On what planet was the Slade version the lesser known version? Probably one of the biggest UK singles ever.
Fine Young Cannibals, was fairly popular and at the time would have reached more ears than the Buzzcocks version. Although The Buzzcocks are very cool.
James Ray recorded "Got My Mind Set On You" in 1962. Written by Rudy Clark, George Harrison released it on Cloud Nine in 1987 and the single hit #1.
The beautiful but obscure "My Dream Island" by El Tempos was released in the early 60s and not very successful. In 1966, Jamaican ska group The Wailers were still at Studio One, and due to primary songwriter Bob Marley temporarily out of the band working in Delaware, they were seriously lacking in original material (Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, the other singers, were not as prolific). As he often did, Clement Coxsone Dodd would pick an obscure song for his artists to cover, and then not credit the original artist. He suggested Bunny Wailer cover it, and Bunny agreed, with a slight lyrical change to reflect his beliefs of Rasta repatriation to Africa. Hence it became "Dreamland". The original ska version was not released for years (it was released on the Climb The Ladder compilation), but Bunny rediscovered it with Lee "Scratch" Perry in 1970, then redid it as a solo single, and then for his Blackheart Man album in 1975 (the Perry version was also released on Sings The Wailers). By this point "Dreamland" had become Bunny's signature song with very few knowing about the original. I personally did not know until either Roger Steffens or Jeremy Collingwood mentioned it in one of their books. As is very customary in Jamaica Bunny's extremely reticient to admit that he was not the original author, since he would argue that his changes to the song merit it being original. Nobody has bothered challenging him since nobody knows what happened to El Tempos. I would love it if someone found any surviving members though. Wow, thanks, this is awesome. I'm amazed that it is the same guy that wrote the great Blondie tracks "Hanging On The Telephone" and "Will Anything Happen?". He clearly had great potential. I tried listening to the Paul Young version and it is utterly soulless. The Quiet Riot version is the most well known version in the US, and is the more familiar version to the younger generation, since it was used in GTA Vice City.
If you grew up in the USA in the '80s like I did, you probably had no idea that the Quiet Riot mega-hit was a Slade cover until years after the fact. I was shocked when I heard the original versions of this and "Mama Weer All Crazee Now".
