The Motorpsychodelic World Cup of Cover Songs
Welcome to the Motorpsychodelic World Cup of Cover Songs!
The MWCoCS is a cup, where you – the listener, fan or stranger – get to listen to and vote for your favourite of two songs covered by Motorpsycho over the last 35 years, untill a winner emerges some time later this summer. This could have been an even more epic thing to organize if we wanted it to, but we figured 16 contenders from the thirtysomething covers that the band has recorded over the years would suffice.
Every two or three days, we will pit two of these contenders against eachother, and the winner wil go on to the next round in this cup of covers: which one is the fan’s favourite? which one will emerge as the most successful interpretation of other people’s songs?
Cast your vote on our social media, and we’ll all find out!
Also: were you aware that all of Motorpsycho’s releases gradually are coming to Bandcamp? New archive releases have been added to our Bandcamp as the Motorpsychodelic World Cup of Cover Songs has rolled on, and more will follow!
ROUND THREE, the SEMIFINALS
The semis are on!!!
We want to thank everyone who’ve helped us have a little summer fun, and participated in this cup! There’s prestige in this game, but every song you listened to and vote for is a winner, and both bands and songs are really happy with all the attention you have given us!
The semis are really really hard to decide, and the final will be even harder, but keep up the engagement and get your friends to vote for your favourite, and the best version might win!
We guarantee no presidential involvement or corruption of any kind here, so this is the people’s cup for real,
…and we all win!
The third round contains 2 mashups in total.
| ROUND THREE – SEMIFINALS MATCH TWO (July 16 – July 19, 2026) |
Heaven and Hell (Manmower EP)
LISTEN ON BANDCAMP
Live at Leeds by The Who was always one of our fave albums. Heaven and Hell was originally released as the b-side of The Who’s Summertime Blues single in 1970.
Black To Comm (Roadwork Vol 1)
LISTEN ON BANDCAMP
There is no released studio version of Black To Comm by The MC5. In 1999 there wasn’t any officially released versions either, but you found it on live bootlegs if you went searching.
| ROUND THREE – SEMIFINALS MATCH ONE (July 14 – July 17, 2026) |
All Is Loneliness (Demon Box)
LISTEN ON BANDCAMP
The original is by Moondog, but the Big Brother studio version was the catalyst for our version.
August (Still Life With Eggplant)
LISTEN ON BANDCAMP
The original is by Love on “Four Sail”. Arthur Lee’s songwriting influenced many a MP tune.
ROUND TWO, the QUARTER-FINALS!
Well, the Motorpsychodelic World Cup of Cover Songs has reached the 2nd stage! Some favourites have been shot down in flames, but other aces have come through, and while we’ve had some unexpected results, the remaining matches are now all hard core banger-on-banger action!
The second round contains 4 mashups in total.
| ROUND TWO – MATCH FOUR (July 12 – July 15, 2026) |
California Dreamin‘ (Soothe)
LISTEN ON BANDCAMP
California Dreamin’ domineered All My Life (I love you) and took an easy win. This recording is the first recorded example of the now classic Sæther/Ryan /Lars Lien three part harmony section that you hear all over albums like Demon Box, Timothy’s Monster and both the Tussler albums.
It was a weird and occational blend, but when it blend it blend good(!)
Black To Comm (Roadwork Vol 1)
LISTEN ON BANDCAMP
There is no released studio version of Black To Comm by The MC5. In 1999 there wasn’t any officially released versions either, but you found it on live bootlegs if you went searching. We based out versions on a couple of these murky sounding bootleg versions and developed our own take on the call and response rockout, but we never went ‘outside’ like they often did – no saxplayers in the crew here! Most often we performed it in a medley with You Lied ( Walking On The Water) at the end of the gig or as the last encore. Good mindless fun!
| ROUND TWO – MATCH THREE (July 10 – July 13, 2026) |
August (Still Life With Eggplant)
LISTEN ON BANDCAMP
August came out on top in a narrow race with Eagle’s Son to continue on into the quarter finals. Arthur Lee’s songwriting influenced many a MP tune. Without Love’s Forever Changes there would be no Let them Eat Cake or Phanerothyme. Although it’s from a later album, August was the one of his that suited us the best. We still play this one every so often.
Black As Night (The Gaia II Space Corps)
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The Frost tackled the Hawkwind/Motorhead effort with ease to go on to the next round. Black as Night was written by Dick Wagner. You might have heard his work with Kiss, Lou Reed and Alice Cooper even if you don’t know you have. Bob Ezrin’s secret weapon, Alice’s Nightmare was as much Dick Wagner’s. An absolute Detroit legend!
| ROUND TWO – MATCH TWO (July 8 – July 11, 2026) |
All Is Loneliness (Demon Box)
LISTEN ON BANDCAMP
All is Loneliness is the clearest winner in the cup so far, and wiped the floor with Up Our Sleeves. This song is so loose and malleable that it stayed in our live set on and off for decades. The version on Roadwork Vol.4: Intrepid Skronk is a good example of where the Ryan/Sæther/Kapstad line up could take it on a good night.
The House At Pooneil Corners (Mountain EP)
LISTEN ON BANDCAMP
Jefferson Airplane dribbled Epinastic Movements off the pitch for a solid win in this match-off. Motorpsycho’s Pooneil version was clearly influenced by opening for Neurosis at the Blitz Cafe in 1993. It is local legend that more than 600 people were there that night. The capacity was then around 250 …
| ROUND TWO – MATCH ONE (July 6 – July 9, 2026) |
Heaven and Hell (Manmower EP)
LISTEN ON BANDCAMP
Heaven and Hell overwhelmimgly punched Punch out of the race. It originally was released as the b-side of The Who’s Summertime Blues single in 1970. Motorpsycho once played almost all of side one of Live At Leeds as an encore.
Rock Bottom (Single)
LISTEN ON BANDCAMP
In the Cup’s closest race so far, UFO’s Rock Bottom beat Kiss’ Watching You to reach the quarter finals. Barely! As fine a song as Rock Bottom is, Bent still insists that the best UFO album is their second, Flying. Which is yours?
ROUND ONE
The first round contains eight mashups in total.
| ROUND ONE – MATCH EIGHT (July 3 – July 6, 2026) |
| Into The Sun (Single) VERSUS Black To Comm (Roadwork Vol 1) |
Into The Sun (Single)
LISTEN ON BANDCAMP
An older neighbour played the Grand Funk Live Album version of this song to a 14 year old Bent back in 1984. And blew his mind.
Black To Comm (Roadwork Vol 1)
LISTEN ON BANDCAMP
One of several mythical MC5 tunes that you read about that only existed on obscure bootlegs for the longest time. It sure rallies a crowd! We first heard it as ‘come on down on ‘Live Detroit 68/69’.
| ROUND ONE – MATCH SEVEN (June 30 -July 3, 2026) |
| August (Still Life With Eggplant) VERSUS Eagle’s Son (Visitant B-Side) |
August (Still Life With Eggplant)
LISTEN ON BANDCAMP
Love was more than Forever Changes, but seldom more so than on Four Sail. This fit us like a glove.
Eagle’s Son (Visitant single B-Side)
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The Pretty Things were sometimes a bit hard to pin down, and when you give half a dozen or so of your best songs to a film music company, you’re kinda making sure it remains so. Parachute and SF Sorrow are amazing, but those Electric Banana albums sure had some corkers too!
| ROUND ONE – MATCH SIX (June 27- June 30 2026) |
| The Watcher (Kingdom Of Oblivion) VERSUS Black As Night (The Gaia II Space Corps) |
The Watcher (Kingdom Of Oblivion)
LISTEN ON BANDCAMP
There was always a bit too much speed in Lemmy’s versions of this space rocker. We took it all the way into hyparspace. without the speed.
Black As Night (The Gaia II Space Corps)
LISTEN ON BANDCAMP
Even well into our 50s, we still discover fantastic new/old music. Always knew the Alice Cooper / Kiss connection, but didn’t ‘get’ The Frost untill we heard the Grande Ballroom live album. Fantastic!
| ROUND ONE – MATCH FIVE (June 24 – June 27, 2026) |
| The House At Pooneil Corners (Mountain EP) VERSUS President Block (Wearing Yr Smell EP) |
The House At Pooneil Corners (Mountain EP)
LISTEN ON BANDCAMP
Ah.. how to translate that earnest late 60’s ideological vibe into a Neurosis-like metal monster for 1993? Frankly, it wasn’t hard at all!
President Block (Wearing Yr Smell EP)
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Sometimes your friend writes the best song you’ve heard in many moons, but his band just doesn’t get it. So what do you do?
| ROUND ONE – MATCH FOUR (June 21 – June 24, 2026) |
| Rock Bottom (Single) VERSUS Watching You (Another Ugly EP) |
Rock Bottom (Single)
LISTEN ON BANDCAMP
UFO was one of the pre-NWOBHM bands that formed our musical taste and vision. This was perhaps their brightest spark, and it’s a hoot to play!
Watching You (Another Ugly EP)
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In 1994, hip hop grooves were big in alt rock. This was our attempt at doing something ‘new’ to an old Kiss-Klassik. Subtle it ain’t!
| ROUND ONE – MATCH THREE (June 18,- June 21 2026) |
| All Is Loneliness (Demon Box) VERSUS Up Our Sleeves (Starmelt EP) |
All Is Loneliness (Demon Box)
LISTEN ON BANDCAMP
In many ways a cover of a cover – The original is by Moondog, but the Big Brother studio version was the catalyst for ours. Over the years it kinda became ours too.
Up Our Sleeves (Starmelt EP)
LISTEN ON BANDCAMP
Marriott is kinda ‘the Connoseur’s Plant’, and we’ won’t argue with that. What a singer… Slightly doctored live recording this.
Fierce!
ROUND ONE – MATCH TWO (June 15 – June 18, 2026) |
California Dreamin (Soothe) VERSUS All My Life (I Love You) (Neigh!!) |
All My Life (I Love You) (Neigh!!)
LISTEN ON BANDCAMP
Skip had that something that made you love his music. With The Airplane, Moby Grape and also solo. This one kinda slipped through the cracks and deserved more light shone upon it. Brilliant in it’s simplicity.
ROUND ONE – MATCH ONE (June 13 – June 17, 2026) |
Heaven and Hell (Manmower EP) VERSUS Punch (Single) Patrik Fitzgerald, Jello Biafra with Motorpsycho |
Heaven and Hell (Manmower EP)
LISTEN ON BANDCAMP
Live at Leeds was always one of our fave albums, and it’s importance didn’t diminish when the rest of the show was released in the early 90s. This tune was a revelation to us, stayed in our live set for a couple of tours, and indulged the bassplayer’s ‘Bentwistle’ fantasies.
Punch (Single) Patrik Fitzgerald, Jello Biafra
LISTEN ON BANDCAMP
Some songs just nail a certain sentiment, and re-dedicating Patrick Fitzgerald’s evergreen to the ever evovling roster of political berks is dead easy. They deserve nothing but our scorn, and who better to express that than Jello B?
COMMENTS
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Luigi Giardullo
Jun 13. 2026Heaven and hell
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Peter Kjepso
Jun 13. 2026Heaven And Hell by a stutue mile!
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Liseth
Jun 14. 2026Heaven and hell :-)
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Kühli
Jun 14. 2026Punch
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Mats
Jun 14. 2026Heaven & Hell
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Mats
Jun 14. 2026Heaven & Hell
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Mgz
Jun 14. 2026Heaven & hell
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Jørn M
Jun 14. 2026Heaven & hell
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Miss P
Jun 14. 2026Punch!
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Jacob Solberg
Jun 15. 2026Punch
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B G
Jun 25. 2026House At Pooneil Corners
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Great content! Keep up the good work!
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Johnny Heartfield
Jul 03. 2026Surely a rather unbalanced compilation of duels – like in the football tournament itself. Some easily decided for me, some hard to match, some closing to a draw, overtime and even penalty decision with danger of utmost injustice. How the fuck should I decide between MPs renditions of “into the sun” and “black to comm”? Both champions in their own right…
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Psychotzar
Jul 14. 2026Black to Comm
August