Before he became Patti Smith’s lead guitarist, Lenny Kaye compiled Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era. Released in 1972, the two-LP set covered American garage rock and psychedelia from the years 1965-1968 and was a major influence on punk rock. Rhino Records reissued an expanded version of the set in 1998, with 118 tracks in total. I’m profiling and rating each of these 118 tracks, working backwards.
Track 16: Hey Joe by the Leaves
From: San Fernando Valley, California
Rating: 9/10
HEY JOE – The Leaves [2:40[
(Billy Roberts)
Personnel/JIM PONS: vocals, bass * JOHN BECK: vocals * BOBBY ARLIN: lead guitar * ROBERT LEE REINER: guitar * TOM “AMBROSE” RAY: drums
Arranged by JOHN BECK
Produced by NORM RATNER for PENTHOUSE PRODUCTIONS, INC.
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA
Mira single #222 (4/66); Pop #31
The Leaves formed in 1964 – like many Nuggets bands, they were inspired by The Beatles. They played their first gig at a school gym in 1965, on the same bill as Captain Beefheart. They replaced The Byrds for a residency at Ciro’s on Sunset Strip. There they were discovered by Pat Boone and offered a recording contract.
The band only stuck around for two albums, and are mostly known for the two songs on Nuggets. I’ve already written about ‘Too Many People‘. The Leaves first recorded ‘Hey Joe’ in late 1965, making their version the earliest known recording. It was often played live by The Byrds, and David Crosby was upset that another band recorded it before them. The Byrds eventually released a disappointing version on 1966’s Fifth Dimension.
“The reason Crosby did lead (vocal) on ‘Hey Joe’ was because it was his song. He didn’t write it but he was responsible for finding it. He’d wanted to do it for years but we would never let him. Then both Love and the Leaves had a minor hit with it and David got so angry that we had to let him do it.”
Roger McGuinn, Fifth Dimension liner notes
The Leaves recorded ‘Hey Joe’ three times – it was the third version that reached #31 on the Billboard charts. It’s a nice version, energetic and raw. It feels inspired by The Byrds, but The Leaves have an edgier sound that suits the song.
Hey Joe
A tale of a man on the run after shooting his unfaithful wife, the origins of ‘Hey Joe’ are clouded. It’s often attributed to folk singer Billy Roberts. It tells a similar tale to the 20th-century folk ballad ‘Little Sadie’. It was covered by many artists in the mid-1960s, like The Leaves, The Byrds, and Love. Jimi Hendrix’s slow and intense recording has become the song’s definitive version.
The Leaves
Bassist and vocalist Jim Pons is The Leaves’ most notable member. He went on to play with The Turtles and Frank Zappa, before embarking on a long career as a football video director.
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A very interesting version of a song I have for years associated solely with Jimi Hendrix. Maybe you could do an ‘Original Vs. Cover ‘ post.
Hendrix wins for sure. You could probably rank ten versions, I think Cher did it too.
I didn’t know there were so many versions.
“Hey Joe” was the first song I heard by Jimi Hendrix. I love it right away and in my child innocence simply assumed it was his song. Warming to other Hendrix songs took some time. Nowadays, he’s one of my favorites! With all that said, I don’t recall hearing the version by The Leaves before. It sounds like a blend between garage rock and the Byrds. I also didn’t realize the Byrds covered the song as well. Well, I guess I learned a lot here today! 🙂
The Byrds’ version is famously not that good. I don’t think they have gritty enough vocalists to make it work.
It took me a while to like Hendrix too. He’s not an amazing singer, and his music is super busy. But he’s clearly a great.
Nice choice
I never heard that Byrds story…thats cool.
I’ve heard a lot of good versions of this and I do like the Leaves version but…nothing beats Hendrix on this one for me…if only for the intro he made for it.
Agreed, the Leaves version is very good, but Hendrix is on a different tier.
Byrds albums are often a bit messy – lots of talent, but pulling in different directions.
I do like some of the later Byrds albums…they are a different animal though.
I only know the first six, until the point when McGuinn was the only original member. Lots of great songs, lots of talent, but could have been better. Pushing Gene Clark’s ‘She Don’t Care About Time’ to a non-album b-side is a case in point.