10 Cover Versions That Are Absolute Masterpieces
1. I Fought The Law (The Clash)
Joe Strummer and Mike Jones first became aware of this song whilst recording The Clash's second album at The Automatt studio in San Francisco. Hearing it on the studio's jukebox the two of them immediately became fans and decided to record it.
Originally written and recorded in 1959 by Sonny Curtis and the Crickets, it is the song's second release that has gone down in infamy. A hit for the Bobby Fuller Four in 1965 the eponymous Bobby Fuller was found dead in his mother's car from asphyxiation. The police ruled it as suicide but some people have speculated that he was murdered by the mafia.
Yet, it is The Clash's version surpasses that of the previous two recordings. Whereas the previous versions are catchy but unremarkable cuts The Clash give the song a stronger, yet rawer, sound. The intro starts with the building up of Topper Headon's drums before the earsplitting riff kicks in and Joe Strummer spits out the first lines in his own unique style.
Released in the UK on their The Cost OF Living EP the song helped them break in the USA. It was their first single to be released in the United States gaining them airplay along the way.