These nostalgic covers of the 1970s are arranged according to their primary and enduring fame, reputation, and recognition, as well as their musical impact.
Black Magic Woman – Fleetwood Mac (1968) | Santana (1970)
As a curious fact, it should be noted that the covers that Santana did on this album, of Black Magic Woman and Oye Como Va, were much more successful and popular than the original versions of Peter Green and Tito Puente, respectively.
Proud Mary – Creedence Clearwater Revival (1969) | Ike & Tina Turner (1970)
In 1971, their version of Proud Mary from Creedence Clearwater Revival became the duo’s biggest hit. Craig Turner, Tina’s first child, tells in the documentary how in the late 1960s and early 1970s his parents went on tour for eight months in a row, only showing up at their Los Angeles home four months a year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tERczqYMMbo
You Really Got Me – Kinks (1964) | Van Halen (1978)
“You Really Got Me”, a song by THE KINKS that was very successful in the cover released by VAN HALEN in 1878, as the band’s first album track. ‘You Really Got Me’ was a total and deserved success and the record company urged them to record an LP to take advantage of the fact that they were in fashion.
Woodstock – Joni Mitchell (1970) | Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (1970)
You must be wondering how these four leaders with strong personalities came to coexist within the same group? Quite simply by composing and interpreting each of their titles on the basis of equitable distribution: each one had the opportunity to compose two titles, to which was grafted the cover of the title homage to “Woodstock” of Joni Mitchell (small friend of Nash at the time), which the quartet had been able to perform during the festival – Ironically, the Canadian Joni Mitchell was never able to participate in this gathering … for fear of getting on the helicopter.
Wild Horses – The Flying Burrito Brothers (1970) | The Rolling Stones (1971)
“Wild Horses” is an eminent ballad, where many of the band’s followers would have liked to have been in those Alabama studios called Muscle Shoals Sound, where they also recorded “You Gotta Move” and the previously named “Brown Sugar”. In Jagger’s own words, the song “Wild Horses” has nothing to do with his failed relationship with actress and singer Marianne Faithful, but was a remake of The Flying Burrito Brothers.
I Fought The Law – The Crickets (1961) | The Clash (1979)
We can also see how ‘I Fought The Law’ (famous in the sixties for the version of Bobby Fuller, who we remember was found murdered when he had been flirting with Frank Sinatra’s daughter for a short time) fitted them perfectly in their repertoire due to its message vindictive although somewhat pessimistic because “the law won.”
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds – The Beatles (1967) | Elton John (1974)
To show his admiration for the Beatle – and that his invitation to play was serious – Elton decided to record a cover of “Lucy in the sky with diamonds”, one of John’s songs in the fundamental Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
I Shot The Sheriff – Bob Marley (1973) | Eric Clapton (1974)
The fact that more than two decades have passed since it was recorded by Bob Marley, and the personal touch that he gave to the song “slow hand” made that thanks to this version Clapton achieved full recognition from the public, even before criticizing it the specialist had praised his work. The song included in the album “461 Ocean Bivd” also brought reggae closer to all kinds of audiences. It was without a doubt one of the most commercial themes of Mister Eric Clapton’s career.
Whiskey In The Jar – Traditional | Thin Lizzy (1972)
A song chosen by chance, arranged in a lighthearted manner, opened the doors to success for Thin Lizzy. Lyn and Eric Bell were taken by demons, they wanted to be recognized for their compositions, but they enjoyed the attention, money, and success that Whiskey In The Jar provided. But as soon as they were able to remove it from their concerts, in fact, it does not appear in any of their official live shows. They never touched the song again.
Bridge Over Troubled Water – Simon and Garfunkel (1970) | Aretha Franklin (1971)
The duo no longer understood each other and Paul was unhappy with the result. The composer did not agree with those arrangements, but the song was still a success, it occupied the first positions of all the rankings and went down in history as one of the most beautiful songs of all time, with its symphonic and exciting imprint. Bridge Over Troubled Waters had a lot of repercussions some years after the original version. Not to mention that of Elvis Presley, who was part of his first setlist on a tour of Las Vegas that El Rey did in 1970. Or that of Aretha Franklin who helped her win a Grammy Award for her performance in 1972. The song came to life own.