Bigger Hit Than The Original (your album cover)

[East Dulwich Angst]

Playing the ever popular "song game" & seeing all those tunes got me thinking.

How about an album of original songs [side A] along with a covered version that was a bigger hit than the original!! [side B]

(That'll get the brain tickin')

Something like: Tainted Love ? Gloria Jones covered by Soft Cell

What pair of songs would you include in your album?

My choice would be:

It must be love - Labi Siffre covered by Madness

[atila the gooner]

Summer Breeze - Huge hit for the Isley Brothers, But the original by Seals and Crofts was much better.

[mockney piers]

Well if the superlative *ahem* Robson and Jerome don't make it, I'll eat my hat!!

[Asset]

How about Big Mama Willie Mae Thornton's version of Hound Dog, later covered by Elvis Presley (written by Lieber & Stoller). Not to mention loads of Elvis' early recordngs.

[bluecanary]

Valerie, The Zutons covered by Mark Ronson ft Amy Winehouse - Great song!

[atila the gooner]

It's all over now, huge hit for the Stones but the better version is Bobby Womack & The Valentinos.

or Wherever I lay my hat, huge hit for Paul Young (Gawd knows why) or the original by the marvellous, late Mravin Gaye.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

First cut is the deepest - Cat Stevens. Innumerable covers have more airtime (Rod Stewart, etc). Not as good as the original and they all miss out a whole line of lyrics which drives me nuts.

[lozzyloz]

Cole Porters, Love has come around sung by Billie Holiday - Donald Byrd and the 125th St NYC

You Send Me, Sam Cooke - Roy Ayres

The Message, Cymande - Aswad

Adagio for strings, Samuel Barber - William Orbit (Ferry Corsten Remix)

What you won't do for love, Bobby Caldwell - Goldie

Nights over Egypt, Jeane Carne - Incognito

I think these would have to be double A's

[atila the gooner]

That's alright mama - Elvis, but the original, better than Presleys version, Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, who died in abject poverty. Isn't rock music wonderful?

[Asset]

Take That's version of 'relight my fire' was probably a bigger hit than the original (sadly)

[Jah Lush]

Obviously loads of old blues and reggae records, some soul too. But were they any better than the originals? Mostly I'd say no.

Red Red Wine written by Neil Diamond and a huge hit for UB40 springs to mind and Andy Williams Can't Get Used To Losing You (written by Bacharach & David) and later a hit for The Beat is another.

[Brendan]

What a Wonderful World ? First Recorded by Louis Armstrong in the 1960s and since covered by:

The Stars Spangles

Joey Ramone

Shane MacGowan & Nick Cave

B. B. King

And a whole host of other less notable artists.

[atila the gooner]

K-Jee - A hit for the Niteliters and covered by MFSB (and featured in Saturday Night Fever), MFSB version is far superior and

[atila the gooner]

K-Jee - A hit for the Niteliters and covered by MFSB (and featured in Saturday Night Fever), MFSB version is far superior

[mightyroar]

I will always love you- Dolly Parton. If only Ms Houston had left it alone

[Jah Lush]

Rod Stewart covered quite a few Bob Dylan tracks early on his solo career (when he was good) and is one of the few people who actually improved on the originals.

Only A Hobo, Girl From The North Country, Mama You've Been On My Mind, North Country Girl, to name a few.

[Keef]

Handbags & Gladrags. The Stereophonics version was big, everyone says Rod Stewart's version was better (to me they sound much the same), what most people forget is that the first person to record it was Chris Farlowe.

Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen... Many different versions, Jeff Buckley's being the most famous.

Don't know about bigger hit, but one of my favourite covers was Guns N'Roses' version of the Wings' "Live and let die".

[Keef]

Just thought of the ultimate cover that was a much much much bigger hit.

Before being a big hit worldwide, Natalie Imbruglia's Torn was written and released first by a band called Ednaswap, before being covered by some Norwegian woman called Trine Rein.

[Brendan]

A large proportion of Jimi Hendrix?s hits.

[atila the gooner]

Keef Wrote:

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> Handbags & Gladrags. The Stereophonics version was

> big, everyone says Rod Stewart's version was

> better (to me they sound much the same), what most

> people forget is that the first person to record

> it was Chris Farlowe.

>

The strange thing about this tune is that Mike D'Abo , on time lead singer of Manfred Mann, wrote this masterpiece but never recorded his own version. I would love to have heard his take on it. Although he did play the piano on the Rod version.

[macroban]

> The strange thing about this tune is that Mike D'Abo , on time lead singer of Manfred Mann, wrote this masterpiece but never recorded his own version. I would love to have heard his take on it. Although he did play the piano on the Rod version.

Final track of D'Abo album released in 1969.

[atila the gooner]

macroban Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> > The strange thing about this tune is that Mike

> D'Abo , on time lead singer of Manfred Mann, wrote

> this masterpiece but never recorded his own

> version. I would love to have heard his take on

> it. Although he did play the piano on the Rod

> version.

>

> Final track of D'Abo album released in 1969.

Well I'm blowed, I never knew that. Thanks for that, I'll have to get myself a copy. Thanks again, looking for it can go on my list of things to do at the weekend.

[atila the gooner]

Heard it through the grapevine - Huge hit for Marvin, original by Gladys Knight & The Pips.

[East Dulwich Angst]

Hurt - A big hit for Johnny Cash original by Nine Inch Nails

[Asset]

In re: Jimi Hendrix - 'All Along The Watchtower' a hit for Jimi not a hit for the writer - Bob Dylan.