'Louie Louie' order

[naughty boy]

1. The Kingsmen
2. ?
3. ?
4. ?
5. ?
.
.
.

[Moleskin]

Dunno but the worst must be the Beach Boys.

[Bent Fabric]

I like how they toughen up the chord changes.

[toomanyhatz]

2. Richard Berry
3. Paul Revere and the Raiders
4. Black Flag

Maybe?

[Snarfyguy]

I was going to say The Kinks' version is pretty bad, but then I re-listened to it and decided it's pretty good!

[naughty boy]

I think the original isn't THAT far behind the Kingsmen's version.

Then the Sonics.

Blondie do a decent version. Iggy's (solo and with the Stooges) is OK too. But people rarely do more than hammer out those three chords and yell over the top.

[Darkness_Fish]

Motorhead's version springs to mind, but I can't think of many covers.

[zoomboogity]

Gentleman Rock strikes again!

[Thang-y]

[Diamond Dog]

[naughty boy]

So many bands don't play the minor chord as the V, and it's what gives the Kingsmen's version a special sort of feel. All those punk bands just reduced it to a three-barre-chord thrash.

I can't tell if Zep are playing the minor there but I think they are.

[yomptepi]

Are you disregarding my excellent choice for this John?

[naughty boy]

I yam

[George P. Smackers]

You Bay Area guys may remember the "Maximum Louie Louie" radio event at the great college radio station KFJC in 1983, where they brought up the songwriter Richard Berry from LA, who was languishing in obscurity, and played over 800 versions of the song through 63 hours.

http://www.reverbcentral.com/louie/max.html

Here's the playlist:
http://www.reverbcentral.com/louie/maxlist.html

Just reading the list is happy-making. The song was a means to bring every half- and unknown band ever out of the woodwork.

It was a bit after I left and before I came back but I heard about it. It was just the kind of stupid stunt that made freeform small radio great back then.

[George P. Smackers]

Actually that list is quite a resource--it led me straight to this:

[Darkness_Fish]

Motorhead's version springs to mind, but I can't think of many covers.

Yeah, there's something about Lemmy's vocals on this one. It's got the expected clunkiness of their guitars, but he imparts a real swing and joy that you wouldn't associate with Motorhead.

[pcqgod]

My favorite versions (after the Kingsmen's) are by Black Flag, The Sandpipers and The Swamp Rats.



1966!

[Nikki Gradual]

1 Thee Headcoats (What's that? You never have? Try here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Du8KxmfPzc)
2 The Sonics
3 Richard Berry (& The Pharoahs version)
4 Charlie Harper
5 The Feelies
6 Kingsmen
7 The Troggs
8 Beau Brummels
9 The Fat Boys
10 Mo Tucker
11-196,756 Everyone else (except the below)
196,757= Motorhead
196,757= Black Flag

Unplaced: Sisters of Mercy: it is either the best or worst, can't decide.

[naughty boy]

1 Thee Headcoats
2 The Sonics
3 Richard Berry (& The Pharoahs version)
4 Charlie Harper
5 The Feelies
6 Kingsmen

[Nikki Gradual]

1 Thee Headcoats
2 The Sonics
3 Richard Berry (& The Pharoahs version)
4 Charlie Harper
5 The Feelies
6 Kingsmen

I'm not joking. Go and have a listen. Louie Louie is something of a hobby horse of mine. What makes the song so brilliant is that anyone can have a go at it (like Walk on By) because it is pretty much indestructible, but it is all about balance between organ (or not), scream, snarl and guitar break. Very few get any right, hardly any get them all right. Everyone has tried to reinvent the song - Richard Berry has recorded loads of wildly different versions – but this is the order in which I think it has best been invented/reinvented/balanced it.
In retrospect, I think I might have ranked the rather pedestrian Kingsmen version a bit too high. It's quite limp when you think about it.

EDIT: Yup, just rewatched the Kingsmen version, bunch of chaps in letterman sweaters doing a Shadows dance. Musically nice enough, but really quite bland and safe and radio friendly. Herman's Hermits would have given them a run for their money. Sad.