I always preferred the Guess Who version of Shakin’ All Over to the original by Johnny Kidd and the Pirates.
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy’s 'Zat You Santa Claus?
I love a bunch of the covers of *Hallelujah *more than I do the original.
I hate Marilyn Manson. I love Marilyn Manson’s Halloween.
Eazy E’s “Boyz-n-the-Hood” as covered by Dynamite Hack.
I win the thread.
Watermelon Slim does an acapella version of And When i Die that I like much better than Blood, Sweat, and Tears version.
Hewing somewhat closer to the actual premise of the thread (what part of “I’m talking here specifically about alternate versions by the original artists, rather than covers” didn’t you all understand?)…
I don’t know that I like it “better” than the album version, but I’m very fond of the alternate version of “Birds” that Neil Young put on the B-side of the “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” single.
I guess most all of us missed that point. Different versions later released? Really, outside of live albums, not many artists re-release different versions. The Beatles would be an exception, but I haven’t noticed too many others redoing/re-releasing material.
Generally speaking that’s true, but there were a whole bunch of Unplugged CDs released which have provided some good source material for this thread. Some (most?) were recorded with a very small audience, but I’d still keep them separate from the traditional “live albums” which are big concert performances.
I’ll add to the votes for “Overkill” to the extent that I hated the original but love the remake. I’ll also nominate the live version of “Love Over Gold” by Dire Straits, which I prefer over the studio album version.
Outside of live versions, there might be multiple versions from the same artist due to one being cut for a single, being re-recorded on a major label debut, or sometimes just done again by the original artist without the rest of the band. I mention the last one due to Steve Howe having three guitar-only versions of Yes songs on the one album of his I have; I don’t think that it’s something unique to that album. Plus I like his rendition of “To Be Over” to the original.
In terms of live albums, I definitely like The Who’s Amazing Journey off of Live at Leeds much better than the album version.
There’s also the possibility that a song might sound exactly the same but have a different impact on the listener due to what surrounds it on the media. But given people having shuffle features and all that, I’m probably the only one left that prefers to listen to albums straight through, and thus sometimes find shuffled lists and best-of compilations a bit jarring at times.
A lot of interesting choices and new old music to ponder – thanks.
I like The Eagles’ version of “Desperado” and “Hotel California” on the album “Hell Freezes Over” more than the original ones.
The live versions of Marius Müller Westernhagen’s songs are far superior to his studio recordings; and when I heard Cultured Pearls singer Astrid North live, I was baffled how great their songs could sound if given the chance. Actually, a lot of German singer/bands sound far more interesting live.
The same is true for pretty much every Jazz concert/session I’ve ever visited or heard on vinyl/disc.
Ca. 1972 a three-album set called Glastonbury Fayre was released in the UK. I was working at a record store at the time and was lucky enough to score it.
In these days of ubiquitous CD reissues of one sort or another, I suppose all of its songs have come out elsewhere, but for a long time it was the only source of these tracks, each of which I prefer to the more common versions:
“Supermen” – David Bowie (much better than the dreadful Man Who Sold the World version)
“Classified” – Pete Townshend (Wasn’t there a different version on one of the Scoop albums? I’m not clear on this.)
This set also had a unique version of the Grateful Dead’s “Dark Star” (actually recorded at Wembley Stadium) that I’ve always treasured. I’m sure this has come out by now on Dick’s Picks or something like that.
I know it’s getting further and further away from the OP, but oh well . . . I just had to say that Sinead O’Connor does a haunting version of “House of the Rising Sun” that send chills up my spine every time I listen to it. I still like The Animals’ version, but it doesn’t blow me away like O’Connor’s does.