Less famous covers that you knew before the more famous originals

Slowdive - Some Velvet Morning
Mercury Rev - If You Want Me to Stay
Motley Crue - Smokin' in the Boys Room & Anarchy in the UK

"Will second the Blue Monday by Orgy. Still kinda prefer theirs, whatever taste points that loses me."

hmmm, like a billion?

Frankie Goes to Hollywood - "Ferry Cross The Mersey"

speaking of the kinks, i'm pretty sure i heard pretenders cover of stop your sobbing first. and speaking of the pretenders, it's possible that i heard everything but the girl's cover of kid before the original. cuz even though my brother had the pretenders debut when it came out i don't think i ever listened to the whole thing till years later.

When I was a little kid I only knew Anne Murray's "You Won't See Me," "Daydream Believer" and "Danny's Song." Haven't heard any of these since I was at least 8 years old.

I think Orgy and New Order's "Blue Monday"s are just about equally famous.

Smashing Pumpkins "Landslide,"

Now that I think about it, as late-80s pop & thrash metal was my first musical obsession, I'm sure a lot of classic rock & punk staples were first heard via dudes in tights w/ poodle hair. A few others that spring to mind: "Radar Love" by White Lion; "Gudbuy t'Jane" by Britney Fox; "Purple Haze" by Winger

I was going to mention Mazzy Star's "Blue Flower" cover, but that's clearly better known than the original

Yeah, but Pale Saints cover version FTW!

Hmmm, along those lines though, I think Bongwater's "The Drum" might qualify as less famous than Slapp Happy's. Tough call. Anyway, heard the Bongwater version first, and still kind of prefer it.

Mazzy Star > Pale Saints in terms of "Blue Flower" IMO, but the "here comes the fuzz pedal" section of the PS version never fails to give me the spine chills. Both versions totally rule, btw. Still haven't heard the original.. Maybe this should be polled?

Other trax I thought of: "People are Strange" by Echo &TB; "Hot Rod Lincoln" by All; "Tower of Song" by Jesus & Mary Chain; "Rawhide" by Dead Kennedys

It's funny: Mazzy Star make one tiny chord change to the song that vastly improves it over the Slapp version, even though I'm generally a huge Slapp Happy fanboy.

most Velvet Underground songs I first heard through others (so uncool was/am I):

Mitch Ryder - "Rock and Roll"
Big Star - "Femme Fatale"
The Feelies - "What Goes On"

Heaven & Earth's cover of "Sixty Years Old" convinced me to seek out Elton John's original, and from there I began to take seriously an artist I'd blacklisted ever since I watched the relevant bit of Princess Di's funeral on tv.

joy divisions cover of 'sister ray' haha

In the eighties at the Kennel Club in Philadelphia, I often heard Pretty Poison's cover of the Tuxedomoon song "No Tears," having never heard the original at that point. I wish I could find it now in mp3 form, I think it was on a flexi disc and I haven't heard it since. It's great.

I'm still convinced The Sea and Cake's 'Sound and Vision' is better than the original Bowie song (which I didn't hear until much later). Barely anyone agreed with me, I made a poll on this.

oh.. Red Red Meat's 'I'm not in Love' is better than the 10cc version. Also heard the Red Red Meat version first. Talk about a kick ass guitar solo in the middle

Both "Proud Mary" and "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" I chiefly knew via the versions on this LP I owned as a six-year old

http://paintinglady.com/music/images/TheBells_StayAwhile.jpg

Also: "Bang a Gong (Get it On)" (Witch Queen), "Like a Rolling Stone" (Jimi Hendrix)

everything on the rainy day album
ida's version of 'everybody knows this is nowhere'

Beach Boys - "I was made to love her" before Stevie Wonder's original

I've still never heard CCR's "Don't Look Now" -- only ever heard the Minutemen cover.

Pretty sure I heard Bauhaus' version of "Ziggy Stardust" before Bowie's, and a lot of times I still prefer it to the original.

Megadeth's "No More Mister Nice Guy" before Alice Cooper's
Soundgarden's "Girl U Want" before Devo's

these are pretty bad:
Tiffany's "I Think We're Alone Now" before Tommy James and the Shondells...
Michael Bolton's "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay" before Otis Redding
Michael Damian's "Rock On" before David Essex

hole 'gold dust woman' (lol)

I'm pretty sure Tiffany's version of "I Think We're Alone Now" is a lot more well-known than the original, I know at the very least it was a #1 and the original wasn't.

i know both tiffany and ratcat's versions better than the orig

also: husker's 8 miles hi

pretty sure there are equally or more famous covers out there of all of Tommy James' hits.

the lucky bishops' versions of 'time of the season' and 'gone is the sad man'

lush doing 'love at first sight' and 'i'd like to walk around in your mind' although basically no fucker had heard the vashti track when they covered it

holy crap suzi, I forgot all about ratcat!!! now THEM I loved. unashamedly.

Blackstreet's cover of "Money Can't Buy You Love"

My Way by the Sex Pistols came before the original version. Sure this has already been mentioned.

First version of Help! I heard was this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJY7KW_YAac&feature=related

Butthole Surfers "Hurdy Gurdy Man"
Don McLean - "Crying" (the Roy Orbison song)

Me playing Light My Fire on piano
My quite out of touch dad: Ah, lemme guess - Jose Feliciano!
Me: Um no, The Doors
Dad: Who the fuck are The Doors?

grace jones' love is the drug

The Cure - "Foxy Lady"
Bauhaus - "Telegram Sam"
Siouxsie & The Banshees - "Dear Prudence", "Helter Skelter"
Sisters Of Mercy - "Gimme Shelter"

Pet Shop Boys - you are always on my mind

Jeff Buckley: "Hallelujah" (not familiar with the Cohen one until later)

I'd argue Buckley's is the more famous version these days.

Primal Scream and Kate Moss - "Some Velvet Morning"

^ heard Slowdive's version before the original as well. Not really that good a song...?

I was surprised a couple years ago to learn that "Blue Monday" by Orgy was a cover of a very highly regarded song by a very highly regarded oldies act called New Order. as crappy a cover as it was, they really made it their own.

other depressing ones:

Limp Bizkit - Faith (George Michael)
311 - Love Song (The Cure)
Foo Fighters - Darling Nikki (Prince)
Limp Bizkit - Behind Blue Eyes (The Who)
Big Yellow Taxi - Counting Crows + Vanessa Carlton (Joni Mitchell)
The Ataris - Boys of Summer (Don Henley)

the early '00s was a dark time for alt-rock bands covering baby boomer chestnuts, although in fairness couple of these songs are just inherently awful, particularly "Big Yellow Taxi".

Always thought it was bizarre Frederick Durst could have such a wholesome upbringing in musical preferences and release stuff that contradicts everything perceived to be of quality or merits in an artist with the aforementioned.

The Raincoats' "Lola"

And yes I mean I'd *heard it* before but as far as rly becoming acquainted with/paying attention to:

Bjork & PJ Harvey - "Satisfaction"