Covering: ABBA

For all their cheesiness, ABBA's really gone the distance. They've sold more records than the Beatles in many countries, including their home country of Sweden, inspired a movie, and had their music turned into a hugely successful musicial (which was then turned into a movie, featuring wince-inducing warbling by Pierce Brosnan). Their influence in current music is astonishingly broad--witness these covers of ABBA tunes.

First up: Beseech, a metal band that also hails from the Sveden, with their rendition of Gimme Gimme Gimme:



Slowed down and piled up with low-slung metal guitar stylings, the goth treatment almost conceals the disco silliness of the booty-call lyrics, but doesn't quite get there. Growling vocals aside, it's still undeniably ABBAesque.

Now we're gonna get Gother and goofier with ABBACadaver's Fernando:



It's awful, but that's not the point--the pitch-perfect sendup of a Goth video (uber-low production values, paler-than-death makeup) is seriously chuckle inducing, especially if you're familiar with artists from MTV's 120 Minutes days (or current artists like My Chemical Romance).

The Red Hot Chili Pepper's John Frusciante gives a sweet, funny S.O.S.:


Why don't the Chilis let this poor bastard sing more often? Seriously.

Let's wrap it up with Nina Hagen's tribute to the lesser-known Like an Angel Passing Through My Room. I think it speaks for itself, so I'll decline to comment...



...except to say I really want that f*ckin' wig.