Before I start, I want to note that I did a search to see if this topic has been covered (there was a similar thread which has since been closed). If I overlooked another similar thread, I apologize. Now, I was wondering if anyone can think of any groups or artists that re-recorded new versions of their earlier hits. A couple that I can think of are Neil Sedaka, who recorded an uptempo version of "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" in 1962 and re-recorded it as a ballad in 1975. Another one is Brian Setzer, who recorded "Rock This Town" with The Stray Cats in 1981 and recorded it as a swing tune in 1998 with the Brian Setzer Orchestra. Anyway, are there any other artists you can think of who did this, and which version of their song do you prefer?
John Prine - Souvenirs. A great album. John recorded the album so that he could release some of his classic songs on his own label. It enabled him to make some money for himself instead of for the rich industry sharks.
A few artists have rerecorded songs for use in the Guitar Hero game (I guess rather than licensing the original recordings), then made them available for sale. Here is one that I have. Alice Cooper - Alice Does Alice Review: REVIEW: Alice Cooper – Alice Does Alice (2010 iTunes EP)
Joe Walsh - 'Turn To Stone' (on the 1972 'Barnstorm' lp) was re-recorded for the 'So What' lp in 1974. Another of his hits, 'In The City', originally recorded for the film "The Warriors", (the soundtrack lp was released March 16, 1979) was subsequently re-recorded with The Eagles backing him and released just a little over five months later on September 24, 1979. *In both cases I prefer the original recordings.
Kate Bush re-recorded the vocals for "Wuthering Heights" for the Whole Story compilation. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy has re-recorded loads of his own songs.
The Small Faces re-recorded some of the tracks that Decca released on From The Beginning for their Immediate label debut, including "(Tell Me) Have You Ever Seen Me" and "My Way Of Giving".
Kate Bush: Re-recorded 'Wuthering Heights' for her The Whole Story compilation. I prefer the original version. Re-recorded selected tracks from The Red Shoes and The Sensual World for her album Director's Cut. Some of them are amazing (the new version of 'Lily' is the best version, IMO), some of them are not (I think the new 'Rubberband Girl' is awful). Joni Mitchell: Her 2002 Travelogue album features new versions (with full orchestra) of songs from throughout her career. It's beautiful and well-worth hearing. It's hard to compare which are better or worse from the originals. They are different and all worth hearing (and 'The Sire of Sorrow' on Travelogue is stunning). Tori Amos: Gold Dust in 2012 is another "re-record old songs with a full orchestra backing" album. I don't like it much, mostly because of how the vocals were recorded and processed (I think to disguise Tori losing some of her range).
Gordon Lightfoot.... Like the first Gord's Gold collection, Vol. 2 features re-recordings of earlier hits alongside the contemporary material. On Gord's Gold only the early songs that didn't match Lightfoot's 1970s sound (and whose original masters were owned by Lightfoot's former label, United Artists) were re-recorded. However, on Vol. 2 all tracks, apart from "Make Way (For the Lady)," "Ghosts Of Cape Horn," Baby Step Back," and "It's Worth Believin'" were re-recorded. JG
Sparks released the Plagiarism album in 1997, but most of the songs didn't need updating in the first place and the updates are far inferior to the originals IMO. Only Angst in My Pants is a standout, but even then the live version from the era is better.
Released in 1964, "The Very Best of The Everly Brothers" features six re-recordings of Cadence hits and six Warner Bros. hits, newly recorded in Nashville, Tennessee.
There are 2 or 3 versions of Jan & Dean's "Surf City". I couldn't find the original on CD, so I did a needledrop of a repress of the 45.
TWISTED SISTER EXODUS W.A.S.P. TESTAMENT I always prefer the original version. I don't care for a better production / mix / mastering of re-recorded albums / songs...there is no way to capture the raw energy of the original versions again.
Bowie: You've Got a Habit of Leaving Baby Loves That Way I Dig Everything Space Oddity Conversation Piece Shadowman Holy Holy John I'm Only Dancing Panic In Detroit Prettiest Star Memory Of A Free Festival Wild Eye Boy From Freecloud Look Back In Anger Strangers When We Meet I Can't Read Bring Me The Disco King Sue Tis A Pity She's a Whore Cat People
Alice Cooper took "Reflected" off their first album and redid it as "Elected" on Billion Dollar Babies.
Little Feat - "Willin" is on both the first album and Sailin' Shoes. "Cold Cold Cold" and "Tripe Face Boogie" are on both Sailin' Shoes and Feats Don't Fail Me Now
The Cure recorded a new vocal for an extended club version of "Boys Don't Cry" in the mid-80s, because the old track suddenly became a dance hit. As I have learned in this great forum that they also re-recorded "A Forest" for the Mixed Up compilation, because the original master tracks couldn't be found.
A couple off the top of my head Suicidal Tendencies - Still Cyco After All These Years - re-recordings of mostly stuff from their first album including "Institutionalized" Girlschool, - 2011 re-recorded the entire 1981 album Hit and Run.
This was a common practice for stars of the 1950s and 1960s who re-recorded their hits for different labels in an effort to regard some popularity. Some of them did entire albums of re-recordings, such as Frankie Laine and Guy Mitchell. It was also common for jazz singers and swing singers to re-record songs in different ways. Sinatra is the obvious example recording ballads as swing numbers and vice versa. Then you have someone like Johnny Cash who did it throughout his career, with the arrangement depending on the theme of the album. Sometimes things barely changed at all, other times the differences are obvious - such as the 1970s re-recording of Don't Take Your Guns to Town or the re-recording of As Long as the Grass Shall Grow released on Unearthed. Even Elvis did it a couple of times with Blue Suede Shoes and Swing Down Sweet Chariot. Bobby Darin did it with Don't Think Twice It's Alright. Neil Sedaka, mentioned in the opening post, also re-recorded Love Will Keep Us Together in the same style as the ballad version of Breaking Up Is Hard to Do, and he re-recorded a batch of his RCA hits when he released the "Timeless" best-of CD. The "Neil Sedaka Now" album from 1981 features his re-recording of Pictures from the Past, which he had recorded back in 1965. The Hungry Years was re-recorded for "The Good Times" album. Cardboard California, from Emergence, was re-recorded in the mid-1970s. I'm sure there are other instances in the Sedaka catalogue.
Todd Rundgren recorded an entire album of his most popular songs in Bossa Nova style. Hello It's Me was originally recorded by the Nazz, then later recorded solo by Todd, and then on With a Twist... as a creepy stalker, in a sort of Martin Denny Exotica style:
I got a question regarding "Gimme Some Lovin'" by the Spencer Davies Group. There is a version with a chorus of background singers and one where Stevie sings alone (which I always found more powerful). Are these just different versions for the album and single or was it a new recording? Maybe someone here is wise enough.
Sometimes they'll do that just to have a version of the album the fans can buy that they'll get some money from, if they had a particularly odious original contract. Natalie Merchant re-recorded her album Tigerlily for that reason.
Paul McCartney's PS Love Me Do is a montage of two earlier songs. Great song, but no one else will ever agree