Ditto Blech.
The rest, in order of bestestness:
Roberta Flack
Jennifer Hudson
Leona Lewis
Celine Dion
George Michael
Gordon Lightfoot
Peter Paul Mary
Johnny Cash
I find this to be a really interesting study of the evolution of a song over time.
Beginning with the original folk version with Peggy Seeger, you get the folk covers from Peter Paul & Mary, and the Kingston Trio. To me, the Gordon Lightfoot version is an outlier, but I feel it still comes from the folk tradition.
Then Roberta Flack re-invented the song, everyone after her seems to be doing a twist on her arrangement.
The only exception I see is the June Tabor version, she seems to jump over the Flack version and to go back to the original folk roots - with her own twist.
Fascinating!
I can’t find June Tabor’s version of First Time on youtube. I just listened to a 20 sec sample on Amazon. It’s hard to tell much from 20 seconds. I’ve never heard any of her music before.
I missed the Kingston Trio when I searched youtube for the OP. It can be found if you search their name and the song.
Personally I think its OK but nothing special.
Another really slow contemplative A cappella version. She’s lamenting a lost love. That’s a valid interpretation of the song, but not my favorite approach.
She’s one of my favourite singers. This song is fairly representative of her style - melancholy, contemplative versions of folk songs, often with piano rather than traditional instruments.
That is our?my 1974 Wedding Song…