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Post by H2IZCOOL on Jun 27, 2008 9:22:22 GMT -5
...and, lest we forget James Ray's "Got My Mind Set on You", which was heard by fifteen total people in 1962--luckily, George Harrison was one of them, and it wound up his last #1 hit. One of my favorite "cover" stories is Nilsson and "Without You"--he was drunk at a party, and someone played a Badfinger album that featured that song..when he sobered up, all he could remember was the song, and that he thought the group was named "Grapefruit". Needless to say, his Grapefruit searches were unsuccessful. Luckily, he found the song later... Of course George also heard the Chiffons "He's So Fine" at more or less the same time, and we know how that went.  .... Grapefruit ?   |
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Post by Dawn on Jun 27, 2008 11:18:48 GMT -5
Ken, As a kid growing up I, too didn't know that "Handy Man" was originally penned and sung by Jimmy Jones until the the late 80's when I heard it on an oldies station. One more word about "Handy Man", years later when Culture Club had a number one hit with "Karma Chameleon". Jimmy Jones was one that felt the song too closely resemble "Handy Man" and tried to sue the band. The group responded to Jones' woes by sending him "ten pence and an apple"  Back to Taylor, I thought "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" was one of his originals. Years later, I would hear Marvin Gaye's original. There are times I am more partial to JT's remake, cause I owned the 45 when I was small.  When 10,000 Maniacs had a comeback hit with "More T han This", in the summer of 1997, I felt it was one of the best songs the band ever composed. I would find out later that summer that Roxy Music was the first to write and record that tune when I tuning into a Portland, ME station.  Hi Dave! I didn't know that Joe had tried to sue Culture Club or that 10,000 Maniacs had covered More Than This, thanks for the info! More Than This is a great track. I didn't know that about Jimmy Jones suing Culture Club either. I can see some similarity between the two songs, but I'm not sure it would be enough to prevail in a plagiarism suit. |
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Post by Dawn on Jun 27, 2008 11:21:00 GMT -5
Speaking of Leo Sayer, did you realize that Bobby Vee recorded "More Than I Can Say" in 1961? .. and also speaking of Elvis, I was listening to XM on line tonight and they played his version of "Suspicion" that was a hit for Terry Stafford in 1964. But Elvis recorded it in 1962. Same with Joe Dowell and "Wooden Heart"--no one thought that Elvis singing German was commercial enough--heck, Elvis could have sung in Esperanto and cashed in! But it gave Joe his moment in music history--even if oldies radio ignores it... Here's another rather "weird" cover--"Stoney End" by Barbra Streisand--oneof my all time favorites, though I am NOT a Babs fan--was written by Laura Nyro, but first recorded by Peggy Lipton of "Mod Squad"... I knew Laura had written Stoney End, but not that Peggy Lipton had recorded it first. Very cool - I'd be curious to hear her version of it. |
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Post by Ken on Jun 27, 2008 21:02:27 GMT -5
Hi Dave! I didn't know that Joe had tried to sue Culture Club or that 10,000 Maniacs had covered More Than This, thanks for the info! More Than This is a great track. I didn't know that about Jimmy Jones suing Culture Club either. I can see some similarity between the two songs, but I'm not sure it would be enough to prevail in a plagiarism suit. Hey Dawn, I agree |
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Post by Ken on Jun 27, 2008 21:04:28 GMT -5
Speaking of Leo Sayer, did you realize that Bobby Vee recorded "More Than I Can Say" in 1961? .. and also speaking of Elvis, I was listening to XM on line tonight and they played his version of "Suspicion" that was a hit for Terry Stafford in 1964. But Elvis recorded it in 1962. Same with Joe Dowell and "Wooden Heart"--no one thought that Elvis singing German was commercial enough--heck, Elvis could have sung in Esperanto and cashed in! But it gave Joe his moment in music history--even if oldies radio ignores it... Here's another rather "weird" cover--"Stoney End" by Barbra Streisand--oneof my all time favorites, though I am NOT a Babs fan--was written by Laura Nyro, but first recorded by Peggy Lipton of "Mod Squad"... Peggy Lipton? Wow, I had no idea she recorded an album. |
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Post by cairnterrier on Jun 29, 2008 7:15:12 GMT -5
This one ought to get a laugh...
Until rather recently, I never realized that Van Halen's "Where Have All the Good Times Gone?" was actually a cover of a Kinks song......and a classic one at that. I guess I'm not much of a Kinks fan.
I thought that Donna Summer alone was responsible for "McArthur Park".....not Richard Harris.
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Post by H2IZCOOL on Jun 29, 2008 12:12:17 GMT -5
This one ought to get a laugh... Until rather recently, I never realized that Van Halen's "Where Have All the Good Times Gone?" was actually a cover of a Kinks song......and a classic one at that. I guess I'm not much of a Kinks fan. I thought that Donna Summer alone was responsible for "McArthur Park".....not Richard Harris. That's right, Matt, you can blame BOTH Richard Harris AND Donna Summer for MacArthur Park! |
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Post by Jughead on Jul 10, 2008 10:08:34 GMT -5
This one ought to get a laugh... Until rather recently, I never realized that Van Halen's "Where Have All the Good Times Gone?" was actually a cover of a Kinks song......and a classic one at that. I guess I'm not much of a Kinks fan. I thought that Donna Summer alone was responsible for "McArthur Park".....not Richard Harris. That's right, Matt, you can blame BOTH Richard Harris AND Donna Summer for MacArthur Park! I prefer Weird Al's version of "Jurassic Park" myself. ;D |
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