I received Snake River Conspiracy Smiths cover throw the "contest" organized by a Reprise Records agent in this site, and in my opinion S.R.C. version is interesting although it is miles and miles away from the original Smiths song naturally

i work in a record store and saw the ad in a trade magazine called HITS. it's extremely ridiculous.
our magazine didn't have the moz quote but it did rave about the song's excellence. i received that promo from reprise for commenting on the moz best of as well and while the female vocal was okay, that's the best i can say for it...it lacks a lot that the original had.
of course.

The Beatles and the Stones, and The Smiths. Do not cover these for adverts, for excluding the true tribute bands, you will fail. The originals were perfect. Sorrow will come to you in the end.

I've just downloaded this song form Napster, and all I have to say is that not even in a million years it will be a good version.
It could have been worse.... like a rap-version, but that's not a valid excuse to destroy a lovely song the way they did!

Charles

P.S.: I don't see THE MAN saying "Better Than The Original" with all those bloody machines on it.... but who knows?

here is probably what is the truth:

given the number of car commercials, TV shows, and movies the original song popped up, Reprise thought they had their very own "Whoomp! There it is!"

They sent their scouts out to find tolerable musicians who are starving for their big break and would probably cover Tiny Tim songs if it meant they would get a record deal.

They sat the band down and told them, "hey, we think you're a great band, your singer is really cute and the voice it catchy, but your songs just aren't quite radio friendly at this point. We're really committed to your band. If you cover this song, however....."

"Duhhh, OK! Hey man, we're famous!"

I Work as a Music Critic in Hamburg, Germany.
Wea Records send me a copy of the SRC-Album and they said, that the head of Reprise Records talked to morrissey about the song and he stated that he "first hated it, and now likes the song very much."
I personally think the cover is very poor.

I suspect El Moz, the Mexican Morrissey impersonator, has been up to his old tricks - Morrissey would never say that about this weak version of HSIN.

personally i think it's as terrible as when orgy covered "blue monday". the cure's "lovesong" is also butchered on the snake river conspracy cd. (but i do think jawbox did a decent cover of "meathook")

It sounds like a very Moz thing to say, being the bitter old sarcastic songster that he is. Still, you gotta love him.

The old girl's gone deaf!

Have you heard the How Soon is Now version of Everclear? Its bloody CRAP!

So, How Soon till my ears stop hurting? Overlooking the obvious flaws and difficulties involved when covering a band; especially one like The Smiths (Whom I would argue, was fighting against musicians like "Snake River Conspiracy" by playing the music they did, choosing a simple name like "The Smiths," fighting the whole glam rock that has now been turned into neo-dance-techno-rap-rock, etc.... "SRC" or anyone else involved seem to have overlooked the "spirit," if you will, of The Smiths. Maybe it's just me, but I do enjoy "Love Spit Love's" remake of HSIN? (So I am not entirely against covers, at the same time; however, it's not better than the orginal. Maybe they meant that

"SRC's" version WOULD have been better than the orginal had Britney Spears covered HSIN?

Or maybe they meant,

"Well, I'll be a bed wetter,you mean there is an original version? Who's Morrissey?"

Who knows what goes through the minds of people like that. Besides, even if by some miracle, Moz did say such nonsense, I would hope that he would, as he has constantly demonstrated,have enough skill to turn a better phrase than

"Better than the original."

A bit amatuerish, don't you think?