I’ve been re-listening my way through the Beatles’ back catalog now that the remastered albums are available, and it struck me that I hadn’t actually listened to the original version of “Let It Be” (the song) since the release of “Let It Be… Naked.” I just like the “Naked” version of it so much better. It’s free of Phil Spector’s obnoxious overdubs, has a superior mix, and features the best take of George Harrison’s guitar solo for the song (IMO one of the best solos George ever performed, while the one used in the original “Let It Be” album is middling at best).
Similarly, I prefer the “Let It Be… Naked” version of Lennon’s “Don’t Let Me Down” over the better-known version released as the B-side to “Get Back.” It consists of an edit of the two Rooftop performances of the song, and benefits greatly from the live atmosphere of that show. John’s vocals, in particular, have a rawness that suits the song really well.
So I’m curious - is there anyone else who likes alternate versions of popular songs better than the best-known versions? I’m talking here specifically about alternate versions by the original artists, rather than covers. Tell us which songs, and why you prefer the alternate version!
I’ve always been pretty indifferent to Stone Temple Pilots, including the song Plush, but for some reason, I really like the live acoustic version of it they released.
Most people will be familaiar with the song “Jeepster” from Marc Bolan & T-Rex, at least from the Grindhouse movie Death Proof. It is a jaunty little upbeat song, and I like it just fine, but Marc made an alternate version that is slower and bluesy that is even better.
On the same alternate album is a different version of “Get It On” that I also like much better than the original. It is slightly longer, has more orchestra backing it, a nice little saxaphone solo, and near the end the music builds up in a crescendo and release. Not as simple as the original radio version, but I prefer it.
Going to Broadway, the original Ethel Merman version of “You Can’t Get a Man With a Gun” from Annie Get Your Gun is blown away by Bernadette Peters’s version in the revival. Peters slows down the song, turning it from a jaunty ditty to a song about sadness over Annie’s shortcomings.
Re-do’s from the original artist: The live version of Steely Dan’s Pretzel Logic is much better than the studio version. The live version with Fagen’s sort of All-Star band features Michael McDonalds’s big vocals on the bridge. It rocks.
Cover version (despite the OP’s restriction) I honestly feel this is definitive version of Stairway to Heaven.
I prefer U2’s gospel choir version of “Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” from Rattle and Hum to the original.
A bunch of songs from “Stop Making Sense” by the Talking Heads, although I’m not sure if they are different enough from the originals to be considered “alternate” (as opposed to just live). I normally prefer studio versions to live versions, so these songs really stand out to me. Especially “Life During Wartime” and “Slippery People”.
I prefer the “UK Surf” version of Pixies’ Wave of Mutilation to the original.
I sometimes prefer the Jesus & Mary Chain Remix of Sugarcubes’ Birthday to the original.
I think I prefer all the Unplugged versions of 10000 Maniacs songs, but especially These are Days and Gold Rush Brides
I have a demo version of the Flamin’ Groovies’ “Shake Some Action” that’s markedly better than the originally released recording - rawer and hotter.
There’s a version of George Thorogood doing “Who Do You Love?” with a denser, spacier percussive overlay - not necessarily better than the hit version you usually hear on the radio, but as good in my opinion (yes, I know it originally was a Bo Diddley song).
Total agreement. Adding Bernie Worrell and others really took the stick out of the ass of this band. I understand that they were going for a very on-time, tight, sound with their albums, but that just doesn’t appeal to me. Conversely, “Stop Making Sense” is one of my favorite albums. The albums almost sound like they were played by different bands.
Another one for the OP, but I don’t know if it’s commercially available, U2 on this latest tour plays a dance version of “I’ll Go Crazy if I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight” that is absolutely awesome. They get Larry out from behind the drum set, walking on the catwalk with a set of bongos. I love the original version from “No Line on The Horizon”, but this one is a fantastic version that needs to be made more widely available.
The album version of “One of these Days” (Meddie) is inferior in many ways to the bootleg live version / broadcast of arrangements by Ron Giesen, a concert focused mostly on the “Atom Heart Mother Suite”.
Yeah, I figure one’s opinion on “Let It Be… Naked” will depend almost entirely upon your feelings about Phil Spector. I personally can’t stand the “Wall of Sound” - to my ears, it seems to strip everything spontaneous or “live” out of a song while burying it in a cacophony so constant that there’s no remaining sense of dynamics. It’s sort of a recording-technique equivalent to the extreme overcompression common in the mastering of today’s pop records (see “Loudness Wars”).
It doesn’t help that I rarely like Spector’s actual arrangements. If he had the subtle, dynamic hand of George Martin, maybe I’d be able to handle the Wall of Sound better. But as is, I usually find his arrangements over-grandiose and uninteresting, adding nothing to the flavor of the song while destroying or muffling the actual interesting bits. To use another Beatles analogy, imagine if “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” had those annoying metallic clangs under every beat of the song rather than, mercifully, restricting them to the choruses.
I’d love to get my hands on the recording of Prince’s live version of “Beautiful Ones” from the movie “Purple Rain.” Back when it was on VHS, I was able to copy it to a cassette player (I’m aging myself, aren’t I?), but have no idea how I’d do that on a DVD. It was a much more soulful and passionate delivery of that song than what appears on the album.
“Stairway to Heaven” Live is superior to the studio version, IMO. Plant goes back and forth between octaves, which I think makes it more interesting. And his occasional commentary to the audience (“Remember laughter?”) makes it even creepier than usual.
John Mellencamp’s version of “Pink Houses” from “The Concert for New York” is nearly perfect. It has a great fiddle solo and a gospel flair to it. And then, for some inexplicable reason, John invites Kid Rock onstage to ruin the last verse. It makes me wonder why Mellencamp hasn’t released a live album.
I personally can’t stand the “Wall of Sound” - to my ears, it seems to strip everything spontaneous or “live” out of a song while burying it in a cacophony so constant that there’s no remaining sense of dynamics. It’s sort of a recording-technique equivalent to the extreme overcompression common in the mastering of today’s pop records (see “Loudness Wars”).