Covers you didn't know were covers

Has this happened to you? Usually I'm musically savvy enough to know who's done the original, but I just realized one of my favorite songs, 'this flight tonight' by Nazareth, was a Joni Mitchell cover...

right on, Joni...

Nirvanas 'man who sold the world' and Jonny Cash's 'hurt' are a few songs I can think of that people always get wrong...


Can you name other covers that people don't normally know are covers?

a reply to: Tucket

dead souls nin cover of joy division.

Nothing compares to you was originally Prince. It gave Sineade a whole career.
It's tough to know what would suprise people with the age gaps in Rock and Roll now that it's been around a while.
Some people think Whitney was the original I Will Always Love You.
Metallica was weird. Seek and Destroy and Am I Evil were both covers, and Nirvana had several including where did you sleep last night along with the Bowie cover.
I think Primus stole Wynonnas Big Brown Beaver from Hank Williams...., not really but sounds good.

a reply to: TexasTruth

Nirvana themselves where a cover of 1960's British Band Nirvana.

Amy Winehouse-Valerie

The Doors - Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar)

Written by Bertolt Brecht who knows when! The song was used in an opera, Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, and where the record producer played it for the Doors when recording their first album. They thought it was kind of weird to be playing German oom-pah songs but made it work!

Bob Dylan wrote "All Along The Watchtower" and recorded it before Hendrix. Hendrix heard it, loved it and made his own version, which made it famous.

ultimateclassicrock.com...

a reply to: Tucket

Green Manalishi by Judas Priest is one...It was originally recorded by Fleetwood Mac.





and of course "Diamonds and Rust" by Joan Baez also covered by Priest...





And Whiskey in the Jar...Thi Lizzy/Metallica

a reply to: kelbtalfenek

Glad you mentioned Peter Green......Most unheralded British Guitarist of all time (well by the pleb who never heard of him anyway)

You also realise that Carlos Santana's signature song, is a Cover of Peter Green's creation?

Yes.."Black Magic Woman" was a Peter Green Composition when he was with Fleetwood Mac.



There are many covers that people are not aware.....Professor Dumbledoor, Richard Harris's MacArthur Park was a cover of great American song writer Jimmy Webb.

Lots of covers people are not aware of, though I would think the composer would still get the royalties, unless ripped of by managers etc.

The Doors cover Bo Diddley


Maryanne Faithful covers Bob Dylan


The Byrds cover Pete Seeger

originally posted by: gort51
a reply to: kelbtalfenek

Glad you mentioned Peter Green......Most unheralded British Guitarist of all time (well by the pleb who never heard of him anyway)

You also realise that Carlos Santana's signature song, is a Cover of Peter Green's creation?

Yes.."Black Magic Woman" was a Peter Green Composition when he was with Fleetwood Mac.

Thanks for that, never even dreamed Black Magic Woman was a cover...

As far as Peter Green/Fleetwood Mac; they had an odd identity in the early 70's. They seemed to want to be a blues/country style band. They were pretty much ready to give it all up when they recorded Rumors, from what I've heard. I'm quite glad they didn't.

Honestly I'm not very familiar with much of Peter Green's work...any good places to start?

a reply to: DAVID64

And don't forget about Hey Joe. Damn that Hendrix guy couldn't come up with anything original lol..

Billy Roberts wrote that in 62. There is a cool version by The Leaves in the mid 60's too

www.youtube.com...

David Bowie - China Girl

That one is written and sung by the one and only... Iggy Pop first!!

a reply to: kelbtalfenek

The first Fleetwood Mac album is still listenable today!! It is the secret sauce at our dive bar. Everyone asks, “who’s that?” And freak when told!

Always something there to remind me.


I remember first hearing it in the 80's as the synth pop hit by Naked Eyes, but it took a later bands version for me to realize it was a way older song. Written by Burt Bacharach in the 60's, it was done many times but other than Naked Eyes, the other big name to do it was Dione Warwick in 1963.

a reply to: kelbtalfenek

Whiskey in the jar is actually a traditional Irish folk song that was made popular in the 60's by the Dubliners.


youtu.be...

Facepalm!!

Elvis - Hound Dog

D’oh!! Sorry Big Mama Thornton!!

Off hand the only I can think of, already mentioned however, is Metallica's version of "Am I Evil" by Diamond Head. IMO it's abetter version.

originally posted by: bill3kids
a reply to: DAVID64

And don't forget about Hey Joe. Damn that Hendrix guy couldn't come up with anything original lol..

Billy Roberts wrote that in 62. There is a cool version by The Leaves in the mid 60's too

www.youtube.com...

Actually he did, his experimental rock takes on the re makes as well as his own influenced many genres after his era.

a reply to: kelbtalfenek

Priest and Metallica sound way better, to me, then the originals.
but, that could be i heard them do the songs first.

a reply to: kelbtalfenek

I never would have guessed that Fleetwood Mac originally recorded Green Manalishi.

Now that’s a surprise!

I knew about the other covers.