This is the original recording by Lefty Frizzell, but by no means the best.
A rock-a-billy version by Johnny Williams and the Jokers, produced by the now infamous "Crazy Cajun," Huey P. Meaux, which as it turns out wasn't just a clever nickname.
A watered-down and slightly too upbeat version by Johnny Rivers
Jerry Garcia and his first wife Sara doing a version supposedly at their wedding reception. Slightly buttoned-up.
Bob Dylan version live, I'm sure you get the idea.
The Band's treatment of "Long Black Veil." Fittingly following Dylan's.
Rick Danko of The Band doing a live acoustic version. I like the audience's enthusiasm coming through on this one. Plus I am a sucker for a stripped down version of any song.
New Riders of the Purple Sage version, completely different from the Jerry version. It's noticeably New Riders, but I dig that desert-leaning sound. It takes the song somewhere it seems it should have been all along.
Johnny Cash and Joni Mitchell duet. I can sort of get into the 70's cheese-factor of the seated performance on a ridiculous, stylized prairie set. It's a cool match-up in any event.
Hank Williams Jr. version. It's pretty much what you would expect.
This is a live, acoustic version by Mike Nesmith of The Monkees. Granted the Monkees blew, even taking into account the kitsch factor, but this recording has got some heart and he's got a nice voice, especially for this tune.
Bruce Springsteen and the Seeger Sessions Band live. Bruce can be very hit-or-miss for me, especially when it comes to his cover tunes (Jersey Girl immediately comes to mind, bah) but this one I dig. His gravelly, iconic voice lends itself to the gravity and solemn tone of the song. And all of his Seeger Sessions material really came together nicely in general.
Chris Robinson and Marc Ford try their hand at "Long Black Veil." I am a pretty big Black Crowes fan, so it's hard for me not to like anything that comes out of Chris Robinson's mouth.
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds pretty much can do no wrong in my eyes, but I almost wish this was just a tad spookier. It's a little lounge singer-esque, which I can totally get behind, so it's still kick-ass.
Mike Ness' raspy voice barely gasping over the music; I like it. The audio in the clip is kind of crummy though.
The Seldom Scene's modern-ish bluegrass treatment.
But the definitive version of "Long Black Veil" has to be Bill Monroe's. His voice howls and cackles over the banjo and fiddle in a haunting, ghoulish manner. That wailing befits the emotional intensity of the song, making you feel just as tortured as the orator. There was not a copy of this to be found on YouTube, so Groove Shark it is. (Just copy and paste the URL and play any of the three that come up.)
http://grooveshark.com/#/search?q=bill+monroe+long+black+veil
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