Which of these versions of Dark End of the Street do you prefer?

No Aretha choice?

 

James Carr, by a mile for me. One of the truly great voices

 

James Carr

The Burritos cover is good, but James Carr is the definitive deep soul singer

 

A great song that anyone with a soul can do a good to great version of

 

As much as I love the other versions, I’m partial to Diamanda Galas/John Paul Jones’ version:

 

They're all great. This song is so good, it's impossible to screw it up.

 

I can’t believe no one’s mentioned Roy Hamilton’s version.

 

Archie Campbell & Lorene Mann

 

Eva Cassidy

 

For me, the James Carr version is definitive.

 

James Carr.

I like the version by the Commitments too.

 

I'll have to check out the James Carr, I've always loved the Commitments version, and fond of the Elvis Costello & the Imposters take on it.

 

Voted for James Carr out of the choices offered.

I also think that Percy Sledge and Joe Tex nailed it better than any of the other choices in the poll . . . Clarence Carter also sang it well for about one verse, but used up most of the wax with an overlong rap.

 

Percy.

Mercy.

 

I voted for Linda Ronstadt just because that is how I first heard the song (and I thought she needed some votes), but in all honesty I guess the James Carr original really is the one (but he has enough votes already).

Being a Reggae fan I have a soft spot for this one though:

 

I voted for the Richard & Linda Thompson version. No surprise for me really, it's my favorite era of my favorite artist.

The James Carr version is now my 2nd favorite, thanks for the introduction.

 

No comparison-James Carr. I also really like Penn’s version.

 

Ry Cooder.

 

All excellent.

 

For those that might want to know more about James Carr:

LCD 20 | James Carr: Way Out on a Voyage

 

Some interesting info on the song. The harmony vocal on Carr's version isn't a woman, it's Dan Penn singing in a higher register than usual for him.

 

Cooder

 

Love the James Carr version but The Afghan Whigs also did it justice.

 

Bruce does a real hatchet job intro and all..

 

It was rare for Aretha to screw up any song, but I gotta go with James Carr.

For years I thought Percy Sledge did the original... then I heard about Carr. Listening back to Percy's version, you can tell that he tried to copy Carr's version pretty much exactly... but he doesn't top it.