Cover versions you didnt know were covers....

But isn't the 'cover' status somewhat more murky? The way I remember it, CSNY's Deja Vu came out slightly before Joni's Ladies Of The Canyon. Obviously, first Joni wrote the song - but did CSNY base their version on her recording, or just hearing her sing it? That is to say, whose studio recording came first? (And Stills did a Sept.'69 version w Jimi Hendrix and Buddy Miles to further complicate things). Can your record be a 'cover' if it comes out first - and maybe was even recorded first?

 

I guess my focus is on the creative source. I mean is "Take It Easy" or Eagle's song or a Jackson Browne song. There is lots of grey areas on this type of topic and confusion

 

Tom Waits' " I Don't Want To Grow Up" was perfect for The Ramones, right down to the " I Don't Wanna ______" title. I had no idea it was a cover until recently.

 

I had no idea that was a covers album until you mentioned it here! I've never owned it, needless to say, or paid any attention to it, to that I recall. My wife had Diva and that was it.

 

When I was like 12 I loved the Guns N' Roses. One of my favourites songs was "Live and Let Die".
Just last year I got into The Beatles a lot and started checking their solo stuff. My childhood died a little, but the original version is a lot better.

 

Yes. You're covering another artist, so I'd say it doesn't matter even if the song was unreleased at the time of your version. Take "Wild Horses" for example. Written and recorded by the Stones, then Keith allowed Gram Parsons to record a version for the 2nd Flying Burrito Bros album, as Sticky Fingers was delayed. It's still a cover version.

My shocking moment was when I found out UB40's signature song "Red Red Wine" was written and recorded by Neil Diamond in 1967.

 

"It must be love" -- Madness.

They surely put their stamp on it. It really sounds like their song.

 

"1985" by Bowling for Soup is a cover of the band SR-71.

 

1960s Sydney band The Executives had a hit with a song called "Sit Down, I Think I Love You".

It was only recently that I discovered it was not an original and that the original was by Buffalo Springfield.

Here's The Executives' version:



I think I prefer it to the original.

 

David Gilmour - "there's no way out of here" for years I thought he wrote it.

 

The Breeders - Drivin on 9

 

For many years I thought that With a Little Help from My Friends was Joe Cocker's original song. Yeah, really I don't like The Beatles at all, that's probably why I had no idea.

 

I liked Madness, but I thought their cover of that song was lame. The original had soul and emotion (same thing, I suppose); Madness did it in the style of a comedy music-hall number. That style suited most of their songs, but sounds completely wrong for that song, IMO.

When a band or artist known for humorous songs does something serious, it often fails because they cannot prevent that bouncy "isn't this fun" style from permeating the song. Ray Stevens was an exception.

 

Who did write it?

 

You could be right. I just never heard the original. Even if I do some day, the Madness version would still be the one I heard first.

Anyway, I have read somewhere that the band is not very fond of their version either.

 

Ken Baker wrote it
David Gilmour there's no way out of here

 

It sounds just like one of their own.

 

Is this Ken Baker the actor?

 

From the group Unicorn

 

Looking back to my KROQ/New Wave youth, I had no idea that "Always Something There to Remind Me" by Naked Eyes & "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell were covers. I ended up liking the originals so much better!

 

One I didn't know about was Pat Benatar's "I Need a Lover" (originally by Mellencamp). It's such a Pat sound it never occurred to me it was a cover.

 

Many of UB40’s well known songs are covers.

 

Discovered years later this was a Jefferson Airplane cover.

 

Oh! Pretty Woman by Van Halen I thought was an original until my father told me it was a cover of the Roy Orbison song:

 

Just to be contrary, I know that Gloria Jones has said Soft Cell gave the song something her version didn't have - in a good way.

I agree about the Naked Eyes cover though.