I’ve been writing this blog for… *trumpet fanfare* …three whole years! Plodding along, at a post every two or three days, we’ve made it through the pre-rock years, the rock ‘n’ roll boom, the rock ‘n’ roll slump, the Mersey sound years, the Summer of Love, the late-sixties comedown, the glam era, and the arrival of disco… So, to celebrate, this week I’m taking a break from all the actual chart-topping singles… to bring you more chart-topping singles, in versions you may never have heard before.
Let’s kick it off with a couple of straightforward, balls to the wall rockers…
‘Tiger Feet’, by Girlschool – 1986 album track
(Originally reached #1 in January 1974, by Mud)
(Actually, when I said ‘balls to the wall’, I forgot that this first band are all ladies… Anyhoo…) My one complaint about the original glam rock hits is that they sometimes come out a little light in the mix. So when a ’70s glam classic gets covered with the crunchy bite of ’80s hard rock then I kiss my fingers like a French gourmet tasting the perfect roux. Girlschool were mates with Motorhead, and were the logical result of Suzi Quatro’s pioneering work with a guitar a decade before. They covered plenty of glam classics, including ’20th Century Boy’ (oh, if only that had been a #1) and ‘I’m the Leader of the Gang (I Am)’ featuring an actual pre-fall from grace Gary Glitter… Their take on Mud’s signature tune takes an ‘if it ain’t broke then just turn the volume up and rock the eff out’ approach, and it is wonderful.
‘You Really Got Me’, by Van Halen – 1978, reached #36 on the Billboard Hot 100
(Originally reached #1 in September 1964, by The Kinks)
A breakthrough single not once but twice. Fourteen years after ‘You Really Got Me’ launched The Kinks to the top of the UK charts, and into the Top 10 in the USA, a glossier, brattier update started getting airplay on the West Coast. While the Kinks were gritty, tough Londoners – Dave Davies resorted to ripping his guitar amp open to get that really scuzzy sounding riff – Van Halen were tanned and gleaming Californians, with confidence and swagger to spare. Just watch David Lee Roth in the video below, acrylic shirt swinging wide, hips swivelling, as he sets the template for every American rock ‘n’ roll frontman for the next decade, while Eddie Van Halen shows off like only Eddie Van Halen could (RIP). I would never go as far as saying that it’s better than The Kink’s original; but it is a brilliant calling card for a band about to become superstars.
More tomorrow!
The UK Number Ones Blog 
I always liked Girlschool…good song!
Van Halen’s cover…that was a high school argument we would have…Kinks or Van Halen…you can guess which one I like the most. Van Halen’s was too slick for me…I like gritty…but they did a good job. I did like them better with Dave…he was/is a great showman… I have to give that to him.
I definitely prefer the Kinks original, but Van Halen make it their own. I think sometimes ‘slickness’ is the difference between UK and US rock
It is production I agree
Good point!
I really, really dislike Van Halen’s version. It’s just too much. I love Van Halen but, yuck on this one.
Although I prefer The Kinks version, Van Halen’s version is awesome (you gotta combine it with “Eruption” for the full effect as it’s sequenced on their gamechanging debut album). They totally make it their own but still honour the original, as the best covers do.
I always thought Van Halen should’ve been more popular in the UK and the rest of Europe than they ended up being, though they did have a few Top 40 hits and even two Top 10 hits in the UK. Funnily enough, Motley Crue sold more records than Van Halen in the UK. VH didn’t tour that much outside of North America during their prime, but I feel like they could’ve been The Beach Boys of the 80s, bringing California to the rest of the world.
Yeah I think hair metal in general wasn’t as huge in the UK as it was in the US. Maybe because we’d had our own glam phase a decade before?
It doesn’t surprise me that Motley Crue sold more, as they were low-key the biggest, most consistent band of the whole movement. And actually quite good, something that is overshadowed by the fact that three of them are now more famous for being complete morons (Mick Mars being the exception). I’ll admit a big soft spot for the Crue, which is not something any self-respecting music blogger should be doing…