Cover Versions You Knew Long Before the Original

[Crawford13]

I had no idea this was a cover. 

 

[pst62]

The Damned - Looking At You. (MC5)

The Damned - White Rabbit. (Jefferson Airplane)

Ramones - Baby, I Love You. (Ronnie Spector)

Ramones - Have You Ever Seen The Rain? (Creedence Clearwater Revival)

The Stranglers - Walk On By. (Dionne Warwick)

The Tom Robinson Band - I Shall Be Released. (Bob Dylan)

UFO - Built For Comfort. (Willie Dixon)

UFO - Alone Again Or.... (Love)

UFO - All Or Nothing. (Small Faces)

[pst62]

20 minutes ago, Crawford13 said:

I had no idea this was a cover. 

 

I seem to recall there being hell on over it a good few years back.... More than likely why Miss Imbruglia is well under the radar these days.

[ezbass]

Highway 61 Revisited. I knew Dylan wrote it, but never listened to original until recently and this is why…

 

[Guest]

The PJ Harvey cover of Highway 61 Revisited on Rid Of Me still terrifies me after all of these years

[Mykesbass]

23 minutes ago, ezbass said:

Highway 61 Revisited. I knew Dylan wrote it, but never listened to original until recently and this is why…

 

Ha, yes. Even as a big Dylan fan, his version is not one of his finest moments!

[Mykesbass]

23 minutes ago, ezbass said:

Highway 61 Revisited. I knew Dylan wrote it, but never listened to original until recently and this is why…

 

Ha, yes. Even as a big Dylan fan, his version is not one of his finest moments!

[Mykesbass]

1 minute ago, Ricky Rioli said:

The PJ Harvey cover of Highway 61 Revisited on Rid Of Me still terrifies me after all of these years

Must check that out, thanks.

[Guest]

I first knew Knocking On Heavens Door in the Eric Clapton cover version. Then I knew it from (rather different) Sisters of Mercy cover. Eventually hearing the original was so underwhelming, I've still no memory of it

[Newfoundfreedom]

8 hours ago, Mykesbass said:

I heard Jefferson Airplane White Rabbit on the radio yesterday. As a soul/jazz fan in my teens it was years before I got to hear this version, but knew and loved this early CTI recording by George Benson.

 

I knew the Ramones version first.

Also Guns n Roses version of Sympathy for the Devil before the Stones version 

I'm sure there are many more. 

[SteveXFR]

Summer Breeze by Type O Negative.  How did I miss that one was a cover for so many years? I still think it's the best version 

[chriswareham]

54 minutes ago, Ricky Rioli said:

I first knew Knocking On Heavens Door in the Eric Clapton cover version. Then I knew it from (rather different) Sisters of Mercy cover. Eventually hearing the original was so underwhelming, I've still no memory of it

The Sisters always managed to improve on the original versions of the songs they covered, particularly Gimme Shelter (Rolling Stones), Emma (Hot Chocolate) and Jolene (Dolly Parton). Their reinterpretation of Leonard Cohen's Teachers is awesome as well, especially when it segues into the amphetamine psychosis of their own song Adrenochrome:

As for songs I knew first from covers:

Rosegarden Funeral of Sores - Bauhaus (John Cale)

Who Do You Love? - Jesus And Mary Chain (Bo Diddley)

I Fought The Law - Dead Kennedys / The Clash (Bobby Fuller Four)

In Every Dream Home, A Heartache - The Fields Of The Nephilim (Roxy Music)

Beaver Patrol - Pop Will Eat Itself (The Wilde Knights)

And, err:

I Think We're Alone Now - Tiffany (Tommy James and the Shondells)

Edited June 25, 2021 by chriswareham

[Guest]

27 minutes ago, chriswareham said:

Who Do You Love? - Jesus And Mary Chain (Bo Diddley)

One of the great covers

And that reminds: it was the Jesus and Mary Chain cover of Guitarman that led me to Elvis' version, and that led me to the original by .... oh, I've forgotten

Edited June 25, 2021 by Ricky Rioli

[leschirons]

Spooky,  Classics lV ,  Dusty Springfield,  Atlanta rhythm section but original was Mike Shapiro as an instrumental.

Never knew.

[pineweasel]

40 minutes ago, chriswareham said:

The Sisters always managed to improve on the original versions of the songs they covered, particularly Gimme Shelter (Rolling Stones)

Can’t agree with this. Gimme Shelter is one of the Stones finest, and has one of the greatest intros ever

[dave_bass5]

Dancing in the Moonlight (Toploader) and Bye Bye baby by the Bay City Rollers are two that come to mind. 

[Guest]

I always assumed this was written by The Undertones, until the Nuggets compilation corrected me. Well, half-corrected: thanks to Nuggets, I then spent a while thinking it was written by the Chocolate Watch Band

 

[Andermtc]

 

[chriswareham]

1 hour ago, pineweasel said:

Can’t agree with this. Gimme Shelter is one of the Stones finest, and has one of the greatest intros ever

Check out the Sisters' version - they reproduce the intro pretty much as per the original, since I don't think that can be improved on, but give it a sense of menace to reflect the death of hippy culture at Altamont. They also twist the lyrics, so rather than love being a kiss away and war a shot away, it's war that's a kiss away and love that's a shot (of drugs) away.

[ubit]

Some amazing discoveries here.

Edited June 26, 2021 by ubit

[ubit]

I had heard this long before I heard the original. I didn't know it was a cover as I hadn't heard Neil Youngs version. I like Neil but wouldn't call myself a fan and certainly have not heard much of his vast back catalogue.

 

This one is much better anyway!

Edited June 26, 2021 by ubit

[leschirons]

Not that I'm a fan of hers but I imagine not too many people realised Dylan had written one of Adele's biggest hits when it stormed the charts.

Edited June 26, 2021 by leschirons

[NancyJohnson]

Game of Pricks, My Vitriol.  I had no idea it was a Guided By Voices song.

[Maude]

'Diane' by Therapy. It was a long time before I heard the original by Husker Du. 

 

 

[ubit]

I heard and fell in love with this song and it was a while before I found the original.