Which Is Your Favorite Version Of The Song "Black Betty"

[avasture]

There have been a lot of covers of "Black Betty" since it was originally recorded by James "Iron Head" Baker and Group - 1933. Its a really good song with a lot of really good covers (and a lot of history), such as the ones below. Take a seat, get comfy, put on your best headphones, have a listen, and read on.

Leadbelly - 1939

Ram Jam - 1977

Spiderbait - 2004

Big City Rock - 2007

Dinosaur Jr. - 2012

Personally, I like Ram Jam's cover. It mixes Southern Rock with heavier (for the time) guitar sounds associated with the likes of Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath. Then there's modern day Heavy Southern Rock by Clutch that are from close to my neck of the woods with wonderful songs like these ones here. This is one of the bands I never tire of seeing live even after years of being a rock and roll stage hand and roadie.

How about you all? What are some bands and songs that you've listened to that stick with you through the years? Some of mine (no more links I promise...) are, Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth, Beastie Boys, Tribe Called Quest, The Roots (toured with them and Quest Love is both an amazing human being and amazing drummer), Bebel Gilberto, Herb Alpert (Whipped Cream and Other Delights is a fantastic album. It was also one of my favorite records my dad had when I was 10, mostly for the cover.), and many, many more.

As you can tell, I'm a bit of an audiophile. One of the things I like to do in my spare time is listen to my records and reel to reel tapes the way they were meant to, through a receiver with vacuum tubes! Both of which have been in my family longer than I have (and I'm old!). I promised no more links, so here's picture instead!

Seriously though, music discussion, go!

 

[GPcustoms]

One of my favorite songs...Thank you for sharing.
Here is a version that made me smile

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqGrzJHDwc4

 

[Lorddarthvik]

Spiderbait, cos of NFSU2. I listened to that version 2 million times at least lol

I quiet like the one @GPcustoms linked, it's got some interesting things going on.
The Dino Jr. version's instrumentation kinda sounds as if The Offspring was trying to cover a Metallica song, I like it!

 

[Patrick Spaceman]

This version below is good....

Also we have cases full of vinyl records at home, that my wife inherited from her brother. Have to go through and have a good look at what there is.

 

[avasture]

Leo is great, and he's Danish. I used to live there and the Danes are both awesome and very weird people!

 

[GPcustoms]

Leo is great, and he's Danish. I used to live there and the Danes are both awesome and very weird people!

I have a few of his songs...Not a head banger myself but some songs are very good and I was impressed that he has such a vast pallet of instruments he plays not to mention his sound studio at his home...
Im so old that you would have to cut me in half and count the rings...In fact as a child most musicians used large sticks on fallen logs

 

[White Lando]

I have a lot of good memories at parties with Ram Jam

 

[avasture]

I have a few of his songs...Not a head banger myself but some songs

Here are all of his songs.

This is a group called The Animal In Me. They only do covers and their sound is something of a cross between Paramore, Evanescence, Circa Survive, Tonight Alive, and Atreyu.

Music is fun!

 

[Vavrik]

I had totally forgotten about this song. It was released during my first or second semester at university, so I was totally losing games of caps. I later learned how to win, but that wasn't as fun. I have almost no memories of '82 either but that was probably because I was trying to relive Big Bambu. Oh wow man.

 

[Sirus7264]

i listened to the dinosaur one and im completely turned off haha why did he have to digitize his voice and the rift is covering the main melody which is annoying. Anyhow for me its really really hard to pick between ram jam and spiderbait ive loved both versions for so long nothing gets me going more in a bar while playing darts and some good ol black bettey. I'm leaning towards spiderbait today though...

 

[avasture]

Oh now we're talking something else entirely!

Bullying the Jukebox 101:

If I'm going to be at a bar, and they just happen to have one of those new fangled digital jukeboxes that can play pretty much every song, I'm putting in my 1 dollars a song, selecting ~4 songs, and getting hours and hours worth of the sounds of sweet, delicious pain from the other patrons.

1. Light of Day, Day of Darkness - 1 hour 5 seconds
2. A Change of Seasons - 23 minutes 8 seconds
3. Cassandra Gemini - 35 minutes 32 seconds
4. Octavarium - 24 minutes
5. 2112 - 20 minutes 33 seconds
6. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida - 17 minutes 4 seconds
7. Through The Fires And Flames - 7 minutes 21 seconds (this one is just fun.)

I wouldn't play a couple of these, but for the cost of 4 songs you get an hour and 7 minutes of not having to listen to the horrible music other people want to play. Even better if you choose the play it next option! I love watching the brainless meat sacks exclaim, "my song was next, what happened to it? I'm confuse, why is this garbage song playing?"

I usually play in this order: 7, 2, 6, 5.