But that's not the mix you're getting today. I realised a week or so ago that I'd scrounged up five different versions of Dancing in the Streets, through no apparent effort.
First up, we get the original hit. Martha Reeves and the Vandellas. Motown. 1964. Sweet.
As the song went quickly to #4 on the British pop charts, it's not too surprising that both the Kinks and the Who laid it out. The Kinks' version appeared on their 1965 outing Kinda Kinks.
The Who performed it live in the studio for the BBC, but I'm not quite sure the year. Pretty early on, and beautifully raw. You can get it on The BBC Sessions.
Running forward about 10 years, we get a slightly discofied version by the Grateful Dead from their pretty brilliant LP Terrapin Station. They'd been performing it live for quite a while, but this album (their first for Arista) is rather slicker than their live shows of the period, and frankly, Arista wanted a hit. The producer managed to keep Donna's vocals more or less in line, and Terrapin Station has much to recommend it (though not necessarily this).
And fast forward another seven years to Live Aid. Mick Jagger in London and David Bowie in NYC (or perhaps it was the other way around) managed with some interesting technology to duet on this one. While technologically less successful than all concerned might have hoped, it was still damn cool. They released a studio version (7" and 12") shortly after accompanied by a thoroughly cheesy, slightly flirtatious video (YouTube). The short version is available on The Best of Bowie.
Download all five (rs).
- Buy Kinda Kinks.
- Buy The Who BBC Sessions.
- Buy Martha Meeves and the Vandellas: The Ultimate Collection.
- Buy Terrapin Station. This one's expanded and remastered with a live version of the track under consideration. Haven't heard this yet myself.
- Buy The Best of Bowie.
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