Originals More Known For The Cover Version(s)

[Jack the Stripper]

I'll kick it off with Spooky Tooth's Better By You, Better Than Me which became more famous in more ways than one by Judas Priest 

[Axefiend]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekCDYLWJaYs

[Billy Underdog]

[Axefiend]

An obvious one for this board:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwlcq8_EuEc

[Axefiend]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFm3u2e-N8A

[Charger]

[Axefiend]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNogZplQ4vc

Other "More famous covers" by Hoyt Axton:

- Never Been To Spain (Three Dog Night)
- The Pusher (Steppenwolf)
- Snowblind Friend (Steppenwolf)

Also worth noting is that it was Hoyt's mother, Mae Axton who wrote "Heartbreak Hotel"!

[Jack the Stripper]

Some good choices so far.

Skyhooks were quite big in Australia and this song was a top ten hit but outside of Australia most people, particularly in metal only know Iron Maiden's version.

[Axefiend]

^^^ Wow, didn't know that was a cover!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFkYJPKccew

Krokus actually did a few Randy Bachman tunes (American Woman, You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet), but this one was never a hit.

[Zzzptm]

Wow... Mars Bonfire's "Born to be Wild" is so... mellow... That song just isn't convincing when it's sung in a Flower Power style.

So how about this guy that got covered pretty convincingly by the Led Zeppelin?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTsvs-pAGDc

Jake Holmes' version almost anticipates Goth, 20 years before it was a thing. Sparse instrumentation, edgy vocals, acidic delivery, it's all there.

[Jack the Stripper]

Metallica have made quite a lot of songs more famous but I'm gonna pluck this one out as one of the more obscure covers they've done.

The original is still bad ass I must say.

[Axefiend]

^^^ I never heard that Jake Holmes original before! Just goes to show that another artist (Jimmy Page in this case) can take a song to whole different place than the original.

Metallica have made quite a lot of songs more famous but I'm gonna pluck this one out as one of the more obscure covers they've done.

The original is still bad ass I must say.

That Garage Days album really shed some light on some bands that were for all intent and purposes, forgotten. So good on Metallica for doing that! They gave those bands a showcase for newer fans and a bit of dough in their pockets for the writing.

Not a Joni Mitchell fan, but I like what Nazareth did to this tune:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTfB8Q6DpZ0

This thread got me thinking of Beatles tunes as well, and even though the songs weren't made "more famous", I thought in a lot of cases, they were improved. such as: Deep Purple's "Help", and Joe Cocker's "A Little Help From My Friends" (Which Jimmy Page plays on!), to name a couple. Streetheart's version of The Rolling Stones' "Under My Thumb" is another example IMO.

[Zzzptm]

I would dare say that Cocker's "A Little Help From My Friends" is more famous, particularly the Woodstock version.

Here's an Isley Bros. song that The Beatles ran to town with. The Bros. were very happy that The Beatles liked their song enough to perform it, resulting in cross-interest between one fanbase and the other.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTaqn8_gMR0

[Zzzptm]

Meanwhile, the Isley Brothers' version of *this* song eclipsed the popularity of the original. Again, though, the original artist was happy for the success of the song, even with another act.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTv0K2SUlCY

[Axefiend]

Here's an Isley Bros. song that The Beatles ran to town with. The Bros. were very happy that The Beatles liked their song enough to perform it, resulting in cross-interest between one fanbase and the other.

Must have been (and probably still is!) a hell of a payday for the Isly Bros!