Colin Hays’ acoustic version of “Overkill” is the definitive version for everyone I’ve ever played it for.
Counting Crows ‘re-invented’ a number of their songs for the “Across a Wire- Live in New York” double cd that I really enjoyed.
Hendrix’ live material blows the studio recordings into the weeds.
YMMV
-Mitch
Funny that this thread has appeared now as I just downloaded Plug In, Plug Out by Metric (listening to it right now), which is an EP of acoustic covers from songs off their Fantasies album (which I don’t own).
The reason why I like the acoustic versions so much better is because they are much closer to Emily Haines’ music that she performs with Soft Skeleton, which showcase her voice.
I am a Who fan but Elton John’s Pinball Wizard is a little better than the original. ( I bet a lot of people don’t agree with me)
Note that the OP excluded different bands covering songs…these are bands issuing (or playing) different versions of their own songs.
The Butthole Surfers have a version of their own song “Something” that sounds like it’s right out of the Jesus and Mary Chain studio, and I like that more than the original.
I also like a lot of the Townshend Who demos he released as his LP career went on the wane, they sound a lot more personal.
Has anyone mentioned the Clapton unplugged version of Layla yet? Because I hate that version - the song is eviscerated without the rolling Jim Gordon piano and the Allman slide, and the whole strong but wistful mood of the original is replaced by a stereotypical “oh look I’m doing something different” blues vamp. It’s a pandering piece of shit, I just have to say.
I wouldn’t put it that strongly, but I tend to agree. I find the unplugged version very dull.
Neil Sedaka’s 1976 slowed-down version of “Breaking Up is Hard to Do” was a major re-evaluation of his 1962 number one uptempo hit, and made the top ten as well. It holds up very well today.
The J.Geils Band was famous for this. Their first album has versions of “First I Look at the Purse,” “Hard Drivin’ Man,” “Serves You Right to Suffer” and “Cruisin’ for a Love” that are far inferior to the live version in their live album “Full House.” The album versions of their songs tended to be far less frenetic and exciting than the live ones; it wasn’t until late in their career that they could come up with good original album cuts.
Hearing Pink Floyd doing “Careful with that Axe, Eugene” live is totally different from hearing the various album versions (even the live on on Ummagumma).
The Allman Brother’s live “Whipping Post” from Live at Filmore Eastis an epic expansion of the original song (which was good enough as it was).
Loudon Wainwright III recently did an album title Recovery, where he rerecorded many of his early songs. All sound better; Loudon’s voice has matured and he adds a much greater depth of emotion. For instance, in “Motel Blues,” it changes from a rock star’s attempt at seducing a groupie to an older man desperate for companionship.
Holly Cole’s version of I Can See Clearly Now
I’d agree with that, and I’d also add SD’s live version of Sign In Stranger. The piano riffs are a little bouncier, and the horn section breakdown near the end is excellent.
OP is very timely! I was just watching Beatles Anthology, which shows the Beatles recording “Long and Winding Road” – pre-production, obviously – and so for the first time I heard the song without the drippy, overwrought choir and swelling strings. Such a difference! Turned it from soppy and muzak-lite to heartfelt and sincere. I would have loved to hear George Martin’s far more deft, subtle orchestrations on that song. I really do need to get Let It Be…Naked because I can only imagine the improvement on other songs, particularly the title track.
Let’s see, alternate versions by the same artist? I’ll pick a few Sting/Police numbers:
Heretically, I think I prefer 1986’s “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” to the original. Or at least it’s very close. I go back and forth on this, I admit; the remake is kind of over-synthesized, but there are some tweaks to the harmonies and added dissonances that I really like.
“Shadows in the Rain” from Dream of the Blue Turtles is so much more enjoyable than the original Police number. The original is a weird-for-weird’s sake, distorted, dream-like piece – I can dig it but it doesn’t really do anything for me. The remake rocks out. Or jazzes out, as the case may be.
“I Burn for You” from Bring on the Night (film soundtrack). This is an unusual case, because it’s actually be remade twice; the first version was by Sting/Last Exit, and is haunting, spare and creepy. The more well-known version is on the Brimstone and Treacle soundtrack, and while I love the middle section and especially the key changes, I don’t like the lengthy coda that goes on forever and devolves into screaming. So that’s a remake I don’t like as well as the original.
But then Sting redid it a third time, for the Bring on the Night concert tour, reminding me much more of the original while retaining the important middle section and key changes from the second version. Without the crap synthesizer and with the all-important addition of Omar Hakkim’s off-the-hook drum solo in the coda, I definitely prefer it to the better-known B&T version.
My obligatory Kiss entry: The *Alive IV/Symphony *version of “God of Thunder” has a much harder edge than any version of that song that came before it. And I like the newer version of “Heaven’s On Fire” (from the *Klassics *disc that came with Sonic Boom) much more than the old one, but even the *Alive III *version is better than the original. Most of Kiss’s stuff is better live.
I can’t really choose between the two. They’re tied for excellent in my book.
Paul Westerberg did two versions of the song “Crackle and Drag” – about the suicide of Sylvia Plath – on his album Come Feel Me Tremble. The one labeled as the alternate version works a lot better for me. It’s quieter than the other version.
Pre-internet, my brother once tried to find a performance of “Whiskey River” that he had seen on TV.
It was what would later be termed an “unplugged” version:
No backup singers or instruments.
Just Willie Nelson and his guitar.
Played at a much softer volume and slower tempo than the jukebox version.
My brother said that, without all the twangy noise in the background, it was actually a very beautiful song.
Would the OP consider remixes as not being by the orginal bands? Hope not!
These remixes are better than the original songs:
Yeah Yeah Yeahs “Gold Lion (Diplo remix)”
The Rakes “We Danced Together (Sebastian remix)”
The Dirty Secrets “5 Feet Of Snow (Miami Horror remix)”
Sohodolls “Trash The Rental (Crystal Castles remix)”
Sia “Breathe Me (Four Tet remix)”
Peter Bjorn & John “It Don’t Move Me (The Knocks remix)”
Hellogoodbye “Here (In Your Arms) (Young Americans remix)”
The Academy Is… “Black Mamba (Teddybears Remix)”
My first thought upon reading the thread title was “Ob-Li-Di Ob-La-Da.” I love the alternate version on the Anthology CDs–the guitar-driven version. Kicks ass over the piano version on The White Album. I also like Harrison’s solo acoustic version of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”
And everything on Let it Be–Naked.
The Stones live version of Sympathy for the Devil (on Get Yer Yayas Out).
Come to think, Midnight Rambler on the same album is a lot better than the studio version too.
Also, Pink Floyd’s live version of Careful with that Axe Eugene from Ummagumma (but it is probably the best known version anyway).
There’s an old recording of “There Goes My Gun” from the live sessions at the BBC that I prefer to the version on “Doolittle.” It’s more propulsive and punk-ish, with a driving 3/4 rhythm. The only negative is that it’s missing the lovely surf-rock solo.
Edit - Ah, found it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS8IRRmx_pY
Nowhere I can link to…but do a google search on “sugarcubes birthday jim william reid christmas day mix” and you should find it.
I just got to hear** Paramore’s **version of **Kings of Leon’s **Use Somebody. I think the lead’s voice is much more apt to the sentiment of the song, and seems sadder somehow.
Aimee Mann’s iTunes, slowed-down version of “Voices Carry” is awesome. Not sure I’d like it as much without hearing, and enjoying, the original song, though.