Ryan from Los Angeles band Local Natives has given us his “Top 10 Live Recordings I Prefer to the Album Versions.” The mixtape features live versions of tunes by Joe Cocker and Leon Russell, Van Morrison and The Band, Marvin Gaye, David Bowie and more. You can catch the Local Natives tonight at the Troubadour with Ohio band The Heartless Bastards. If it is anything like the Local Natives August residency at Spaceland (which had a line literally around the block every single week), I would buy your tickets NOW as it’s almost 100% likely to sell out. This will be your last chance to see the Natives before they head out on a tour that will take them to the Northwest and then over to England as part of the NME Radar tour (alongside Golden Silvers, Marina & the Diamonds and Yes Giantess). Check out all the tour dates and Ryan’s brilliant mixtape after the jump.

Top 10 Live Recordings I Prefer to the Album Versions:

Some of these are from actual live albums but several are just audio rips from YouTube videos I just couldn’t stop watching. Either way, I think these versions are even better than their studio recordings. In no particular order, except for…

1. Joe Cocker “The Letter”
…this song is my favorite live song ever. I’m not even sure if Joe’s done a studio version of it. I know it’s a reworking of the Box Tops song though. Either way, this has to be at the top of my list. It’s perfect. Leon’s arrangement is just mind bogglingly awesome. Between Joe’s hurricane force vocal and his small army of backup singers, it sounds like a choir heralding the apocalypse or the 2nd coming or something else insanely monumental. When the band, with its two drummers and beastly horn section, locks in on that instrumental hook after the verses, its sheer power. Man and when the drum break hits, when the instruments drop out, I get chills. If it sounds like I’m overstating it, I’m just having trouble expressing how incredible I think this performance truly is.

2. The Band “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” from the Last Waltz
To me, this version is just so much more powerful. Everything about it – Levon’s voice, the harmonies, the horn section – everything sounds immense. The tragic lyrics are only made that much more so.

3. Marvin Gaye “Distant Lover” from some Best Of compilation
I can’t help but smile every time I hear the girls at the beginning absolutely lose their minds. Even Marvin’s spoken introduction oozes sexed up swagger. The band’s performance here is flawless. And without the 70′s studio sheen, it sounds all the more urgent and soulful.

4. U2 “One” from the Friends of Pavrotti Concert
While the original is great and rightfully one of their most popular songs, this version brings the song to another level. For me Bono’s vocal here is spot on, not too over sung like the studio version. The audience loudly singing along to every word makes it even more emotional. But what really transforms this version is the string arrangement. Seriously gives me chills.

5. David Bowie “Let Me Sleep Beside You” from BBC Sessions
I heard this one before I heard the original recording. When I did hear the studio one I was disappointed. Truthfully, I found a lot of Bowie’s earliest recordings to be too silly and twee sounding (“Ching-a-Ling”?) Either way, this song and the others from the BBC sessions are brilliant. This song in particular gets a fantastic reworking.

6. Van Morrison with The Band “Caravan” from the Last Waltz
Yep, another one from The Last Waltz. I honestly think Van stole the show, which is a pretty incredible feat if you consider how legendary the show was. I’ve heard that this was his first time performing in a while and that he was pretty drunk. This is the sound of a man completely possessed. He’s just pouring it out. I love when he starts slurring his words – “really wrong, really wrong, willy wlong”. I also like how Levon hits the cowbell after Van sings “switch on your electric light”. And man, the ending where he goes “Turn it up now!” and begs “one more time” over and over. Awesome.

7. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – “Chicago” from 4 Way Street
This whole album is fantastic. I love it because of all the imperfections. It makes these guys sound human which is something I never would’ve thought possible. On Nash’s album, I think this song comes off sorta cheesy. But here, just pounding on his piano, Nash sounds angry and soulful. Wish he would’ve pursued this arrangement for the album.

8. Sly & the Family Stone – “Higher” live at Woodstock
This takes the art of live performance to another level. The energy here is absurd. And the speech he gives in the middle of it about not needing approval to sing along and throw up the peace sign makes me smile everytime. “It’ll do you no harm”. The band sounds flawless and even more soulful than the studio recording.

9. The Beach Boys “Long Promised Road” Live in 1972 from Carnegie Hall
I think this is one of those cases where I just prefer the energy and feel of the live version. The original is beautiful maybe just a little stiff. It could just be the drummer swinging the rhythm on the ride cymbal that I prefer, I don’t know. Carl sounds amazing though.

10. Talking heads – “Life During Wartime” from Once in a Lifetime
Somehow David sounds even more manic than the original recording. The paranoia and absurdity in the lyrics come through even more with his inflections. Plus, I really like the harmonies the backup singers do on the choruses.

Tour Dates:

Sep 2 2009 Troubadour w/ Heartless Bastards (allages) Los Angeles, California
Sep 3 2009 The Casbah w/ Heartless Bastards (21+) San Diego, California
Sep 10 2009 Detroit Bar w/ We Barbarians and My Pet Saddle (21+) Costa Mesa, California
Sep 12 2009 Cellar Door (21+) Visalia, California
Sep 14 2009 The Crepe Place (allages) Santa Cruz, California
Sep 15 2009 The Independent w/ Fool’s Gold and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros (21+) San Francisco, California
Sep 17 2009 NXNW Festival @ Holocene w/ Amazing Baby and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros (21+) Portland, Oregon
Sep 18 2009 KEXP @ NXNW Session Portland, Oregon
Sep 19 2009 High Dive w/ Final Spins (21+) Seattle, Washington
Sep 26 2009 O2 Academy 2 (NME Radar Tour) Oxford, UK
Sep 27 2009 University Foundry (NME Radar Tour) Sheffield, UK
Sep 28 2009 Academy 3 (NME Radar Tour) Manchester, UK
Sep 29 2009 Academy 2 Dublin, Ireland
Sep 30 2009 The Duchess (NME Radar Tour) York, UK
Oct 1 2009 Oran Mor (NME Radar Tour) Glasgow, UK
Oct 3 2009 Northumbria University (NME Radar Tour) Newcastle, UK
Oct 4 2009 Sugarmill (NME Radar Tour) Stoke, UK
Oct 5 2009 University Stanley Theater (NME Radar Tour) Liverpool, UK
Oct 7 2009 Wedgwood Rooms (NME Radar Tour) Portsmouth, UK
Oct 8 2009 Thekla (NME Radar Tour) Bristol, UK
Oct 9 2009 Warwick University (NME Radar Tour) Coventry, UK
Oct 10 2009 Civic Hall Bar (NME Radar Tour) Wolverhampton, UK
Oct 12 2009 Waterfront (NME Radar Tour) Norwich, UK
Oct 13 2009 Koko (NME Radar Tour) London, UK
Oct 14 2009 Concorde 2 (NME Radar Tour) Brighton, UK
Oct 15 2009 La Maroquinerie (w/ Peter, Bjorn and John) Paris, France
Oct 16 2009 Paradiso Amsterdam, Holland
Oct 17 2009 Bang Bang Club Berlin, Germany