Favourite version of "Without You" - Badfinger or Nilsson?

Badfinger wrote and originally released the song, but Harry Nilsson released it as a single and made it a big hit. Which is your favourite?

 

I've always preferred the Badfinger version. I grew up listening to it more and it's just the better version to me.

 

Nilsson

 

I chose "Other"; I like the verses on the Badfinger version and the chorus on the Nilsson version! Though I wouldn't want to hear them jammed into the same record...

 

Nilsson’s version contains some of the best vocal work in pop music history.

No contest.

 

I love Badfinger, but their version of the chorus is just too weak and yelpy. Nilsson found the potential in the song.

 

Nilsson is my favorite

 

Nilsson

 

Nilsson by a mile but of course kudos to Badfinger for having written the song in the first place.

 

Both

 

Badfinger

 

Badfinger, no question. It's not usually mentioned, but the organ part which gradually grows in volume toward the end is gorgeous. Nilsson's version is way too MOR for my ears. Don't like it now, never did.

 

Nilsson; I like Badfinger a lot but I find their version of this song a little under done.

 

Schmilsson

 

What he said.

 

Spot on observation

 

Nillson's version brings out more of the songs' drama due to its' arrangement well as the way he sings it...maybe even a slight overdone when the second chorus comes in. While not as "dramatic", Badfinger's version sounds more angst driven to me..and there's a certain "something" about Pete Ham's vocal delivery which takes you inside the sadness of the song while Nillson's version keeps you more of an observer.

 

Nilsson, no contest for me.

 

Nilsson 100%

 

While I've grown to really like and appreciate the original version as an adult listener, the Harry Nilsson cover was one very potent AM radio ear worm during the winter of '71-'72, and really stood out stylistically in a time when what would soon be commonly referred to as "power ballads" were still a relative rarity. Nilsson's gets my vote simply for being the one that first burrowed deep into my then 12 year-old brain. But as another poster said, kudos to Pete Ham and John Evans for composing a genuine modern-day standard. Beyond the song's intrinsic emotional pull, it's certainly tinged with a legacy of historical sadness, as the massive worldwide success of "Without You" reportedly was a substantial contributing factor to Badfinger's subsequent managerial/financial disputes and ultimate tragedies.

 

The problem with Badfinger's version is that Tommy is a bit off-key at the start of the first chorus. This can be fixed if you do sound editing. Just edit the second chorus into the place of the first. But since most people don't do things like this, they have to live with that first chorus being flawed.

All that said, I'm a longtime Badfinger fan and prefer their version, mostly because Pete's lead vocal during the verses comes off as so genuine. All the covers sound as if people are singing the song as a song. Pete sounds as if he's emoting from depths they can't get to because he owns these words. On top of that, he had a really great voice. So did Tommy, but he needed another go at this one!

 

Neither I'm afraid I think it's one of the most syrupy, trite pieces of rubbish ever written

 

Nilsson of course!

Anyway here's a demo version from No Dice pre-production by Badfinger.

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You know, I honestly can’t remember the Badfinger rendition.

Love both the Harry Nilsson and Mariah Carey one’s in different ways.

 

Harry...and the rest of the LP was great too.