Uncovered - the original version

Linda Ronstadt had a big hit with this tune, first written and recorded by Warren Zevon

Canadian Country star Terri Clark also scored big with a recent cover

I am so sick of Hallelujah . . . every other singer in Canada has covered it, and they're all so pleased with themselves.

I learned of a cover the other night on "Vinyl Tap," an "oldies" program by Randy Bachmann (as in Guess Who and Bachmann-Turner Overdrive), each program following a certain theme. On that program he played "Constantinople," and revealed (to me, at least) that it was originally recorded by The Four Lads, a Canadian group, in 1953.



I had always assumed that it was original to They Might Be Giants.

I have heard this song by various artists. Never heard the original, until Robert Johnson's 100TH birthday this past weekend.

Cool thread! I'm just listening in (and want to be able to find it easily in the future).

I was thinking of the Beatles, too. They did a lot of covers . . .

Great thread. If you cross reference with Robert's "Covers That Are Better" you get a lot of pop history.

Interesting, sometimes/often the original recordings (which you might never have heard till years later) sound so much better than the more "famous" cover versions.

On the covers thead, i posted Marilyn Manson's version of "Tainted Love." Soft Cell had a world wide hit with it in 1981--but the original is pure Motown . . .

it's safe to say that for most folks, Kris Kristofferson, is best known as a songwriter, which is a shame, he's a great singer

here's a video of Johnny and Kris singing a song that Johnny made famous

Here's one of the first version of a popular doo-wop tune by the Marcells



wiki:The Marcels, a doo-wop group, also recorded the track for their album Blue Moon.

In 1961, the Marcels had three songs left to record and needed one more. Producer Stu Phillips did not like any of the other songs except one that had the same chord changes as "Heart and Soul" and "Blue Moon". He asked them if they knew either, and one knew "Blue Moon" and taught it to the others, though with the bridge or release (middle section - "I heard somebody whisper...") wrong. The famous introduction to the song ("bomp-baba-bomp" and "dip-da-dip") was an excerpt of an original song that the group had in its act.

Elvis did a great version in 1954 that only reached #55, perhaps because he added some blood-curdling falsetto sections.

I was researching the band Slade a bit ago and found out that "Cum on Feel the Noize" and "Mama Weer All Crazee Now" are their songs. I knew those songs from their Quiet Riot versions.



(I think this video is awesomely hilarious. That mirrored egyptian headdress thing...! I actually like the singer though, plaid suit, plaid top hat, muttonchops and all.)

They were a blast to watch

i once responded to a post by Gunga about Eric Holder that i preferred his brother Noddy instead, wonder if he got the joke

One more for today.

One of the most recorded tunes in pop history is Louie Louie.
Here's the original by Richard Berry



I like the speculation that since Berry was in the Navy when he wrote the song, "louie" stood for lieutenant.

wiki:

"Louie Louie" is an American rock 'n' roll song written by Richard Berry in 1955. It has become a standard in pop and rock, with hundreds of versions recorded by different artists. The song is written in the style of a Jamaican ballad; and tells, in simple verse-chorus form, the first-person story of a Jamaican sailor returning to the island to see his lady love.

A recording by The Kingsmen in 1963 is the best-known version. The Kingsmen's edition was also the subject of an FBI investigation about the supposed but non-existent obscenity of the lyrics, an investigation that ended without prosecution. The song is ranked #55 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

. . . without necessarily calling them covers. Guess which song's melody this is the original of?

I think a lawsuit said:

Gunga?

I didn't realize until just now that Set has me on "ignore".

No way dude!