I was rather stunned not to be able to find a thread like this after searching back two years. All kinds of “Best… on Youtube” but for more specialized genres of music or other forms of entertainment.
I’ll start with two of my favorites. I’m more interested in good musicianship and good quality recording than visuals.
Baba O’Reilly – performed by Blue Man Group. This is the best rock & roll performance I’ve ever seen and heard on Youtube. Just incredible percussion – I can listen to it over and over – and I’m hoping one of you can show me better stuff.
Pipeline – performed by Dick Dale and Stevie ray Vaughn.
This starts of as a pretty decent, if a bit plodding and reverential, cover of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” with Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne etc. Prince decides to liven it up at bit about half way through:
(Also, doesn’t Dhani Harrison really look like his dad in this?)
I thought I was the only human in the world who knew that song (the original by the Merseys). I have to say that, other than the very cool sax solo, I still prefer the Merseys’ version, though I won’t deny a personal bias for it and against Bowie.
A song I just heard for the first time recently is a kind of swing-jazz number called Belleville Rendez-vous, also known as The Triplets of Belleville. A live version is here from a French-Canadian TV show. A better sounding studio version is here. The singer, Beatrice Bonifassi, went on to sing No Heaven with DJ Champion if you’re familiar with that song. She’s extremely versatile. She sings across a whole range of genres and speaks several languages.
This one is just… pure exhuberence and serendipitous artistry. THRU YOU - Mother of All Funk Chords, by Kutiman. Compilation of God only knows how many performances spanning nations, ages, music styles, and years.
Then there’s this gorgeous rendition of “Somewhere” from West Side Story and Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah by the astonishing Drew Sarich. Unfortunately the original complete medley has been made private, but both halves can be heard separately. Somewhere and Hallelujah. To see what else he can do with his remarkable instrument, here’s him as Jesus and Judas. (I think the latter is my favorite. He makes a good Jesus, but he really sinks his teeth into the more challenging Judas role.)
