and he really just does it because it is different. I can understand why people may like it, but in my opinion, it ruins the song and I usually skip this track.

Some Day My Prince Will Come Sun Ra and his Intergalaxtic Arkestra 1989

Labels: jazz, second star to the right (salute to walt disney), snow white and the seven dwarfs, some day my prince will come, sun ra, terrible

  ¶ 2:14 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

  Some Day My Prince Will Come/One Song - En Vogue
EN VOGUE was very new in the R&B world when they recorded this track for SIMPLY MAD ABOUT THE MOUSE in 1991. They found success with their debut album in 1990 and Disney got them to record Some Day My Prince Will Come and One Song knowing that their name would be a big selling point.

Unfortunately, I think this song is the worst track on the album which is why I've chosen it for Terrible Track Friday. The tempo has been slowed down so much that it becomes boring. And while the vocals get more interesting toward the end, it is not enough to make me like the song. And what's with the cheesy background vocals on One Song? En Vogue has had a lot of good songs but this isn't one of them.

Some Day My Prince Will Come/One Song En Vogue 1991

Labels: en vogue, one song, rnb, simply mad about the mouse, snow white and the seven dwarfs, some day my prince will come, terrible

  ¶ 11:56 AM 2 Comments Links to this post

  A Whole New World - Grace Knight & Jackie
Welcome to everyone who is visiting Covering the Mouse for the first time today as a result of hearing my involvement of the most recent Coverville Podcast! I was very happy that Brian invited me to take part in this roundtable discussion.

Every Friday is a special day over here with weekly features. On the third Friday of each month I post a Terrible Track. This month's Terrible Track is A Whole New World by GRACE KNIGHT and her son Jackie.

Grace Knight was a founding member of the popular Australian pop group EUROGLIDERS which was a powerful force on the Australian charts in the 80s. The group disbanded in 1989 after releasing their fourth album.

But Grace wasn't through with music yet. She went on to become one of the best selling jazz singers throughout the 90s in Australia! Most recently, Grace and Bernie Lynch reformed Eurogliders and recorded a new album in 2005, started touring in 2006 and released another album in 2007!

In 1999 she and her son Jackie recorded a cover of the Aladdin ballad, A Whole New World for the album DUETS: A FAMILY CELEBRATION, a collection of famous Australian artists singing with their children. This track is terrible due to Jackie's awful singing. Some of the tracks on this album get the cute factor but not this one. It's almost too painful to listen to. And Grace's vocal work isn't stellar here either.

A Whole New World Grace Knight & Jackie 1999

Labels: a whole new world, aladdin, duets a family celebration, grace knight, terrible

  ¶ 6:58 AM 3 Comments Links to this post

  You Can Fly! You Can! You Can Fly! - Wrench
In 2005, the Japanese punk rock band WRENCH took a break from the music scene. They had been part of it since 1992 and were doing everything they could to reach fans and crank out the albums.

But lead singer Shige felt that they were in a rut, so they took a hiatus and did some soul searching. But last year they went back to the studio to record their newest album, containing the same punk, hardcore and rock sounds as before but now adding his new found love of DJing to bring a new sound to their style.

This version of You Can Fly! is taken from the 2004 album MOSH PIT ON DISNEY and features their old style and is probably the best moshing track. However, I think this version is a disgrace to the Peter Pan classic. The song is now ruined thanks to Wrench. Hard rock and screaming vocals do not work with You Can Fly! This is why I am picking this track for this month's Terrible Track Friday.

You Can Fly! You Can Fly! You Can Fly! Wrench 2004

Labels: mosh pit on disney, peter pan, rock, terrible, wrench, you can fly

  ¶ 1:59 PM 2 Comments Links to this post

  A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes - Michael Bolton
It's the second Friday of the month and you know what that means! Terrible Track Friday! I've got one today that will make your ears cringe.

If you're a Disney fan then you know that MICHAEL BOLTON provided the music for Hercules in 1997. However, did you know that he recorded a version of A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes in 1991 for SIMPLY MAD ABOUT THE MOUSE?

I can't say that I am much of a fan of Michael Bolton. I like his song writing but his voice leaves something to be desired. My least favourite part of the Hercules soundtrack is the pop version of Go the Distance. I chose this track today because he goes the distance with his normally strained voice and ends up sounding like he's clenched his butt cheeks together so hard he could turn a lump of coal into a diamond in there! The result is a nails-on-a-chalkboard like sound that is his voice.

Don't want to listen to the whole thing? Then at least skip to 2:30 to hear what I'm talking about.

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes Michael Bolton 1991

Labels: a dream is a wish your heart makes, adult contemporary, cinderella, michael bolton, pop, simply mad about the mouse, terrible

  ¶ 6:40 AM 2 Comments Links to this post

  Circle of Life - William Hung
Would American Idol Week be complete without a sampling of some of the bad that has come out of the competition? Of course not! That is why I am posting a track from everyone's favourite loser, WILLIAM HUNG!

William Hung gain popularity when he auditioned for the third season of American Idol in 2004. His lack of pitch and rhythm when he attempted to sing Ricky Martin's She Bangs was a hit on the internet after its airing and he has since gained a cult following. Kosh Records saw this an jumped on it, offering him a $25,000 advance to record an album. It was released six months later! That faster than any Idol winner released their debut album!

This version of Circle of Life comes from his debut album INSPIRATIONS which also includes two other Disney hits, Can You Feel the Love Tonight and Tarzan's Two Worlds. If you really want to check out this disc you will also be treated to such hits as She Bangs, I Believe I Can Fly, Hotel California, Rocket Man, and YMCA.

Recently, I've been introduced to Arrested Development and absolutely love the show. In an episode in the third season the family is airing out their problems on court TV and William makes a cameo as William Hung and the Hung Jury playing the court TV's theme song!

Circle of Life William Hung 2004

Labels: circle of life, inspiration, lion king, pop, terrible, william hung

  ¶ 10:36 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

  A World of My Own - Ed Harcourt



Finishing up Big Band Week we have a Terrible Track that comes from a live concert in London last year.

English alternative rocker, Jarvis Cocker, thought it would be a great treat to put on a two and a half hour concert of Disney music by some of the UK's most alternative musicians as part of his Meltdown festival in June 2007. He called it Forest of No Return and his main influence was Hal Willner's 1988 compilation album STAY AWAKE.

I didn't get to go to this show but a friend found a bootleg copy of it and sent it to me. The bootleg really is just a guy with a recording device in his jacket pocket. The sound quality is awful and that is one big reason why this is a terrible track.

ED HARCOURT, an English singer-songwriter sang a few numbers throughout the night but this one was probably his weakest. There are parts where I question if even knows what the melody is supposed to be. And about three minutes in, when he starts getting more...creative with the melody, it causes me to skip to the next track.

However, his piano playing is quite excellent and I read a review that said he had a whole-head rabbit mask put on his head right before his piano solo. Ed was still able to pull of a good solo.

The big band arrangement of this piece sounds great but the crappy recording and bad singing causes me to put this on the "terrible" list. I would love to hear a studio recording of this song! Will we get it? Maybe in a world of my own.

Labels: a world of my own, alice in wonderland, big band, ed harcourt, forest of no return concert, jazz, terrible

  ¶ 9:08 AM 4 Comments Links to this post

  SuperCali (BoiOB Version) - Orlando Brown
Let's all say happy birthday to ORLANDO BROWN who turns twenty today! To celebrate, I have chosen a track that Brown recorded for DISNEYMANIA 4 in 2006.

SuperCali (BoiOB Version) is actually a rap song that uses samples from Mary Poppins and segments of the word supercalifragilisticexpialadocious through out the song. Brown has new lyrics that have nothing to do with the original piece and raps them throughout.

Brown's career is in acting, not singing/rapping. He started when he was seven and got cast as 3J in Family Matters. But his most famous role is as Raven's best friend, Eddie Thomas, in That's So Raven. Brown is a Disney Channel kid and now appears in various Disney tv shows, tv movies and like all Disney Channel kids, he has been pushed into the music career to milk him for all he's worth. He has sung on a bunch of compilation soundtracks like THAT'S SO RAVEN SOUNDTRACKS and the DISNEYMANIA discs.

I have to comment on the lyrical content of this song. It doens't make any sense! The original made sense in a nonsense sort of way but I can't tell at all what Brown is talking about! Here's a sample (I have no idea where the punctuation is supposed to be):

Tick tock look at the wrist watch its time to go
Like fantasia amazinly time is gold
Walt Disney gave me the okay to roll
So I'ma speak up on this word till I cant no mo'
So califragili is be T-shirt wrist be
Face be getting busy for Walt Disney
Word to Mickey ya'll must of missed me
I ain't got time to play

Tell me if you can make heads or tails out of that. The second half of the verse actually does make sense but is sounds so contrived coming from a song that was produced by Disney Records:

You can find me on the young star spaceship miles away
Negativity away from me. It sounds weird but
Dear Mr. Walt Disney this is a letter
To let you know that because of you a lot of things are better
I went to Disney World, boy some imagination
You built a whole nation
And it's all in your name, nobody can get it twisted
Disney, sweet, safe and magnificent

Disney Records has put a rap song on most of their DISNEYMANIA albums. This one is the worst of them all.

SuperCali (BoiOB Version) Orlando Brown 2006

Labels: disneymania 4, mary poppins, orlando brown, rap, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, terrible

  ¶ 7:41 AM 1 Comments Links to this post

  Reflection - Kyrie Stern
I'm not a fan of Karaoke recordings. If you are going to cover a song then please do something with the song and make it your own!

I try not to post "Karaoke covers" here because there are so many other great cover songs that I can post. But today is Terrible Track Friday and I couldn't help but share this one with you.

I think that the most important thing about recording a "Karaoke cover" is that you must have a great voice, because without it you have nothing going for you. This is something that KYRIE STERN is having a bit of trouble with. She had a recording of Reflection up on her website for a while proving to the world that she isn't Christina Aguilera. It also shows that she didn't have the proper tools for recording otherwise she would have used a pitch corrector. The moment that she belt out Who is that girl I see I had to turn it off.

But what about the rest of her music? I must point out that with a little bit of studio time and production Kyrie Stern is really good! Check out her myspace and listen to the tracks Three Days and All I Do. They are great tracks. I'm glad she took this one off her site. It wasn't doing her any good.

Reflection Kyrie Stern Year

Labels: kyrie stern, mulan, pop, reflection, terrible

  ¶ 7:02 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

  Can You Feel the Love Tonight - William Hung
Every second Friday of the month I will post a cover that is just plain awful. I call this feature Terrible Track Friday. This is the very first week and I can't think of a better person to post than WILLIAM HUNG!

I'm sure everybody knows this American Idol reject. He couldn't make it past the auditions. But due to his sweet personality and his passion to do his best (and uber popularity on youtube singing Ricky Martin's She Bangs) Kosh Records gave him a contract to record a full album.

Since then he has appeared on countless talk shows, commercials, sporting events and other guest appearances. Not bad for a novelty act. His agent sure milked him for all he's worth! Since the release of INSPIRATION in 2004, Hung has also recorded a Chirstmas album and a third album! Will this never end?!

Hung's version of Elton John's Can You Feel the Love Tonight is just awful. He is just a plain bad singer. No ifs ands or buts. And if this isn't bad enough, Circle of Life and Tarzan's Two Worlds are also on this CD! Ahh!

Can You Feel the Love Tonight William Hung 2004

Labels: can you feel the love tonight, inspiration, lion king, pop, terrible, william hung

  ¶ 7:11 AM 1 Comments Links to this post