Cover songs that are better than the originals.

I figured someone would say that. It was the most popular rendition after all. And yes, it does all come down to opinion so there are no right or wrong answers. 

My take on that particular song is that she polished a song that, by its nature and lyrics, was intended to be rough around the edges. That smooth polished performance is incongruous with the content.

Also, Baez singing in a voice that is so feminine does not fit either. I don't have a problem with the gender reversal per se. For instance, on Raising Sand I like Krauss singing "Through the Morning, Through the Night."

Maybe if Janice Joplin had done "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" I would have liked it better. It surely would not have been over polished or over produced.

But finally, what really blows it for me is that Baez makes the song over sentimental, almost saccharine. Levon Helms does not. His delivery has pathos and emotion without being sentimental.

Anyway, that's my take. It isn't any more valid than anyone else's.

To me there aren't that many covers I like better than originals, I posted a few a ways back. Perhaps those few are because I am more familiar with the cover than the original but for songs where  I am fairly familiar with the original I find I can enjoy covers but very rarely prefer them. I think it has to do with when I listen to the cover in my mind I still "hear" the original if that makes any sense. 

I often initially prefer which ever version I hear first and am most familiar with. The Baez version of "The Night....." was the first version I heard of that song. It got a lot of radio air time. The Band's version got zero air time. The first time I heard the Band version was in high school home room where our nutty teacher was trying to convince us all that the Band was the best band of all time. I hated the Band version of the song. But that only lasted until I got into the Band. After that I'd turn the radio off if the Baez version came on.

@n80, have you seen The Band's performance of the song on Saturday Night Live? Astoundingly great, their best. It was late in The Band's original run, maybe in 1976. While SNL always gave the musical guest time for only one song, Lorne Michaels gave them time for three, the only time I've seen that. THAT'S how much respect The Band commanded from other artists. They had the horn section they later had at The Last Waltz, playing the parts heard in the studio version, absolutely essential to the song. Those horn parts not being in Baez's version renders it unacceptable imo.