Live versions that beat the original!

My favorite example:



Dion's voice gives me chills on this live 72 version of the nice enough original.

I also nominate Yes: Close To The Edge title track from Yessongs and pretty much anything off Rock Of Ages by The Band.

 

“Visions Of Johanna”
Bob Dylan

 

One of my favorites is Elvis Presley's 1970 live version of The Wonder Of You, which was originally released by Ray Peterson in 1959. His original version made it to number 25 on the U.S. pop chart, but Elvis's live version with his great TCB band in Las Vegas cracked the Billboard top ten chart at #9 and made it all the way to number 1 for five weeks on the British singles chart. It features one of Elvis's best and most towering vocal performance.

Elvis Presley - The Wonder Of You (live 1970) - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t96IF9tVBjE

 

Bowie - the live versions of Ziggy Stardust tracks from his '72 tour totally blow away the studio album IMO

 

Most Radiohead post Kid A.

 

39 by Queen

 

Totally agree that the live acoustic version from the '66 tour blows away the absolutely awful Blonde On Blonde version (those ridiculous cymbal overdubs at the end of the choruses in particular are dreadful as well as one of Robbie Robertson's worst ever guitar solos of all time). But truth be told there are a couple of early studio takes from 11/30/65 that IMO are superior to the live acoustic versions. I'm referring specifically to the hard rocking Take 5 and the ornate harpsichord version Take 14

 

Groundhogs - Mistreated (live BBC version from '71)

 

Led Zeppelin No Quarter on The Song Remains the Same original soundtrack album.

 

Nearly all of the songs on "Made In Japan" by Deep Purple beat the studio versions.

 

BEACH BOYS- You Still Believe In Me (live 1973)

 

Oh, hell yes! One of the greatest vocal performances ever! Smokes the original by miles.

 

Cheap Trick - I Want You To Want Me

 

Jeff Buckley - “Last Goodbye (Live And Acoustic In Japan)"
(from his KILLER CD Single ‘Eternal Life’)

 

From Pat Metheny Group

 

Everything Live by the Allman Bros. Band is better than their studio recordings.



Mind you, Gregg wasn't even 24 at that time.

 

Alice In Chains - Over Now (From MTV Unplugged) ...

 

"Turn the Page" by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band

 

Waiting For Columbus
Boingo Alive, for two

 

Ten Years After: Recorded Live - I'm going home

 

The Who - Summertime Blues
The Who - Shaking All Over
The Who - Happy Jack
Curved Air - Marie Antoinette
Genesis - Afterglow
Deep Purple - Lazy
King Crimson - Larks Tongues Pt. 2
King Crimson - Sartori in Tangier
King Crimson - Sleepless

 

Like to hear a Brit band sort of copy The Band? Here is Brinsley Schwarz. Their live version is better than the original.