I have a faint but persistent memory there was a version of Leonard Cohen’s Suzanne, sung by (I think) a woman, but stylistically more like acid music than Judy Collin’s folk version. This would have been back in the early 1970’s.
I tried to find it on Amazon, but failed. I can’t afford to buy very version on itunes looking for it. Does anyone else remember the name of the group or singer?
Is it mentioned here?
I believe Melanie(Safka) sang a version. However, I believe it is out of print.
I hope so. I’m trying to find samples of everything on that list, and ouryL’s suggestion. Sadly, I have no idea of the name of the singer or the group, I just have an echo in my head. I suspect my parents must have had the version I remember on vinyl, I’ll check their collection (if they still have it) next time I visit.
I have a Joan Baez album that was recorded live in which she sings Suzanne. She covers a lot of Dylan songs on it as well.
Napter has versions by Nina Simone, and Aretha Franklin…though I wouldn’t call either of them acid both are edgier than Judy Collins.
I’m really enjoying Aretha’s version right now. It’s from a compilation called Rare & Unreleased Recordings From the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul.
Balloons are edgier than Joan Baez.
In my mental memory vault, Spanky & Our Gang recorded a tasty version of it, but I can’t find what album it was on. It would have been pre-1970. It isn’t in that list Khadaji linked to.
I’m sorry, I wasn’t clear. My *memory *of the song dates to the early/mid '70s, the song could have been recorded much earlier.
I’ll do some searching for the Spanky & Our Gang version. Thanks!
Many singers covered the song:
It’s not by a woman, and I don’t know if you’d call it “acid,” but the first time I ever heard the song was in 1967. I was a junior in high school, and Noel Harrison (son of Rex Harrison, and at the time starring as the male lead in “The Girl From U.N.C.L.E” (!!!) released “Suzanne.” I had no idea who Leonard Cohen was, but some google-fu reveals he recorded this before Leonard Cohen released his first record, so old Noel had to have been somewhat hip. All I remember is that when I heard this record on the radio it blew my sixteen year-old mind, so in that respect it WAS acid.
Next year Harrison had a smash hit with “The Windmills of Your Mind” from the The Thomas Crown Affair.
It may be worth checking out.
Amazon has it as a single-song download. I can’t easily link directly to it, but look in the Spanky & Our Gang song list.