Coverocktober Song #1: "Got The Time" by Anthrax

We kick off Coverocktober with what is probably my favorite song by thrash metal gods Anthrax -- their 1990 cover of Joe Jackson's 1979 song "Got The Time."  This is one of those songs that I didn't realize was a cover until I had already been listening to the song for years.

"Got The Time" was featured on Anthrax's fifth studio album, Persistence of Time, and it was only the band's third cover song on an album, with their cover of Alice Cooper's "I'm Eighteen" from 1984's Fistful of Metal and their cover of Trust's "Antisocial" from 1988's State of Euphoria being the prior two.

It's a frenetic rocker with a driving bass line.  Anthrax's version cracked the Top 20 on the UK pop charts, reaching #16, making it the band's biggest hit in the UK up to that point and second-biggest hit in the UK overall after 1991's collab with Public Enemy, "Bring the Noise," which got up to #14.

The cover is pretty faithful to Jackson's original, with more of a metal flair.  The original was featured on Jackson's 1979 debut album, which also included his breakout hit "Is She Really Going Out With Him?"  Jackson apparently didn't think very highly of Anthrax's cover, claiming it wasn't as fast-paced as the version of "Got The Time" on Jackson's Live 1980/86 live album.  Whatever, man.  Both versions rock, and here they are for you to compare.