FIRST Volume 4 - Rock & Roll Firsts (Demos, 1st Bands, & So On.)

The FIRST series are catch-all compilations with a very wide berth for inclusion.

THE BEATLES usually pop up because they were responsible for so many firsts in rock & roll, but their presence here is secondary.  Volume 4 starts off with a track written & first recorded by CARL PERKINS that most people are better acquainted with as a track on a BEATLES album.  (Carl was actually in the studio when The Fab Four laid down their version).  LARRY WILLIAMS also benefitted greatly from having his song included on an LP by Liverpool’s favorite sons.

THE SHADOWS are more of the focus here, as their first recording (as THE DRIFTERS) makes an appearance alongside the first release by Marvin, Welch & Farrar after the band broke up, & (former-Shadows) Jet Harris & Tony Meehan’s Diamonds--which was JIMMY PAGE’s first session gig. 

Demos are prime possibilities for the FIRST series.  Included is a songwriter’s (BOB KELLY’s) demo for GENE VINCENT, & Gene’s own home demo for another song he had some success with: Lotta Lovin’.  THE RAMONES’ demo for Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World brings it all home—but not before FUGAZI, PAUL SIMON & TAYLOR SWIFT supply more of the same.

First singles or first recordings by acts who took a while to find a national audience are also convenient contenders.  There are first incarnations of THE MANHATTANS, THE DEAD BOYS, and the future JACKIE DeSHANNON recording as Sherry Lee.  FIRST BANDS are fair game, and JEFF LYNNE’s first recording outfit THE MOVE are represented, as are THIRTY DAYS OUT which I dug down deep in my trivia sack for... the band provided THE RAMONES' tour-manager Monte A. Melnick's first touring experience.

GREGG ALLMAN performs Melissa on Late Night With David Letterman & shares that it was the first song that he wrote and kept.  And there’s a dash of ZAPPA in the broth—Baby Ray & The Ferns was one of his earliest recording combos (although there is some dispute).

Some of my selections may have seen the light of day in JONDER’s excellent AS HEARD HERE FIRST series:

https://jonderblog.blogspot.com/2025/04/as-heard-here-first-original-versions.html

There’s a few of those here—tracks rock bands took and ran with that originated with Bullmoose Jackson, Tiny Bradshaw, Lloyd Brown, & Roy Milton.

That leaves only the cover photo—which was taken in Edinburgh—it's the FIRST photo of men drinking!

I urge you to check anywhere in the world for firsts, first, but be sure to check with JOKONKY, last!

 

As Heard Here First (again): More Original Versions of Hit Songs

Here's the sequel to our previous post of the first releases of songs that later became hits for other artists.  The last set of four CD-length comps covered the 1960's.  Today we pick up where we left off (in 1971, to be exact) for four more sets, ending in 1999.  Plus there's a bonus set of ballads (MOR or "yacht rock", if you like), which starts with "Send In The Clowns" (1963) and ends three decades later with "The Wind Beneath My Wings" (1993).  

Didja know that Barry Manilow didn't write "I Write The Songs"?  Or that "Midnight Train To Georgia" was originally called "Midnight Plane To Houston"?  

A tip of the hat to One Buck Guy, whose post about The Curtis Brothers explained the origins of CSN's "Southern Cross" as a Curtis Brothers' composition called "Seven League Boots" -- with Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham on harmonies.  Stephen Stills did a drastic rewrite, but you can definitely hear what appealed to him about "Seven League Boots".

Another original song that probably hasn't appeared in other collections of this type is "Old Time Rock And Roll", which was released on the self-titled album by North Carolina band Sexy in 1977, a year before Bob Seger made his version a hit.  And check out Hackensack's "Moving On", which was covered by their tourmates Bad Company on BadCo's debut.

"Looking Good Diving" by Morgan/McVey is another interesting origin story.  Jamie Morgan was a founding member of Buffalo, a multimedia group of creative types in late 80's London.  His songwriting partner Cameron McVey married Neneh Cherry (who had appeared on "Looking Good Diving" along with The Wild Bunch (which begat Massive Attack).  McVey and Neneh Cherry reworked the song into her 1988 hit "Buffalo Stance".

"Battleship Chains" was written by Terry Anderson and recorded by his band The Woods.  It appeared on a 1986 compilation LP of North Carolina artists called Welcome To Comboland, shortly before the song became a hit for The Georgia Satellites.  

ELSEWHERE ON THE BLOG: Stinky's Homemade Live Georgia Satellites albums!

As Heard Here First: Original Versions of Hit Songs

Saddened to learn that David Thomas died this week.  His music was featured here recently as one of Richard Thompson's collaborators, as well as his recent work with Pere Ubu and Rocket From The Tombs.  A final Pere Ubu album will be completed by the rest of the band, and David Thomas' autobiography will also be released.

Last year I shared First Versions Of Well-Known Songs, a collection of tunes that were later remade by the original artists.  Today we have a series of songs that became hits for other artists.  

This type of collection has been done many times.  Any Major Dude has done an amazing job over the years of telling the histories of the original songs and artists that didn't make the charts. It would be easy to think of them as cover versions (since they sound less familiar than the hits), but many of these are performed by the artists who composed them.  In some cases, the hit version was released within weeks of the original.  It's interesting to listen and wonder what might have been missing from the original that made the hit version more appealing.  Or what might make an artist or producer think, "If we make a few changes, this song could top the charts." To my ears, some of the originals sound better than the hits, and maybe they just weren't properly promoted.  

The series starts in 1960. In the 50’s, it wasn’t unusual for multiple artists to record the same song, especially in the early years of rock & roll, when a “race record” couldn’t get airplay on white radio stations.  It was also an era when fewer songwriters recorded their own compositions.  There were exceptions, but the “singer/songwriter” was not yet an accepted business model.  Songwriters shopped their songs to publishers or labels.  Label owners, record producers and DJ’s sometimes received (or took) a songwriting credit.   Black songwriters were most often the victims of this practice, which became less widespread after the payola scandal, and after people like Chuck Berry achieved enough success (and learned enough about the music business) to be able to refuse it.

Today there are four CD-length sets, with over a hundred songs released between 1960 and 1971.

Last (for now!) In A Series Of Firsts

First up is Let It Rock—a Dave Edmunds track with backing by Brinsley Schwarz. It’s the first track to see release with Dave playing with his longtime partner Nick Lowe.

Before they backed Bob Dylan, The Band backed Ronnie Hawkins as The Hawks—as they were billed on this excellent cover of Forty Days. Mark Knopfler’s first recording outfit wasn’t Dire Straits, but Brewer’s Droop who supply Roller Coaster.

In the halcyon days of 1967 J.J. Cale cut his very first version of After Midnight. A big hit for one of my favorites; Delbert McClinton, Given It Up For Your Love was first recorded by Jerry Williams. Many musos consider Rocket '88' to be the 1st Rock & Roll Song—which was recorded by Ike Turner’s cousin; Jackie Brenston With His Delta Cats (which included Ike among their number).

It’s been said that The Who are the world’s greatest cover band because when Pete Townshend lays down a demo, it’s completely fleshed out, as this first recorded attempt at Call Me Lightning illustrates.

The next three tracks are the original versions of songs covered by Elvis. Tiger Man (King Of The Jungle) by Memphis DJ & recording artist Rufus Thomas. Fever by Otis Blackwell (who also supplied The King with All Shook Up) and the first recorded version of Too Much by Bernard Hardison.

Demos are automatic firsts, & One Inch Rock is an acoustic demo by Marc Bolan before his success with T-Rex. While everyone’s heard MANDY a million times, comparatively few have heard Barry Manilow’s previously unreleased original “first take”. The version of Hello It's Me on Volume 3 is from The Nazz’s 1967 Audition Tape.

As Gregg Allman shares during this 1982 Letterman appearance the FIRST song he wrote & KEPT was Melissa. Thoughts Of You was an early demo by Sixpence None The Richer. The Shirelles’ Will You Love Me Tomorrow marked the first time a black female vocal group hit the #1 slot.

Dream Baby is an early recording by Cher under her FIRST moniker: Cherilyn. Rockabilly pioneer Barbara Pitman recorded this demo version of her best-known song; I'm Getting Better All The Time. Fans of Link Wray know that he became an instrumentalist because he lost a lung to tuberculosis during The Korean War—but not before he recorded the vocal track: If This Is Wrong.

Nick Lowe pops up again with his ‘78 Top Of The Pops appearance (I Love The Sound Of Breaking Glass) which was his “first date” with future wife Carlene Carter. Future Blondie bassist Gary Valentine’s band The Know delivers I Like Girls.

Although it was a hit for Animotion, Obsession was first recorded by the duo who wrote it; Michael Des Barres & Holly Knight. The Doors’ Moonlight Drive in its earliest demo form has its own charm.

Known for his time with Hawkwind & Motörhead, Lemmy's FIRST Band was The Rockin' Vickers whose I Don't Need Your Kind was produced by the legendary Shel Talmy.

This live recording of Cocksucker is by Sniper—Joey Ramone's 1st band when he was known as Jeff Starship. Also in the band was future Blondie guitarist Frank Infante. And bringing it all home is a 1975 demo of their classic; Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue by The Ramones!