Uk Cover Versions - Why,how Did They Happen

[Kegsy]

Dont know if its been done before if so just point me in the right

direction.

Its always puzzled me why/how some UK cover versions came into being.

There are three categories IMHO.

1

Tom Jones I Cant Break The New To Myself

Dusty Springfield Whats It Gonna Be

Obviously big artists like these would have been to the states

and maybe heard the records in question or their hangers on might have.

2.

Golden Apples of The Sun Monkey Time

Honeycombs You've Been Cheating

The covered records had been released over here so access to them

was probably via radio or clubs.

3

Stella Starr Bring Him Back

Five and a Penny You Dont Know Were Your Interest Lies

David Garrick Lets Go Somewhere

Now these are where the quandary lies.

How would virtually unknown UK artists hear or know about songs that

were virtually unknown even in the States.

Kegsy

[Roburt]

Back in the 60's, most UK recording acts were looking for potential hit material to help launch / sustain their careers.

UK record company A&R guys would get hold of copies of all new chart entry US 45's to 'find' potential songs for their labels acts to cut.

When one 'likely tune' was come across, the task was to get one of their acts into the studio instantly, cut the song in a day (many times just copying the US original as closely as poss) and get it mastered, pressed & into the shops asap.

That way they could 'beat' the original recording onto UK radio & hopefully get the British hit version.

Don't forget that pre-pirate radio, most UK record spinning radio shows were told to play a very high proportion of Brit recordings than US.

So they could play the UK cover but not (usually) the US original version.

Pirate radio changed all that.

Acts such as Georgie Fame, Dusty, etc loved US soul tracks and would cut their versions to pay homage to the original version.

Many times, their UK label A&R guys had diffferent ideas and would select a particular track as a UK 45 A side when the artists just wanted them as LP tracks.

Georgie Fame had a major bust-up with his UK label coz they kept putting out his' tribute covers' as 45 tracks when he hadn't wanted this to happen.

Some times a UK label would even cut a Brit act on a song when they held the rights to release the US original anyway. It wasn't unknown for them to put both versions out here.

So, I'd say it was more down to the label's A&R men than to a newly signed act what 'cover tracks' they cut.

Edited October 24, 2012 by Roburt

[Pete S]

Kegsy Applejacks not Honeycombs.

Anyway there's a very easy explanation for all of this, the songs were sent over in demo form on acetates to the music publishers, and they hawked them around the record labels and band management to try to get them to record their songs.

I've had a publishers acetate of Lets Go Somewhere (I think Gene R found it).

And the Five & Penny record was a hit in the States (by S & G) plus it was by two very indemand songwriters.

But on the whole - publishers.

Edited October 24, 2012 by Pete S

[Kegsy]

Kegsy Applejacks not Honeycombs.

OOOOOPS

[Trev Thomas]

Dont know if its been done before if so just point me in the right

direction.

Its always puzzled me why/how some UK cover versions came into being.

There are three categories IMHO.

1

Tom Jones I Cant Break The New To Myself

Dusty Springfield Whats It Gonna Be

Obviously big artists like these would have been to the states

and maybe heard the records in question or their hangers on might have.

2.

Golden Apples of The Sun Monkey Time

Honeycombs You've Been Cheating

The covered records had been released over here so access to them

was probably via radio or clubs.

3

Stella Starr Bring Him Back

Five and a Penny You Dont Know Were Your Interest Lies

David Garrick Lets Go Somewhere

Now these are where the quandary lies.

How would virtually unknown UK artists hear or know about songs that

were virtually unknown even in the States.

Kegsy

"you dont know where your interest lies" was a simon & garfunkel song so quite easily accessable

[Kegsy]

"you dont know where your interest lies" was a simon & garfunkel song so quite easily accessable

Ok bad example but there are dozens more.

kegsy

[Roburt]

... IN ADDITION ..... back in the 60's, the BBC Light Prog was the station here that played most pop music.

That station had more 'live music' on than records (due to rules in place back then).

So a UK group could secure a 'live booking' on a Light Prog show and play their 45 track, so getting lots of exposure for their version.

Listeners who liked the song would then go out & buy their version rather than the original (which they probably didn't even know existed).

[Ian Dewhirst]

There was also a significant group of independent producers who had their ears to the ground too. Mickie Most was one of the best at finding U.S. RnB songs and converting them to UK hits with a UK acts - Herman's Hermits cover of Earl Jean's "I'm Into Something Good", the Animals "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" and "House Of The Rising Sun" etc, etc. There were some great ears around in the mid 60's, so the early birds got the worms!

Often the UK versions were far better productions than the U.S. originals. Love Affair's "Everlasting Love" beats the hell out of Robert Knight's original IMO......

Ian D

[Denbo]

Anyway there's a very easy explanation for all of this, the songs were sent over in demo form on acetates to the music publishers, and they hawked them around the record labels and band management to try to get them to record their songs.

I've had a publishers acetate of Lets Go Somewhere (I think Gene R found it).

And the Five & Penny record was a hit in the States (by S & G) plus it was by two very indemand songwriters.

But on the whole - publishers.

That's my understanding too.

[Tony Smith]

Absolutely!

What a great haul Ady C had out of the remnants of Carlin Music Publishers Archive......Ben E. King "Gettin' To Me" for one.

[Wiggyflat]

I thought he found Gettin to Me in a London record shop.....I found a publishers acetate of I Can't Break The New To Myself ....recorded in the UK on a rare collectable record by The Dakotas on the other side of Spider And The Fly.Spider and the Fly is great freakbeat...I Can't Break The News is a poor cover version.

[Wiggyflat]

I thought he found Gettin to Me in a London record shop.....I found a publishers acetate of I Can't Break The New To Myself ....recorded in the UK on a rare collectable record by The Dakotas on the other side of Spider And The Fly.Spider and the Fly is great freakbeat...I Can't Break The News is a poor cover version.