Time for the first cover song challenge! Today's song is..."Black Betty"

[Godhumor]

Very simple idea, I will attach links below to the original version of a song and then those released later by different artists. What's the best cover? Do any, gasp, come close to being better than the original?


Today's song is the classic "Black Betty". From the wikipedia page on the song http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Betty :
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"Black Betty" is a 20th century African-American work song often credited to Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter as the author, though the earliest recordings are not by him. Some sources claim it is one of Lead Belly's many adaptations of earlier folk material; in this case an 18th century marching cadence about a flintlock musket.
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So, first the Lead Belly original (well, considered the original for recording purposes):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYrK464nIeY


Most Famous cover by Ram Jam:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMLnDuzgkjo


Most famous recent version by Spiderbait:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nU1VfYYKMDk


Meat Loaf:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYKOKTFtc4A


Sheryl Crow:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kum4O_fh0_E&feature=related


Ministry:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P5OT_oPKLg


Tom Jones:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckH2fjLeY9A


Regrettably, I couldn't find the full cut of the Lynyrd Skynyrd version...if you happen to find it on the net, please let me know.

[MilesColtrane]

1. I don't think Lynyrd Skynyrd ever recorded Black Betty.

There may be a live bootleg version out there somewhere, but it's not on any of their albums.

A lot of people mistake the Ram Jam version for Skynryd.

[Godhumor]

3. Bah, you are, of course, correct

Silly me.

[Tikki]

4. Best I can come up with is a band called: BLINDSIDE BLUES BAND

http://www.amazon.com/Rare-Tracks/dp/B004J0RT0G

on the song preview there....

Tikki

Didn't Jimi Hendrix name one oh his guitars..'Black Betty?"
I know there is a pure reggae version out there somewhere...

[Forkboy]

2. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds version.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t22wGvzdi8g&feature=related

Nick Cave is like bacon...makes everything better. :)

[BlueIris]

5. Hee, hee. I love that song. nt

[Amerigo Vespucci]

6. There is NOTHING that Tom Jones CANNOT do.

That old joke about singers so talented that they could sing the phone book?

Tom Jones could sing the phone book.

:toast: