# Major bands who have never recorded a cover song **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 18, 2004, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-bands-who-have-never-recorded-a-cover-song/255678 "2004-07-18T11:37:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2004, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-bands-who-have-never-recorded-a-cover-song/255678/21 "2004-07-18T16:42:57Z")
Has Weird Al Yankovic ever released an _entire_ cover song? ---
**Author:** ![spiralscratch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dfb087/32.png) [@spiralscratch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spiralscratch)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2004, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-bands-who-have-never-recorded-a-cover-song/255678/22 "2004-07-18T17:33:26Z")
Beastie Boys (Unless you want to be picky and count the live recording of “Bennie and the Jets” on the greatest hits album.) ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2004, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-bands-who-have-never-recorded-a-cover-song/255678/23 "2004-07-18T17:35:47Z")
I don’t think live albums count. But if they do, Queen did “Tutti Frutti” on one of their live albums. ---
**Author:** ![cmason32](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@cmason32](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmason32)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2004, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-bands-who-have-never-recorded-a-cover-song/255678/24 "2004-07-18T17:36:55Z")
Dave Matthews Band They have played cover songs on tour which ended up on live CDs, but they never recorded a cover for an album. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2004, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-bands-who-have-never-recorded-a-cover-song/255678/25 "2004-07-18T17:58:33Z")
> [@x-ray vision](#): > > I don’t think live albums count. But if they do, Queen did “Tutti Frutti” on one of their live albums. Actually, they performed a medley of old rock and roll hits for YEARS and finally released it on the ‘live at Wembley’ album several years ago. Let’s see if I can remember off the top of my head… You’re So Square Hello Mary Lou, Goodbye Heart Tutti Frutti Gimme Some Lovin’ In addition, over the years they’ve played ‘Jailhouse Rock’, ‘Saturday Night’s All Right For Fighting’, ‘Hey Big Spender’ (been doing that one since 1974), ‘Imagine’, and many others. They were famous for it. Oh, and don’t forget that they did ‘New York, New York’ on the soundtrack for ‘The Highlander’. As for this… > [@](#): > > From **Shoeless** > If this thread had been posted a month earlier, I would have said Rush. Nay, my young friend. The first single they ever released was a cover back before Peart joined up. It was ‘Not Fade Away/Can’t Fight It’. I’ve got a copy around here somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2004, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-bands-who-have-never-recorded-a-cover-song/255678/26 "2004-07-18T18:46:10Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Dire Straits? Depends on what you consider a recording, but early on **Dire Straits** used to perform a few covers, **Chuck Berry** ’s _Nadine_ being the most prominent to pop up on all sorts of bootlegs and semi-official live releases. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2004, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-bands-who-have-never-recorded-a-cover-song/255678/27 "2004-07-18T19:02:04Z")
> [@x-ray vision](#): > > Led Zep Zeppelin kinda had a problem with giving credit for covers of blues songs. In addition to You Shook Me (you gotta hear Muddy Waters’ version) and Whole Lotta Love, there’s How Many More Times, which was originally Howlin’ Wolf’s How Many More Years. They also took the riff from Wolf’s Killing Floor and put it in The Lemon Song - the title line of which is from a song by Robert Johnson. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2004, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-bands-who-have-never-recorded-a-cover-song/255678/28 "2004-07-18T19:05:31Z")
ABBA almost made the list until they did a cover of “On Top of Old Smokey” as the B-side of “Summernight City”. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2004, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-bands-who-have-never-recorded-a-cover-song/255678/29 "2004-07-18T19:09:46Z")
> [@](#): > > Has Weird Al Yankovic ever released an entire cover song? Yes, _Bohemian Rhapsody_, done polka-style! ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2004, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-bands-who-have-never-recorded-a-cover-song/255678/30 "2004-07-18T23:29:49Z")
I am not as huge of a Pink Floyd fan as others are, but I don’t think they have released a cover song. ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2004, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-bands-who-have-never-recorded-a-cover-song/255678/31 "2004-07-18T23:49:16Z")
Buddy Holly and the Crickets? ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2004, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-bands-who-have-never-recorded-a-cover-song/255678/32 "2004-07-19T00:16:00Z")
Nope. I’m pretty sure they released a cover of ‘Bo Diddley’ somewhere in there. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2004, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-bands-who-have-never-recorded-a-cover-song/255678/33 "2004-07-19T02:42:50Z")
> [@SPOOFE](#): > > Yes, _Bohemian Rhapsody_, done polka-style! Also, _Money for Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies_, which was the lyrics of the _Hillbillies_ theme song over the tune of _MfN_. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2004, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-bands-who-have-never-recorded-a-cover-song/255678/34 "2004-07-19T02:58:57Z")
Pink Floyd never have, to my knowledge (except in the early years covering Bo Diddly and the like, but I don’t think it was released). Have The Who done any covers? ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2004, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-bands-who-have-never-recorded-a-cover-song/255678/35 "2004-07-19T03:58:05Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Zeppelin kinda had a problem with giving credit for covers of blues songs. In addition to You Shook Me (you gotta hear Muddy Waters’ version) and Whole Lotta Love, there’s How Many More Times, which was originally Howlin’ Wolf’s How Many More Years. They also took the riff from Wolf’s Killing Floor and put it in The Lemon Song - the title line of which is from a song by Robert Johnson. Yep and, if I remember correctly, they lost a case over “Boogie with Stu” and had to include song writing credit for Ritchie Valens. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2004, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-bands-who-have-never-recorded-a-cover-song/255678/36 "2004-07-19T04:54:54Z")
> [@x-ray vision](#): > > The Beatles? One of my favorite Beatles songs is a cover. " A Taste of Honey." So what have The Rolling Stones covered? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2004, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-bands-who-have-never-recorded-a-cover-song/255678/37 "2004-07-19T05:02:51Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > So what have The Rolling Stones covered? Off the top of my head I know that they covered “Love in Vain” by Robert Johnson. I don’t think REM has ever done a cover, have they? ---
**Author:** ![Lando\_Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f17d59/32.png) [@Lando\_Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lando_Griffin)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2004, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-bands-who-have-never-recorded-a-cover-song/255678/38 "2004-07-19T05:06:38Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Zeppelin kinda had a problem with giving credit for covers of blues songs. In addition to You Shook Me (you gotta hear Muddy Waters’ version) and Whole Lotta Love, there’s How Many More Times, which was originally Howlin’ Wolf’s How Many More Years. They also took the riff from Wolf’s Killing Floor and put it in The Lemon Song - the title line of which is from a song by Robert Johnson. They also covered Robert Johnson’s ‘Travelling Riverside Blues’ for BBC Sessions, which was the origin of all this lemon squeezing business. Technically, this isn’t recording a cover, but Zeppelin did live covers all the time, sometimes as standalone pieces, but usually as part of a ‘Whole Lotta Love’ or ‘How Many More Times’ medley. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2004, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-bands-who-have-never-recorded-a-cover-song/255678/39 "2004-07-19T05:14:16Z")
Jimmy Page also admitted that he ripped off the main riff and the title for “Dazed and Confused” but I don’t remember who he swiped it from. ---
**Author:** ![beergeek279](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ea924/32.png) [@beergeek279](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beergeek279)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2004, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-bands-who-have-never-recorded-a-cover-song/255678/40 "2004-07-19T05:17:34Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > So what have The Rolling Stones covered? “Not Fade Away”, originally performed by Buddy Holly I’d have to agree that there hasn’t been a Pink Floyd cover, even on their live CDs. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-bands-who-have-never-recorded-a-cover-song/255678.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-bands-who-have-never-recorded-a-cover-song/255678.md?page=3)