[Masonjar]

Motley Crue covered "Helter Skelter" on SHOUT AT THE DEVIL. Being 13 at the time, I hadn't heard that Beatles song before, so I assumed it was by The Crue. My cousin pointed out my ignorance to me in no uncertain terms. Uh.. yea.. oops.

-jar

 

[skeeder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Masonjar /img/forum/go_quote.gif Motley Crue covered "Helter Skelter" on SHOUT AT THE DEVIL. Being 13 at the time, I hadn't heard that Beatles song before, so I assumed it was by The Crue. My cousin pointed out my ignorance to me in no uncertain terms. Uh.. yea.. oops. -jar

It was made famous by Motley though...

 

[Jahn]

Actually I think Charles Manson might make the claim for that dubious distinction...

 

[Hermitt]

Most people think that metallica wrote Whiskey In The Jar but one of the first 'rock' recordings (also a cover) of it was by Philip Lynott of Thin Lizzy. It is actually an old Irish folk song dating way way back

 

[Denim]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Otto /img/forum/go_quote.gif Black Magic Woman originally by Peter Green and Fleetwood Mac. Not Santana.

This is news to me.

 

[blinx]

Nearly everybody i've talked to thinks that Hurt is by Johnny Cash and Nine inch nails did a cover of it.

 

[stewgriff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tjkurita /img/forum/go_quote.gif How about every song in the Led Zeppelin catalogue?

O Rly?

I thought that Jimi Hendrix's All Along The Watchtower was an original when I first heard it.

 

[Crazy88]

I first heard Twist and Shout as a child performed by the Beatles, so I thought it was their original song. I didn't discover this recently, I've known for quite some time since I was 12, but I can't think of anything else off the top of my head.

 

[kerelybonto]

This site has a list of the "100 greatest" cover songs. I don't agree with many of their "greatest" selections, but there were a few that I didn't know where covers. Especially:

1. "Blinded by the Light," by Manfred Mann's Earth Band, originally by Bruce Springsteen
2. "Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar)," by the Doors, originally by Kurt Weill
3. "Cocaine," by Eric Clapton, originally by J. J. Cale
4. "Cum on Feel the Noize," by Quiet Riot, originally by Slade
5. "Hey Joe," by Jimi Hendrix, originally by the Leaves
6. "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer," by George Thorogood, originally by John Lee Hooker
7. "Red Red Wine," by UB40, originally by Neil Young
8. "Respect," by Aretha Franklin, originally by Otis Redding
9. "Tainted Love," by Soft Cell (I always want to say this is Depeche Mode), originally by Gloria Jones
10. "Take Me to the River," by the Talking Heads, originally by Al Green

Other ones where the cover was a lot more popular than the original:

1. "Come Together," by Aerosmith, originally by the Beatles
2. "I Fought the Law," by the Clash, originally by the Crickets
3. "Live and Let Die," by Guns 'N Roses, originally by Paul McCarntney & Wings
4. "Louie Louie," by the Kingsmen, originally by Richard Berry

 

[philodox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Actual /img/forum/go_quote.gif I thought that Tricky wrote Black Steel. Oops. But only for a month or so until I started reading reviews of Maxinquaye. I swear!

Me too!

I actually prefer the original Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos by Public Enemy now that I've heard it, but when I first heard Trickys version I had not really been exposed to rap/hip hop of any kind.

There is another cover of the song on Rage Against the Machine's Live and Rare. This is my personal favourite. Something special about Zach de la Rocha and Chuck D making music together.

 

[Febs]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kerelybonto /img/forum/go_quote.gif [*]"I Fought the Law," by the Clash, originally by the Crickets

I did not know that the Bobby Fuller Four version of this song was a cover.

 

[ex0du5]

Yep Metallica - Whiskey in the Jar for me. Their cover is much better though Thin Lizzy's cover though.

 

[Sordel]

A lot of covers caught me out because when you're young and hear a song for the first time, you assume that it's by the person who's playing it. Two examples that spring to mind are "I Only Want To Be With You" (actually a Dusty Springfield song) that I thought was by The Tourists (Annie Lennox's first band) and "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?" (Goffin & King's first songwriting hit) which I assumed originated with the Laura Branigan version.

Sometimes you learn the wrong source for a song. When I first heard "No Regrets" it was being performed by Midge Ure (of Ultravox) but I went around for years thinking that it was a Scott Walker song. I learnt a couple of weeks ago that the Walker Brothers version was itself a cover.

 

[Lou Erickson]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kerelybonto /img/forum/go_quote.gif "Cum on Feel the Noize," by Quiet Riot, originally by Slade "Red Red Wine," by UB40, originally by Neil Young "Respect," by Aretha Franklin, originally by Otis Redding "Tainted Love," by Soft Cell (I always want to say this is Depeche Mode), originally by Gloria Jones

Huh, I didn't know those were covers, either. I may try and dig up the Gloria Jones Tainted Love - I bet it's really different.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kerelybonto /img/forum/go_quote.gif "Take Me to the River," by the Talking Heads, originally by Al Green

Heh, I'd have said this was Ike & Tina Turner.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kerelybonto /img/forum/go_quote.gif Other ones where the cover was a lot more popular than the original: "Come Together," by Aerosmith, originally by the Beatles "I Fought the Law," by the Clash, originally by the Crickets "Live and Let Die," by Guns 'N Roses, originally by Paul McCarntney & Wings "Louie Louie," by the Kingsmen, originally by Richard Berry

I'd argue pretty much with all of these. I almost never hear the covers, and hear those originals more often.

That would be just my impression not anything like checking sales or chart positions, which you or the site may have done.

Interesting!

 

[gsolman6]

Maybe not a cover per se, but I was totally on-the-floor shocked when I heard Stevie Wonder's Pastime Paradise from Songs in the Key of Life. I had no idea Coolio had reworked this song to a #1 single (IIRC). Just goes to further my theory that the 70s were the best decade in modern music.