Many, many Bob Dylan songs. I didn't even start listening to Dylan until I was 22 or 23.
I'd claim that most famous cover versions of Dylan songs are actually more famous than the originals.
― Geir Hongro, Monday, 12 November 2007 22:29 (sixteen years ago) link
Such as?
― t**t, Monday, 12 November 2007 22:29 (sixteen years ago) link
All Along the Watchtower Mr. Tambourine Man
― Shakey Mo Collier, Monday, 12 November 2007 22:30 (sixteen years ago) link
Yeh.
― t**t, Monday, 12 November 2007 22:31 (sixteen years ago) link
Camper Van Beethoven's "Insterstallar Overdrive" - not IO but, for me: "Pictures of Matchstick Men" Love & Rockets - "Ball of Confusion" - yes
also: "Tower of Song" - Jesus & Mary Chain "People are Strange" - Echo & the Bunnymen "Rawhide" - Dead Kennedys "Radar Love" - White Lion
― Pillbox, Monday, 12 November 2007 23:40 (sixteen years ago) link
that was me that told you that Oystein. and that song doesn't suck.
― Bo Jackson Overdrive, Monday, 12 November 2007 23:42 (sixteen years ago) link
Kristin Hersh - Trouble
― Mr. Goodman, Monday, 12 November 2007 23:46 (sixteen years ago) link
Elton John "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" before The Beatles
-- Joe, Monday, 12 November 2007 21:57 (1 hour ago) Link
Elton John "Pinball Wizard" before The Who.
-- snoball, Monday, 12 November 2007 21:59 (1 hour ago) Link
Oh yes, my mom was/is an Elton fan, so these. In fact, I've still never heard the original "Pinball Wizard".
― The Reverend, Monday, 12 November 2007 23:48 (sixteen years ago) link
Al Kooper's version of "Season of the Witch" Blood, Sweat & Tears "40,000 Headmen" Patti Smith "Gloria"
― The guy who just votes in polls, Monday, 12 November 2007 23:55 (sixteen years ago) link
In fact, I've still never heard the original "Pinball Wizard".
Lucky boy.
― Billy Pilgrim, Tuesday, 13 November 2007 01:12 (sixteen years ago) link
Actually, come to mention it...
The New Seekers "Pinball Wizard" before The Who.
― Mark G, Tuesday, 13 November 2007 01:13 (sixteen years ago) link
Add the following to the list by Shakey of Dylan covers more famous than the originals:
All I Ever Want To Do - The Byrds My Back Pages - The Byrds If You Gotta Go Go Now - Manfred Mann The Mighty Quinn - Manfred Mann If Not For You - Olivia Newton-John I Shall Be Released - The Band
Arguably also "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" (Clapton, GnR) although Dylan's own version of that song has become quite famous too.
― Geir Hongro, Tuesday, 13 November 2007 01:14 (sixteen years ago) link
number one cup - the monkey song
(haha 'famous')
― electricsound, Tuesday, 13 November 2007 01:16 (sixteen years ago) link
Bad News- Bohemian Rhapsody Minutemen- Dr. Wu
― mulla atari, Tuesday, 13 November 2007 01:31 (sixteen years ago) link
All of the Minutemen's covers except the Creedence ones. Most of them I've heard the originals since hearing the covers, but I still haven't ever heard the original "Ack Ack Ack." And I only heard the Meat Puppets' original "Lost" for the first time in the last couple of months.
― Rock Hardy, Tuesday, 13 November 2007 01:34 (sixteen years ago) link
Probably a lot of Jesus and Mary Chain songs, including:
Vegetable Man (Pink Floyd) Mushroom (Can)
Also:
"On Tape" by Teenage Gang Debs (Pooh Sticks) "Mobo" by The Dustdevils (Hose, see Rick Rubin) "Heartbeat" by Big Black (Wire) "I Love Her All the Time" Camper Van (Sonic Youth) a bunch of Feelies covers, inluding Dancing Barefoot, Sedan Delivery, etc. "A Fifth of Beethoven" (I was young) "Black Diamond" by The Replacements (Kiss) "Citadel" by Red Kross (Stones)
― dlp9001, Tuesday, 13 November 2007 01:43 (sixteen years ago) link
Let's add the Wedding Present's version of "Box Elder" RIGHT HERE...
― Mark G, Tuesday, 13 November 2007 01:50 (sixteen years ago) link
Counting Crows - Big Yellow Taxi
...
― Tape Store, Tuesday, 13 November 2007 01:51 (sixteen years ago) link
'Black Night' by Vic Reeves (the Deep Purple ditty)
― Mister Craig, Tuesday, 13 November 2007 01:56 (sixteen years ago) link
I heard Li Yuchun's cover of Shakira's "Eyes Like Yours" before I ever heard Shakira, at all.
Is the original Talk Talk more famous than Alice Cooper's version? I've been listening to that since it came out, and I just heard the original for the first time yesterday.
The F.U.'s version of Green Beret.
― shieldforyoureyes, Tuesday, 13 November 2007 08:04 (sixteen years ago) link
The Soft Pink Truth's cover of Crass's 'Do They Owe Us A Living?'
― Mister Craig, Tuesday, 13 November 2007 08:14 (sixteen years ago) link
The Breeders - Happiness Is A Warm Gun U2 - Helter Skelter Aerosmith - I'm Down Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel - Here Comes The Sun
― nate woolls, Tuesday, 13 November 2007 08:17 (sixteen years ago) link
http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00002MVQO.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg
― The Wayward Johnny B, Tuesday, 13 November 2007 08:49 (sixteen years ago) link
Boyz II Men - Yesterday
― The Reverend, Tuesday, 13 November 2007 08:55 (sixteen years ago) link
"Crimson and Clover"? Would the Joan Jett version be considered as equally or more famous than Tommy James and the Shondells'?
Any covers that Nina Simone has ever done - I grew up on her, but not so much with a lot of the Dylan and Beatles and Bee Gees that she used to cover. And I still haven't heard Big Star's "Thirteen", but I know it back to front via Wilco, Elliott Smith, Kind of Like Spitting, random youtube dudes...
― Roz, Tuesday, 13 November 2007 09:23 (sixteen years ago) link
One more for Geir/Shakey: Peter, Paul, and Mary's "Blowin' In The Wind."
― nickn, Wednesday, 14 November 2007 09:22 (sixteen years ago) link
Today, Dylan's version is probably more famous than Peter, Paul and Mary's even though it wasn't back then.
― Geir Hongro, Wednesday, 14 November 2007 10:22 (sixteen years ago) link
I'm pretty sure the latter is played more often on oldies stations today than the former is played on classic rock stations today. So, no.
― Geir Hongro, Wednesday, 14 November 2007 10:24 (sixteen years ago) link
in flames' cover of 'everything counts'
― Charlie Howard, Wednesday, 14 November 2007 10:47 (sixteen years ago) link
Blur's Oliver's Army (Costello) and Maggie May (Stewart)
― Finefinemusic, Wednesday, 14 November 2007 15:20 (sixteen years ago) link
Krokus - Ballroom Blitz (Sweet) Bob Dylan - The Boxer (Pau Simon) Ramones - Needles & Pins (Searchers) Triumph - Rocky Mountain Way (Joe Walsh)
― christoff, Wednesday, 14 November 2007 21:12 (sixteen years ago) link
Is "Venus" by Bananarama more famous than the Shocking Blue original. I don't think so generally, but it probably is for my generation.
― Geir Hongro, Wednesday, 14 November 2007 23:00 (sixteen years ago) link
I heard Stars do "This Charming Man" on some Darla comp; at least a year went by before I found out it was a Smiths song.
― pgwp, Wednesday, 14 November 2007 23:17 (sixteen years ago) link
Japan - "Ain't that Peculiar" (Marvin Gaye)
Jim White - "King of the Road" (Roger Miller) Charming Hostess - "Won't you keep us Working?" (Residents)
― Cliftonb, Thursday, 15 November 2007 01:40 (sixteen years ago) link
Oh yeah, I'll sign up on the Ramones "Needles & Pins" and Charming Hostess. Also, Nomeansno - Would we be alive? (Residents again) Melvins - Goin' Blind (Kiss) Entombed - God of Thunder (Kiss) Oblivians - Sunday You Need Love (Trio, though I suppose this might not be overly famous either. It is the best thing ever though)
― Øystein, Thursday, 15 November 2007 08:44 (sixteen years ago) link
I don't know if this counts, but maybe Alicia Keys' cover of "How Come U Don't Call Me?"
― The Reverend, Thursday, 15 November 2007 08:54 (sixteen years ago) link
The first version I heard of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" was the Nicki French version.
― musically, Thursday, 15 November 2007 17:13 (sixteen years ago) link
And of course the first version of "Hip To Be Square" I heard was the Sesame Street cover.
― musically, Thursday, 15 November 2007 17:14 (sixteen years ago) link
Japan's 'All Tomorrow's Parties', of COURSE.
The Velvet Underground couldn't improve on that.
― Matthew H, Thursday, 15 November 2007 17:17 (sixteen years ago) link
Faith No More "Let's Lynch The Landlord"
― nickalicious, Thursday, 15 November 2007 17:23 (sixteen years ago) link
Granted the original wasn't that famous either.
― nickalicious, Thursday, 15 November 2007 17:24 (sixteen years ago) link
> Lydia Lunch's "Some Velvet Morning".
Starpower's "Some Velvet Morning" Sonic Youth's "Rowche Rumble"
― koogs, Thursday, 15 November 2007 17:52 (sixteen years ago) link
Carnivore's cover of "Manic Depression"
Voivod's "Astronomy Domine"
second a lot of the Faith No More covers: "Let's Lynch the Landlord", "Easy", "Midnight Cowboy" (except I'm sure more people listened to FNM's Midnight Cowboy than the OST)
another fun thread along these lines might be: Less famous songs you knew that sampled famous songs before you knew them .. what a tongue-twister though.
― rockapads, Thursday, 15 November 2007 18:59 (sixteen years ago) link
Oh yeah, I'll sign up on the Ramones "Needles & Pins" ...
Hm, the Ramones'? For my, ahem, general age group it must have been Smokie's version of same that registered first.
― t**t, Thursday, 15 November 2007 19:08 (sixteen years ago) link
-- musically, Thursday, 15 November 2007 17:13 (4 hours ago) Link
-- musically, Thursday, 15 November 2007 17:14 (4 hours ago) Link
These. And the first version of "Sweet Dreams" I heard was Marilyn Manson's.
― The Reverend, Thursday, 15 November 2007 21:40 (sixteen years ago) link
Low - "I Started a Joke". Still haven't heard the Bee Gees original but this version is beautiful.
― Simon H., Thursday, 15 November 2007 23:24 (sixteen years ago) link
The Clash - Pressure Drop
― Chelvis, Friday, 16 November 2007 06:46 (sixteen years ago) link
The Beatles' "Anna (Go to Him)" I heard before the Arthur Alexander version. Ditto "Boys" (the Shirelles).
― Matos W.K., Friday, 16 November 2007 07:04 (sixteen years ago) link
Lydia Lunch's "Some Velvet Morning"...Starpower's "Some Velvet Morning"
Slowdive's "Some Velvet Morning" Primal Scream's "Some Velvet Morning"
― Pillbox, Friday, 16 November 2007 08:48 (sixteen years ago) link
Jim White - "King of the Road" (Roger Miller)
I'm pretty sure I heard the Proclaimers' version of this first.
― ailsa, Friday, 16 November 2007 11:02 (sixteen years ago) link