Covers that you consider the definitive version

Although the original version of most songs is the one I tend to prefer there are some covers that improve on the original and that I consider the definitive version.

With A Little Help From My Friends - Joe Cocker

Bird On A Wire - Jennifer Warnes

All Along The Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix

Any others?

 

Gloria - Patti Smith

 

I Say A Little Prayer - Aretha. (Even Burt thinks so).

Claus, be careful, you'll upset all the Van fans....like me!!

 

Agreed on all the above. Joe Cocker also did a killer version of "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window," though it's not on the same level of his version of "...Friends."

My Back Pages - The Byrds
Little Darlin' - The Diamonds
For You - Manfred Mann's Earth Band
Sandy - The Hollies
Knock on Wood - Amii Stewart
Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood - Santa Esmeralda
Respect - Aretha Franklin
Roll Over Beethoven - The Beatles
Go Now - The Moody Blues
Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys - Waylon & Willie

 

Everyone seems to regard Janis Joplin's version of "Me and Bobby McGee" as the definitive version, and I will agree that she took this number and made it her own.

I still have a weakness for the version by Kris Kristofferson on his first album. He cowrote the song with Fred Foster, and Roger Miller had a hit with it on the country charts, but I never liked his version. I loved that Kristofferson record - there were a number of great songs on it. Some years later, Gordon Lightfoot did a pretty good version of this song on "If You Could Read My Mind". In fact, hundreds of versions of "Me and Bobby McGee" exist.

The one that everyone will remember down the ages is the one by Janis.

Regards,
Geoff

 

I Love Rock and Roll - Joan Jett

Let's Talk About Girls - Chocolate Watchband

I Need You - Zakary Thaks

Uptown Girl - Me First and the Gimme Gimme's

Ticket to Ride (en Espanol) - Los Fabulous Shakers (Uruguay's answer
to the Fab Four)

Keep a Knockin' - The Sonics

The Way I Walk - The Cramps (coin toss with Jack Scott here...)

Without You - Harry Nillson

All Day and All of the Night - The Remains

 

Going Down To Liverpool - Bangles

-Michael

 

Re: Re: Covers that you consider the definitive version

Which was later trumped by ELO. Whadya reckon?

 

I also agree.

How about:

Got To Get You Into My Life-Earth Wind & Fire
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds-Elton John
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do-Neil Sedaka (1975 cover of his own original!)
The Locomotion-Grand Funk
Some Kind Of Wonderful-Grand Funk
Little Bitty Pretty One-Jackson 5
Everlasting Love-Carl Carlton
What The World Needs Now-Dionne Warwick
Land Of 1000 Dances-Wilson Pickett
Mustang Sally-Wilson Pickett
Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye-The Casinos
(They Long To Be) Close You You-Carpenters
Until You Come Back To Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)-Aretha Franklin OR Luther Vandross

 

Dedicated to the one I love- Mamas and Papas

 

You Don't Have To Say You Love Me - Elvis Presley
I Heart It Through the Grapevine - Marvin Gaye
My Song - Aretha Franklin
Follow that Dream - Bruce Springsteen (usually I don't list boots)
How Do You Mend a Broken Heart - Al Green
Try a Little Tenderness - Otis Redding

There are a ton of covers by Elvis that I think of as definitive; might have to post back later.

 

How about:

Blinded by the Light Manfred Mann's Earth Band
Mr. Tambourine Man The Byrds
Leaving on a Jet Plane Peter Paul and Mary
Me and my Bobby McGee Janis Joplin

 

How about Nazareth's version of Joni Mitchell's This Flight Tonight

 

Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend - T Bone Burnett
Little Wing - Stevie Ray Vaughan
Farmer John - Neil Young
Blue Moon - Elvis Presley


Shalom, y'all!

L. Bangs

 

I've always favored Gram Parsons' version of Love Hurts off of Grievous Angel...

Shalom, y'all!

L. Bangs

 

Rosalie by Thin Lizzy

 

Beatles - "You really got a hold on me"
DC5 - "I Like it Like That"
Rolling Stones - "Not Fade Away"
Mannfred Mann - "The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo)"

 

There was a time when I thought 'Always Something There To Remind Me' by Naked Eyes was just a fantastic cover that smoked any other version of that song.

I still like the song, but I think now I'm on the fence regarding the Naked Eyes recording. All those electronic keyboards. My goodness, that recording sounds way more dated than my Prestige Miles Davis recordings.

Real instruments, great music-----timeless.

 

No, no, no, no, no. There is but ONE Gloria.

 

Marvin's was recorded second to Smokey's, but I don't know if Marvin had heard Smokey's when he cut his own (I would bet he did if Whitfield was around for both). I agree probably not a 'cover' in the spirt of the thread, but....

 

Didn't Gladys & the Pips hit first with the song?

Jay

 

Due to a severe case of saturation playing from my elder brothers I grew in the belief that the songs on Bowies - Pinups were the definitive version a cool collections of songs

Rosalyn
Here Comes the Night
I Wish You would
See emily play
Everything's Alright
I can't explain
Friday on my Mind
Sorrow
Don't bring me down
Shapes of things
Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere
Where Have all the Good Times Gone

to that I would also add in agreement with eekthecat Nazareth's version of Joni Mitchell's This Flight Tonight for much the same reason.

All the best - Andrew

 

Yes. Smokey recorded it first in 1966, it stayed in the can, Marvin recorded his, Gladys then recorded and hit with hers, Gordy then allowed both Marvin's and Smokey's to come out (with new vocals from Smokey), Marvin's exploded, and Smokey's was left in the dust.

Marvin's rules, I never cared for Gladys', Smokey's doesn't touch Marvin's, and honorable mention goes to the guitar workout on CCR's.