How many songs are there where the definitive version is the live recording, rather than the studio take that (presumably) preceded it? ‘Definitive’ is of course debatable, so let’s say “the version that would probably get played if the song were to get chosen for The Chain on Radcliffe & Maconie’s evening show on Radio 2″.
A few obvious ones off the top:
Talking Heads, ‘Psycho Killer’, Stop Making Sense over ’77.
Bob Marley & the Wailers, ‘No Woman No Cry’, Live! over Natty Dread.
Otis Redding, ‘I’ve Been Loving You Too Long’, Monterey over Otis Blue.
U2, ‘New Year’s Day’, Red Rocks over War.
Any more?
3 Responses to Woo! Hello, Düsseldorf!
Straight off the top of me bonce, the IT’S TOO LATE TO STOP NOW version of “I’ve Been Working” by Van Morrison… oh, and James Brown’s “Lost Someone” LIVE AT THE APOLLO rather than the King studio recording. And several of the tracks on The Band’s storming ROCK OF AGES (esp. “Don’t Do It”) trump the non-live originals…
P.S. Might I suggest that you subtitle the post with something that makes the topic a little clearer? As pedestrian as it seems, I do think people are more prone to looking at posts if the subject is properly flagged up.
Here’s a few off the top of my noggin:
* Cheap Trick’s “I Want You to Want Me” from Live at Budokan
* Eric Clapton’s “Cocaine,” from Just One Night
* And, on a bit of a technicality, Nirvana’s sort-of unplugged version of Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold the World” (or do we need a subcategory for live covers?)