THIS FLIGHT TONIGHT
Joni Mitchell - Original
Nazareth - Cover
Nazareth is a hard rock group formed in Scotland in 1968. They released their first album in 1971, but it really wasn't until 1973's album Loud N' Proud that people really started to take notice, based on their rockin' cover of Joni Mitchell's "This Flight Tonight". They went on to have another huge hit with "Hair Of The Dog" ("Now you're messin' with a..a son of a bitch"), but this cover, to me, is the epitome of taking someone else's song and making it their own.
WOODSTOCK
Joni Mitchell - Original
CSNY - Cover
Now it sounds like I'm picking on Joni Mitchell, but it's just the opposite. She wrote some fabulous songs, but I just like them sung by other people is all. Joni wrote this song for the big ol' festival in 1969 after hearing what all the fuss was about from then-boyfriend Graham Nash. She recorded it as a song on her album Ladies Of The Canyon. Very soon after, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young recorded their version as a single. CSNY's version was much more upbeat and rock-oriented than Mitchell's folksy tune, and it's the only version I think of when talking about this song.
PROUD MARY
CCR - Original
Ike & Tina Turner - Cover
I will admit, I always thought Ike Turner wrote "Proud Mary". It fit so well with how Tina Turner performed it. She threw, and still throws, everything into that song and has really made it hers over the years. But, in actual fact, Mr. John Fogerty wrote the song in 1968 for his band Credence Clearwater Revival. (The Turner's version was released on their 1970 album Workin' Together). I like that version, quite a lot actually. But Ike and Tina's version just blows it out of the water (the Clearwater??) and makes me want to dance like a drunken fool every single time I hear it. "Rivah, do, do, do, do, do, do, do..."!!!!
SUSIE Q
Dale Hawkins - Original
CCR - Cover
Staying with CCR for the moment, their cover of Dale Hawkins' "Susie Q" takes the song from Rockabilly classic to psychedelic Southern Rock that seems to last for days, and happily so! A two and a half minute song stretched to nearly eight and a half minutes!! This song has been covered by tons of people including The Rolling Stones, Jose Feliciano, Suzi Quatro (how couldn't she?), Bobby McFarrin, Gene Vincent and The Everly Brothers just to name a few. CCR's version, though, will always be what I think of when someone mentions the title.
MacARTHUR PARK
Richard Harris - Original
Donna Summer - Cover
For some reason, in 1968, actor Richard Harris released this song, written by Jimmy Webb. My opinion, it was awful. I have no idea why this great English thespian thought he could sing. But it was he that brought the song to the public consciousness, and, 10 years later, the fabulous Donna Summer turned it into a huge disco hit. It's such an odd song, about a cake in the rain (?!), but it sounds so good coming out of Summer's mouth.
BLINDED BY THE LIGHT
Bruce Springsteen - Original
Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Cover
Springsteen can write the Hell out of a song, no doubt. His version of "Blinded By The Light" is good, released in 1973. But Manfred Mann's Earth Band's version is far superior. Released just three years later, they changed a few words, upped the tempo and really rocked it out. The song became a number one hit and many people still don't realize it's a cover. It's also one of the most mis-quoted songs in the history of music; "wrapped up like a douche"?????
BLACK MAGIC WOMAN
Fleetwood Mac - Original
Santana - Cover
What?? "Black Magic Woman" isn't a Carlos Santana original? I know! I was shocked, too. Peter Green, the lead guitarist and lyricist in Fleetwood Mac before they became FLEETWOOD MAC wrote this song back in 1968. It did ok, but wasn't a huge hit. Not until Mr. Santana and his gang got hold of it. Santana's version is definitely the most recognizable, taking the song to number one on the charts, and making people believe, like me, that it was his song all along.
ME AND BOBBY McGEE
Roger Miller - Original
Janis Joplin - Cover
Actor/singer/songwriter Kris Kristofferson wrote the song back in 1969 for Roger Miller to record as a Country tune. (Kristofferson recorded his own version a few years later). Miller's version is good, as far as Country songs go, which, for me, ain't that far. Once Janis Joplin got hold of it, she turned it into a soulful number one hit. The song was released on her album Pearl, which came out after her death, in 1971. It became only the second posthumous number one single on the Billboard charts, after "(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay" by Otis Redding.
WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS
The Beatles - Original
Joe Cocker - Cover
The Beatles began their rise to stardom covering old Blues and Soul songs from years earlier, turning them into pop gold. The reverse happened with "With A Little Help From My Friends". Their version, written by Lennon and McCartney, was pop, bouncy fluff. It took Soul-master Joe Cocker to sing it the way it should have been sung all along! He brings the tune right back to the soulful roots it should always be associated with. His classic version of the song, sung at Woodstock in 1969, is some of the best live music you will ever hear!! Oh, and he also did a pretty fantastic version of another Beatles tune, "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window".
MR. TAMBOURINE MAN
Bob Dylan - Original
The Byrds - Cover
I love Bob Dylan songs...but only if they're sung by other people! I can't listen to him sing for long before I feel like ripping the heads off of small animals. (I may have a problem...). Anyway, when The Byrds covered this song they electrified it, made it more melodic, and just so much easier to listen to over and over again. Dylan has written some of the most enduring and even important songs in the last 50 years, but why wouldn't anybody tell him to stop singing remains a mystery to me.
ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER
Bob Dylan - Original
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Cover
Jimi recorded Dylan's song a mere six months after the original was released. Nobody can ever make an argument, to me anyway, that Hendrix' version isn't far superior to the original. From that beginning guitar riff with the pulsing drums, the song grabs you right away like only Dylan could dream about. I actually don't mind Dylan's version of this song (one of the very few I can stand listening to him sing), but Hendrix just beat the crap out of it and made it a huge hit and a true classic.
NOTHING COMPARES 2 U
The Family - Original
Sinead O'Connor - Cover
In 1985, Prince recruited a band called The Family to record some of his songs. They released one album, of which contained the song "Nothing Compare 2 U". It was kind of an electronic mess, with some weird background vocals and noises. Sinead O'Connor decided to recorded a version of the song for her album I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got. The song, and as a result the album, became a monster hit, coupled with an unforgettable video of a close-up of O'Connor belting her heart out, even managing to force a tear to roll down her face. This song could have stayed in the Halls Of Obscurity, but Sinead made it her own and absolutely killed it!
SUMMERTIME BLUES
Eddie Cochran - Original
Blue Cheer - Cover
The Who - Cover #2
This one is difficult for me, I like all three versions! "Summertime Blues" has been covered a ton of times by the likes of The Beach Boys, T-Rex, Joan Jett, Janis Joplin, Rush even Olivia Newton-John, but, for me, the original and the two covers above are the best. Eddie Cochran recorded the song first in 1958. Blue Cheer, a band that helped pave the way for Heavy Metal, released their version in 1968. It was slowed down just a bit, heavy on bass and really great! The Who then performed their version at Woodstock in 1969. This is about the time that The Who became known as the loudest band ever, and their rockin' version of the song became an instant hit. If I had to choose, I guess I'd take Blue Cheer's version over everyone else's, the sound being so much lower and heavier and laid back. Great tune though, Eddie!
SMOOTH CRIMINAL
Michael Jackson - Original
Alien Ant Farm - Cover
Who's Annie, and why are we so concerned about her? I never liked the Michael Jackson version of this song. The video was pretty awesome, but the song got pretty boring for me pretty quickly. It was released as a single off of his Bad album in 1988. Then, in 2001, I heard a version of the song in the film "American Pie 2". It was faster, harder, and really awesome. I totally fell in love with the song! The band was Alien Ant Farm, some dudes from California that used to play the first few bars of the song while warming up before concerts. Their fans encouraged them to play the entire song, and it became a number one hit for the band in Australia and on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart. Thirteen years later and I'm still selecting Alien Ant Farm's version on my iPod quite often.
FIRE
Robert Gordon - Original
The Pointer Sisters - Cover
Bruce Springsteen wrote the song "Fire" back in 1977. When he wrote it, he envisioned Elvis Presley singing it, and apparently sent Elvis a demo of the song. The story goes Elvis died before he could ever hear it. So the next year, Bruce recruited Robert Gordon, a Rockabilly artist, to record the song. That was the first official release of "Fire". Springsteen had recorded a version of it himself for his album Darkness On The Edge Of Town, but it didn't make the cut. In 1979, The Pointer Sisters made the song a monster hit. It went to number two on Billboard's Hot 100 list, the highest charting for any Springsteen song to that time. Bruce eventually released his own version of the song on his box set The Promise, released in 2010. Here's his version: Bruce
I WILL SURVIVE
Gloria Gaynor - Original
Cake - Cover
Ok, so I don't necessarily think the band Cake does a better version of this song than Gloria Gaynor. Gaynor's original was a huge disco anthem, still is in many respects. You can dance to it and it's got a good beat, as they used to say. I just Cake made it a tongue-in-cheek rock song that makes me happy every time I hear it. The song has been covered hundreds of times, but I really enjoy the Cake cover best. Better than the original? Probably not.
(I KNOW) I'M LOSING YOU
The Temptations - Original
Rare Earth - Cover
Rod Stewart - Cover #2
Here's another song where I can't decide which version I like best. The Temptations released the song in 1966 and it became a number one hit. Rare Earth decided to take the song that runs about two and a half minutes and stretch it out to almost eleven minutes!! Seems long, but I never want it to end...getting funkier and funkier as the minutes roll by. Their version was released in 1970. In 1971, Faces released their version, although the band now had to be referred to as just Rod Stewart for contractual reasons. It's still Ronnie Wood providing that great guitar intro and Rod just aches his way through the song to that great conclusion "I'm loooosing youuuuuuuuuuu." All three versions are great, but I probably listen to Rare Earth's most often.
Next are a few songs that I had no idea were covers, much like "Black Magic Woman":
YOU COULD HAVE BEEN A LADY
Hot Chocolate - Original
April Wine - Cover
"Could have been here tonight, could have been sweet as wine...". That line alone made me believe April Wine wrote this song. April Wine/"sweet as wine". Get it?? I was shocked to learn that Hot Chocolate, the band that gave us "You Sexy Thing", wrote and released the song in 1971. Not only this song, but...
BROTHER LOUIE
Hot Chocolate - Original
Stories - Cover
...as well! I always thought this was a one hit wonder from the band Stories, and I guess it was, but I just assumed they wrote it. They released their version of the song in 1973, just six months after the original by Hot Chocolate. It made it to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 list, something Hot Chocolate's version never accomplished.
GOOD LOVIN'
Limmie Snell - Original
The Young Rascals - Cover
The original version of this song was actually titled "Lemme B. Good", sung by R&B singer Limmie Snell, released in 1965. The words were changed a bit and recorded by a band called The Olympics, but it wasn't very successful. The Young Rascals picked up on that version, released it in 1966, and it became an enduring hit song, ranked amongst Rolling Stone's top 500 songs of all-time. I thought it was their song all along. By the way, The Grateful Dead do a really great, mellow cover of the song as well: The Dead
IT'S ALL OVER NOW
The Valentinos - Original
The Rolling Stones - Cover
The Rolling Stones covering older songs is not news to me. They've done it literally dozens of times on their albums. But I didn't know this song was one of them. Co-written by Soul-man Bobby Womack, The Valentinos, Womack's band at the time, released the song in 1964. It entered the Billboard Hot 100 charts in June of that year. Just one month later, The Rolling Stones released their version of the song, and it shot right to the top of the charts, becoming the Stones' first number one hit.
HUSH
Billy Joe Royal - Original
Deep Purple - Cover
I love Deep Purple! Machine Head, from 1972, is probably one of my favourite albums ever, with songs like "Smoke On The Water", "Lazy" and "Space Truckin'". But it was on their debut album, Shades Of Deep Purple, from 1968, where you'd first hear "Hush" and that fabulous organ! I was astounded to learn this was a cover of a song recorded just a year earlier by some dude named Billy Joe Royal. This is actually the guy that sang "Down In The Boondocks" in 1965, so he wasn't just some flash in the pan...but I had never heard of him until I started to research this song.
JESUS IS JUST ALRIGHT
The Art Reynolds Singers - Original
The Doobie Brothers - Cover
This sounded like it could have been a gospel song when I first heard it. Turns out I was right. It was written by Arthur Reynolds who released the song on his choir's album Tellin' It Like It Is in 1966. It was first covered by The Byrds in 1969, but the definitive version, the one we all love and rock out to, came out in 1972, released as a single and included on The Doobie Brothers' album Toulouse Street. There was some concern when the Doobie's version came out, thinking that they were saying Jesus was just all right, he's ok, I guess. But the lyrics actually refer to the vernacular of the day, that Jesus was just all right, he was cool, man.
SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL
Soul Brothers Six - Original
Grand Funk Railroad - Cover
Grand Funk Railroad had a number 3 hit with "Some Kind Of Wonderful" in 1974 and easily became one of the band's most recognizable songs. It seemed to me that it was a cover of an older song, and this time I was right. Soul Brothers Six, formerly known as Soul Brothers Five until, you guessed it, a sixth member was hired, released the song in 1967 to moderate success. After hearing the original for the first time not so long ago, I must say it's hard for me to decide which version I like better. The Soul Brothers Six got soul, baby.
Here now are some songs that are easily recognizable by their cover versions but were originally recorded by some of the RandB and Blues pioneers from the early part of the 20th Century:
TRAIN KEPT A-ROLLIN'
Tiny Bradshaw - Original
The Yardbirds - Cover
Aerosmith - Cover #2
Tiny Bradshaw released his Swing version of this song back in 1951, and it freakin' rocks! I love it, never heard before I started researching these songs. The Yardbirds, in my opinion, recorded the best version of this song in 1965 thanks to Jeff Beck's solid work on guitar. Aerosmith used to play the song live early in their career, and recorded it for their second album, Get Your Wings, in 1974. It seems every band that has a Blues/Rock base has played this song at one time or another. This was the very first song Led Zeppelin played together when they first rehearsed to see how they sounded. Some other bands that have been known to play it: Metallica, Bon Jovi, Motorhead, Foghat, Skid Row, Stray Cats, Twisted Sister and The Tragically Hip. If you're gonna be a Rock N' Roll star, learn this song!
ICE CREAM MAN
John Brim - Original
Van Halen - Cover
John Brim recorded his version of "Ice Cream Man" for Chess Records back in 1953, but it wasn't released publicly until 1969. A young David Lee Roth heard the song, eventually got together with the Van Halen brothers, and was determined to record the song on their first album, as a tribute to the Blues. He got his way, and the song became a huge hit at all of their concerts.
I JUST WANT TO MAKE LOVE TO YOU
Muddy Waters - Original
Foghat - Cover
Willie Dixon, the Godfather of the Blues, wrote "I Just Want To Make Love To You" in 1954 for his buddy, Muddy Waters. Waters recorded it that year with Dixon playing bass. Hundreds of artists have covered the song since, along with many other Willie Dixon songs. Some artists include Chuck Berry, The Rolling Stones, Etta James, The Kinks, Lee Aaron, Bo Diddley, April Wine, Van Morrison, Lou Rawls and Adele. The most famous cover, though, has to be Foghat's rockin' version from their first album in 1972. A live version was recorded in 1977 and became even a bigger hit for the band.
AFTER MIDNIGHT
J.J. Cale - Original
Eric Clapton - Cover...sort of
"Sort of" you ask?? Here's the story: J.J. Cale recorded a demo version of this song, which he wrote, back in 1966 but never released it. Clapton, while researching for his first solo album, heard the demo and decided to record it. His version was released in 1970, and J.J. Cale didn't even know until he heard it on the radio! Clapton went on to cover a bunch of Cale songs, including "Cocaine", which helped convince Cale to record his very first album in 1972. On his debut album, titled Naturally, was his version of "After Midnight". So Cale ended up doing a cover of a cover of his original song. Got it? Good!
HOUND DOG
Big Mama Thornton - Original
Elvis Presley - Cover
Elvis made a pretty good living covering older songs, bringing that Rock N' Roll sound to some great Blues tunes. The original recording by "Big Mama" Thornton is pretty damn cool, though. Released as a single in 1953 it stayed on the R&B charts for 14 weeks, staying at number one for 7 of them. Thornton's version has been inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame as one of the songs that helped shape Rock N' Roll. Presley took it even further, releasing his version in 1956. It became one of the best selling singles of all time, selling more than 10 million copies. His version topped the pop chart for 11 straight weeks, a record that stood for 36 years!!
CROSSROADS
Robert Johnson - Original
Eric Clapton - Cover
Robert Johnson, an enigma wrapped in a riddle. There has been so much written about this Blues innovator that nobody knows how much is true anymore. What is known is that the Blues would be a lot different if he never sold his sole to the Devil! He recorded his "Cross Road Blues" back in 1936. Another Grammy Hall Of Fame honouree, the song has been played by just about every Blues/Rock guitarist ever! Eric Clapton started his interpretation back in 1966, before Cream was officially formed. Eventually, he got together with Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce and recorded their version for the album Wheels Of Fire, released in 1969.
ONE BOURBON, ONE SCOTCH, ONE BEER
Amos Milburn - Original
John Lee Hooker - Cover
George Thorogood - Cover #2
I had no idea that John Lee Hooker didn't write this song! It was originally recorded by Amos Milburn in 1953, written by Rudy Toombs as "One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer". Lots of artists took on the song, changing the lyrics along the way, but it became very popular again when John Lee Hooker released his version in 1966. Hooker slowed down the tempo, making a more bluesy tune. When George Thorogood decided to record it he mixed it with "House Rent Boogie", another John Lee Hooker song, stretching it out to eight and a half minutes of total bliss!!
MAMA TOLD ME NOT TO COME
Eric Burdon And The Animals - Original
Three Dog Night - Cover
Randy Newman, he of "Short People" and "I Love L.A.", wrote this song for Eric Burdon back in 1966. Burdon recorded it as a single in 1966, but it was never released. So Burdon took the recording and put it on his next album Eric Is Here in 1967. Three Dog Night got a hold of the tune and released it in 1970. The single went straight to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Their version sounded more melodic, as Burdon's was more of a talking than a singing, and still kept the comedic elements that made the song popular in the first place.
HARD TO HANDLE
Otis Redding - Original
The Black Crowes - Cover
Otis Redding co-wrote the song with Al Bell and Allen Jones, recording it in 1967, but it wasn't released until 1968, after Redding's untimely death. The song was a moderate hit at the time. Tons of people covered the tune after that including The Grateful Dead, Etta James, Tom Jones and even Mae West for the movie Myra Breckinridge. The Black Crowes brought the song back into popularity when they released it as their second single from their debut album Shake Your Moneymaker in 1990. Lead singer Chris Robinson attacks the song head on and the great upped tempo worked perfectly, making The Black Crowes hugely popular at the time. Even though I love the original, The Black Crowes' cover is one of the best covers of any song I can think of!!
BLACK BETTY
Lead Belly - Original
Ram Jam - Cover
So Lead Belly didn't write this song, nor was he the one who first sang it. "Black Betty"'s origins are actually unknown and there is some debate as to who wrote it and for what reasons. It might refer to an 18th Century marching song about a musket that had a black stock. It may refer to a liquor bottle, as Benjamin Franklin referred to kissing the "black betty" as a phrase for being drunk in his 1736 publishing of his Drinker's Dictionary. Wherever it started, Lead Belly made it famous way back in 1939. It wasn't until 1977, when a little known band named Ram Jam turned it into a monster, rockin' hit. Since then the song has been covered a number of times, but what follows are three of my favourites, if you're game to listen:
The Melvins
Spiderbait
Tom Jones
So those are some of the songs I thought of. I know there are millions more, so let me know what some of your favourite covers are, and maybe I'll have a listen to them!
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